When most people hear the word “meditation”, they automatically think of someone sitting in the lotus position, fingers arranged just so, and totally quiet.

Or perhaps you visualize a group of gowned Buddhist monks sitting silently for long periods of time.

And yes, that is the Eastern form of meditation.

And it’s a calming, healthy practice, used by untold numbers of people today.

But many people have such busy, crowded lives, that they don’t find time to sit for periods of silent meditation. Maybe, you are one of them!

There’s work to lug home from the office, or the day is overflowing with meetings or commitments, errands and tasks, and in addition to work there are family demands.

Or perhaps you’ve tried the Eastern style meditation but get too easily distracted and have difficulty focusing. Your mind just never shuts down.

Maybe you’re not even sure how to go about this meditation thing.

Meditation- A Definition

Here is the Webster definition of “to meditate”-                                            

“To focus one’s thoughts on, reflect or ponder over. To contemplate”.

Notice-No mention of pose or position or emptying the mind, or silence.

Wikipedia notes that Meditation can be defined as a practice where an individual uses a special technique, like focusing his or her mind on a particular object, activity or thought, to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state of being.

The English word meditation comes from the  Latin “meditatio”, from a verb meaning “to think, reflect, contemplate, muse, ponder”.

So…technically, meditation is using the old grey matter to mentally chew on something.

But it’s also so much more than a prolonged sitting in silence.

You can practice a kind of alert mindfulness at any time and in any place, without                                 a formal sitting meditation.

• I have all sorts of insights while walking.
• Sometimes driving the car allows a time and space to reflect.
• The bathroom also serves some as a place to ponder.
• The library
• A front porch or balcony
• Anywhere- even a walk-in closet

Wherever- the idea is to be fully engaged in what you are observing or thinking.

The need for the meditator to retrain his attention, whether through concentration or  mindfulness, is the single invariant ingredient in… every meditation system”  ^Coleman

Basically meditation is active attentiveness- either to thoughts or mind, or to what is around you.

It’s a really deliberate realization and appreciation of what you are noticing, and spending some time in pensive introspection.

 

With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment. Thich Nhat Hanh

The opposite of being oblivious, mindfulness focuses your attention, and allows you to truly observe and see more clearly.

And- no surprise-you become aware of things that previously passed unheeded or barely appreciated.

“Mindfulness in its most general sense is about waking up from a life on automatic, and being sensitive to novelty in our everyday experiences. With mindful awareness, the flow of energy and information that is our mind enters our conscious attention. Daniel J. Siegel

Attention Changes the Common to the Extraordinary   

The thing is, young children have this ability. They are enchanted by all manner of things, carefully scrutinizing and examining nature, collecting fireflies, holding insects, splashing in puddles, making mud pies.

But as we grow, habits and familiarity dull our vision and we lose the joy in discovery and small details.

“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

Life is made of all these little things and moments, and adults breeze through the day missing most of them!

In our adult world we have forgotten it- have lost our ability for wonder and amazement, and have replaced it with cynicism, being blasé and unimaginative.

Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the small uncaring ways.”
– Stephen Vincent Benet

With age, we become jaded, and things seem common and ordinary and no longer bring delight. No wonder we love watching kids experiencing something- their joy, amusement and pleasure seem beyond us, and secretly, we envy their refreshing take on life.

Thus has all the fascination in life up and taken a hike. When was the last time you were lost in astonishment? Can you even remember being dazzled by something, or had your breath taken away?

Bet you can’t!

But it doesn’t have to remain that way!

A More Inclusive Type Meditation

Taking the fuller meaning of meditation, I’d like to suggest a way to walk through your day in intermittent periods of awe, alertness and aliveness.

This is nothing new- (is there anything really new?)

There ARE ways to recapture some of the innocent and intimate connections to the alluring sights and sounds surrounding us.

Computers and internet, iPads, iPhones, all have their place in the scheme of things, but we’ve allowed them to take over our lives.

To see a family out to dinner, with every member glued to their individual iPhone, is a sad, bizarre commentary on our lack of involvement in the world beyond ourselves.

 

“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.” – Jack Kornfield

I still recall vividly the time I spent many years back scrutinizing the struggles of a single ant attempting to carry a crumb twice its size up some steps.

I was beyond captivated by its persistence- repeatedly dropping the food morsel, but retrieving it over and over until it accomplish the climb, carrying that crumb.

Brought tears to my eyes, and I have carried the lesson on into my own life.

Motivation from an undefeated ant!

 

Any action done with awareness is meditation. Meditation means to be fully aware of our actions, thoughts, feelings and emotions. Another name of meditation is passive awareness. – Unknown

The game plan is focus, focus, focus!

When we pay attention, whatever we are doing…is transformed and becomes a part of our spiritual path. We begin to notice details and textures that we never noticed before- everyday life becomes clearer, sharper, and at the same time more spacious. – Rick Fields et al., Chop Wood, Carry Water: A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday Life

Mindfulness allows our minds to expand. It is “the practice of paying attention in a way that creates space for insight,”  notes Sharon Salzberg.

When we deliberately focus our attention, it sharpens our minds, our consciousness is heightened, and we can become aware of new information and discern the inner nature of things.

The key is to stop being on automatic pilot. We eat too fast without really savoring and tasting what we eat. In the soul-numbing pace of today we pass by things of interest and beauty without appreciation or even without notice. Take this true example-

The Story, A Violinist in the Metro

A man sat at a metro station in Washington D.C and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.

During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly, he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a three-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time.

This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only six people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace.

He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100 each.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and the priorities of people.

The outlines were, in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour,

-Do we perceive beauty?
-Do we stop to appreciate it?
-Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be that if we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?  Unknown- Internet.

The Mark of Mindfulness

Mindfulness or attentiveness is a major ingredient in a growing spiritual journey. The wonders of creation parade daily before our eyes, and we are world-weary and blinded.

“Life is a dance. Mindfulness is witnessing that dance.” –Amit Ray 

Had you ever thought of mindfulness that way?

“Mindfulness has many synonyms. You could call it awareness, attention, focus, presence, or vigilance. The opposite, then, is not just mindlessness, but also distractedness, inattention, and lack of engagement.” Unknown

“Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that attention over time as best we can. In the process, we become more in touch with our life as it is unfolding.” ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

 As you begin to regain your ability to slow down and truly savor the moment, joy and delight come flooding back into your life in double dollops!

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

“Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh.

What Have We Lost?

So what is it we have as children, but lose along the way?

The world is not the “same old same old” to a child. Everything is fresh and new. Things are to be examined and days are filled with wonder and discovery.

I want to be six again.
I want to go to McDonald’s and think it’s the best place in the world to eat.
I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make waves with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money, because you can eat them.
I want to play kickball during recess and stay up on Christmas Eve waiting to hear Santa and Rudolph on the roof…
I want to believe that anything is possible.

I want to walk down the beach and think only of the sand beneath my feet and the possibility of finding that blue piece of sea glass I’m looking for.

I want to spend my afternoons climbing trees and riding my bike…
I want to wonder what I’ll do when I grow up and what I’ll be, who I’ll be and not worry about what I’ll do if this doesn’t work out. I want that time back.

I want to travel back and build a snowman, without thinking about anything except whether the snow sticks together and what I can possibly use for the snowman’s mouth.”  Unknown

Then- gradually all that wonder becomes old hat.

Been there, done that- becomes our mental mantra.

Part of our spiritual journey is to try and capture the awe which we have lost.

OUR LIFE-AFFIRMING SENSES

We understand our world through our senses. Each of them- seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touch-present us with varying ways of perception.

The five senses are the ministers of the soul. Leonardo da Vinci

Blake said that the body was the soul’s prison unless the five senses are fully developed and open. He considered the senses the “windows of the soul”.   Jim Morrison

Our physical world is perceived and understood by the use of our five senses.

Creation is a book proclaiming the Creator. It is a book of beauty that our intellect reads, but- through the passageways of our five senses.  Thomas Dubay

Things, people, our environment- everything is perceived by the use of these five primary senses.

How do you know who’s on the phone? (come on, folks…other than caller ID). You hear a familiar and recognized voice.

You hear thunder and see lightening, you notice your dog getting restless, and the sky darkens, and your conclusion is a storm’s approaching.

You walk in the house, smell spaghetti sauce on the stove and garlic bread in the oven, and figure dinner is going to be Italian.

You take a gulp of milk, then rush to the sink to spit it out because it has gone bad. And you knew by the sour taste.

You’re looking for a cuddle blanket for tv watching. At the store you feel and fondle many, until you find just the right fluffy one.

Just a single item well contemplated can take you on a great meditation journey!

If you truly get in touch with a piece of carrot, you get in touch with the soil, the rain, the sunshine. You get in touch with Mother Earth and eating in such a way, you feel in touch with true life, your roots, and that is meditation. If we chew every morsel of our food in that way we become grateful and when you are grateful, you are happy. Thich Nhat Hahn

In India, near New Delhi, there is The Garden of Five Senses. The garden stimulates all the five senses and features elements that stimulate touch, sight, sound, smell and taste .

Visitors are encouraged to touch the rocks and displays,  the fragrance of flowers is for the nose,  garden beds stimulates the olfactory senses, the landscaping appeals to the eyes, the ceramic bells and the water falls create a soothing sound -pleasing to the ear  and the food courts serve a variety of cuisines – to please the tongue.

Seems to me it would be fun to recreate a small garden version for yourself to enjoy! It could even be done as an inside garden.

SIGHT- We Have Forgotten Where and How To Look

Our world is so visual, sometimes to the detriment of our other senses.  Visual learning is what 65% of the population uses.

We respond to and process visual data better than any other type of data. In fact, the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, and 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual.

In addition, Our eyes can register 36,000 visual messages per hour.   We can get the sense of a visual scene in less than 1/10 of a second, and 40 percent of nerve fibers are linked to the retina. Visual Teaching Alliance  For more on vision and the brain, go here

Most of us see in color.  Did you know that mathematically, when multiplying the nearly 10 million distinguishable colors with the thousands of outside forces acting on the brain’s perception of those colors — such as light, surfaces and viewing conditions — psychophysicists have determined the number of potential colors and combinations to be almost endless?

Each person’s perception of those colors will also vary due to the large variety of outside factors and ever-changing context.  So, is my idea of red, or violet the same as yours?  Probably not. Learn more about Colors

How about animal sight as compared with ours?

“With the help of researchers at the Pennsylvania Veterinary Center, it was shown that humans could see a much wider range of tones and colors than cats, but that we didn’t have as good peripheral vision – and cats could see up to eight times better in the dark.

However, humans scored much better when it came to seeing things further away. (Maybe that’s why your cat is ignoring you – it just hasn’t seen you)

But that long-range human vision pales in comparison to the average bird of prey; predatory birds are blessed with the kind of binocular peepers that can spot a promising meal more than two miles away. Try beating that next time you’re on your lunch break.  BBC  

Check out Dubai world record eagle flight here

“What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. … In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.”
― John Lubbock, The Beauties of Nature and the Wonders of the World We Live

“What you see is highly dependent on how you look.”
― TemitOpe Ibrahim

“Until you see beauty everywhere,
in every face,
until then,
you are blind.”
― Kamand Kojouri

HEARING- Hearing is a Sense, But Listening is an Art!

Music transforms, sounds can heal, beautiful singing grabs the heart. Our ears warn us of danger, alert us to someone’s approach, allow us to discern moods through voice inflection, give us clues to what is going on.

Because of sound’s vibration, sounds also set up a vibration within us- some pleasant like the patter of rain- and some offensive, like the screeching of a baby on an airplane.

But we can tune out sounds, or deaden our awareness to them. If you live on a busy street, or near a train crossing, or next to fire station, eventually you no longer notice those sounds.  Same thing happens in a boring lecture, or with a noisy fan or heater.  We stop registering the sound.

I watch my dog’s ears when a storm is threatened. She hears it coming way before I do, but at her alert, if I strain, I too can hear.

What do you hear right now?

If your home is like mine, you hear the humming sound of the computer, the sounds in the kitchen of a meal being prepared, ticking of a wall clock, low traffic sounds, the washer and dryer on, and padding dog steps on the wooden floor, heading for dinner.

The slight trick in the question is that, by asking you what you were hearing, I prompted your brain to take control of the sensory experience — and made you listen rather than just hear.

That is what happens when a sound jumps out of the background enough to be perceived consciously rather than just being part of your usual auditory surroundings. The difference between the sense of hearing and the skill of listening is attention.

“Listening, really listening, is hard when potential distractions are leaping into your ears every fifty-thousandth of a second — and pathways in your brain are just waiting to interrupt your focus to warn you of any potential dangers.

Listening is a skill that we’re in danger of losing in a world of digital distraction and information overload.

And yet we dare not lose it. Because listening tunes our brain to the patterns of our environment faster than any other sense, and paying attention to the nonvisual parts of our world feeds into everything from our intellectual sharpness to our dance skills.”  Seth Horowitz

How many sounds do we miss because we are lazy listeners, I wonder?

We love music for the buried hopes, the garnered memories, the tender feelings it can summon at a touch.Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Music has the capacity to touch the innermost reaches of the soul and music gives flight to the imagination. Plato

If a man loses pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears,
however measured or far away.
– Henry David Thoreau

 TASTE-The Tongue’s Receptors Report Directly To the Brain

Taste is important for appetite. Sometimes too much so, unfortunately.  Hard to resist something that tastes scrumptious, right?

Yuck- it also warns us when food is off or bad.

Did you know you can smell about 700 flavors, but only five you can taste – sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and savory. A lot of times what you perceive as flavor has nothing to do with taste, but it’s more to do with scents, and aromas.

So often we eat fast and robotically, downing our food and barely tasting it.

Try eating slowly, with attention to each bite, and gratitude for its production and nourishment.

I promise you, it changes the way you address food and eating!

“Mindful eating is about awareness. When you eat mindfully, you slow down, pay attention to the food you’re eating, and savor every bite.” – Susan Albers

When you are eating, eat totally –
chew totally, taste totally, smell totally.
Touch your bread, feel the texture.
Smell the bread, smell the flavor.
Chew it, let it dissolve into your being,
and remain conscious – and you are meditating.
And then meditation is not separate from life.- Osho

 SMELL- Stop and Smell the Roses

Smells can kick off memories and take you fast to another place and a different time!

I smell a hot iron, and it takes me in a flash back to college where my freshman dorm room was right near the laundry.

Lovely smells are pleasurable, and bad smells offensive. Strangely what is lovely or offensive very often depends on an individual.

I have a friend who loves the smell of jet fuel, reminders of days in the Airforce. Another loves the smell of musty rooms, remembering back to summers spent in an old farmhouse.

The smell of food can make us salivate. Check out the big dog drooling at the sound of the can opener.

Smelling fruit can help us know if it is ripe, or if fish has gone bad.

Watch a wine lover, swirl the glass and deeply sniff the wine.

Inhale the air after a rain storm, or the grass has been mowed- or the field fertilized.

Smell helps us define our surroundings.

Try being more attuned to the aromas around you, and see where they take you!

Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains. Diane Ackerman

Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived. Helen Keller

Nothing can beat the smell of dew and flowers and the odor that comes out of the earth when the sun goes down. Ethel Waters

TOUCH- To Touch Is To Give Life

The effect of touch is so powerful, it can literally save lives. A whole generation of children in poorly staffed Romanian orphanages developed attachment disorders and other psychological problems because of inadequate staffing where the children were neglected, unstimulated and untouched.

You know who else doesn’t get touched enough?

• Shut-ins, and people who live alone
• People with deformities or disabilities
• The homeless
• The elderly
• Nursing home residents
• Ghetto children
• Maybe- all of us

There is a world of difference between personal care attendance, and personal touch. The physical needs can be met, but it is the pat on the back, the hand hold or squeeze, the hug, the light kiss that brings light and life into people’s lives.

My niece’s foster-now adopted- son and daughter were held bare skin to bare skin as infants and that’s now an accepted practice.

I have seen people visibly perk up from a backrub, or a hug.

There’s something about human make-up, that requires the connection of human touch.

Not sexual…

Not sensual…

Just comforting and comfortable.

Try being aware of those around you who would benefit from some sort of touch, and give it lovingly.

Touch is the landscape of what is possible. Kate Green

Touch each object as if tomorrow you would never be able to feel anything again. Helen Keller

If you touch one thing with deep awareness, you touch everything. Thich Nhat Hanh

Don’t look at the world with your hands in your pockets. You have to reach out and touch it. Mark Twain

But hands are sacred things. Touch is personal, fingers of love, feelers of blind eyes, tongues of those who cannot talk. Keri Hulme

SLOW DOWN!

Life is not meant to just zoom from the womb to the tomb… Enjoy the Journey!  Notice what you are noticing!

Call to Action

Here’s a spiritual challenge:

Might truly surprise you!!!

  “The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” – Henry Miller

“It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth – and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up – that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had.”
– Elisabeth Kübler-Ross