The Power of Meditation: My Recent Practice

I got the sweetest puppy over the summer.  We rescued her from a local organization one Saturday morning, brought her home, and our lives changed forever.  Indie is a blue heeler mix, a breed of cattle dog.  She has SO MUCH ENERGY.  My husband and I are 50 and we have thought many times, what have we done?  How are we going to keep up with her?  She has forced us to re-arrange our lives in many ways.  One of those has been my meditation practice.

Before Indie, I was meditating if not twice a day, at least every morning for 20 minutes.  I would do a short yoga practice as well.  On day 2 of Indie coming home with us, that all went out the window, and I found myself trying to adjust and fit my meditation practice in the best I could.  Some days it was a guided meditation on my way to work, some days it was chanting a mantra in my head as I threw a ball for Indie.  I was exhausted but needed my practice to keep me present and grounded.  I did the best I could and it just had to be enough. 

As Indie has gotten a little older, my meditation practice is slowly shifting with her.  She's 8 months old now, still a puppy, and full of energy.  But, we have slowly begun to sit every morning again.  In the mornings, I sit on my cushion for my practice and she will lie beside me, chewing on a bone.  This morning, as I was brushing my teeth, she picked up her bone, nudged me with it, and went to lie down by my meditation cushion.  It's like she's starting to crave this time too.  It reminded me of the mythology around Bhujangasana, Cobra Pose.

It goes something like this.  One day Buddha was meditating in a grove, and a group of cobras was nearby.  Buddha was aware of their presence but he had no fear of the snakes, so he continued to meditate.  This sense of fearlessness calmed the snakes.  His stillness was like a balm to their minds.  So they stayed close to him to protect him.  Suddenly, it began to rain.  The snakes, in gratitude for the peace Buddha provided them through his meditation, drew near to Buddha to protect him from the elements.  One of the great cobras slithered up behind Buddha, drew himself up as tall as he could, and opened his great hood to create a canopy over Buddha - like a great umbrella.

I wonder if meditation is beginning to soothe Indie too.