Today I tried something new (for me) when I meditated. I put a lit candle a few feet in front of me upon which to fix my gaze. This is something I had read about when looking for insight into my eyes open or closed dilemma. I wear glasses and my lack of vision without them is extreme — the blurry, dancing candlelight did help me to focus my attention but ultimately it felt like it was really messing with my eyes.
As I’ve written in the previous post, I really get the idea of meditation as an AWAKE practice, and I also get that is a discipline in many ways, so that the easiest way to meditate or the most comfortable doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best way. The mantra-based meditation group that I attend, is much more lax in their approach to meditation than more traditional (and even contemporary) Buddhist forms of meditation.
The other night the conversation turned to falling asleep during meditation. One of the group leaders said that if you fall asleep it’s okay, not to beat yourself up. If you fall asleep, he argued, this is what your body needs. When you wake back up, simply return to your meditation. I get the idea of not beating yourself up, as meditation is a practice of compassion and self-love and care. On the other hand, I don’t think falling asleep during meditation is something we should be totally okay with and permissive of. The thing is, I am never even close to falling asleep.
I used to meditate with my fountain running and with my eyes closed. I found that the combination of these (along with a mantra) kept me the most present, and I’m tempted to return to that. Now, eyes open or closed turns to ears opened or closed. My shiatsu practitioner recommends earplugs when meditating (especially if you have kids…, which I don’t, but also for anyone else who wants to hear his/her inner voice(s) more clearly). I haven’t tried this yet, though I’m not opposed. Then there are also people who listen to relaxing music, or maybe, like myself, might listen to the soothing sounds of running water.
Lastly, I’ll just comment quickly on how handy a mantra can be (this was also part of the conversation that was had at meditation group recently): A mantra is handy in traffic jams, while shopping, while doing dishes, etc. It is handy in situations that annoy you terribly. One woman told the story of shopping at Price Chopper and being overcharged for her items. She kept calm though. The group leader asked if she used her mantra, and she said no, but this certainly might have been additionally helpful to her in that situation (she just kept telling herself to stay calm).
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