Morning Practice.

I sit down to meditate. It's barely eight in the morning, and the humid Mallorcan summer air is already wrapping around me like a warm embrace.

I tell myself: "I'm going to meditate now to help all beings be free from suffering. To serve others from a place of love, to help the love of God find its way into the world. May it be so."

The practice unfolds without glory or grace. It's hard to focus. The light streaming through the window hits my right eye directly, distracting me. Still, the practice continues. It happens.

As I often say to those I coach, a successful practice is the one that happens.

After a few minutes of settling into the present moment, I notice a quiet sadness and unease in my experience.

I try not to identify with them. They are just experiences, however unpleasant, simply passing through. I don't need to build a self around them. I stay with them for a while.

A soft, unexpected cry rises up, bringing relief.

I return to the breath and continue meditating. Breath by breath. No more peace than before, no greater ease. The mind interrupts with thoughts of life, tasks, schedules...I release them and return to presence. Breathing.

Eventually, the mind softens, making meditation a little easier. After a while, I ended my practice.

I step out of the small shed where I meditate in the morning, a humble space with no comforts, and I'm suddenly met with a "Good morning, Juan!" It's my neighbor greeting me from his garden.

He catches me off guard. I return the greeting politely and continue walking into the house.

My mind complains for a moment: "How inconvenient. He interrupted my sacred solitude. I feel intruded upon." I notice the thought process and choose to release it. But before letting it go, I play with the mind a little and offer it a kinder version of the story: "How lovely to have a neighbor who's so friendly and wishes me well. How fortunate I am. I feel grateful."

I smile, amused by how light and malleable the mind is and how quickly our chemistry follows.

I step inside, and Manda welcomes me with a smile that fills my heart with joy.

I smile back, and we embrace.