When Meditation Forgets You

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Kicking it at the ocean.

Over the last few years in my meditation practice I have witnessed a lot of things, especially in Kundalini Yoga, where the days completed have a direct correlation to the effects received. We choose a meditation and do it as long as we can/feel called.

Early in my training, I met a woman in Yoga West, whom I cannot recall her name, and she told me a story of how she did So Purkh for over 150 days until one day she simply forgot to do it. I was shocked! How could someone ever forget to do such an intense practice after such a long time!? She explained that she had simply gotten busy moving and one day woke up and realized she had forgotten to do it.

When I heard her story, her honesty and transparency came through. She didn’t guilt herself about it or make a big deal out of it. She simply moved on. “I figured I had all So Purkh had wanted to give to me.”

When I first began my training I kept asking how do we know when a meditation is done? Each person would say there is an inner knowing that happens. There is a feeling that happens that tells you when you have received all the benefits your soul needs at this time with this particular meditation.

What they didn’t tell me is that sometimes, you just forget, and that’s okay. 

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This past weekend I was travelling with a friend of mine on one of the nearby islands. We were deep in the present moment of frolicking in the sunshine on the coast and running into mystical being and doing other meditations. I woke up on Sunday and in mid-breakfast realized I forgot to do my daily meditation ~ 88 days in.

I stopped for a moment, surprised.

My friend looked at me, and simply said, “Are you going to guilt yourself over this?”

Quickly, I realized its not worth the energy (when is it every worth giving up energy to guilt yourself?). I realized it doesn’t matter – perhaps the meditation has completed its work with me.

Or perhaps it demands more sacredness than I have given it the past few months.

If a meditation is meant to bring out the sacred in me, it must be treated as sacred as that sacred part of me is. I have let myself become lazy in my practice the last couple of months because of my own mental blocks.

I say this because for me, this meditation did not feel complete. It felt like I was just beginning to unravel more of its truth in my life. It felt like I was just starting to learn its dance.

Perhaps this is part of this particular meditation teachings for me.

Reflection Questions

Have you ever forgotten to do your meditation practice? What happened? How did you react? What did it teach you?