PyramidHead
Contributor
I have now been practicing a form of daily meditation for six weeks. The style of meditation can be broadly described as 'non-directive'; instead of concentrating on something and trying to quiet your thoughts, you let your thoughts come, with a free and open attitude, while returning to the meditation object (usually a mantra) when you notice it has been forgotten in the midst of other thoughts. Depending on the method, you do this for 15-30 minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon. The most well-known example of non-directive meditation is the Transcendental Meditation (or TM) technique originated in the 60's and 70's by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, which became a large organization with some pretty high fees for instruction and some outlandish beliefs. I didn't learn my technique from them, I used one of the cheaper alternatives introduced by ex-TM instructors who were disillusioned by the organization's mystical underpinnings and the price. It's very easy to learn, but has some subtleties that take a little time to master--and this is generally a rewarding process with tangible benefits. So how does it work?
You sit somewhere comfortable, close your eyes, and relax a bit without really focusing on anything. Then you very easily and casually start mentally repeating a meaningless sound (different for each technique, but it could be any sound as long as it doesn't mean anything to you). You sort of promise yourself that whatever happens, however this mantra mutates in volume, speed, or pronunciation, no matter what you think about or how you think it, you will be okay with what is going on. After a minute or so, you're automatically repeating the sound in your head without needing to intentionally do it. It might eventually morph into something totally different from how it started. That's fine. Don't worry about watching your breathing, clearing your mind, or 'am I doing this right'. Sometimes your thoughts will wander and you'll catch yourself thinking about something random, and it will occur to you that the repetition of the sound has stopped. That's natural and actually a healthy part of the process. Just start repeating it again, not forcefully like you're trying to frantically run after a bus before it leaves you behind, but very easily like any other thought, like you're remembering something nice. Keep going like that for 20 minutes or so, then gently stop the mantra from repeating in your mind. Take a minute to breathe and stretch with your eyes still closed, and open them when you're ready. That's it.
Why am I posting about this? Well, I know this sounds cliched, but I was really skeptical about it at first. The only reason I was curious to begin with was because a personal hero of mine, Jerry Seinfeld, was on YouTube one day singing the praises of TM. I decided to give it a shot because my daily commute includes a 1-hour train ride that's pretty quiet most of the time. So I made it part of my routine just for fun, to see what it was all about.
Some things that have happened:
And so on and so forth. All good things. I like to know how stuff like this works, but most of the written material strays into woo-woo territory. It'll say you're unlocking your true self, experiencing "bliss consciousness", or tapping into some ultimate reality. I don't buy into any of that, and it still works. I actually think it's very simple. How often do you actually let your mind do whatever it wants to do without trying to control it? Not just your mind, anything really. We're so used to the idea that everything worthwhile requires some kind of effort on our part. So we're always steering our thoughts, often unconsciously, trying to figure something out or make sense of something.
Non-directive meditation has one rule: don't try. Simply be okay with whatever is going on in your head for about 20 minutes. The repeating sound isn't even that important, it's just an anchor to keep you from getting lost. Some techniques don't even use it. The analogy is you're at a party and you only really know one person, so you stick by him or her while other people come and go. The mantra just lets you return to that 'home base' if you start dwelling or obsessing on anything. It has no special power or function on its own or other than that. To put it another way, and to paraphrase Seinfeld, meditating is like putting your mind on a track and having it run laps until it naturally gets worn out. You don't want it to run across town, so you keep it to the track. That's the mantra part. But within that track, you let it go crazy until it just settles on its own.
It still boggles me that something so easy could nonetheless be (a) something I actually never really did in any other context before learning this, and (b) something that provides advantages I'm starting to get used to and wouldn't want to be without. The first part is worth emphasizing. Non-directive meditation feels so natural and easy while doing it, but paradoxically, it's also quite an unfamiliar experience for most people who try it. It goes to show how we unwittingly police our own thoughts almost constantly. You do it, and it's like oh, this is what it feels like to actually relax.
I can't really recommend this enough! There are plenty of resources on the web if you look for them, and some step-by-step guides can be found or purchased for around $20-50 USD depending on the source. If you can find ~15 minutes in the morning and afternoon every day, give it a shot with no expectations and see if you notice anything different after a couple of weeks.
You sit somewhere comfortable, close your eyes, and relax a bit without really focusing on anything. Then you very easily and casually start mentally repeating a meaningless sound (different for each technique, but it could be any sound as long as it doesn't mean anything to you). You sort of promise yourself that whatever happens, however this mantra mutates in volume, speed, or pronunciation, no matter what you think about or how you think it, you will be okay with what is going on. After a minute or so, you're automatically repeating the sound in your head without needing to intentionally do it. It might eventually morph into something totally different from how it started. That's fine. Don't worry about watching your breathing, clearing your mind, or 'am I doing this right'. Sometimes your thoughts will wander and you'll catch yourself thinking about something random, and it will occur to you that the repetition of the sound has stopped. That's natural and actually a healthy part of the process. Just start repeating it again, not forcefully like you're trying to frantically run after a bus before it leaves you behind, but very easily like any other thought, like you're remembering something nice. Keep going like that for 20 minutes or so, then gently stop the mantra from repeating in your mind. Take a minute to breathe and stretch with your eyes still closed, and open them when you're ready. That's it.
Why am I posting about this? Well, I know this sounds cliched, but I was really skeptical about it at first. The only reason I was curious to begin with was because a personal hero of mine, Jerry Seinfeld, was on YouTube one day singing the praises of TM. I decided to give it a shot because my daily commute includes a 1-hour train ride that's pretty quiet most of the time. So I made it part of my routine just for fun, to see what it was all about.
Some things that have happened:
- While meditating, I get this deep, almost sleep-like full-body relaxation come over me, yet simultaneously I'm awake and aware of what's happening around me. It's like a warm bath.
- I used to have a lot of trouble concentrating on reading. I would read something, zone out, and then have to go back and re-read a page or two because I didn't retain anything. Now, for some reason, I'm like a speed reader and everything is retained the first time.
- Right after coming out of the session, I feel invigorated and very creative. I'm a musician, and I work out a lot of song ideas on the train by taking little notes on my phone or whatever. Lately I've been quite prolific and I seem to finish projects faster than ever before.
- My anxiety/stress level has gone way down. I have a history with anxiety and take medication to manage it, but even on the meds, I would sometimes be just about on the verge of getting overwhelmed. Since I started meditating regularly, it's just not there anymore.
- I don't crash and burn when I get home from work like I used to. I still have tiring days and still look forward to kicking back, but I'm not useless after 5PM anymore.
- I sleep all through the night. As long as I can remember, I used to wake up at least once or twice, go to the bathroom, check my phone, worry about something for two hours, and maybe eventually fall back asleep. It's nice to wake up once, and have it be pretty close to when I actually have to get up.
And so on and so forth. All good things. I like to know how stuff like this works, but most of the written material strays into woo-woo territory. It'll say you're unlocking your true self, experiencing "bliss consciousness", or tapping into some ultimate reality. I don't buy into any of that, and it still works. I actually think it's very simple. How often do you actually let your mind do whatever it wants to do without trying to control it? Not just your mind, anything really. We're so used to the idea that everything worthwhile requires some kind of effort on our part. So we're always steering our thoughts, often unconsciously, trying to figure something out or make sense of something.
Non-directive meditation has one rule: don't try. Simply be okay with whatever is going on in your head for about 20 minutes. The repeating sound isn't even that important, it's just an anchor to keep you from getting lost. Some techniques don't even use it. The analogy is you're at a party and you only really know one person, so you stick by him or her while other people come and go. The mantra just lets you return to that 'home base' if you start dwelling or obsessing on anything. It has no special power or function on its own or other than that. To put it another way, and to paraphrase Seinfeld, meditating is like putting your mind on a track and having it run laps until it naturally gets worn out. You don't want it to run across town, so you keep it to the track. That's the mantra part. But within that track, you let it go crazy until it just settles on its own.
It still boggles me that something so easy could nonetheless be (a) something I actually never really did in any other context before learning this, and (b) something that provides advantages I'm starting to get used to and wouldn't want to be without. The first part is worth emphasizing. Non-directive meditation feels so natural and easy while doing it, but paradoxically, it's also quite an unfamiliar experience for most people who try it. It goes to show how we unwittingly police our own thoughts almost constantly. You do it, and it's like oh, this is what it feels like to actually relax.
I can't really recommend this enough! There are plenty of resources on the web if you look for them, and some step-by-step guides can be found or purchased for around $20-50 USD depending on the source. If you can find ~15 minutes in the morning and afternoon every day, give it a shot with no expectations and see if you notice anything different after a couple of weeks.
: I like reading your posts. 
