Understanding what meditation truly is and dissolving our skepticism about its efficacy takes time. Even once we overcome that skepticism, there is often still resistance to practicing consistently, often because we aren’t fully engaged in it or lack empirical evidence that it works. When we move past that stage, we may encounter meditation boredom or laziness. After overcoming those hurdles, there is still a need for patience: waiting, practicing, waiting, studying, writing about it, teaching it to the best of our ability, practicing again, and waiting some more. Then, suddenly or gradually over time, we begin to peel away from the metaphorical egg we’ve been gestating in during our practice. The present moment becomes attainable. Focus becomes easy. It becomes simpler and simpler to visualize the thoughts flooding our minds as random balloons floating in the sky, which we can gently nudge to float away with focus and breathing, or choose to observe them. Over time, these practices help us develop the ability to create relaxation in the body and mind. We learn to choose the object of our focus. When we can enter a relaxed state and remain untriggered for extended periods, that is where the magic of life happens. In a relaxed state of mind, conflict cannot exist. Only in an anxious brain do we become distracted from presence and softness, leading us off course. Life experienced through an anxious brain feels difficult, but life from a relaxed brain is harmonious and joyous, even with its intrinsic difficulties.
