Meditation Project: Why Isn't It All Bonus Time?

The Musings of the Solitary Walker by Rene Magritte

In my post Meditation Project: My "Bonus" Meditation, I wrote about how I was added an extra minute of meditation time onto my meditation sessions, during which I switch to a different type of meditation that's more pleasant for me than the scheduled meditation—or maybe it's just the fact that I'd done with my scheduled meditation and that this final minute is kind of like dessert after the nourishing main meal. 

Anyway, this week—I was home and was able to meditate all six days—I decided to extend my bonus time by an extra minute, which went well. I still really enjoyed it. But that made me wonder: why doesn't the whole meditation time feel like bonus time? I mean, after all, I'm a lucky person who has the time and training and privacy to be able to easily meditate at home? But the human mind is a strange thing, and I think I'm kind of psyching myself out with this "bonus" meditation thing. After a week of extending my bonus time, I actually did a five-minute bonus session. So then I wondered, what if my regular practice was only bonus time? Like what if I focused each day for my whole session on one person or group of people who were struggling? 

I haven't tried this yet, but I may. Will I be missing out on something if I keep switching techniques all the time? I read in Meditation for Dummies that once you find the technique that's best for you, you should stick with that one.

On the other hand, maybe I still haven't found the technique that's best for me and I should keep experimenting this year for as long as I want?

Or, am I totally overthinking this? (Brad has so often said to me, "Don't over think it," that I've internalized his voice and hear him saying it to me in situations like this.)

by Nina Zolotow

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