Meditation, Writing, and Being
TO BE A WRITER is to live a life of the mind. Sometimes, alone with their thoughts, writers can toil and stress and spin themselves out of control.
I have been meditating off and on for several years. But in 2020, meditation and yoga became my way of life. Perhaps it was the combination of the worldwide pandemic, the collapsing economy, the fear that I may not be able to financially support my family, and the constant worrying about my physical health and the health of my family forced me to reassess the way I had been doing things. Below are some things I learned this year about yoga and meditation that have put me in a much better place than I was in January.
Mindfulness
I know, this has become a cliché. But mindfulness is at the core of all meditation and yoga. It takes a lot of practice to become mindful. I mean, seriously, A LOT OF PRACTICE. Months and years of practice are required before it becomes second nature.
So, how does one become mindful? First, focus on your breathing. Realize how cold the air feels as it makes its way up your nostrils as you inhale. Then notice how warm the air feels as you fill your lungs and the air passes out of your mouth and body. When you take a deep breath in, hold the air in your diaphragm for a few seconds and appreciate how peaceful you feel while the air makes itself at home in your body.
Although I am most highly focused on my breathing while I am meditating, I try to be at least somewhat cognizant of my breathing habits throughout the day, even when I am working and concentrating intensely on a project.
Next, learn to do physical acts slowly. Everything from brushing your teeth to combing your hair to eating your meals should be done as sloooowly as possible. Whether you are walking down the hallway in your office or walking your dog, pay attention to each step you are taking and focus on how the ground feels below your feet. Pay attention to gravity, and realize that it is everywhere, holding everything in its place on the ground. The more you do this, the more that it will become second nature.
How does mindfulness tie into a writer’s ability to create? I have found that mindfulness is not only helpful with my everyday existence, but it also helps me to begin, stick with, and finish my writing projects. Mindfulness helps me lose my inhibitions and simply write what I truly want to write, without worrying about publishers, editors, financial success or reviews. I just sit down with my yellow note pad or at my computer and let my mind carry me along the way until my stories are completed.
Also, spending as little time as possible on the internet will help you to achieve your goal of experiencing your life in the here and now.
For more on mindfulness, I would highly recommend any book by Ram Dass, as well as Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda.
Lose Your Desires
Really, do yourself a favor and lose all of them. The importance of losing your desires and letting go of your fears is one of the core tenets of yoga. Don’t worry, losing your desires will not mean that you will resign yourself to a life of sitting on the couch and drinking beer and eating pretzels. You will still be motivated and you will still accomplish things. But once you master the art of shedding your desires and fears, you will feel as if you are soaring like an eagle. Just like mindfulness, this too requires a lifetime of practice and dedication.
Specifically as to writing, you may find yourself enjoying the writing process much more once you drop all of the hangups about publishers and editors and book sales and financial success. Without your desires and fears dragging you down like a wet overcoat, you will find that you are free to simply write whatever stories you feel like sharing with the world.
Meditation
Meditate as often as you can, wherever you can. Five minutes, 20 minutes, one hour, whatever time you have to spare within your day. I have found that any amount of meditation is beneficial. All you need is a quiet place and a comfortable posture. Then, all you need to do is focus on your breathing and simply exist. Simply be. Meditation will come easier on some days than others, but the most important thing is that you do it every day, multiple times a day if possible. Eventually, meditation will feel as natural as eating breakfast or brushing your teeth in the morning.
Meditation and yoga are not panaceas. You will still have good days and bad days. You will occasionally stray from your path, then you will find your way again. But you will hopefully learn to shed all of the extraneous debris that often becomes a treacherous part of the writing world, leaving you with what matters most: your thoughts, ideas, and the stories that you were meant to share with the world during your brief visit on our planet.
Namaste.
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Copyright © J.S. Lender / Reef Point Press 2020
