The human brain is amazing. That gray blob of matter inside our skulls has the power to solve any problem, confront any misconception, and invent miraculous solutions. However, that same highly adaptive organ also has the power to create problems that do not exist, to cause suffering, worry, and skewed conceptions of reality. Inside each of us is the potential for both sides of this spectrum. In the same way that a basketball player learns correct form and then practices that technique over and over, cultivating lasting peace and happiness is simply a matter of understanding the techniques and diligently implementing them.
Our Thinking Problem
How many people do you know who need to be busy all the time? Who are constantly moving? Running from here to there, chasing this and that all day long? The american public is suffering from a common disease: compulsive thinking. We have lost control of our minds, allowing them to wreck havoc on our physical and mental wellbeing. More importantly, we are unable to see the beauty and wonder that is all around us because we are trapped in thinking. However, most of us are unaware that we are even suffering from this condition. Doctors often fail to recognize the underlying cause of our unhappiness and instead mask and cover up our symptoms with drugs that do nothing more than alleviate the physical manifestations of a much deeper problem.
Our lack of internal confrontation has created a culture of highly stressed people who are addicted to thinking but are unaware that it is that addiction to thinking that is making them so unhappy.
Mainstream capitalist America has done its best to completely disregard the spiritual side of total health, portraying the idea that happiness as a nice house and six pack abs. That only once we get that new car or achieve that next level of success will we be happy. In short: we believe that happiness is beyond our control, that happiness is outside ourselves. In reality, this is a profit scheme engineered by people caught up in the same illusion, a way of fooling the public to buy more stuff. Deep down, all of us realize the incredulity and superficiality of this existence, but after seeing it in the media and our lives every day, we begin to believe it.
Breaking Free
In order to break free, we must first realize that our happiness is a direct reflection of our minds. That true happiness is internal. That true happiness does not fluctuate with the ups and downs of life but remains steady and centered in awareness.
How can I develop the kind of mental state that is not conditional to perfect life circumstances? Luckily, we have thousands of years of research and personal experimentation to guide us in the right direction. While faiths vary, as do their techniques, there is one common thread that is nearly universal when it comes to quieting and centering the mind: meditation.
Moving Meditation: Spirituality in Motion
I like to use the time I spend working out as an opportunity to deepen my awareness and quiet my mind. Whether I’m on a beautiful trail run, hiking, climbing trees, or even swimming... I practice a profound yet scarcely used form of meditation: moving meditation.
What is Moving Meditation?
First let me define what meditation is. Although definitions and perceptions of meditation vary, it is essentially this: The act of training, controlling, and quieting the mind through various techniques of diligent concentration and awareness. Of being aware of ones thoughts, but not getting caught up in the stories. Though there are hundreds of techniques varying from simply watching the breath to contemplating the meaning of a certain word or phrase, all of them come back to one very clear intention: freeing you from the shackles of the mind and cultivating increased presence.
Typically, when people think of meditation they think of a holy man sitting on a himalayan peak in a saffron robe levitating and shooting rays of light from his body(or is that just me). Anyways, meditation is typically linked to sitting still for long periods of time and certainly not sprinting through the woods, but a meditative state can be cultivated anywhere, at any moment, in any situation. Any activity can be used as an opportunity to cultivate lasting peace and happiness. Let me show you how...
How To Meditate Anywhere
Like all things truly powerful, the art of moving meditation is incredibly simple. Moving meditation in it’s purest is the act of directing your complete attention to whatever you are doing at the moment. It’s about showing up completely and being fully present to experience life as it evolves before your eyes.
This sounds very simple, but if your mind is untrained, developing this kind of presence will likely be very difficult in the beginning. We are compulsive thinkers, we associate our very being with the thoughts that spin erratically inside our heads. Our minds are accustomed to bounce from this to that all day long... Thinking, solving worrying.
Developing this kind of awareness will take time and patience, but it is possible. Here’s how to get started:
- Feel the Sensations
One of the most powerful portals into the present moment is directing your awareness to your physical body. As you move, become aware of your body and your surroundings as much as you can. Really feel your feet strike the ground and push off. Feel the air in your lungs and the sweat on your skin. Be aware of any scents, sights and sounds. Tune into your bodily sensations and become fully present in your body.
- Watch Your Breath
Another way of entering this state of awareness is through following the breath. If your mind starts to wander, simply direct it back to the breath.
In essence, moving meditation is simply the practice of cultivating presence in anything you are doing. Of being here to fully experience life in this moment.
I love Eckhart Tolle’s description of presence...
“Beyond the beauty of external forms, there is more here: something that cannot be named, something ineffable, some deep, inner, holy essence. Whenever and wherever there is beauty, this inner essence shines through somehow. It only reveals itself to you when you are present.” - Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now
The next time you are doing anything, even something as ordinary as walking down the street, make an effort to be completely present to experience it for what it is.
Life is incredibly beautiful. You’ll be surprised what you’ve missed.
Decide to better yourself, your relationships, and the planet by making a positive shift in your life today.
To your health and happiness,
Logan
###
No comments:
Post a Comment