Meditation Inspiration

I just started reading Sally Kempton's book, Meditation for the Love of It:  Enjoying Your Own Deepest Experience.  I really liked what she said at the end of the introduction:

"We would feel a lot better if we realized that meditation is like any other intimate relationship:  it requires patience, commitment, and deep tolerance.  Just as our encounters with others can be wondrous but also baffling, scary and even irritating, our encounters with the self have their own moods and flavors.  Like any other relationship, this one changes over time.  And it is best undertaken with love."

The moon shines because it does not escape the night ~ Rumi

Anusara embraces Tantric philosopy which accepts both the good and the bad ~ the beautiful with the ugly.  A couple of days ago I was in a rotten mood with no real explanation and I came across this poem by Rumi.

Painting by Chloe Hedden:  http://www.chloehedden.com/

If you befriend the Beloved

you will never be lonely.

If you learn to be flexible

you will never be helpless.

The moon shines because it

does not escape the night.

The rose is scented because

it has embraced the thorn.

Join me in the 30 Day Meditation Challenge

One of my teachers, Amy Ippoliti, does a great 30 Day Yoga Challenge on Facebook.  The June Challenge is:  10 minutes of meditation practice EVERY day for 30 days.  I'm very excited about this challenge.  A week or two ago I included 10 minutes of meditation in two of my classes.  This is an area of resistance for me (practicing meditation) so I imagine there is quite a lot for me to learn here.  Can anyone relate?