Have you ever noticed yourself tensing your abdominal muscles as you watched your favorite team, willing them to win? Or found yourself trying to ‘help’ your friend pass a final exam with the force of your will alone? When we find ourselves doing this, we are essentially wishing to control the outcome, wishing to control the world outside ourselves. This muscle tension is essentially stress.

During the holidays with the excitement of parties, gift giving, and family get-togethers it can be tempting to cut back on our meditation practice so we can attend to the gift shopping, travel planning and party organizing. But it is good to reflect on what these gifts and parties actually represent and what is it we most wish to give our loved ones.

When unpleasant things happen in our day-to-day lives, our tendency can be to react and push against whatever is happening. So, it is not surprising that we can have similar reactions to a meditation that we feel has ‘gone wrong’. One of the most valuable things we learn in our meditation practice is how to let go.

As we start to meditate we can begin to outgrow elements of our lives that may seem to define us. As the snake sheds its skin in order to evolve and grow, we shed parts of ourselves that no longer reflect our new expanded consciousness state.

Have you ever noticed how, when you visit family, old friends or the place you grew up, you can revert to old worn-out behaviors? You act prickly or quieter than usual? Maybe you lose your temper, act out or feel anxious. What is going on with this?