A Weird Thing to Share

Have you already tried to meditate?

Meditation can be a great way to reduce stress and enhance productivity in anything. It may start with breathing deeply and focusing the mind on the rise and fall of breath. According to some meditation masters, meditation is a separation from the mind and simply becoming a witness. You know, we always see ourselves as the thinker, the doer. That causes us so much stress because we feel that something won't happen unless we do something.

Observe how some people can be stressed when they don't have money, or when their relationships fail, or when their job is at mess. They will be urged to do something to change the situation into a better one. But many things in life are out of our control, still we frantically act as if everything is.

I remember a story of a magician who became famous because whenever he would wave a blanket, the color of the sky would change. That really amazed the people of his place. But one day, he lost the magic blanket, but the color of the sky still changed. It made all the people realize, including the magician, that the sky really changes by itself, it was never because of the blanket.

The moral of the story is simple: There are things in life that will really happen, and all we've got to do is just to become a witness.

I am not promoting laziness or doing nothing at all, of course we still need to act. But in making actions, we need to become fully aware, not agitated by results or blinded by emotions. Thus in doing,  we become the witness of our own actions. We witness ourselves when we walk, when we talk, when we eat, when we do our jobs, etc.

Here is a simple meditation that everyone can try, it is called Zen. I already heard this a hundred times even before I went to a Zendo or spiritual dojo.

First, choose a position that will be most comfortable for you. You can do the Burmese style where the legs are crossed and knees are flat on the floor. It is important that they are not elevated because they are going to strain in the process. Or you can do half-lotus where right foot is on top of the left thigh, and left foot tucked under the right leg. Or you can do the most famous yet very challenging(for me) Full-lotus position where each foot is on top of the opposite thigh.

For those who really cannot do those sitting positions which, by the way, might require a zafu or pillow, you can just assume a kneeling position where the buttocks should be resting on the ankles. Or just simply sit on a chair, which might be the easiest. But in any position, erected spine should be observed. According to our teacher, this kind of position prevents us from falling asleep while meditating hence, becoming really fully aware.

Then place your left hand over your right hand and the thumbs lightly touching. Why left? Our teacher said that it was because our left hand represents the right region of the brain, which is responsible for intuition and feeling as opposed to left region which is for logic and reasoning. But she said it was just a belief.

Slightly close your eyes, and have a steady look in the space before you. Or maybe on the floor. So it is important there are not so much things in front of you when you meditate to avoid distractions. It is also not advised to fully close your eyes as it may cause the mind to wander or fall asleep. And not fully open because you might get distracted by the things around you while you are meditating. Just slightly closed.

Then start focusing on your breath. Focus can be helped by counting the breath--- one count for inhalation, another count for exhalation. And when breathing, it is important you do it properly. When inhaling, the abdomen should expand, and on exhalation, it should contract.

We started at 5 minutes, establish your way from there. Do it longer after some period of time. When your mind starts to wander, just witness the thoughts and gently go back to focusing on your breath. This practice can make you more relaxed, give you inner peace and clarity of mind--- thus, it becomes easier to become more aware of our actions.