After sharing a few pro tips last week about how to deal with our currents challenges I offer this today to follow on with more ways to succeed.
The levels of getting quiet for stillness and inquiry.
Sometimes sitting still is fucking torture. I’ve been there before and hang out there still from time to time. My mind is racing and bouncing all over the place. I’m at the mercy of my thoughts as they ravage me for every second until I can be done. Am I done yet? It’s gotta be close, right?
If you’ve never experienced the rejuvenating effects of sitting still with your thoughts and allowing yourself to come back to the idea that the world, the universe rather, is more than just what we have been trained to experience welcome to 2020. The year where we need to be with that right now more than ever. I’d be full of shit if I said I had that all figured out. I’ve been meditating “formally” now for about thirty years. I was experimenting with doing things with my brain before that.
I’m convinced that our natural state is not one of anxiety and pain. That convincing took a long time but I’m fairly certain of that now. When I come back to equilibrium I feel peace and ease. That’s the kind for me, the good stuff. After years of unmitigated anger, numbness, or some other self created drama I’ve come to value peace over nearly anything… nearly, anything.
Resetting back to that on a regular basis allows me to access it easier and faster. I’m practicing it.
Throughout my years of sitting still I’ve tinkered with many kinds of meditation, prayer, focus, “blue sky mind”, and so on. Guided stuff, trance stuff, sensory deprivation, you name it. From this tinkering I’ve found different styles to meet me where I’m at pretty much no matter where I am.
When shutting your mind off simply seems impossible I have a couple ideas I’ll toss your way the first one being some type of breathing exercise. I like them for numerous reasons from the health benefits, the challenge of breath holds, but most of all my mind and body restart proper communication when I engage in the focus required to count and concentrate on my breathing. For me, breathing exercises are active enough to engage me and distract me from those invasive thoughts.
Another good method of chilling out, sitting still, and listening is putting on some binaural beats and letting the sounds gently guide me and my thoughts. Maybe you do some other type of guided meditation like headspace? That fits here too.
When you dig discomfort or it’s not uncomfortable for you then sitting still without any specific breathing exercises or listening to something as guidance with your brain waves this is an amazing way to be with yourself. Still, in the zone, nice and easy. Drift and come back over and over to achieve those badass brain waves that get you off. Maybe this might be your jam?
I believe there are some of you out there that do this every day. I get to it often but my every day practice is around 30 minutes. This style of sitting still is the completely dark room, absolute quiet, zero stimulation, set a timer, and allow yourself to not exist for 45 to 90 minutes. Not only does this reset things at such a deep level it also signifies commitment and self love. When you push back against the demands of the world and put that kind of distance between thoughts and actions you harness gravity by the handfuls.
Whatever style is best for you, now is the time to be even more committed to your practice of this. I recommend an absolute minimum of ten minutes each day which is 1% of the time you’re awake in a day.
The opportunity:
Where can you find ten minutes or even more ten minutes each day to sit still with yourself? (Social media? Sleep? TV? Exercise? Work?)
What happens when you sit still and breath for a little bit?
What are the reasons(excuses) you tell yourself that allow you to not sit still and relax, pray, reset, or get to know yourself better?
Thanks for your time, have a great day!