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Meditation
Ponder your brain, not your breath
Many guided meditations that I have experienced have a leader who says something like: “Sit up straight, with your feet on the floor, your hands in your lap, relax, and focus on your breath. Breathe in through your nose, hold your breath a while, and then slowly breathe out through your mouth … In … Out … In … Out … .”
I have an alternative suggestion: Sit comfortably, place the palms of your hands on your forehead and focus on the warmth from your brain. As you do so, ponder what a wonderful and a dangerous organ your brain is, as it guides your behavior in both helpful and destructive ways, and how perishable it ultimately is.
To be clear, I am not suggesting that we worship our brains. That would be a serious mistake of hubris. Instead, I suggest we that remind ourselves regularly to be proud of our creative abilities, to avoid our destructive impulses, and to be humble in our mortality.