AND JUST LIKE THAT...

And then it's back. You thought you were finally on top of things. Things were going great. You went to bed on time. You woke up on time. You kept a flawless diet. Meditation felt smooth as machinery. But now you can't seem to get anything in order. You have 8 439 unanswered emails. You forgot your brother's birthday. You can barely do your dishes. Let alone keep your meditation routine going. And when you do sit down, you keep looking at the clock and desperately hope for the session to end.

You may think that this doesn't happen to those who meditate for two hours a day. That your struggle means that you're not cut out for the practice. Or that you haven't progressed. That all who manage to keep the practice going never experience huge resistance. Or ever miss sittings. So maybe you should just quit.

The ego

But what just happened was that you had a close encounter with your ego. Your ego shook its little head, looked at you with disappointment and told you that you're not good enough.

You see. The real flex is to get back up on the horse without a single trace of that self-judgment or stories of defeat that your ego is busy fabricating. That is exactly where the real progress of practice is shown, the ability to overcome the ego. The voice that says that things have to be a certain way.

So is the goal to have a smooth and easy meditation routine or is the goal to master your ego? Don't get lost here. Seize the great opportunity and giddy up.