Summary

The author has experienced personal growth and increased meditation duration after a week of daily practice, despite not achieving the expected outcome of levitation.

Abstract

After dedicating a week to daily meditation, the author reports a significant increase in the duration of their meditation sessions, from just under seven minutes to over ten minutes. While they have not yet achieved the iconic Lotus Pose or the ability to levitate, they have noticed improvements in their ability to focus and sit still without distractions. The practice has become a habit, and the author now identifies as a meditator, incorporating meditation into their daily routine and even waking up to meditate late at night. The author reflects on the deeper purpose of meditation, emphasizing the importance of being grounded and cultivating unconditional love, especially during challenging times like a pandemic.

Opinions

The author believes that the length of meditation sessions may not directly correlate with their quality but sees the increase in time as a personal victory.
They aspire to master the Lotus Pose for its aesthetic appeal and traditional association with meditation, despite the potential risks of injury.
The author acknowledges a shift in their identity, embracing the lifestyle changes that come with being a regular meditator.
They express humor and self-awareness about their initial expectations of levitation as a result of proper meditation, recognizing that the true benefit is a sense of spiritual grounding.
The author values the concept of agape,

I Meditated Every Day for a Week. Now I Can Levitate

I can’t levitate. Wait, should I be levitating? Am I doing this wrong?

After a week of meditation, I’m beginning to feel something. Nope, not really. I’m not levitating, but I beginning to see changes.

I can meditate longer

The first time I attempted mediation, it felt as if I could feel time slowly pass away.

When I opened my eyes, I expected to see half an hour had passed.

6 minutes and 47 seconds does not equal 30 minutes.

But, for my first session, I did great! I took 6 minutes and 47 seconds to make one revolution with my mala beads. I spent that time focusing on my mantra and breathing. I could easily build a habit upon meditation if it only took a little over 5 minutes.

However, by the next meditation, the time it took for one revolution of my mala beads increased by 21 seconds. By the third session, I surpassed my initial time by two minutes.

At the end of the week, my meditations averaged over ten minutes, a 54% increase.

I’m not sure if the length of time in meditation provides any indication of quality, but for me, it’s a small victory. I can sit on my gluteous maximus for ten whole minutes without touching my phone, watching Netflix, or doing other pointless things.

I strive for Lotus Pose

The Lotus Pose is the iconic pose for meditating. It’s the leg pretzels of Zen and I love bread! I crave those mindfulness carbs because if you can’t sit in a lotus pose, are you even meditating?

Yes, I increased my meditation session time, but I also want to look the part as well.

When someone barges into my meditation space, I want them to see my lotus pose and say “that guy’s meditating”, not “why are you sitting on the ground like a Kindergartner?”

I’ve done my time as a Kindergartner. And, as an Elementary PE Teacher, I have had my fair share of them and their accidents on the gym floor.

To a Kindergartner, the lotus pose would be a piece of cake for their flexible legs, but I’m too cautious to tear a muscle.

“What happened to your knees? Basketball?”

No, I’m a Zen warrior in the making.

Disclaimer, don’t hurt yourself. The pose will come with practice and time. Don’t rush it.

Someday I’ll master the lotus pose. Even if it takes a year or two for me to reach, I know it’ll be worth it. The pose helps to straighten the back and allows for better breath control, but right now, I just want the look. Vanity at its best which doesn’t seem very zen-like.

I am a meditator now

I’m not sure what you call a person who meditates habitually, but I think I’m that person. After a week of meditation, I’ve learned that I want to meditate and look forward to it each day.

One day I fell asleep on the couch late at night. Usually, I would’ve stayed asleep there, but no, I decided to get up and meditate at 11:30 PM. What’s becoming of me?

I’m slowly starting to accept this new persona. I wear my mala beads for every waking minute of the day, I’m working on my flexibility to lotus pose, and now I’m debating wearing yoga pants 24/7.

I’ve deliberately carved out time for this new endeavor, why not go all the way?

Should I be levitating now?

To be honest, I don’t even know if I’m meditating correctly. After seven days of training, what if I had bad posture, poor breathing, and my eyes and mind weren’t in the right place? What it have all been a waste?

If I meditated correctly, surely, I’d be levitating by now. Floating a millimeter off the ground would even seem productive. Yet, my meditations seem to be doing the opposite. Instead of levitating, my meditations are pushing me further into the ground.

Maybe the feeling I’m feeling is a sign that my meditation is working. Though levitation would be great, the beauty of meditation is a sense of being grounded, spiritually.

For seven days straight I have tethered my soul and kept it grounded through meditation by focusing on one word, agape.

I define agape as the highest expression of love, unconditional love. Agape was bestowed upon me from God and I strive to demonstrate that level of love each day to my family, friends, and even people I have yet to meet.

I may not levitate because of meditation, but I hope to set a foundation upon it. Doing so will keep me grounded and prepare me to love the world and all its inhabitants unconditionally, even as my world is being turned upside down by a pandemic.

Thanks for reading!