Meditating in the sun after swimming laps in Baja.
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
– Blaise Pascal
As our first silent MEA retreat of the year closes tonight, I’m reminded why I love meditation so much. A healthy mind is a mirror – faces can be reflected in a glass but none of them stick. We can use the same technique with thoughts – let them pass through our mind but don’t dwell.
It’s impossible to stop thoughts from coming but focusing on a particular sound or the breath going in and out calms the mind, giving greater clarity. Controlling the mind is not about reducing your freedom, it’s about not being a slave to your thoughts. Think of it as directing your mind like a boat rather than drifting.
It’s not like meditators don’t have emotions. It’s just that they’re better able to identify and dance with them. For example, with just a little experience, you are able to recognize an animal as a dog. With more experience, you can sharpen your eye and become able to distinguish with greater and greater precision dogs that look similar. Likewise, mental training might allow you to sharpen your inner eye for the distinction of emotional states. It’s like a driving school for your brain and emotions.
Viktor Frankl wrote, “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is your power to choose your response. And, in your response lies your growth and your freedom.” For me, meditation lengthens that space between the potential for reaction and the possibility of response. It allows me to be a “first-class noticer” as opposed to a pinball in a pinball machine.
It’s not easy, especially during turbulent times, but that’s when it’s most necessary. When I can exit the ghetto of my mind, breathing and witnessing awe and beauty, especially after vigorously swimming laps as evidenced by the photo above, I feel both calmer and at one with what is. That’s what wisdom is all about.
While this Baja retreat is ending, we have two more silent retreats coming up on our 2,566-acre regenerative horse ranch campus in Santa Fe on April 2-5 (3 days is perfect for beginners) and July 2-9 (7 days could transform your life). This is the perfect place to explore a mindfulness practice.
-Chip