Tim, just discovered your writing through your note about paywalled comments and it's just my cup of coffee. Mindfulness too -- I first got acquainted with the idea about a year ago when being a new dad started getting to me and, while I'm not sure if it helped much, I'm sure it's had a role to play. But it never occurred to me to do it in any setting, including a noisy one, I always looked for the quiet times and, when you have kids, there's just none of them. I'll try your tips and hopefully it sticks this time. Thank you for your write-up! And Alan Watts! <3
Alan Watts is a beautiful, beautiful man. If ever there was someone who deserved the qualification "larger than life", it's him. Always insightful, yet always so easygoing, ready to laugh at every word.
"But we missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing or to dance while the music was being played." My personal choice of words to live by.
I admit I have trouble with this, tuning out the mess, noise and chaos, but the tips are timely and I know they work, just gotta stay focused and disciplined.
It isn't super easy, especially if you're having a lot of stressful situations.
Perfectionism is the enemy of meditation. After years of practice, I still have days where my brain bounces around like a ping pong ball.
But if you think of it in layers. The top layer is like the surface of a pond. The wind is blowing, flies are buzzing around, then it starts to rain, and there are ripples and waves.
Watch the breath, and sink down a layer. Look at the ripples and waves from below.
Then sink a little deeper, until you're sitting on the bottom of the pond. Slow, deep, untroubled. The water isn't even moving down here.
And then someone bumps you or makes a loud noise, and right back into the storm you go! Haha
I’m remembering a close friend asking me ‘What?!?’ what watching your breath meant.
And she was wizard smart. At the time I was doing-teaching yoga. I responded ‘You breathe, right?’ And she said, ‘Well I guess so....’
I’d assumed everyone was aware of their breathing. Whereas most of us go about living focused on tasks, to dos etc...
So Tim, many thanks for reminding me that I can allow myself to relax, To Do nothing. To live aware of the gift of the moment: heart, breath, the gift of life.
"A good meditator never flips anyone the bird during practice." LOL. I love it Tim. I bought a book on meditation a few months back and it was fascinating to read. I got to start putting it into practice. I'm prone to anxiety and worry BIG TIME.
I've recently gotten back into meditation and it is SO grounding. I find I rely on it now. It really does work to just return to the breath.
Also, meditation is like witchcraft for falling asleep. I set up a 10-minute meditation on my Balance app and I'm out like a light before the session finishes.
Curious what you think about the similarities /differences between meditation and mindfulness, which is something I think about regularly. I find mindfulness more accessible especially when things are hectic but I'm not sure how different I think they are.
As I understand it, mindfulness is one stage or type of meditation, the one I’m most familiar with. There are meditation forms that don’t make you present at all, in fact you become unaware of the outside world or your body.
“Mindfulness only takes a few minutes, and it can fit into your busy life.”
This is a hard one for many people (myself included) to fully grasp. It doesn’t have to become one’s whole identity. If you’ve got 5-10 minutes, you can meditate.
This made me laugh and gave me several new ideas mainly to forget about perfection. 🙏
Perfection is the enemy of meditation, for sure!
Tim, just discovered your writing through your note about paywalled comments and it's just my cup of coffee. Mindfulness too -- I first got acquainted with the idea about a year ago when being a new dad started getting to me and, while I'm not sure if it helped much, I'm sure it's had a role to play. But it never occurred to me to do it in any setting, including a noisy one, I always looked for the quiet times and, when you have kids, there's just none of them. I'll try your tips and hopefully it sticks this time. Thank you for your write-up! And Alan Watts! <3
Hey thanks for reading. Alan Watts is my guru.
Alan Watts is a beautiful, beautiful man. If ever there was someone who deserved the qualification "larger than life", it's him. Always insightful, yet always so easygoing, ready to laugh at every word.
"But we missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing or to dance while the music was being played." My personal choice of words to live by.
I admit I have trouble with this, tuning out the mess, noise and chaos, but the tips are timely and I know they work, just gotta stay focused and disciplined.
It isn't super easy, especially if you're having a lot of stressful situations.
Perfectionism is the enemy of meditation. After years of practice, I still have days where my brain bounces around like a ping pong ball.
But if you think of it in layers. The top layer is like the surface of a pond. The wind is blowing, flies are buzzing around, then it starts to rain, and there are ripples and waves.
Watch the breath, and sink down a layer. Look at the ripples and waves from below.
Then sink a little deeper, until you're sitting on the bottom of the pond. Slow, deep, untroubled. The water isn't even moving down here.
And then someone bumps you or makes a loud noise, and right back into the storm you go! Haha
That's great way to look at it. Thanks for explaining. 😊
I’m remembering a close friend asking me ‘What?!?’ what watching your breath meant.
And she was wizard smart. At the time I was doing-teaching yoga. I responded ‘You breathe, right?’ And she said, ‘Well I guess so....’
I’d assumed everyone was aware of their breathing. Whereas most of us go about living focused on tasks, to dos etc...
So Tim, many thanks for reminding me that I can allow myself to relax, To Do nothing. To live aware of the gift of the moment: heart, breath, the gift of life.
I love that story. It’s always surprising to me, too, when someone says they don’t know how they breathe!
"A good meditator never flips anyone the bird during practice." LOL. I love it Tim. I bought a book on meditation a few months back and it was fascinating to read. I got to start putting it into practice. I'm prone to anxiety and worry BIG TIME.
I've recently gotten back into meditation and it is SO grounding. I find I rely on it now. It really does work to just return to the breath.
Also, meditation is like witchcraft for falling asleep. I set up a 10-minute meditation on my Balance app and I'm out like a light before the session finishes.
Yeah! It’s cool how a basic thing like breathing can give us so many ways to calm our shit down and get back on track.
It really helps- I’m high strung by nature, so I need all the help I can get myself
Curious what you think about the similarities /differences between meditation and mindfulness, which is something I think about regularly. I find mindfulness more accessible especially when things are hectic but I'm not sure how different I think they are.
As I understand it, mindfulness is one stage or type of meditation, the one I’m most familiar with. There are meditation forms that don’t make you present at all, in fact you become unaware of the outside world or your body.
Ah that makes sense. I'm not sure I've ever had that experience. I wonder what it is like. Indescribable, I suppose.
Yes!
“Mindfulness only takes a few minutes, and it can fit into your busy life.”
This is a hard one for many people (myself included) to fully grasp. It doesn’t have to become one’s whole identity. If you’ve got 5-10 minutes, you can meditate.