The Meditation Rug

by James
(Birmingham UK)

My Close Encounter with a Meditation Rug.

When I first learned about meditation, I thought I would look into it myself. It sounded too good to be true.

You can learn it yourself, it's free! And with so many different methods I thought there had to be something suitable for me.

Not to mention, as stressful as my life was at the time, surely anything would help.

So, I did my research. I read books. I even visited my nearest New Age store to get what I assumed were the ideal supplies.

I was ready. I waited until the evening, assuming the less sunlight to distract me, the better. I went into my bedroom and cleared a space on the rug, where I placed my freshly bought 'meditation pillow'.

I lit my recently purchased, scented candles and carefully arranged them on my dresser and night stand.

I popped a CD into my stereo of ambient music. I sat down on the pillow, closed my eyes, and began...

First, I focused on clearing my mind, being in the present. Then, one by one, I began to consciously relax parts of my body, beginning with my feet and moving up my body, exhaling as I reached my chest. I felt more relaxed than I ever had before ...

My mind wandered seemingly on its own as I let the feeling wash over me. It was amazing! It was spectacular! It was my face against the rug.

The rush of success was struck out of me the moment I woke up face-down on my bedroom rug. In all of my focus on relaxing, I didn't realize I had fallen asleep!

Needless to say, my first foray into meditation wasn't a complete success. It took me several attempts afterwards to learn relaxation without unconsciousness. Seventh time's the charm!