So... I lied. This latest experiment did not involve talking to strangers, because it turns out talking to strangers is really freaking easy, or at least it has been for me lately. Not sure what caused that subconscious switch and I'm not sure how to find out. (Any suggestions, let me know; any insights and I'll keep you posted.)
But we're in luck, 'cause this new topic is even cooler.
Meditation.
Oh, yeah.
Format: Fortnight experiment (because "fortnight" is cooler than "2-week")
Goal: Meditate regularly (every day to every other day). Develop some degree of proficiency at stepping away from my thoughts and reaching mindlessness.
Goal met? Booyah. 'Nuff said.
Terms you should know:
Meditation - A mental discipline by which the practitioner attempts to get beyond the reflexive, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness.
So here’s what happened:
I walked into the first day of my World Religions class (which, by the by, is fascinating) and my professor said that we were going to meditate for five minutes before the start of each class and could earn extra credit by meditating regularly. Talk about painless homework. I'm taking him up on it. We have to do five five-minute meditations, 10 10-minutes and 20-20 minutes. For the 20 minute ones, we also have the option of going to the meditation group he runs which usually comes to about 20 minutes explanation, questions and techniques and 10 minutes meditation, though we're going to work up to longer.
Since then, I've been meditating two days a week in class, two days a week in meditation group and then here and there on my own when I have a few minutes or especially need it.
The meditation is a sitting meditation where one focuses on the breath. The idea is not to stop thinking (or worse, to think incessantly about not thinking) but to step back and observe your thoughts. My professor uses the metaphor of watching horses grazing but not saddling up or riding off on any of them, and I also find it useful to think of them as clouds going by or fishes swimming downstream.
Sometimes I go places in my meditations --- a small island in the middle of a stream in a canyon, a cliff overlooking the ocean, a mesa at sunset --- and sometimes I just let thoughts and images come and go as they will. Either way is effective and I usually go with whatever comes first. It's all very fluid.
Straight from my recent notes:
5 min. - Hypnagogic imagery! This seems to happen more easily when I'm tired. It's very cool. [Hypnagogic imagery: the bright changing colors and patterns you see sometimes just before you fall asleep. For me, it's like watching bursts of colored light on the inside of my eyelids.]
10 min. - Meditation was nice. I just focused on the breathing and eventually got to a place where the breath was the only thing I paid attention to.
20 min. - [We did a remembering meditation which basically entailed thinking of our blessings.] I thought almost exclusively about people (and not on purpose). Some of it was too emotional so I was happy to let it pass and walk away. Kept popping out of meditativeness into inner freaking out over my to-do list, then guided myself back.
20 min. - [Did a loving meditation where we focused on groups of people --- first loved ones, then neutrals (like the people in Haiti), then people we have a hard time with --- and sent love energy to them.] I found that as I thought of people I felt very strongly what roles they play in my life. I'd think of someone and their image would immediately sort to the right (loved ones), middle (neutrals) or left (problems). Unusual --- I don't normally recognize my feelings about people this strongly.
All in all, it's been very rewarding and I'm looking forward to more.
Try this:
1. Make the time. This is the hardest part, but meditating is worthwhile worth taking time out for. You will have 10-minute blocks if you look for them. Your to-do list can wait --- sit down and use that time to step back.
2. Let whatever happens happen. Meditation should be a very guiltless experience, if not an easy one. If you get on a thought train and find yourself somewhere else, just bring your attention back to the breath. It's not a big deal and it'll happen less the more you practice.
3. Try counting. It usually takes me a while to settle into a meditative state (around seven minutes on a good day) and counting 1-2-3-4 on the inhale and 1-2-3-4 on the exhale over and over really helps.
4. Practice, practice, practice. You'll want to after you start to get a hint of the calm, quiet, empty space meditation can provide. Just keep breathing and being quiet until you find it. It's amazing.
Final notes:
I love love love love love (love) love meditation. I've done it casually for years, but never made a concerted daily effort. This experiment has taught me that it makes a huge difference. Out of everything I've played with so far on this blog, the one I'd encourage you to take up the most is meditating. Maybe you'll get something different out of it than what I got, but I feel confident that you will get something. You can't help it in the middle of all that calm.
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