I’ve been trying to incorporate meditation into my weekly schedule this summer, to no avail. I’m going to keep on tryin’, though. I’ll be kicking off the renewed effort this Friday, with the Chopra Center’s Global Meditation for Peace. They want to break the world record for largest group meditation. Let’s do this thing!
A few days afterward, I’ll start a three-week meditation experience with Deepak and Oprah.
Do any of you meditators out there have any tips? I need to tame my monkey mind…
fancenance.com 
I’ve been ‘back at meditating’ this summer and the thing that works the best for me is a word to repeat to bring me back to the present from my ‘musings’ about what’s for dinner, etc. The one that works best for me is “relax” repeated until I relax……..then I keep telling myself to stay in the moment and review in my mind where I am and what I am doing with the word relax stuck in off and on………..until I am so relaxed that I can ‘stay put’ I have found if I just find 15 mins a day and EVERY DAY – yeh, I know…….it gets easier and easier to stay ‘there’ right where you are………you also get there faster. I have even started looking forward to those 15 minutes………it is so peaceful “there” and I feel more peaceful the whole rest of the day………and when I skip a few days, I am back almost to square one………..
Interesting, thanks, Mom!
I agree with what your mom says. Also it’s important to realize that your mind drifting off is normal–it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong! You just have to keep gently bringing your attention back to your breath, or a word, etc.
Have you read any Pema Chodron? Her writing about meditation is practical and she has a sense of humor about it too.
I have The Pocket Pema Chodron, which my mom bought for me. 🙂 I do want to read some of her books. She seems very accessible!