Trying to stay focus on me.....this is a challenge

[Pyrite]

hi Asitis,

I learnt a few different forms of meditation and relaxation from my parents when I was younger, ~9. From then on it was just reading, although I lost it for ~10 years. Found it again when I was 21, 24, 27, 30 for short bursts and then very sporadically for the past 12 years until now.

Perhaps were you meaning the thing with the cold? That was me. It just flows naturally. The main reason my parents taught me to meditate is that I went through a rough and painful time when I was young. The cold was just the same, an uncomfortable sensation, but turn it into just a sensation and it is easier to deal with.

I have always been hesitant to call myself a Buddhist. I dont feel worthy of the pious connotations. However, I think I am crossing that line ATM. I actually went to the Bodhi Tree, where Budha delivered his first teachings, and a host of "religious" landmarks across the middle east and Asia. Very worthwhile trip.

I've also found these kinds of practices (I wish I were better with hot and humid right now ... and mosquitoes) very effective once you work with them a while.

Mozzies are a b**ch! You try to ignore the itch and it drives you crazy . Thats it exactly - it is what I keep saying to people here WRT detachment, letting go. Don't worry about how much you achieve, just practice. I've just been talking about this again with Smothy.