Meditate Awake

DAILY INSIGHT Buddha is thought to have said “you only lose what you cling to.” In a number of different meditation traditions, non-attachment or non-possessiveness is a central intention. Attachment and grasping creates suffering; because the tighter we hold onto something, the more afraid we are of losing it. Have you ever stopped yourself from enjoying a happy moment because you were worried that it would be over soon? Do you try to figure out how to make good things last longer — instead of just embracing them? DAILY ACTION Meditate on non-attachment. Sit quietly for a few moments and bring to mind something in your life that you don’t want to lose. It can be really hard to actively acknowledge this fear; so do it gently. Allow this attachment to come into the mind and sit there. Don’t judge it. Accept it. And then take a deep breath in. As you exhale, say “I embrace you without holding tight. I release you.”