|
|
|
Life Design Ezine>
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION, WHY BOTHER?
August 1, 2008
Since about 1990, as a practitioner of meditation and in
service of people in tough transitions (i.e., midlife
career loss, surviving war or domestic violence, or
negotiating a life-threatening illness, like HIV/AIDS), I
have been studying different ways to dial down mental
static — stress, obsessive worry and anxiety. I do this in
service of fostering clarity and to make “what’s next in
life” become more apparent.
My methods draw largely from what I have learned from
Insight Meditation or Mindfulness Meditation techniques.
Insight Meditation [known as Vipassana in Pali] is a
comprehensive approach to awakening of the heart and mind.
This method of awareness training has been practiced in
parts of Asia for over 2,500 years and, because of its
simplicity and power, is now being embraced by people from
diverse spiritual orientations and locations around the
world.
Insight Meditation cultivates our natural wisdom and
compassion. The practice develops concentration, or
“steadiness” of mind. The subject of concentration is
usually the movement of the breath, or the appearing and
disappearing of sound. As the mind quiets down, it is
possible to experience whatever arises in the present
moment in an accepting, relaxed and open way. And, I can’t
think of anything that is improved through my greater and
greater tension.
Mindfulness can be maintained throughout our daily
activities. We can be mindful of the movement of our body,
the sensations in walking, the sounds around us, or the
thoughts and feelings that come into the mind. As
mindfulness deepens, there is increased capacity for
intimacy with the life within and around us. We are able to
see through our socially- and mentally-conditioned
behaviors and thoughts. We come to discover qualities
buried within us, perhaps, i.e., empathy, equanimity and
ease in our lives. These tips below are compiled, in part,
from the Seattle Insight Meditation website
http://SeattleInsight.org.
How Do I Meditate By Myself?
As with all things, start where you are. You have
everything you need right now. First, decide to sit each
day. Next, plan the time, place and duration for your
sitting meditation.
Choose a time
Morning is often best because the mind is calmer than it is
later in the day. However, the best time is the time that
you can commit to on a regular basis.
Choose a space
There is no perfect place. If possible, dedicate a space
exclusively to your daily sitting. Choose a relatively
quiet space where you can leave your cushion (or chair) so
that it is always there to return to.
Choose a duration
As long as is comfortable, plus 5 minutes. This is a
general guide, not a rule. Even fifteen or twenty minutes
will seem an eternity in the beginning, but that impression
will change with time. If you sit each day, you will
experience noticeable benefits (e.g., less reactivity, more
calm) and be able to increase your sitting time if you so
choose. And, every time you sit:
Set your intention
It’s helpful to recall at the start of each sitting
meditation why you are doing it. Remember that your
purpose, to become more open and free, will benefit you and
those around you.
Set your posture
Alertness is one of the two essential ingredients in every
meditation. Sit on a chair or cushion as straight and tall
as comfortably-possible. Around this straight-back
position, let the rest of your skeleton and muscles hang
freely. Let the hands rest comfortably on your knees or
lap. Let the eyes close, bringing the attention inward.
Relax deeply
Openness is the second essential ingredient in every
meditation. Once you feel your spine is erect, let
everything else relax, hang loose, and soften. Consciously
releasing body tension will help you open to whatever
arises during your meditation.
Choose an object of meditation
Once you’ve established this alert and open posture, you
are ready to decide where you’ll place your attention. A
useful object for beginners is the breath as it enters and
leaves the nostrils.
Whatever object you select, stay with it for at least ten
breaths. Even with this effort, your mind will insist on
going to its usual places. Make note of this when it
happens, and gently lead your attention back to the chosen
object of meditation. Your intention and persistence are
the key ingredients for cultivating awareness, not the
number of times your mind wanders. As often as you need to,
check yourself — Alert and erect? Relaxed and open?” — and
begin again.
I recommend sitting with others because the point of
meditation is, in part, to see clearly how interdependent
every single one of us is with all others. But, it’s up to
you. If you want to sit with others, please see Seattle
Insight for more details.
Mindfulness, (or one-pointed), meditation—as described
above—is one method of “working with what arises” and the
Tibetan [orVajrayana] Buddhist tradition that is called
Lojong or Tonglenpractice is another technique.
Tibetan teacher and head Abbess in Nova Scotia’s Gampo
Abbey—Pema Chodron—offers a simple breathing exercise that
includes “mindful” or “relaxed attention” given to the
feelings that arise during meditation without getting
overwhelmed by the feelings.
It is precisely through working with this feeling-filled,
mindfulness practice—carried on the wings of the “in” and
“out” breath—that many of my clients and students have
found the greatest comfort and relief. No need to rush out
of uncomfortable feelings into anesthetizing with food,
alcohol, spending, or hyper-fixating to find relief from an
anxious mind.
You can go into the abject feeling and witness its
mutability and transience. You might find that the
completion you are searching for is already within you. No
drug, perfect mate, or financial windfall can provide the
calm you can create via mindful breathing.
Breathing mindfully is like listening to waves on an ocean,
something to which we are always available to attend. This
practice takes practice. It’s like training a skittish,
stray cat to “stay still” and trust that today will take
care of itself.
Chodron educates readers on the practice of Tonglen in her
bookWhen Things Fall Apart (excerpted below) and in every
other book she’s written, see: http://PowellsBooks.com.
Tonglen is a Tibetan word that literally means “sending and
taking.” The practice originated in India and came to Tibet
in the 11th-century. In tonglen practice, when we see or
feel suffering, we breathe in with the notion of completely
feeling it, accepting it and owning it. Then we breathe
out, radiating compassion, loving-kindness, freshness;
anything that encourages relaxation and openness.
When you do tonglen on the spot, you simply breathe in and
breathe out, taking in pain and sending out spaciousness
and relief. When you do tonglen as a formal practice, it
has four stages:
Rest: Relax your mind briefly in a state of openness or
stillness.
Work with texture: Breathe in a feeling of hot, dark, and
heavy, and breathe out a feeling of cool, bright, and
light. Breathe in and radiate completely, through all the
pores of your body, until it feels synchronized with your
in-and out-breath.
Work with emotion: Breathe in any painful personal
situation that is real to you. Traditionally, you begin by
doing tonglen for someone you care about. However, if you
are stuck, see the extendingpractice (below).
Extending: Finally, make the “taking in” and the “sending
out” larger. Whether your doing tonglen for someone you
love or for someone you see on television, do it for all
the others in the same boat. You could even do tonglen for
people you consider your enemies—those who have hurt you or
others. Do tonglen for them, thinking of them as having the
same confusion and stuckness as you find or yourself.
As you do the practice, gradually, over time, your
compassion naturally expands—and so does your realization
that things are not as solid as you thought. As you do this
practice, at your own pace, you’ll be surprised to find
yourself more and more able to be there for others, even in
what seemed like impossible situations.
My favorite meditation teachers of Western descent include:
Jack Kornfield, Pema Chodron, and Jon Kabat Zinn. If you
want a YouTube video to “walk” you through the first three
times of sitting. Try this one by Kabat-Zinn on YouTube:
http://www.43folders.com/2008/03/17/falling-awake.
——
I would love to hear what this practice is like for you.
Why would (or wouldn’t) you consider doing this for
yourself? What would be the pros and cons of this practice
for you or for others?
If you want any one of my own books to give you support in
these endeavors, order them here: At
http://PowellsBooks.com. After reading them, you might want
to add your review to my helpful books blog! See
http://helpfulbooks.wordpress.com
|
|
