Meditation: The Equilibrium Crash Course

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  meditation comic

1. The Introduction to the Introduction: History and Benefits

This cartoon made me laugh out loud!  Not very long ago,  the notion of sitting in a knot, pouring my energy into, well… nothingness, seemed kind of absurd, if not impossible. I thought meditating was for the “woo-woos” (nice folks, but a little out there!) who sought a deep, mystical experience into the unknown, which just didn’t sound like me. But unless you’ve spent the past couple of years living under a rock (or for that matter, in a Buddhist commune) you’re almost definitely already aware of the error of my thinking. The experience of meditation in fact, is about noticing what’s on your mind, not clearing it. And whether or not you meditate already, you’re may be even a little tired of hearing about it.  But please, keep reading!

Although in recent years, we’ve seen meditation emerge as a pop culture fad, the practice itself is almost literally prehistoric: the earliest records date back to around 1500 BCE. In the some 3.5 millennia since, meditation has clearly endured and expanded—becoming increasingly recognized in the Western world throughout the 18th to 20th centuries, thanks to the likes of philosopher-intellectuals such as Voltaire and The Beatles. Nowadays, this time-honored tradition is no longer the stuff of hippies and ascetic Buddhist monks; in 2017, meditation has become considered the “new” science of health and happiness, and there’s nothing mystical about that.

It’s true: modern science has substantiated what ancient philosophy evidently already knew. The advantages of meditation are not only verifiable, but profound, and multifaceted. Over the past half-century or so, experiments and trials have shown meditation’s capacity to:

  • Improve mood: meditation actually alters neurochemistry, triggering the release of mood-boosting, anxiety-reducing serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
  • Reduce physical pain: studies suggest that the neurological effects of meditation extend even to the brain’s pain centers – altering the brain’s way of processing painful stimuli, and reducing their intensity.
  • Reduce blood pressure: even on a permanent basis, for regular meditators – making a difference of as much as 5 mm Hg, according to one study.
  • Improve digestion: in relaxing and revitalizing the parasympathetic nervous system, meditation helps reboot and regulate the digestive system.

And these various and varied benefits are only the beginning. From these physiological improvements come more perks: improved sleep, sharper concentration, more satisfying relationships, pain reduction, increased productivity, greater happiness.

Despite its ancient foundations, meditation seems to be the panacea to our quintessentially modern day problems— providing relief from: the stress of the work week, the notorious overstimulation of technology and media, and the contemporary epidemics of insomnia, depression, and anxiety.

2. The Basic Premise (and a few different approaches)

“Just meditate and all will be right in your world”: big promises and lofty aspirations, right? But establishing a meditation practice isn’t about trying to become something better; it’s about befriending who we already are. As Jon Kabat-Zinn says, meditation is about simply noticing our thoughts and ourselves — and allowing them to simply be. “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementaly,” says Kabat-Zinn. “It’s about knowing what is on your mind.”

Countless forms, styles, and schools of meditation exist around the world. Some of the more prominent include:

Transcendental: quieting the mind by repeating a mantra or phrase

Visualization and Imagery:  focusing on strong visual images — great if you’re a visual learner, or someone with a colorful imagination!

Movement: mindfulness in motion, such as Tai Chi, walking, or — of course — yoga.

Tantric: (ooh, can we talk? But no, really:) Tantric meditation focuses on shielding the energy field and invoking divine presence — reaching towards a deeper connection to God.

MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction): the method popularized by MIT professor Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, and the reason meditation is so widely practiced and accepted in Western culture today.

3. Getting Started

Ultimately, there’s no strictly right or wrong way to meditate — but here are some widely-acknowledged pointers for setting a good foundation.

Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed.

  • Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position, or in a chair with your feet grounded and your spine elongated.

Place your hands, uncrossed, on your lap; settle in.

Begin to notice your breathing. Allow your breath to be your anchor when thoughts arise.

Begin to notice the sensations of your body — such as your temperature, your heartbeat, the feeling of each of your limbs. Experience.

Bring awareness to the sounds and external forces that surround you. Experience.

When you’re ready to come out, return your attention to your breathing; slowly open your eyes.

With meditation, regularity is the key: practice really does make perfect. Ideally, it takes about 20 minutes a day to access meditation’s myriad of benefits.

Work your way up: to establish your practice, start with just 5 minutes a day. As you grow, incrementally add time to your sessions. In no time at all, you’ll begin to establish a routine which can truly be transformative. You may even begin to endearingly call yourself a woo-woo.😊

Room for Love

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Room for Love

The recent attack in London by a man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman is another heartbreaking reminder that the misguided deeds of even one lost soul can have irreparable consequences. These awful acts send ripples and repercussions of powerful emotions throughout the world. Because we are naturally good, such painful news stirs powerful emotions— shock, anger, sadness, sympathy, revenge. These reactions are understandable- perhaps even justified, but they steal compassion from us by increasing our sense of fear.

Since every feeling we experience can be traced to these two fundamental emotions of love and fear, we must fight to recognize them— and to take a stand for love. Yes, I want so badly to legitimize my anger and sorrow today, to hold up my judgement and revulsion like a shield against further harm; but in doing so, I’m only giving away my power as a peace keeper.

Accommodating antipathy and anger in our hearts adds only to the sad sense of lack which creates discord, making us fearful of each other, and more divided. What is our alternative? How do we make things better? We honor the belief that we’re one world. We lift each other in hope. I pray for the victims, who represent that unity by virtue of their multi-cultural origins and send love to the suffering with many, many prayers. It’s the healing power of prayer, thought, and connection that links us in our humanity and opens our hearts to the opposite of fear: love. Forgiveness is a strong word, one that I’m not ready to yet say— but when I do, with God’s help, and that of other world citizens, I know I’ll be letting go of fear, and making more room for love.

Dream

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She captured a feeling
Sky with no ceiling
The sunset inside a frame

Of this year’s Oscar favorites, I’m smitten with La La Land. The lyrics of the song ‘Audition’ call out to anyone who’s ever dared to dream. Whether you’ve longed for life on a stage, in an artist’s studio, or in a high-rise corner office, this notion of igniting your passion—and taming your inner dragons to succeed—is one that everyone can relate to. The problem is, when we see movies like La La Land, we tend to think that’s for others—to dream and do, to envision and achieve these deepest goals and ambitions. More often, we allow our inspiration to stay dormant; we wait for things to happen to us- hoping for a sign, with a tidy list of detailed instructions attached. We may forget that from a young age, we’ve always been dreaming and creating—and that within each of us lies an abundance of divine, creative energy just waiting to be tapped. Identifying and unlocking that potential—ah, that’s the scary part!

As a young girl, I loved watching the beautiful, talented performers on the Dean Martin show—but you can imagine the reaction I got when I told people that my heart’s desire was “to be a Dean Martin Golddigger!” As a kid, my creative energy came alive when I pictured myself on the stage. And although my dreams of sequin-clad dancing behind Dean have shifted to yoga pants and my mat—to this day, I can’t see a live performance without losing myself in the players, admiring their talent and grit, and feeling their enormous energy. This creative potential, this energy, exists in all of us. But can just anyone ‘capture a feeling’? And what does it take to follow our hearts, now that we’re no longer ten years old?

It begins by practicing silence. Just think back to your own flashes of inspiration: they probably didn’t come in the middle of a sentence, but in the middle of the night—in that 3 AM flash of ‘Aha!’ that kept you up for an hour last night, the one you forgot about until just now. Maybe you were thinking of how to Fung Shui your living room, or figuring out a way to make a downpayment, or having a sudden epiphany about a line in a book. Whatever their form, these sparks of creative energy come when the mind is quiet. When we practice going inward—shutting out the noise, settling into inner stillness—the soul finally has a chance to be heard. As a result, anything you choose to do that’s mindful and reflective will lead to revelations. Your heart will let you know; you’ll feel it, and hear it calling to you. Yes, it’s beating— and that thumping creative potential is saying, “Pick me, pick me!”

So bring on the rebels
The ripples from pebbles
The painters, and poets, and plays

Here’s to the ones who dream
Foolish as they may seem
Here’s to the hearts that ache
Here’s to the mess we make

And what a beautiful mess it is!

A Drive-Thru Memory Lane

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Maybe it was driving around in my daughter’s Chevy yesterday, remembering the sense of daring and freedom in skipping out of high school for lunch on Fridays. My friends and I  would go straight to McDonald’s: the local hot spot for school skippers and various  other ne’er-do-wells, feeling giddy at the prospect of a Big Mac and fries instead of the tired old cafeteria fare.

The idea of revisiting a McDonald’s must have come into my head when, recently, at my family’s Christmas Eve party, we all got to reminiscing on just how much we used to love a Big Mac! Well, Big Macs haven’t been part of my diet since around 1998, so when I drove by the golden arches this Friday afternoon, and found myself steering into the drive-through, I must admit, it was with a little trepidation. I had a lot of overwhelming questions, like  “What will happen to me if I ingest this thing? Haven’t movies been made to warn us about the consequences? Isn’t my body supposed to be a temple, or something like that?! More than that, can I shamelessly admit it to my friends–who are all so fit and health-conscious??”

But the rebel in me kicked in, and a wave of nostalgia washed over me as I inched up in line, reviewing the menu.  A cheery voice boomed from the ordering station, welcoming me and asking for my heart’s desire. Without hesitation, I ordered the three-tiered, special-sauced sandwich of my youth, small fries, and— just in case—an iced mocha. And that’s where the photo comes in:

After one bite, I felt happy (and free!) just like those Fridays with my friends— and that night, my endive and beet salad never tasted so good!

Fresh Year, Fresh Perspective

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It’s not about being good at something, it’s about being good to yourself. Try giving yourself permission to receive patience, support, affection, compassion–not only from others, but from yourself. The world will open its heart to you, and you will open your heart to the world.