Work/Meditate
I have a work/meditation practice that has been going on now for 2 years. I started it a while back, in the summer when I wanted to make some changes in my life. I already had a meditation practice but not everyday. Our company moved from a downtown location to one in the middle of nowhere so suddenly I wasn't going out everyday for lunch because there was nowhere to go. Some of my coworkers started playing cards, and that just seemed like a waste of time to me so I decided to use my lunch to calm my mind.
The practice started with just the breath. I would lie on my back and watch the sky and empty my mind and then I would just follow the breath in and out. Well eventually the cold weather returned and I wanted to continue my practice because I was experiencing some really good sits. So I asked the owner of the company if I could use the board room at lunch to continue my meditation. This is one of the good things about where I work. I can share my spiritual inclinations openly. Some people mock me but not too much.
When I began in the board room I decided to start using the meditation time for doing mantras instead of just the breath. Today for instance I sat for 15 minutes and said the Vajrasattva mantra, Manjushri and Medicine buddha. When I go through the mantras I then just sit with the breath again.
I can't tell you how much the practice has become essential to a more peaceful state for myself.