Just Sittin

It produces calmness, it teaches you self discipline, it soothes your soul, it give you focus, it puts things into perspective. Most of you have heard of the benefits of meditating. Many of you have tried the practice of meditating. Many of you have mastered the art of meditating. If you are in the later category you have my extreme admiration!!! No matter how many times I have tried I can’t quite seem to get the hang of it. My mind goes everywhere and the more I try to calm it the more “everywhere” it goes. But there is still hope. I recently read a magazine article and the author was looking at it from a totally different perspective than what most of us have probably heard about, and I think for those of us that have yet to master the art there might just be a way yet.

The author of the article, Amy Gross, attended a weekend retreat with Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg, who brought mindfulness meditation home from India. The idea is to pay attention each moment to your senses, emotions and thoughts, without resistance or judgment and to follow your breathing “in” and “out”. Contrary to what we’ve all read about meditating, it does not require that you sit in a certain position, facing the sun with eyes closed and finger tips touching for hours. Goldstein and Salzberg teach to find a comfortable position using good posture when you have the least amount of interruptions and sit for as little as five minutes to start. Sometimes it helps to close your eyes as it will help you focus on your other senses. Strive to understand your other feelings and senses with total focus. How does your skin feel? What does your breath sound like as the air goes through your nostrils and into your lungs? Listen to your heart beat. What are the smells around you? Goldstein and Salzberg teach not to resist your thoughts as they come to your mind but to think through them, one at a time. This is a totally different concept than what we’ve learned before. They teach to finish one thought and begin another, don’t rush through them, don’t stress over them, don’t “dwell” on them, think through them and move on to the next thought—totally relaxed and at peace. In doing this you will find it creates a mindset that allows you to deal with life on an everyday basis in a more relaxed way. Even if the thoughts are painful ones, don’t resist, explore your feelings, experience your feelings, and accept your feelings. Goldstein says “Acceptance is the key. Resistance locks in the feeling. Meditation offers infinite opportunities to open our grip. We see that we don’t lose anything by letting go-we’ve just quit an exercise in futility. Peace, according to the Buddha is the greatest happiness. And isn’t that what you said you wanted?”