This morning, still having sleep issues, I found myself awake at 4:00 and staring at the ceiling. We have been reorganizing the house in preparation for my mother moving in, and I moved my meditation room to a corner in a cubbyhole in the bedroom. I got up and sat on my meditation cushion to quiet my mind. As I sat there, with my mind wandering, I found myself searching for ways to focus and calm it. I thought about Rodney Yee's Ujagi (sp?) meditations, where you extend your exhales longer and longer, and breathe with ease.
I began to do that a bit, and then gradually allowed myself to stop the instruction of trying to extend the exhale, and I began to just breathe, but keep the same frame of mind where I'm concentrating on my breath. I was pleased to find myself sinking deeper and deeper, and finally reached that state of clarity that I occasionally reach when I've had a "good" meditation. I don't know how long I sat there, but eventually I got up and went back to bed. My dog was waiting for my return, and he snuggled up to me with his head on my chest. I kept that state of calm and clarity as I lie in bed, and eventually floated into a pleasant slumber with the waterfall-like sounds of a puppy snoring on my chest. It was quite a beautiful morning.
