Posted on December 30, 2009 - by Jennifer

30 Day Meditation Challenge: Day 23

Monday December 28, 2009: I sat for meditation in the late evening. When I sat down and settled in, something in me resisted the idea of jumping right to a specific chakra meditation technique or mantra. ¬†So, I just sat. ¬†Without forcing or guiding my energy in any way, I could feel it begin to radiate upwards. ¬†It felt like it was traveling up the front of my body and spilling out like a fountain at the crown of my head. ¬†After a while, I felt a shift and the energy seemed to be concentrated at my heart center. ¬†Again, like a fountain, the energy seemed to rise up to my heart and then spill out and down like water. ¬† Earlier in the evening, I had taken the metro. ¬†Usually I have my iPod on and I’m kind of tuned out to the announcements on the train. ¬† But, I was making some notes about the yoga class I was going to teach so I didn’t have my headphones on. ¬†As the train pulled into the station, I could hear the train operator announcing the station. ¬†And then, in this great sort of warm, rich voice he said, ” Watch your step as you exit and remember, be patient, be courteous, be safe”. ¬†As I exited the train and moved into the rush of people, I ¬†kept thinking about his “mantra”. ¬† And as I rushed (impatiently) to get to my martial arts studio, I mentally repeated the words so I could remember them. ¬†After martial arts, I taught yoga and instead of ending with namaste, I ¬†shared the story of the train operator with my students and ended with his mantra. ¬†As I sat there in meditation, the train operators words returned to me. ¬† I sat for a long time with a calm body and a mind empty of everything except those words – “Be patient, be courteous, be safe”.