Even More on Meditation
NITBTTB (notice it, then back to the breath)
So you want to meditate to relieve stress and make you a better and healthier and richer and better looking person – great! Sit down and shut your eyes. Deep breath in. Sigh it out. Repeat. Notice your body, your breath. Feel the flow (bull dance optional).
A thought arises – notice it, then back to the breath.
Another thought arises – NITBTTB.
Cycle repeats a few times, and you start getting annoyed – rather, feeling annoyance. What does annoyance feel like in the body? Are you squinching your face? Raising your shoulders? Taking shallow breaths? NITBTTB.
Thought: this isn’t relaxing – NITBTTB.
Annoyance at the thought – NITBTTB.
Annoyance at the annoyance – NITBTTB.
Wanting the thought and the annoyance to go away – NITBTTB.
Feelings of stress…rising – NITBTTB.
But isn’t this supposed to help reduce stress? NITBTTB.
This is not the way.
We want our feelings of stress to go away and don’t want to ignore the wanting. We want relief. We expect it when we sit down on the cushion. And when we don’t find it immediately, which I believe is the case for many early meditators, we say we can’t meditate, that it doesn’t work for us. It’s not that we can’t: it’s that it’s not giving us the results we want. Napping brings us sweet oblivion.
But meditation does bring worthwhile long-term benefits, as do activities like a schvitz (NB: I’m taking Henrietta to the schvitz tomorrow, incredibly excited!). How about the long-term benefits of napping? TBC.