ately I've been dealing with a new issue concerning my morning meditation practices: timing. Flylady often states the importance of routine, and Hazrat Inayat Khan's teachings on rhythm convey the same sentiment. When you have a routine, things flow along with much less effort. Children naturally blossom under the safety of routine, and as a grownup I don't feel much differently about it. I can't stand it when my routines are off and my life is in chaos.

So in the morning for some time now I've woken up at a particular time, showered, dressed, put the coffee on, and done my practices. By the time I was done with them the pot was brewed and waiting, and I would take a cup in to my office and drink it while checking my email and such.

The problem is that since the last Suluk session I've been given two new practices, which take anywhere from an extra twenty to thirty-five minutes, depending on how much I feel like doing. By this time the coffee has lost a bit of its fresh luster, and I am beginning to get anxious about starting my work.

Yes, I could always get up earlier, but I don't know how much of my life I'm willing to trade in for meditation, even with full awareness of the benefits it provides. I always come up against this wall at some point, because one of my favorite sentiments of Hazrat Inayat Khan is that mysticism may be practiced in everyday life, without running off to the hills to become an ascetic. And my routine was really working for me, so I'm sad that now it's somehow lacking.

Maybe I could get up a bit earlier and also brew a bigger pot of coffee. Maybe I can carve out a small piece of the afternoon, just stop my work entirely and unplug the phone and try not to worry about clients. That would be a challenge. I don't think I could possibly work in extra time to my before bed routine, what with my long parade of facial products and missed prayer catch-ups that are already difficult to juggle with a man and a dog all tumbling into bed pawing at the covers and tossing pillows about.

And I guess the ultimate sentiment is that I don't feel like extra meditation time could possibly increase the presence of God in my life any more than it already exists, so what exactly am I practicing for?