Do you ever say no to company because you'd prefer to be alone? Running, walking, gardening, knitting, sitting, snow shovelling...alone. If you've done this you've meditated. Being alone with one's thoughts, however mundane, is the simplest form of mediation.
There is something calming about solitude. Perhaps it's because it is becoming increasingly more elusive. We are surrounded, all day, every day. Whether physically by the tangible demands of our work and family, or by the cyber demands of our phone, our facebook and twitter. Alone is a state that is difficult to find and, at best, fleeting. Who has the time to withdraw to a mountaintop nowadays?
The next time you are performing a repetitive task where your body is busy, but your mind is calm and quiet, know that you are in a state of meditation. Be subtly conscious of the thoughts that stream through your head unincumbered by the white noise of life. But don't try too hard. When the runners are off or the tools are stowed away, try writing down tidbits of what you thought about. You might be surprised as to the genuine self that is revealed in this practice.
No comments:
Post a Comment