About a year ago I started out with zazen, a type of sitting meditation to get my mind back under control. My mind was all over the place most of the time and I couldn’t focus on anything much longer than a kid with ADD on a sugar high. I was constantly drifting away in my thoughts on things that weren’t important a that very moment. This gave me several problems but the biggest of them being I couldn’t keep my mind to my work as exercise therapist. Imagine your therapist working with you and at the same time not actually being there. Sounds dangerous doesn’t it. This had to stop of course or I would get into serious trouble eventually.
But how do you get back your focus. For me it was a simple answer since in my early life I’ve already had copious contact with martial arts and Asian philosophy. Just take a look at kyudo, the Japanese art of archery. Look at how concentrated the archer is while going through all the movements to shoot the arrow. You can’t not be there and shoot like that. A kyudo dojo wasn’t near my home though, and it would be hard to practice every day seeing as my back yard isn’t that big. So, the Japanese have a way of concentrating that I would like to obtain.
Delving deeper into the Japanese budo arts (martial arts) I found that the basis of all of them was zen Buddhism. How could I tap into this source of concentration and oneness with the now. Fortunately there was a zen school (zendo) in my home town and they offered weekend courses to get the feeling of what they had to offer. I participated immediately and found that just sitting there in zazen – a style of sitting meditation – was all I needed to get back in the drivers seat of my mind. I haven’t looked back since, I’ve incorporated a daily session of just sitting into my habits and every evening at 9 pm, I go upstairs and practice zazen for twenty minutes. What do I do in those twenty minutes? I sit motionless, counting my exhales up to ten. If a thought comes up and disturbes my concentration on the counting, I go back to one. Give it a shot right now, move your chair back a bit, fold your hands in your lap and count your exhales. Don’t think about anything…
…counting to ten was never so hard before in my entire life.
Zen brought me a stillness and concentration I never had before, more in contact what now, just what I wanted.
I’m writing this blogpost because I’m curious, have you ever tried meditation? What exactly did you try, how did it feel, what were your experiences? Please tell me all about them, I really would like to get to know you.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem,
Yes! I have been going to a mediation circle for about a year now and I have definitely gained so much inner peace and serenity through it..
Not quite Zen Buddhism, the type of meditation I’m involved with is the sufi zikr, which deals with sacred chanting done in a group.
After about 6 months of going to the zikr gatherings I took initiation into the Osmanli Naks-i’bendi Hakkani Sufi order, and accepted Shaykh Abdul Kerim al-Kibrisi as my spiritual guide. Its definitely been quite a journey thus far..
Anyhow, here’s a recording of a part of the zikr.
http://www.yursil.com/podcast/MustafaAllahAllah.mp3
Let me know what you think! :)
Adil
Bismillah,
By the way, heres a picture of Sheikh Nazim al-Hakkani al-Kibrisi, leader of the sufi order i belong to. He’s pretty well known so you might have heard of him..
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3605/3461357688_cc7ca53d76_o.jpg
This one is more clear, i just posted the above one because i love the way his eyes look in it.
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v321/6/13/18410578/n18410578_35245289_9784.jpg
Selam Aleykum!
Adil
Chris: what a great reminder about the benefits and simplicity of meditation. I have not had a daily practice for sometime and you inspire me to try again! Thanks.
I have never read anything about sufi in general or about Sheikh Nazim al-Hakkani al-Kibris in particular. I’m sorry to say that I did not recognize him from the pictures. But I’m going to change that today and give it all a good read.
Thanks for the comments, you opened my eyes to a world I didn’t know anything about.
Hi Christiaan,
One thing that I’ve learned is that an average person (i.e. one who doesn’t practice meditation)doesn’t have much control over the thoughts that wander in and out of your mind. It’s like a bench in the park. Anyone can walk by and decide to sit down for a while. So the trick is to purposefully occupy that bench yourself.
I practice Qi-gong so my focus is on the breathing. It helps clear out all other thoughts.
Long (Qforce)
Ah yes, that is exactly what I’m talking about.
Being able to sit on the bench all day and watch. Watch what you actually are doing and what actually is going on.
On a sidenote (but more on that in a future post) we actually never really see what is going on at the time. We’re always a moment behind because our senses don’t work that fast (nothing does) . Think about it, we’re constantly running after the facts as they unfold.
The internet is a big problem for me to get focus. So easy to get distracted and go off tangent. I find it so useful to sit down quietly before I sit at my desk and concentrate on my breathing and be still for 10 minutes. As a result I find it easier to concentrate at the task at hand and not end up web surfing and wasting time. Next step is to take up your suggestion and make meditation a 20 minute daily ritual.
Meditation for me is the center of my life. When I don’t meditate I feel “off,” like the negative energies around me are stuck on me. When I meditate it clears me emotionally, mentally and spiritually, and I actually used mediation to de-brainwash myself while recovering from a Christian cult.
I started out using a simple meditation technique about 20 years ago. (that ages me doesn’t it!) The technique was just using primal sounds such as “Ahh” or “Om” as a mantra. I also learned to meditate on chakras and breath. I now use a combination of meditation techniques, depending on what my needs are and how my inner voice is guiding me. I often get deep insights about myself and the universe when meditating, or feel expansion of consciousness and awareness. Better than drugs with no lethal side effects!
I believe my commitment to mediation has benefited all aspects of my being!
Thank you for this insightful post. I hope you’ll like the post I have set up for tomorrow. It’s about the “Better than drugs with no ill side effects” you talked about.
From your e-mailadress I make out you have a “degree” in Reiki? Interesting, haven’t used that in years.. A nice subject to write about, thank you.
Yes I practice Reiki at the “Master” level, I am a certified Reiki Master. Makes me grin to say that though, although I do appreciate the title and have been practicing Reiki for over 10 years now, I feel far from being a “Master!”
A master even, I never got past the 1st degree. My master passed away (53…) before I went for the second. I hardly ever use it though. Maybe I should give it another try.
Just wondering, are you a member of the alliance or a “free master” ?
Yes, use it! You never “lose it” but it does get better with use. Try putting your hands on yourself and intending the flow of Reiki when you do your meditation to focus…can’t hurt anyway!
I’m not a member of the alliance, the Reiki Master I learned from taught Reiki based on William Rand’s Usui/Tibetan practice. The website is Reiki.org. She is a member of the Internation Association of Reiki Practictioners, IARP.org. My Reiki I and II level is from a fairly traditional Usui Reiki Master. I do like William Rand’s more intuitive approach combined with the more traditional elements .