While I was attending some veterinary conferences this year, I shared a hotel room. On both occasions, I was with people that I’d known for many years. It was a luxury to spend time together, since we don’t get to socialize that often. However, being away from home is always a little disruptive to my daily schedule. All the familiar surroundings are absent and the routine gets forgotten in the excitement.
But I wasn’t about to forego my habit of meditating for 15 minutes, after I wake up in the morning. It’s a way for me to bring myself gently into the world for that day. As I sit, I get a sense of my Self, my thoughts, my energy level. I’ve learned that it changes daily. If I pay attention to these subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) fluctuations in myself and remain mindful of it, my day flows much better. If I resist how I’m feeling, then that day doesn’t flow as well.
My morning meditation has become precious to me. But I haven’t shared that I do it with many people. My husband knows. Those from yoga school know. My immediate family is aware. A handful of friends know too. Otherwise, it’s kind of private and personal. Why am I even revealing it in this post, you ask? Because I learned something in meditating while I was away attending these meetings.
I didn’t want to skip out on this part of my day. So I just nonchalantly told my hotel roomie what I was doing and tried not to make a big deal of it. Surprisingly, I was making a bigger deal of “what would they think?” or “how should I tell them that I meditate?” than they did! Often, my roomies just slept through my meditation.
It was another little aha moment for me. If I’m comfortable with my meditation, then the other person will be too. In fact, the same can be said about most anything. “Bien dan sa peau”, as Mireille Guiliano likes to remind her readers in her “French Women” books. The direct translation is “comfortable in one’s own skin”. I take it to mean being comfortable in my own Self.
I’ll have to sit and think about this some more…
