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Tuesday, February 1, 2005
Why Meditate?
At the Washington National Cathedral’s spirituality conference this past weekend, Sharon Salzberg noted that medical science has been studying the neurophysiologic benefits of meditation with MRIs and brain wave studies. As one of the foremost meditation teachers in the United States, she fretted that they’d put her in one of those machines and find the wrong parts of her brain activated. She got a good laugh at that.
With alpha, theta and beta wave increases, science documents what the ancients observed for centuries: People who meditate enjoy calm and focus as well as improved creativity and increased ability to vividly imagine.
Meditation frees the mind from turbulent desires, emotions and thoughts. The mental muscles that contort, strain, tense as they judge, rationalize and defend all relax. A time set apart to meditate also can bring unconscious thoughts into conscious awareness.
Salzberg stresses that if you learn nothing else from a meditation practice, you learn that you can begin again.
In meditation, you begin again all the time, and in doing so, you experience renewal that permeates your life.
For me, that sense of renewal is the best reason to meditate.
With alpha, theta and beta wave increases, science documents what the ancients observed for centuries: People who meditate enjoy calm and focus as well as improved creativity and increased ability to vividly imagine.
Meditation frees the mind from turbulent desires, emotions and thoughts. The mental muscles that contort, strain, tense as they judge, rationalize and defend all relax. A time set apart to meditate also can bring unconscious thoughts into conscious awareness.
Salzberg stresses that if you learn nothing else from a meditation practice, you learn that you can begin again.
In meditation, you begin again all the time, and in doing so, you experience renewal that permeates your life.
For me, that sense of renewal is the best reason to meditate.
How To Sit in Meditation
Many postures are available for sitting meditation. Walking meditation produces wonders as well but is a subject for another nilambu note. (I walked the labyrinth on the floor of the Cathedral for the first time this past weekend).
Some believe that the purpose of yoga is to prepare the body to sit; others come to meditation thru yoga as meditation is the 7th limb of yoga, dhyana. However you come to meditation, any pose you pick must comfortable enough for your body to relax.
In order of difficulty, several sitting poses are:
If you can’t sit because of illness or pain, you can lie down. I recommend lying on your back, with the soles of your feet on the floor (or bed) and knees up toward the ceiling. Place your palms on your belly, below your navel and gently interlock your fingers.
Some believe that the purpose of yoga is to prepare the body to sit; others come to meditation thru yoga as meditation is the 7th limb of yoga, dhyana. However you come to meditation, any pose you pick must comfortable enough for your body to relax.
In order of difficulty, several sitting poses are:
Friendship pose
maitryasana
Sit on edge of chair with hip, spine, neck and head in one line. Feet flat on floor. Hands rest on thighs.
Sit on edge of chair with hip, spine, neck and head in one line. Feet flat on floor. Hands rest on thighs.
Adamantine pose
vajrasana
Kneel and sit on a bench that is 5-8” off the floor and which is tilted forward.
Kneel and sit on a bench that is 5-8” off the floor and which is tilted forward.
(Adamantine means unyielding or hard and brilliant, as in a diamond)
Easy pose
sukasana
Sit with the legs crossed and folded in front of you. Sides of feet rest on floor. Knees point toward ceiling at 20 or 30 degree angle.
(Called Indian style when I was in Kindergarten, but probably no longer called that).
Auspicious pose
swastikasana
Sit in a tighter cross legged and rest the feet not on the floor but on the back of the opposite calf. Heels should be about 4” apart. Knees rest flat on floor.
Sit in a tighter cross legged and rest the feet not on the floor but on the back of the opposite calf. Heels should be about 4” apart. Knees rest flat on floor.
Accomplished pose
siddhasana
Hard to describe and challenging to do.
siddhasana
Hard to describe and challenging to do.
Lotus Pose
padmasana
Also hard to describe, but more commonly known.
Also hard to describe, but more commonly known.
If you can’t sit because of illness or pain, you can lie down. I recommend lying on your back, with the soles of your feet on the floor (or bed) and knees up toward the ceiling. Place your palms on your belly, below your navel and gently interlock your fingers.
How To Meditate
Meditation is prolonged concentration. You can concentrate on a sound (or mantra or prayer beads) or an image (icon or a candle) or a passage of writing (or scripture). Or you can simply focus on your breath.
As your mind wanders (and it will), once you notice that meandering simply bring your attention back to your point of focus. Be neutral and non-judgmental toward your distractions. Simply begin again. See the analogy quoted below about the quality of the mind in meditation.
Some recommend that if you are feeling sluggish to place your palms up either in your lap or on your knees or thighs. And if you are feeling hyper to place your palms down and on your lap, knees or thighs.
Also, before I sit down on my mat alone, I often jot down my list of things to do. I found that if I don’t do this, all the things I’d not done would pop into my head during my meditation, and then I would worry I’d not remember them later. And the train would be off away from my object of focus. I keep a pad of paper nearby, so I can jot thoughts down and let them go. Thoughts will arise. Some thoughts are easier to let go if I know they are safely written down.
Start with a short time. For beginners, 3 minutes can seem like an eternity. Add minutes and work up to 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes. Some meditate 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night. Some do a prolonged single session. Others combine their meditation with a practice of prayer or journaling. Some meditate every day; some when they remember to do so.
The more you meditate, the more the people in your life will notice that you do.
As your mind wanders (and it will), once you notice that meandering simply bring your attention back to your point of focus. Be neutral and non-judgmental toward your distractions. Simply begin again. See the analogy quoted below about the quality of the mind in meditation.
Some recommend that if you are feeling sluggish to place your palms up either in your lap or on your knees or thighs. And if you are feeling hyper to place your palms down and on your lap, knees or thighs.
Also, before I sit down on my mat alone, I often jot down my list of things to do. I found that if I don’t do this, all the things I’d not done would pop into my head during my meditation, and then I would worry I’d not remember them later. And the train would be off away from my object of focus. I keep a pad of paper nearby, so I can jot thoughts down and let them go. Thoughts will arise. Some thoughts are easier to let go if I know they are safely written down.
Start with a short time. For beginners, 3 minutes can seem like an eternity. Add minutes and work up to 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes. Some meditate 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night. Some do a prolonged single session. Others combine their meditation with a practice of prayer or journaling. Some meditate every day; some when they remember to do so.
The more you meditate, the more the people in your life will notice that you do.
Why be Still in Meditation?
Stillness in the body helps to bring stillness in the mind. I don’t view this as an absolute proscription.
If you are in a room with others, be considerate and respectful that any movement disrupts their concentration.
A foot asleep is a distraction for you and should be addressed – just do so as unobtrusively as possible. Even if you alone, still try not to move.
If you are in a room with others, be considerate and respectful that any movement disrupts their concentration.
A foot asleep is a distraction for you and should be addressed – just do so as unobtrusively as possible. Even if you alone, still try not to move.
Going to start a meditation practice?
This quote from Dennis K. Chernin’s excellent book, How to Meditate is the most helpful image I’ve encountered in my broad reading on the subject.
In the aftermath of the tsunami, the ocean as a reflection of the mind may seem dissonant, but read on and contemplate his analogy -
In the aftermath of the tsunami, the ocean as a reflection of the mind may seem dissonant, but read on and contemplate his analogy -
The benefits of meditation can be understood by the following analogy. The human mind is like the ocean, the conscious mind representing the surface of the sea and the innumerable fluctuations of thought and emotion representing the ocean waves. Lying beneath the surfaced is the unconscious mind, analogous to the deep and submerged ocean expanse. The turbulence of thought waves obscures the depths of knowledge underneath the conscious mind in a similar way that ocean waves make it impossible to see beneath the ocean surface. The process of meditation calms the tumultuous ebb and flow of the mind’s outer layer of wave activity like a calm day quiets the ocean surface. Unconscious repression and habits deep within the mind are allowed to rise to the surface to be observed, in a similar way that bubbles and currents rise and dissipate on the ocean surface. Since no energy is supplied to suppress them, the bubbles gently burst and dissipate. The dispassion averts the creation in the unconscious of further increased psychological pressure that can produce exaggerated emotional reactions, like tidal waves in the ocean. The conscious mind becomes quiet and still, and the deeper mysterious layers of the unconscious can be observed and experienced, similar to the way the ocean depths become visible on a calm, wind-free day. Finally, the individual, separate self merges with universal consciousness, like a wave that merges with the great ocean expanse. - Dennis K. Chernin, How to Meditate (Ann Arbor: Cushing-Malloy, 2002) pp. 34-35. (Used by permission)
Poetry: "The Ocean" By Moschus
The Ocean by Moschus
3rd century B.C.
Translated from Greek by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Translated from Greek by Percy Bysshe Shelley
When winds that move not its calm surface sweep
The azure sea, I love the land no more;
The smiles of the serene and tranquil deep
Tempt my unquiet mind. – But when the roar
Of Ocean's gray abyss resounds, and foam
Gathers upon the sea, and vast waves burst,
I turn from the drear aspect to the home
Of earth and its deep woods, where intersperst,
When winds blow loud, pines make sweet melody.
Whose house is some lone bark, whose toil the sea,
Whose prey the wondering fish, an evil lot
Has chosen. – But my languid limbs will fling
Beneath the plane, where the brook's murmuring
Moves the calm spirit, but disturbs it not.
Check out other poetry in nilambu’s poetry gallery here.
Come to a class, and you’ll hear other lyrical words to guide you into your savasana (corpse pose).
nilambu Classes Ongoing
Classes focus on different aspects of yoga every week (Every class includes meditation). The participants are limited to ensure personalized attention with no more than five participants.
There will be no classes held the week of March 14th.
Schedule: Both the Advanced Beginner Class and the Low Intermediate class are nearly full. Both the Beginner classes are wide open for enrollment.
Cost: Clients enrolled are given space priority. A single class is $20. A 4-week course session will run from the week of March 21st to the week of April 11th for $75. Make up classes are available, but please confirm and call 202-333-8854 to ensure a space.
Free: All new clients are entitled to a free 45 minute private orientation session. Please contact me directly to schedule at cass@nilambu.com.
Private Sessions: Private and semi-private sessions are available. Please inquire.
There will be no classes held the week of March 14th.
Schedule: Both the Advanced Beginner Class and the Low Intermediate class are nearly full. Both the Beginner classes are wide open for enrollment.
Tuesday 5:30 – 6:45 pm Advanced Beginner
Tuesday 7:00 – 8:15 pm Beginner
Wednesday 5:30 – 6:45 pm Low Intermediate
Thursday 11:30 am – 12:45 pm Low Intermediate
Cost: Clients enrolled are given space priority. A single class is $20. A 4-week course session will run from the week of March 21st to the week of April 11th for $75. Make up classes are available, but please confirm and call 202-333-8854 to ensure a space.
Free: All new clients are entitled to a free 45 minute private orientation session. Please contact me directly to schedule at cass@nilambu.com.
Private Sessions: Private and semi-private sessions are available. Please inquire.
Wisdom of No Escape - Book Review
Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness by Pema Chodron
Pema Chodron is one of my favorite authors, and this book introduced her to me. It’s about how to sit still – in that still point, as T.S. Elliot termed the place (“At the still point of the turning world,” in Burnt Norton. I strongly encourage you to read the poem, one of my favorites.)
In short chapters, Chodron outlines Buddhist ideas and attitudes, and, as presented here, they are simple, doable, and desirable.
The chapter titles reveal the subjects she discusses:
Pema Chodron is one of my favorite authors, and this book introduced her to me. It’s about how to sit still – in that still point, as T.S. Elliot termed the place (“At the still point of the turning world,” in Burnt Norton. I strongly encourage you to read the poem, one of my favorites.)
In short chapters, Chodron outlines Buddhist ideas and attitudes, and, as presented here, they are simple, doable, and desirable.
The chapter titles reveal the subjects she discusses:
- No Such Thing as a True Story;
- Taking a Bigger Perspective;
- Not too Tight, Not too Loose;
- Taking Refuge;
- Sticking to One Boat;
- Not Preferring Samsara or Nirvana (Samsara is defined as the “vicious cycle of existence,” and nirvana is defined as the “cessation of ignorance and of conflicting emotions.”)
Beginning Mindfulness - Book Review
Beginning Mindfulness: Learning the Way of Awareness by Andrew Weiss
This book is good introduction to the practice of mindfulness. The author sets forth a 10 week structured course to build a growing awareness and provides guidelines for beginning a mediation practice – both a sitting practice and walking practice.
The text offers suggestions for growing mindfulness in daily life with a series of formal and informal “home play.” A disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh, Weiss’ writing is accessible and down to earth.
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