Life, when discordant and lacking in the cadence and melody of youthful innocence, almost appears to consciously bereave us of the joy, or at least, the equanimity we so desire. The cognitive homeostatic state of serenity sought both consciously and otherwise differs somewhat from the purely autonomic physiological one and we are often adrift at our own devices, spoilt for choice in a sea of never-ending self-medicating mental health suggestions.
Everyone deserves a kind of “spiritual balm,” if you like, a place of solace, a soothing sojourn from both the stagnation and vicissitudes of life, and it is not always possible, in order to revivify the mind and senses, to whisk away to a tropical retreat. It may indeed neither be expedient, given the reality that those same life conditions will await our return. So of the many therapies and techniques on offer, where does one begin?
Despite our often universal experiences, and usual agreement on what the outcomes of regenerative practices should be, the answer to this question, in regard the means to these noble ends can differ quite dramatically from person to person and the practices apprehended as ignoble in some instances. It is in full awareness of this that I offer the simple proposition that, just as I have benefitted from a few amongst the many, so too might you, and I offer these recommendations as such. Three particular practices have proven useful to the author, resulting in the mollification of various forms of stress and anxiety, a healthier sense of self-esteem, and the riddance of superfluousness in various forms.
Technique 1 - Mist meditation
Evanesce. My favourite word, and an encapsulation of the goals of mist meditation. Existing in a variety of forms, as its name suggests, mist meditation is a visualisation technique designed to engender a sense of lightness, an effervescence, a state that is purposefully insubstantial. Explicit visualisations exist. For example, one might envision being enveloped in light golden healing mist or imaginatively seat oneself at the base of a picturesque waterfall, amidst a sublime ensuing haze. I have always found particularly useful though, the employment of a consciously ephemeral, pseudo-physiological sensation, in which the goal is to create the ever so wonderful delusion of becoming a form of mist.
Step 1. Seat yourself in the most comfortable position you can
Step 2. Close your eyes and relax as you breathe gently in and out
Step 3. While you are breathing, imagine your head to be, rather than a solid object,
a collection of airy atoms held together only by your day to day determination
to excel and be in control of life.
Step 4. Continue to imagine your head as light, and floating.
Step 5. With each exhalation, feel the mist-like atoms of your head, escaping their
confines, and allow them to drift outward.
Step 6. Continue this for as long as you wish, feeling a sense of “letting go”
The concept of physically, as opposed to the usual act of cognitively letting go of your seat of consciousness, I feel is quite novel. If it does not leave you feeling wonderfully serene and feeling more connected with your surroundings, as opposed to locked away within, then at the very least, you are almost assured to feel an immediate dissipation of the tension so often stored in the facial and neck muscles.
Technique 2 - Chi Ball Creation
This technique harks from a time in my adolescence and early adult years in which I practiced a variety of martial arts. Based on the Chinese belief in the essential life-force or energy known as “chi,” this adaptation of particular elements of tai chi chuan is a wonderful “hands on” meditation that is both a cleansing, refreshing experience and a way to gently subvert the stressors in our life.
Step 1) Sit forward and upright in a comfortable chair (preferably one without
armrests) without leaning back into it.
Step 2) Cup your hands together, imagining you are holding a small ball, for example
a baseball.
Step 3) Move your hands around the ball
Step 4) Imagine now, that the ball is very lightweight, like a strong bubble
Step 5) As you move your hands around the bubble, allow it too expand while you
continue to “sculpt” a perfect sphere.
Step 6) Feel the perfect symmetry of the ball.
Step 7) Relax your breathing as you continue to move your hands around and
sculpt your perfect, expanding sphere. Take a few minutes to enjoy the
perfect lightweight sphere you are creating. Allow it to expand until its
diameter is just slightly wider than shoulder width. Imagine the ball is
now full of beautiful, crystal clear, refreshing energy.
Step 8) Finally, when you are ready, tilt you chin slightly upward, and if you
haven’t already, close your eyes. “Throw the ball up and above your head,
and as it comes down, allow it to “break” over your head, gently bursting
open, washing and cleansing you, reawakening your senses.
This is a wonderfully easy, quick way to take a time out and recharge your batteries.
Technique 3 Zazen
Have you ever noticed that when you are engaging in goal-directed activity, the annoying internal cacophony of seemingly random thoughts is relatively silent? Whether you have or not, the superfluity of thought and anxiety experienced in more restful yet wakeful moments, is one of the many normal ways the brain indicates its need for cognitive homeostasis. In lieu of a structured goal-oriented environment, the brain continues to assist you in the ponderations and planning of your life, but without a clear goal in mind, somewhat adrift in a sea of memories and considerations.
Regardless of why we have developed as a species of worriers, the fact remains that it can be of such extreme inconvenience as to contribute to any amount of malady and distemper, and the awareness of the need for a true form of stillness and equability often only serves as a pestering juxtaposition to our restlessness. So, still, yet not so, we wish for a uniformity of disposition. Yet how, in a modern world of schedules, pressure, and more choice than ever in regards the paths we choose to tread, and a tendency to wish to constantly be efficient managers of our existence, do we actually manage to find a moment of true peace, where even from ourselves, we are left alone?
Of the many possible answers that may be proffered, I would suggest for your scrutiny, the art of zazen. The least subjective of the three suggestions herein, zazen, a seated, kneeling or lotus pose meditation, has been the focus of study in neuroscience , and thus provides us with at least some degree of empirical support to its claims. Zazen is used to achieve what at first seems quite dichotomous but is in fact two quite congruent states, mindfulness, and disassociation with the self.
In the sense of mindfulness, attentiveness is brought to the breath, and of disassociation, one engages in what seems ironic, the goal-oriented practice of letting go of the ego and the sense of the prescriptive self. This is often utilised as a preparatory state, which after obtained, allows one to better ruminate on a “koan” or riddle, designed to befuddle a non-meditating person via deliberately obscure metaphor and other literary devices. However, riddles aside, the methods of drawing awareness to breath, in themselves are wonderfully calming practices and can silence the often chaotic mind. I draw your attention to one such method of breath awareness.
Step 1) Sit comfortably with the back straight, shoulders relaxed and chin tilted
down ever so slightly inward towards the chest.
Step 2) With eyes closed yet relaxed, begin to breath gently and consistently,
focusing your attention on each inhalation and exhalation.
Step 3) When you are ready, breathe in, and at the top of the inhalation
moderately tense your abdominal muscles, and hold the tension while
breathing out.
Step 4) When you reach the natural end of your exhalation, the tensing of the
abdominals will allow you to expel more air than you would normally.
Expel more air for a few seconds (this will feel uncomfortable, but as you
progress with the technique, the obvious value will counter this mild
feeling of discomfort)
Step 5) As this will feel uncomfortable, allow for a few subsequent quick breaths to
be breathed (you will feel the urge to breathe quickly, fight this,
and instead, allow yourself a few slightly faster, light, but gentle breaths to
“rebalance” your breathing.)
Step 6) When you feel “rebalanced” repeat steps 3, 4 and 5. Each time you do this
sequence, you should find that your breathing becomes significantly lighter,
until you feel you have virtually stopped breathing.
Essentially, if you push through the discomfort of the abdominal tension, and extra expelled breath, you will have engaged in a form of concentrated mindfulness, a form of goal-oriented activity. The ingenious here, lies in the fact that rather than trying to lull ourselves into a relaxed state, the very discomfort and focus required to maintain the breathing pattern, causes a reduction in the cognitive activity buddhists sometimes refer to as the "monkey brain.” Simultaneously, a general stillness occurs as the intensity of breath is diminished, and the result? The somewhat lexically discordant, yet in reality, concord of mindfulness and diminution of cogitation, that takes place when our internal chatter is silenced.
Stephen Clarke - Stephen is a passionate ESL teacher, based in Brisbane, Australia. His desire to continually improve effective teaching methodologies ...
