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| Dancing at Sufi camp by George Brooks |
I first became acquainted with the art of meditation while in graduate school at Indiana University. A free class was offered on Transcendental Meditation. The procedure seemed easy enough; you listened to a lecture, received your very own magical mantra (meditation word) and off you went. So I went, got my own special word and begin sitting, twice a day, twenty minutes, repeating my word over and over again. I did that day after day, week after week . . . for years.
Mostly I did a lot of thinking in those twenty minutes. It was good thinking! I came up with lectures for my classes, questions for tests, and new points to make in the Ph.D. thesis I was writing. By this time I had moved to Minnesota to teach at a Catholic college on the Mississippi River. I did nothing to curb this thinking. Teaching four Sociology classes a semester was a lot of work and I appreciated all the creativity these meditation breaks could give me. I just let the thoughts burble away each time until my twenty minutes were up. The practice of sitting twice a day was probably good for me, but I suspect I did more meditating while jogging in the subzero Minnesota winter.
Years later, I began studying with a Sufi Master from Iraq -- Adnan Sarhan -- at a remote mountain retreat in central New Mexico. It was then that I began to meditate in earnest. Meditation, I discovered, is not about emptying your mind, it is about being focused in the moment. It’s like a cat watching a mouse. Whatever happens -- sounds, colors, smells, feelings -- you are there, noticing. If you can do this for any length of time your consciousness shifts and you begin to change.
At the Sufi retreat, Adnan uses a variety of techniques to draw the mind into the moment. Which is good because the mind is a child always wanting something new. He is an artist at drawing our attention. Chanting, slow movement, deep breathing, dancing, singing, whirling, even reading are all avenues of meditation.
Sometimes I was asked to read his writings to the group. The way they are written -- convoluted stories within stories within stories until you totally loose the thread and point of the tale -- is another strategy for shifting consciousness. It short-circuits the mind’s effort to make coherent sense. The mind finally gives up waiting for the climax or the resolution of the story and just follows the sound and the rhythm of the words. I put a lot of people into a trance with my reading. Maybe they were just sleeping – but a delicious, relaxing sleep, massaged and cuddled by the sound and rhythm of the words.
Adnan has very eccentric grammar in his writing, probably due to his first language being Arabic. It can be a challenge to read and requires deep concentration. Whenever I started to show off, modulating the sound of my voice, thinking about my reading, I would stumble over his words. I had to let go of my thoughts and my desire to be "good" and just read. So reading was meditating too.
When I am meditating my mind feels all muffully, like my thoughts have been covered by a soft blanket or my brain is being massaged. Suddenly I am aware and focused. I see the visuals on the inside of my eyelids, hear the enveloping sounds, feel the breath in my chest, and smell the apple blossoms outside. It’s wonderful. Or I’ve learned to experience it as wonderful. It usually doesn’t lasts very long. Opps, there goes another thought. What I have noticed is that the focus of meditation improves my focus in other situations. It is easier to pay attention when someone's talking or to enjoy a walk or to make love, without intruding thoughts.
My best meditation form is dance. By focusing on the music, the movement of my body and the rhythm of my breath --- I forget to think. It is very creative from moment to moment and very physical. I get caught up partnering with the music, anticipating, enfolding, immersing in the sound. When thoughts do show up, they are often so creative and pleasurable, they are hard to let go. I wonder whether these mental inspirations are gifts of the mediation or the tricks of a wily monkey mind trying to get back into control. Don’t wonder, my body whispers, just dance.
Currently I have been doing a yoga meditation called pranayama. This involves a lot of playing with the breath. Inhale for five counts, exhale five counts. Make them even. Now add a pause at the end of each inhale and exhale. Extend the pause to five counts. Now add the bandas, muscular closings that confine the energy of the breath to the chest. Now alternate nostrils holding your nose with your hand. Three curled fingers press against the forehead, drawing attention to this powerful focusing spot. TheYoga of Breath by Richard Rosen, is a step-by-step guide to this practice. It's not as easy for me as dancing mediation, but more accessible in a small house. It requires more discipline and takes me deeper.
Neal Donald Walsh offers several interesting techniques for meditating in his book, When Change Happen, Change Everything. For the beginner he suggests walking meditation. In this meditation you move about, then stop every few moments to focus on a specific things -- like a flower or a blade of grass. You regard it intently, considering every aspect of it -- the color, the smell, the texture, the size, the shape. The goal is to practice focusing the mind. The mind is a muscle. You exercise regularly and it gets stronger.
Group meditation is very powerful practice. The energy or vibration of all those other meditating minds seems to help the focus. I lead a bereavement group at the local hospice and begin each group with a short group meditation. I guide the meditation with directions for breath and attention. I stay very present with my own breath, the feelings in my body and the suggestions of what to say next that pop in my mind. It is so easy to meditate in this situation. After a several minutes, I tell the group to slowly return to their normal breathing. Invariably, my own meditation goes deeper, so deep it is hard to leave. I stay a few precious breaths longer.
What are your experiences with meditation? What do you do? Does it come easy? Closes your eyes and do it right now. . . What does it feel like?
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