Meditation – Along Came a Spider

Tai Chi class began with meditation. We sat down on a mat, closed our eyes and focused on our breathing. We were to sit with our spine elongated and shoulders relaxed. The instructor told us to take our mind and place it inside the body.

Having a class on meditation was perfect timing. I am trying to adjust to my new summer schedule. I do more driving in the summer because I take my daughter to camp or to her Nana’s house in the morning. My mind is preoccupied because I have several family members’ who have health concerns. There is just a lot going on.

You would think that I would be able to take advantage of a few minutes to relax and meditate.

That is not what happened.

My first problem was that I could not find a comfortable seated position. Ever since my knee injury, my hip is not as flexible as it used to be. My right hip goes out of socket occasionally. I found a comfortable way to sit and began to focus on my breathing. This lasted a brief minute before I encountered the next obstacle to my meditation…a spider. Yep…I felt a spider crawl across my leg and my mind temporarily focused on the spider. I quietly took care of the spider and returned to my meditation. A few minutes later the session was over.

My Tai Chi instructor talked to us about being “in the moment”. I recognize that it is not easy to get there. My mind wanders to a large “to do” list, obligations/appointments I have to meet, not to mention family and work responsibilities. The class worked on the second section of the Yang long form and finished with push hands.

I should have ignored the spider. :)