Writing is a way of organizing our thoughts and making better sense of our world. I would even consider it a form of contemplative meditation. When writing, we connect different concepts together in our heads, mull over different ideas, and often aim at trying to paint a picture or tell some kind of story. Even in writing something as simple as a postcard we are ruminating in our mind what we want the message of the card to be.

Whenever we write we are embracing these ideas, allowing them to be expressed, and letting their energy flow through us onto the paper.

Throughout this creative process we too are changing. We are not only becoming more aware of our inner world of meaning, but at the same time we are given a medium to release these built up thoughts, ideas, stresses and desires. We are practicing a form of alchemy – by channeling our energies from something psychological to something material and tangible.

It’s a healing process

Like all forms of art therapy, writing can be healing; that is why I encourage everyone to pursue some kind of creative endeavor. It allows us to step back and put the world into perspective. It also gives us a sense of power and purpose, so we don’t feel completely swallowed up by our daily anxieties, stresses, and fears.

When we create we have something to be proud of, something to show for our efforts, and something that is distinctly unique and ours. This builds up our self-worth and inspires us to be more productive. Pursing any art has shown to do some incredible things for mental health, and it plays a big role in what Positive Psychologist Martin Seligman calls The Meaningful Life, which he considers a central component to happiness.

Carl Jung saw the manifestations of our dreams as ways in which our psyche maintains homeostasis and balance. I believe art and writing can have the same effect. This one video supports this point by showing how art therapy can be used effectively in treating those with schizophrenia.

Do a little everyday

Whether your thing is writing, painting, dancing, or playing guitar, try to do a little bit of it everyday. Think of it as your daily meditation or prayer. It is your way of provoking reality and creating a world of meaning and purpose.

Many people find it therapeutic to keep a journal or diary. Personally, I have been maintaining this blog since June of last year and I already feel ten times better mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I like to write music too, but writing is something that resonates with me at a level I can manage the best. It clears up my thoughts in ways that I find hard accomplishing with other arts. But, everyone may be a little different.

Writing is easy to become engaged in

For many, pursuing an art or writing is a lot more fun and exciting than meditation. While meditation is about stillness and silence, art gives us a way to find tranquility through active expression. When you finish a piece of writing or art there is a wave of relaxation and comfort, not to mention a distinct sense of pride and accomplishment.

So for those who find it difficult to spend time on the cushion, why not turn to writing and art as a secondary form of meditation? It could even still be considered a spiritual practice. After all, who says we need religion and false dogmas? Maybe the true evolution of man is when we recognize that we can harness the same creative power of nature that we so often attribute to God. In a sense, our capacity for creativity and innovation may even make us out to be our own gods and goddesses. In this recognition, we are aware of our own divinity.

When we find something we love doing, it becomes much easier to be engaged in. And engagement is an important aspect to any meditative or spiritual practice.

A stronger sense of self

When we walk away from a piece of writing we have a stronger sense of ourselves. We are a part of the transformation and by the end of the process we have been re-born into something new.

And – isn’t this often the crux of any meditation practice? To increase self-awareness and to watch ourselves grow and change with time? Shouldn’t we all practice this to some degree, even if it is only to facilitate our own personal development and well-being? Just a few minutes a day of reflection and writing can aid one’s life in so many different ways.

The mental state of writing

When we are physically in the state of writing it is just like a state of deep contemplation. We become absorbed in the process of our ideas, thoughts, feelings and emotions. We then attempt to integrate them all in a way that reveals a clear message.

When I am in a state of writing that cannot be disturbed it is like I am in a trance. All my focus is concentrated on the task at hand and on accomplishing what it is I am setting out to do. All of my being is dedicated into channeling my energy outwards into my creation.

Earlier this morning I was watching a lecture on positive psychology by former Harvard professor Tal Ben-Sahar. During each day of the class Sahar allocated two or so minutes of complete silence. This is all done in the name of embracing stillness and introspection, a practice that Sahar finds extraordinarily important in improving one’s health and well-being.

Within the lecture he cites a study done by MIT Professors David Foster and Matthew Wilson, one which Sahar found rather convincing regarding the importance of reflection in our everyday lives and specifically its effects on our cognitive abilities.

In this study researchers looked inside the brains of rats. They paid particular attention to the hippocampus, a brain structure that has shown to be responsible for learning and memory in rodents, primates, and humans. They performed brain scans on rats as they went through a maze, and then also after the experience, during times of reflection.

What the results suggest is that while there certainly is some record of your experience as it is occurring (in other words when the rats were running the maze), the actual learning – when you try to figure out: “What was important? What should I keep and throw away?” – that happens after the fact, during periods of quiet wakeful introspection.

Rats who were given a chance to relax and reflect showed better signs of learning than rats who were not given a chance to relax and reflect. Scientists have implied that it could be that “replaying a sequence of behavioral events in our mind” is an important mechanism in effective learning and memory retention.

Further Implications

If we can reinforce learning by actively replaying memories then certainly there is good reason to practice wakeful introspection. Like Sahar, we should set aside a time and place for it. Even by reflecting on negative events, we can extract lessons from our old ways and thus learn to gain something positive from them. The implications of this study are more than just getting rats to run through mazes faster, it can also have a significant effect on building new habits and improving the quality of life.

On this site I often write about the importance of relaxation on our health and happiness. To know that these exercises can also improve our cognition and learning is just another good incentive to continue practicing these everyday.

Most of us have grown up in a culture surrounded by noise, clutter, and busy-ness. There is sometimes even a disdain for silence; we find it awkward, unproductive, or boring. But maybe we are just not very good at it? Perhaps this modern culture also explains how we have left society with so many children with ADHD and other learning disabilities.

Is it really so hard to find the time for a little peaceful reflection? Even just 5 or 10 minutes a day is enough to start seeing the difference. We could easily accomplish this during a lunch hour or after dinner. It is a good way to soak in everything that has happened to us throughout the day and at the same time relax all the tensions from family, relationships, and work. It gives us time to ask, “Am I staying on course? Am I doing the right things? Am I improving myself?” These are just some of the questions we can ask to better ourselves.

Information And Transformation

All knowledge is processed knowledge. We don’t know things in the form of their raw sensory experience, but the form in which we conceptualize them. We then integrate these concepts into our representation of the world, just like the rat does when it makes a mental map of a maze.

As Sahar describes in his lecture, information is the sensory data of what we experience and transformation is the map we create from that data. When we reflect we are re-initiating this process of transformation by deriving new meaning from our memories.

During transformation we decide what parts of the experience were most important and worth paying attention to. When our mental schema doesn’t work, we can always reflect back, re-focus, and adjust our understanding of that experience. Although this may seem like commonsense, very few people actively practice this technique.

Sahar believes that the road to improvement isn’t necessarily about getting more and more information, but transforming our understanding of the information we already have. This requires us to look inside at what we already know and to use that knowledge in a more effective manner. The educational tools and resources are are already inside of us.

Now that the holidays have come and pass, you are probably feeling more stressed out than ever. Not only are you tired from all the shopping, buying, gift wrapping, exchanging, returning, cooking, serving, and entertaining, but you are probably also stressed out that “vacation” is now over…and it is time again to get your ass back to work!

There are plenty of things to be concerned about. The economy continues to hurt, and this new hole in our wallets doesn’t help. On top of this, life’s daily burdens are always there to add fuel to the fire.

That is why it is important we set aside time for relaxation.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been coaching some people who have various concerns about stress and anxiety.

Some folks are just tired from obligations with work and family, and they want to feel more at ease. Others get nervous in certain situations, like speaking in public or approaching a certain girl; they want to know how to overcome these worries.

Whatever the situation may be, my method for dealing with stress and anxiety is fairly simple but effective when practiced consistently. Here are some of the fundamentals to know so that you can begin on your own. You will find these concepts especially helpful to integrate into your new year workload. Here is to a more productive, more free, more spontaneous, and much more easy-going 2010!

Start With The Breath

When times get difficult, the breath is always there to draw attention to. I remember when I would lose my temper as a child and my parents would always tell me to “take 10 deep breaths.” At the time, I absolutely hated the advice, and it would only make me more angry. But overtime I have realized the power of turning our attention to our own breathing.

No matter how we are feeling, there is always a rhythm to the breath. It is consistent, it is always there, and that is what makes it such a reliable object of meditation.

The more consistent you are at bringing your awareness back to the breath, the more centered you will be throughout your day. This means you will have less of a dependency on certain outcomes: you will be able to let go of the things you can’t control, and dedicate more energy to the things you can control. In my article “How Stress Ruins Everything…” I mention how important this “control factor” can be in the accumulation of daily stress. And even when there are many situations where we don’t have much much control, we can always shift our focus to areas where we do have control, and by doing that we can maintain a healthy mind.

When I tell people to bring their attention to their breath, I tell them to pay attention to its subtle sensations: the feeling of cool and fresh air coming in and the feeling of warm and stale air coming out. I tell them to feel the sensations of air filling up their lungs. I then suggest they make notes of the motions of the breath, how it is steady and rhythmic like the waves of a calm sea.

The Black Cloud Of Tension

The next step I usually take is a visual exercise. I have the person imagine all their stresses, anxieties, worries, and concerns in the form of an ugly cloud. I usually have the individual choose how the cloud looks. I personally like mine to be a mixture of green and brown, like some kind of sludge from a raw sewage system. Others like to picture a thick black cloud as if it were from a burning building.

Whatever kind of cloud you may imagine, make it detailed and meaningful, and be sure it symbolizes all of your stresses and worries. Imagine the cloud coming from the exhalation of your breath and through the pores of your skin as it accumulates above you. Imagine yourself feeling lighter and more relaxed with each breath and moment that passes. Then let the cloud drift slowly away from you. Take your time with this process, feel the changes as they happen, and then allow yourself to go into a deeper state of relaxation.

Pay Attention To The Feelings

There is a difference between thinking about relaxation and actually being relaxed. We can imagine ourselves on a nice summer day, tanning at the beach, with a glass of lemonade and a good book. And like the black cloud example above, these visualizations will help. But it is just as important to pay attention to the subtle sensations that make up these experiences.

When you set aside time to be relaxed, make sure you feel your muscles stretching out and become less tense. Feel the little, nagging ache in your head dissipate. Feel light, more comfortable, rejuvenated, and fresh! Focus on these feelings. Become familiar with them, and that will help you re-create these states in the future.

When you are visualizing a relaxing scenario, associate yourself fully into the experience. Imagine what it would be like to have a black cloud of tension actually lift above you. What it would feel like? How does it change your physiology? What about if you were at a beach, or some other scenario where you find yourself comfortable and relaxed? Pay attention to the feelings.

Relaxation And Productivity

Allotting time towards feeling these states of deep relaxation can have tremendous benefits in our own productivity. Just like when we don’t get enough sleep, not enough relaxation can keep us in a drowsy and zombified state. That is why it is important to monitor and manage our energy, not just at night before bed, but throughout the day as well.

Bradley Whitwell, a Brain and Mind Research Institute senior research fellow, says that allowing employees to have mid-workday naps can help them become more alert and productive in the workplace. Other states of deep relaxation, like those found in a disciplined meditation practice, should yield similar result.

However, there are a couple of benefits deep relaxation techniques have over napping. To start, you don’t have to worry about waking up mid-REM when you consciously practice relaxation. You probably have had some experiences in the past waking up mid-REM, especially those naps where you end up feeling more tired and out-of-sync then you were beforehand.

Another benefit of consciously practicing relaxation is that you can better choose what times you spend to relax. You may only have 15-20 minutes before your next business meeting. A power nap could be risky, but spending that extra time focusing on your breathing can accomplish a just-as-desirable state without having to re-boot yourself completely. In this way, “conscious relaxation,” as I have been calling it, is of much greater convenience than your typical afternoon nap.

Type-A Personality And Health Implications

Being stressed and busy-minded is easy. Despite how little we may enjoy it, we can drain ourselves fairly “effortlessly” just by going through our daily motions. We get so easily caught in worrying about little things like, “What am I going to make for dinner?” or “Did I forget to take out the trash again last night?” that we forget to take a step back to catch our breath.

Maybe this tendency towards busy-ness is because we find it more natural to overexert ourselves then to just sit and be comfortable? There are so many societal pressures to multi-task and be productive, rather than to spend time sitting in leisure without being called a bum. This doesn’t make either more important.

I think we should find a balance. Despite how much we have been conditioned to see virtue in this busy lifestyle, especially those of us like me who live near a major industrialized city, relaxation can help both our quality and quantity of life. Sure, having a Type-A personality may get you a few extra thousand dollars a year, but the stresses could just as well take off ten or more years of your life. One 9-year study with over 9,000 men, aged 35-59, found that Type A personalities were more than twice as likely to have coronary heart disease.

Meanwhile, a report by BBC News illustrates that countries who take part in afternoon rests (or siestas) are less likely to suffer from heart disease and other similar risks.

Don’t be someone to work your entire life towards material gains but never have the time to enjoy any of it.

Relaxation Takes Practice

Without practice, sitting with the intent of relaxing can prove to be much more difficult than we first imagine. Sometimes with all of our worries and concerns it can even make us more anxious and uneasy. That is why I tell people “relaxation takes practice.”

One of the most common hurdles to relaxing is that we get too wrapped up in our thoughts. We begin thinking about how we need to get X, Y, and Z done before next week, or we can’t stop re-playing in our heads that stupid thing we said to our girlfriend earlier that morning. I won’t say that these concerns are a waste of time. There may be a time and place for them – but not during relaxation.

For now when we devote time to being relaxed, we need to let our thoughts pass without putting too much emphasis or energy into them. If you are focused enough on the process of relaxing, then you won’t have the energy to mind these thoughts and worries. They will arise, but they will pass. Just stay in-tune to your own state of rest and comfort. That is what you are doing now, while you are relaxing. So be fully aware and concentrated on that.

But this concentration will take practice. Most likely you will get distracted during the first few times you try to cultivate these states. It is okay and normal, but be aware that it is up to your own time, effort and dedication to make this practice work. It is not just about reading this post, but setting aside the time to do it.

One Last Thing

In summary, I want you to focus on relaxation as a valuable endeavor. No matter what point of your life you may be, there are probably stresses and anxieties you are dealing with. Therefore I want you to practice these tools, become familiar with them, and integrate them into your daily routine. There is a great benefit to being able to relax, replenish your energy, and re-direct it in a more alert and focused state of being.

Google Tech Talks
February, 28 2008

ABSTRACT

“Mindfulness meditation, one type of meditation technique, has been shown to enhance emotional awareness and psychological flexibility as well as induce well-being and emotional balance. Scientists have also begun to examine how meditation may influence brain functions. This talk will examine the effect of mindfulness meditation practice on the brain systems in which psychological functions such as attention, emotional reactivity, emotion regulation, and self-view are instantiated. We will also discuss how different forms of meditation practices are being studied using neuroscientific technologies and are being integrated into clinical practice to address symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.”

Speaker: Philippe Goldin
Philippe is a research scientist and heads the Clinically Applied Affective Neuroscience group in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University.

“He spent 6 years in India and Nepal studying various languages, Buddhist philosophy and debate at Namgyal Monastery and the Dialectic Monastic Institute, and serving as an interpreter for various Tibetan Buddhist lamas. He then returned to the U.S. to complete a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University. His NIH-funded clinical research focuses on (a) functional neuroimaging investigations of cognitive-affective mechanisms in adults with anxiety disorders, (b) comparing the effects of mindfulness meditation and cognitive-behavioral therapy on brain-behavior correlates of emotional reactivity and regulation, and (c) training children in family and elementary school settings in mindfulness skills to reduce anxiety and enhance compassion, self-esteem and quality of family interactions.”

No one is perfect. We could all do some good by doing a little more of this and a little less of that. That is why personal development is a never-ending process.

If you want to change a behavior you could always go see a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist. But that can be an expensive option, and most people don’t have severe behavior disorders like what you may find in some cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, builimia nervosa, OCD, clinical depression, autism, and schizophrenia (those who would most warrant a visit to a professional therapist).

But just because we don’t have a mental illness doesn’t mean we shouldn’t intend on improving our habits. And why not become a better person everyday?

This is why I constantly recommend people learn the art of mindfulness; just a couple weeks ago I wrote an article that discusses how to apply mindfulness of both body and mind during everyday chores like showering, cleaning, and eating/cooking. Once you develop the fundamentals to mindfulness you can apply your practice to almost anything.

Over time it is not uncommon to notice that when you apply mindfulness to an activity you are also changing the way you react and interact with it – psychologists could call this a certain kind of observer effect.

Usually when we raise awareness on an issue (whether it is a personal or even political one) we become more motivated to correct it.

In the same way we can correct bad habits by becoming more aware of them, especially as they happen. In many ways this is the cornerstone and purpose of Right Mindfulness, as the Buddha lays out in his Noble Eightfold Path.

Start by choosing a bad habit of yours. Some of the most common habits people wish to correct are:

1. Cigarette smoking
2. Unhealthy eating
3. Alcohol and drugs
4. Short temper
5. Wasteful spending
6. Cheating
7. Nail biting
8. Talking on phone while driving
9. Procrastination (actively choosing to put off work in order to do something else)
10. Sleeping late

Try to recognize the desire to do these bad habits when it arises.

At first, you will probably miss it – so just be mindful of your mental and physical state while you are actually performing the bad habit.

What type of satisfaction do you get? Is it long lasting or short lasting? Do you feel good after you have completed the act? Or is there a component of guilt or shame to it?

These types of observations will better prepare you to be mindful of the whole process of your actions. Once you spot the initial arising of desire, then you are put in a position to make a change.

For an example: let’s pretend you like to enjoy a cigarette after you eat a meal. You are already going to have a good clue as to when the desire to smoke a cigarette will arise. But after you finish your meal don’t go right towards a cigarette. Just sit there and watch how your body and mind react to the situation. Is it really that urgent to have a cigarette, or can it wait?

You may continue sitting and find that you actually don’t want a cigarette. Your awareness of your situation may have already somewhat dissipated that “autopilot-like reflex” to smoke after every meal. Of course it will take much practice before you actually instill this behavior into your psyche.

It is more likely that your desire to smoke will eventually arise, especially if it is a bad habit you have had for years. But instead of reacting to it as if it were an impulse – just sit there and watch desire.

Watch how your body and mind try to convince you that you need a cigarette.

The longer you can suspend the action – and sustain your attention on desire itself – the more you will come to know about how you are motivated to do certain behaviors. This can become very useful knowledge when you want to quit bad habits and even pick up good ones.

What does desire feel like? Does it slowly intensify overtime until you feel like you can’t bare it any longer? Or does the feeling pulsate? Perhaps one moment you really want a cigarette, but as you wait longer the feeling seems to dissipate and you can go on without one.

Keep watching.

Does the desire then re-arise even stronger? Or does it begin to mellow out?

While you watch this feeling of desire remain mindful of the thoughts in your head as well. Are they trying to persuade you that this is a stupid idea, or that you should just smoke anyway? Ask yourself, “Do I really want to change this behavior? Do I have enough good reasons to quit? Do I have the strength of will to do it?” Don’t let your ego bend your will. Keep the mind sharp. Ask the right questions, and try your best to suspend action and sustain attention towards this process of desire.

If you know in your heart that you need to change this detrimental habit then put the energy into being mindful of desire as often as you can.

Only by being mindful of your body and mind can you truly know yourself and what motivates your actions. Know the types of situations that trigger the bad habit. And know desire – its impermanence – and the tricks it tries in order to feed the ego.

My best advice is to watch desire whenever you can. Dissect it like a scientist. Break it up into parts. Watch how it changes. Watch how it affects both the body and mind. And most importantly, watch how it comes and goes. Whether you decide to continue doing the bad habit or not – desire almost certainly never lasts forever. Be especially mindful of that.

MINDFULNESS AND WHY

Mindfulness is the ability to apply attention to any process of events. With practice, mindfulness can be developed and improved upon just like any other skill.

One popular practice that focuses on the development of mindfulness is anapanasati, a fundamental meditation taught by the Buddha, which means “mindfulness of the breathing.” Essentially: watch the breath rise, watch the breath fall. If your mind drifts – take note – and then bring your attention back to the breath. Continue; notice the complexity of sensations in even something as simple as the breath. The mind seems to get brighter and brighter as slowly more details reveal themselves. Sustain that attention. Keep it clear.

One possible reason that many beginners quit meditating, or simply can’t seem to fall into a groove with their practice, is because they do not feel it is doing anything productive for them. Many do not see any noticeable difference to their lives.

It’s not that they aren’t improving their skill. They just haven’t developed flexibility in using it, meaning they haven’t practiced applying it to their everyday life.

The advantages of having a stronger capacity for attention are almost endless, especially after we get better at applying it to our speech and actions. With better attention we can become better learners with practically anything, whether it is a physical skill (throwing a baseball, playing the guitar) or mental skill (more critical/analytical thinker, greater ability to absorb information). It can even make tedious tasks more engaging.

Basically, we can apply mindfulness to practically all physical and mental activities – almost everything we do consciously.

The main purpose of this article is to touch upon some everyday activities that I feel are good for developing a consistent mindfulness practice. Some of them we may already enjoy doing, others we may typically find more boring – but hopefully with mindfulness they too can become self-fulfilling chores.

FIRST ACTIVITY: SHOWERING

Showering is a great activity to become mindful of the body and bodily sensations. While showering we can pay attention to a variety of things: the feeling of water on our skin, its temperature, the pressure of the shower head on our body, skin-on-skin and skin-on-hair contact as we wash ourselves, how our muscles move as we carry out the cleaning process, among other things. You may even sense an overall feeling of “cleanliness” after your shower has been completed. You may also want to occasionally turn your attention towards your mind and see how it is reacting to certain aspects of your shower. For example, when you first step into a shower and it is too cold or too hot you may notice a sense of anger or frustration arise.

SECOND ACTIVITY: VACUUMING/MOPPING/DUSTING

All three of these activities are fairly similar in both their operation of the body as well as their purpose so I am lumping them together. When I vacuum I personally like to turn my mind particularly to the motions of my body. Sometimes I pay attention to the movements in my legs (especially how weight shifts when you turn or walk forward), other times I pay attention to the movement in my arms.

Also notice how when we use tools they become an extension of how our being operates. Neurological studies have shown that the brain represents tools as “temporary body parts.” I wrote a little about this in my article “Expanded Awareness…” where I apply this understanding to how our mind’s awareness changes when we drive a car or any other vehicle.

THIRD ACTIVITY: EATING AND COOKING

Eating is a tremendously useful thing to apply mindfulness to. Pay attention to how the food tastes in your mouth – savor every bite. Notice the taste sensations on your tongue, and the odor of the food too.

I have found mindfulness applied to eating usually makes me enjoy my meals more. Also, it causes me to eat slower, and consequently eat less because I am more observant of when my stomach feels satisfied. I have never heard of any studies testing the effects of mindfulness on the diet and nutritional aspect of health but I would postulate from my own experience that mindfulness of eating can certainly cause an individual to adapt healthier eating habits.

Mindfulness of cooking is somewhat related in subject, but quite different in practice. To start, there is usually more of a variety of skills and processes to pay attention to then when compared with eating, showering, or vacuuming. It even requires a kind of creativity if you really get into it. Both cooking and eating actually are some of the few activities that incorporate all five senses. The other popular choice being sex. Why not be mindful during that too? It may even help your performance, wink wink.

CONCLUSIONS

Now, this is a rather rudimentary list on the types of things you can become mindful of during these activities. Really the crux of the practice is to begin applying attention somewhere to some activity and learning to sustain it. Allow the mind to become bright, vivid and clear – to fully emerge yourself into the experience.

I encourage anyone who is interested in meditation, or even just improving your quality of life in general, to try applying mindfulness to these kinds of activities as well as anything else you can think of. Right Mindfulness, which is actually one of the steps on the Buddhist’s Eightfold Path, can truly lead to more skillful action in a diverse range of ways. Try it out for yourself and see if you can get good results and a richer life.

For further reading I highly recommend Mindfulness in Plain English by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana (click the link for a free download of the whole book – it is just a little over 100 pages). I also recommend the Mahasatipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference, a translation of one of the two most popular discourses of the Pali Canon on the subject of mindfulness.

INTRODUCTION

The process of discernment is common to contemplative and mindful meditation practices. To discern is to recognize and label the ending of one thing with the beginning of another. All wisdom and knowledge is dependent on some form of discernment. Without this mental faculty, life could only be known as One single thing, and although this perception of reality might lead one to great insight, it isn’t very productive when we are called upon to act intently, which is practically every conscious moment of our waking life.

In order to act, we must distinguish between objects and learn to value some over others. Without this, action could only be arbitrary and meaningless.

While meditating we discern between different stimuli – a sound of a car in the distance, the smell of food cooking, or the bubbling sensation of a pain in our lower back. Through these observations we become more and more familiar with the reality of impermanence: the ever-changing state of conditions in our world. Even while still and sitting we are the focal point of a wide variety of different experiences that may arise. One moment we can be attending to an itch on our toe, the next we are dreaming about where and what we will eat for dinner. Mindfulness meditation teaches us to be better aware of when these changes in consciousness occur.

MEDITATING ON NEW BEGINNINGS

Even in the comfort of our own solitary meditation life remains uncertain. We never really know where the next moment might bring us. The unknown can be frightening on one hand, but tremendously powerful in other respects.

The future, especially for our self in our own life, is unpredictable. At the same time it is in our hands. In every precious moment we experience the spirit of free will; the ability to make decisions and perform action with intent and meaning. It is a type of energy that is inside all of us. It is the ability to attend to our environments and direct action.

To experience life without building upon this spirit would surely become a mundane existence. It lives inside all of us. It is the desire for a meaningful life, much like the Meaningful Life that is discussed in Positive psychologist, (and former president of the American Psychological Association, Martin Seligman in his 2002 book “Authentic Happiness.”

To me, the meaningful life is a life that is constantly embracing new beginnings. It is to experience each moment as distinctly special.

With this kind of perspective life only becomes richer, more lively, and more productive. It is a conscious decision to live like this. It can only be exercised through our own free will and our ability act with intention and purpose. It is a way of seeing and living that can only be cultivated through practice of mindfulness (whether in meditation or while in other activities).

This moment now is a new beginning, and it is a powerful now. In his world renowned 1997 best seller “The Power of Now,” spiritual teacher and self-help author Eckhart Tolle says “The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes the future which, of course, can only be experienced as the Now”

Being aware with what is here now is the only direct means of changing the future. The start of the new you is now and this will continue to be true as each new moment arises. The dreams of the past are no more real than the dreams of the future. Your will is not there. It is here – making more decisions and performing more actions. Now is the only moment to choose direction.

The new beginnings are all around us. They are happening each moment. It is evident in all our doing. And it is always there to be perceived through daily mindfulness – not just in meditation but in all actions

How does treating each moment as a new beginning shape the way we act? Because we are present. We are making decisions more mindfully and skillfully because we are better aware of our actions and their consequences (or karma).

New beginnings – now. It is here. The start of the end. The beginning of a new self and a new world. Every moment – you are being awakened and reborn into a new reality, one that is always a bit different than the last. Over time these incremental changes can build new and unfathomable worlds. Ones we could have never predict. Where will you be tomorrow? What will happen to you? In a month? In a year? In a decade? Now is the beginning of all these things.

What will the world bring to you? More importantly, what will you bring to it?

THE BASIC STEPS TO SKY GAZING MEDITATION

• Assume a comfortable meditative posture outside (during the day or night).
• Look outward at the sky – observe it and inquire about it.
• Recognize it is vast beyond concept.
• As mind observes the sky, look inward at mind – observe and inquire about it.
• Realize it is vast beyond concept.
• With the understanding that both mind and universe are inconceivably boundless entities, allow their space to begin to merge. Be one with the experience.
• Rest in this natural, pristine awareness.

Sky gazing is consider an important meditation practice in the recognition of Dzogchen, the primordial state of pure awareness that is present in every sentient being. The teaching of sky gazing meditation was recently popularized by Tibetan teacher Tarthang Tulku in his 1977 book, “Time, Space & Knowledge: A New Vision of Reality.”

If you would like to dive deeper into the theory and practice of Dzogchen sky gazing then I also recommend you read Lama Surya Das, an American-born lama in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, describing Dzogchen sky-gazing and the essential point of it in his talk on “Sustaining Present Awareness”.

Other than that, it is simply recommended that you spend your time practicing this meditation. The sky itself can be quite mesmerizing, especially on a clear lit night with the stars, moon, satellites and all. Allow yourself to become bewildered and awed by this marvelous spectacle that we so often take for granted. In many ways star gazing can become a process of natural healing and can improve one’s health in both body and mind by alleviating stress and making us better aware of our interconnectedness with the universe.

Studies done by psychology researchers have also shown that when we spend more time with nature we improve our cognitive abilities and memory. Nature walks have also shown to improve the concentration abilities in children. There is no doubt that spending time with nature is a great way to tune ourselves into our natural state of intrinsic and present awareness.

INTRODUCTION

The concept of trance refers to one’s depth of awareness. There are two main components to our awareness: the form, which is dependent on which objects are being attended to by the observer, and the intensity, which is dependent on one’s degree of concentration on the attended objects. Working together, these two mental faculties create our overall scope of awareness – our shining spotlight at any given moment into experience and reality .

The form of our awareness can be contracted inwards and expanded outwards. It can move within the three-dimensional space of our external world – both outside and inside our physical body – and it can also be directed to the internal space in our minds.

The intensity of our awareness can either become stronger or weaker. This has different implications depending on what sensory modality is being attended to. For example, a visual object that is strongly attended to will seem more bright and crisp to the observer. Meanwhile, a well-attended auditory object may become more loud or rich in timbre.

Our trance state is dependent on what is being attended to and to what degree one is concentrated on that physical or mental object. In other words, every mental state can be seen as its own distinct kind of trance. It would be hard to define what an “altered state of awareness” is when our own everyday awareness is so flexible and prone to change. One moment we are attending to a small pain in our toe, the next moment we are shedding our awareness into the vastness of the night sky. Any attention that is held on an object can be described as a light trance, but there are also everyday, natural occurrences of deeper trance states.

When we typically think of these deeper trance states we are reminded of the techniques of meditation, prayer, hypnosis and other disciplined practices of mind that increase one’s ability to hold attention and fall into deeper states of awareness. But these states are naturally occurring in the mind under certain conditions. One example is when we are absorbed in a really great and enjoyable movie. We are so strongly attended to the events in the movie that time just flies by. The distortion of time perception is one good indicator of deep trance. One can become similarly absorbed in an excellent book, piece of music, and other forms of art and entertainment.

In this way, it is reasonable to assume that most human beings have had varying experiences with trance – so what is the need to explore these states further? Well, a better way to phrase the question is: what is so important about having good attention skills? I think then the answers become much more evident. Attention is one of the most crucial mental faculties when it comes to learning, problem solving, creativity, and building on new skills and behaviors. A mind that is well trained in attention, and specifically the kind of attention that elicits deep trance, is a mind that is better at discernment, understanding, and generating rational solutions. Some studies even suggest that meditation can help treat children born with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Either way, the benefits of practicing voluntary attention, and subsequently deep states of trance, one can begin to cultivate positive effects on almost all areas of personal development.

TECHNIQUES AND TIPS FOR DEEP TRANCE

How can one develop deeper states of awareness and concentration?

As it has already been mentioned, trance typically refers to a deep sense of awareness and long held voluntary attention, like that of being absorbed in a good movie. These states of absorption can be produced on any object.

Most beginners of meditation start by attending to the breath. The breath is a great object of meditation because it is always present and it is usually neutral in its feeling (neither pleasurable nor painful). Because of this, the breath is a great place to start focusing one’s awareness and becoming more familiar with the faculties of our attention.

One drawback to the breath is that it is often not as thrilling as a good movie, so how do we hold our attention on it without letting the mind drift off? Here are a few short tips and techniques that can be applied to practically any object of meditation:

1. Become fascinated by the object.

The more interested we become in the sensations of this object, the more likely we are to hold our attention. The more we hold our attention, the more we begin to notice about this object – the more distinctions we can make about it – and the deeper in trance we will go. It can sometimes be tough to cultivate curiosity towards seemingly mundane objects, like the breath, but rest assured that the more curious we become the more we begin to discover. Eventually, our fascination will become justified by our own experiences of trance. Consequently, this can become a self-perpetuating process once you get your foot in the door of discovery.

2. Be mindful of the relation between subject/object

As you focus your attention on the object, be particularly mindful on how the object affects you (What thoughts arise? What emotions arise? What memories arise?). Also, be mindful of how you effect the object. For instance, how do your perceptions change the object of meditation: from what it is to the qualities you project onto it. Don’t be alarmed if you begin to sense an interdependence between the subject and object. Focus in on that sensation, let yourself experience it.

FINAL WORDS

Sometimes a subject can fall into trance without directing the mind to such a state, this is typically what happens when we fall in and out of trance throughout the day (see: highway hypnosis for another popular example). But if one wants to dive deeper into trance then they must become aware of the mental faculties that create trance. These are attention acuity (or concentration, previously mentioned as the “intensity” of trance) and directed awareness (mentioned as the “form” of trance, also known as, the object(s) which are being attended to).

No amount of words or reading is going to make you better at achieving deep trance states. Like any skill, you need to dedicate the time to practice. Meditation is, in my opinion, the best way to begin cultivating these states of awareness and direct attention. Spend time on the cushion, observe the breath, become interested in the breath, be mindful of the breath, and see where you can go from there. So many things can arise within a meditative session, that it is difficult to educate someone on all the possible occurrences. Therefore, the best advice one can give is to just sit and then work and learn from there. This isn’t to diminish the value of reading materials – this article is hardly enough to cover everything you’re going to need or want to know – but I hope it gives you a good enough sense on a starting point for this journey in personal development.

Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section and I will be sure to answer all of them.

FURTHER READING,

I recommend the Sri Lankan Buddhist monk Ven. Henepola Gunaratana’s book “Mindfulness In Plain English.” (click for full read), and the late 19th century psychologist William James’ chapter on “Attention”.

Most are aware of the American comedian and actor Joe Rogan from the reality game show Fear Factor. It is also widely known amongst fans about his experimentation with psychedelic drugs like DMT, which is a naturally-occuring tryptamine in the human body, a neurotransmitter some speculate plays a role in mediating the visual effects of natural dreaming, near-death experiences, religious visions, and other mystical states.

Joe Rogan has also shared a video regarding his isolation tank, a device originally researched by physician, psychoanalyst and philosopher John C. Willy in the 1950s in order to test the effects of sensory deprivation on consciousness:

Using this device, researchers can enter into altered states of consciousness even while not under the influence of any drugs. However, some mix the effects of the isolation tank with psychedelic drugs like LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, or cannabis. Some of you guys may remember the 1980 science fiction movie Altered States, which is based on John C. Willy’s conducted research using isolation tanks with the ketamine, a dissociative anesthesia, and LSD.

Here another video you see Joe Rogan giving away his old isolation tank:

Please keep in mind that in most regions around the world having the possession of psychedelic drugs, as well as using them, can be a major criminal offense. Isolation tanks, however, are completely legal.

There are three main things you need in order to make an isolation tank:

• The water needs to be as close as possible to the temperature of your skin.
• You need to put enough salt in the water so that your body floats without effort.
• You need to do it in a space that is as quiet and dark as possible. Keep in mind: the point is to be turning off your physical senses and focusing inwards.

Sensory deprivation can also be accomplished naturally through disciplined meditation practices like Tibetan Dream Yoga , which requires one to reach a state of sensory deprivation by putting the body to sleep but still keeping consciousness awake on the mind – this evokes a mental state similar to when one lucid dreams.

On a final note: I have never been one to tell someone how they should or shouldn’t treat their own body, as I believe we rightfully own our physical bodies through natural law. However, please keep in mind that there are some techniques in this article that may be frowned upon by various legal systems or societal values. Please, – use your own discretion and good judgment and do your research.

1. The God Chemical: Brain Chemistry And Mysticism

“One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, “Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it.”

“Well, my friend,” said Solomon, “have you found what I sent you after?” All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled. To everyone’s surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, “Here it is, your majesty!” As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: gimel, zayin, yud, which began the words “Gam zeh ya’avor” — “This too shall pass.” At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.”

This is a story of the famous Jewish wisdom folktale, as told by David Franko from Turkey.

The lesson of King Solomon’s story is impermanence; nothing remains forever, everything is passing, rising and decaying, appearing and vanishing in this whirlwind of space-time. King Solomon, after being presented with the ring, realizes this lesson is true for all of life’s conditions – not just the fluctuating, and sometimes unpredictable arousal of mental feelings such as happiness and sadness – but also the impermanence of physical beings as well, including our own possessions and body.

Impermanence has a dualistic nature depending on the mind that becomes aware of it. As the story of the ring suggests: “If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy.” For those who think of life as a burden and associate many negative feelings towards life, they may see nothing but happiness in death. But for those who are living a life of luxury and wealth, they will see nothing but sadness in death.

The ring symbolizes the impermanence of life, it’s typical understanding being death. Some wish to live forever in the hand’s of God, but the hand of this God gives life and takes life – this is nature. Observing nature is a lesson in impermanence, change, life, and death. These are things to be accepted. The lessons of impermanence are also clearly stated by the Buddha as of paññā (Pali) or prajñā (Sankskrit), meaning: “wisdom”, “understanding”, “discernment”, “cognitive acuity”, and “know-how.”

The 5th-century Indian Theravadin Buddhist commentator and scholar, Visuddhimagga, Buddhaghosa, states that the function of paññā is “to abolish the darkness of delusion” and that it is “manifested as non-delusion.” Its proximate cause is “Right Concentration,” as part of the Buddha’s “Noble Eightfold Path” to enlightenment [1]. Buddha describes paññā (translated as “discernment” here) as.

“And what is the faculty of discernment? There is the case where a monk, a disciple of the noble ones, is discerning, endowed with discernment of arising & passing away — noble, penetrating, leading to the right ending of stress. He discerns, as it is actually present, [the Four Noble Truths]: ‘This is stress… This is the origination of stress… This is the cessation of stress… This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.’ This is called the faculty of discernment.” [2]

The principles of paññā, and specifically the wisdom of impermanence, is also associated as a part of “Right View,” on the Noble Eightfold Path, so it is a teaching that has a clear theme in the Buddha’s teachings, sometimes in varying complexities.

Impermanence is easy to perceive. Life always feels like it is changing – at the very least – time gives us the constant perception of moving forward – this is a very consistent kind of change, and it is almost always present in our everyday, waking consciousness.

Time is the birth place to impermanence. Time is the dimension of reality that allows things to have the space for change, it gives physical events a space to “take place in”, and gives physical and mental beings the capacity to evolve.

One of the revelations as a result of meditation is that, even in the stillness of sitting on the cushion, life is coming and passing right in front of our senses. The conditions of life, both mental and physical, are constantly being re-conditioned and re-molded into newer bits of reality. Our existence is always reassembling itself in the face of new experiences, from an itch on the nose, to the special feeling we might get before the life-changing words “I do,” are spoken at the wedding altar.

All experience has a different flavor, movement, and intensity of meaning – but they are all similar in so far as they are impermanent. In practice, this knowledge can keeps one from clinging to negative thought patterns and re-living bad memories (when the ring brings one from sadness to happiness). But this knowledge can also be a downer when we are in the midst of so much beauty and joy in the world. However, by remaining mindful of impermanence – in the face of both the Good and the Bad – we can give our self the space to make it through the appearance of Bad, as much as we can use this space to make it through the vanishing of Good.

The lesson of impermanence, if applied correctly, can limit the suffering of life; because one can just be in a moment – not clinging to good or running from bad – but experiencing both as they are, with nothing else but acceptance and equanimity.

At first, this attitude of distancing one’s self from the impermanence of reality can seem boring and dull, as if it will take the zest out of life’s array of experiences. However, I have found the lessons of impermanence to, in fact, increase my zest for life by allowing me to fully experience moments as they arise, letting them pass me, and then as they letting them decay and vanish. These experiences of mindfulness (which can be applied to any experience) are the building blocks to strengthening one’s will, our ability to direct and apply attention – with the observer’s best discretion – along with the sense of wonder and bewilderment of a child, but the concentration and clarity of a good scientist.

1. Magga-vibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Path” (SN 45.8), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, June 7, 2009, Access to Insight.

2. Indriya-vibhanga Sutta: Analysis of the Mental Faculties” (SN 48.10), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, June 7, 2009, Access to Insight.