“Be shapeless. Be formless. Like water. When you pour water in a glass, it becomes the glass…Be water my friend” – Bruce lee
Unpleasant things are bound to happen in our lives; we may wake up late and miss a class, get into an argument with our significant other, or a tire might pop on the way to work. When these things happen, how do we react? Some people become very anxious and others become angry. Regardless, these reactions build up stress that is held the rest of the day and it seems impossible to get under control. So how can meditation help, when it seems like everything is a mess and that life sucks? That’s exactly what I asked Vince Klarin, an employee of the mindfulness facility, InsightLA, and he said “Meditation allows us to be aware that we are having thoughts”. Cool, but why does that matter Vince? “Awareness of your thoughts allows you to choose what thoughts you want to attach yourself to. That way you can choose the thoughts that will allow you to completely relax”, he said. If the person that popped their tire on the way to work this morning was mindful, they would accept that their tire had popped, acknowledge the frustration and anxiety of the situation, and move on to the next course of action, without obsessing over their popped tire and all the consequences that come with it. Had this person not been mindful, the mental real-estate in their mind would be taken over with worry, which is bad according to Vince because, “The more and more stuff we pile on the mind, the more your body doesn’t know what to do with. That’s why your back gets tight when you stress”. Vince is right, stress can manifest itself on your body and if what he says is true, then meditation can treat the consequences of stress. Vince is not alone in this assessment, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states that, “Meditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being”. So meditation is awesome, but how does one meditate? Meditation is very simple and difficult at the same time, difficult because some people over think it. All you need to do is sit in a very comfortable position, focus on your breath and the rise and fall of your chest, actively listen to all the sounds that are around you, and let your mind observe your thoughts. Often times, many become frustrated when their mind wanders and they force themselves to think of nothing. This process of jerking back into conscious nothingness will ruin the relaxation part of meditation, which is the whole point of meditation. Instead, allow your mind to explore the thought and ride with it, but then gently guide your thoughts back to “nothingness”, the state in which you watch your thoughts pass by like clouds in the sky. Through this daily practice one can begin to build the awareness they need to control what thoughts they attach themselves to. For example, Stanford graduate Emma M. Seppala Ph.D. shared her meditation experience and research with Psychology Today, “I started meditating soon after 9/11. I was living in Manhattan, an already chaotic place, at an extremely chaotic time. I realized I had no control over my external environment. But the one place I did have a say over was my mind, through meditation. When I started meditating, I did not realize it would also make me healthier, happier, and more successful”. With some daily practice, all of a sudden you can see a roll of duct tape that you can put over the monkey’s mouth.
Citations:
20 Scientific Reasons to Start Meditating Today. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/feeling-it/201309/20-scientific-reasons-start-meditating-today
A beginners guide to meditation. (2017, October 17). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
Tame The Monkey 