Wednesday:Self Care
In my last post I wrote about quantum self care.
This week, I want to write about something I’ve been engaged in for self care for the past 18 months that is so “quantum” it can take just one minute.
I’m talking about meditation. Interestingly enough, I did not start meditating due to my yoga practice, which I began in 2017. I practice twice a week; perhaps one day I’ll have a daily practice, but right now that is not available to me (as we say when we’re just shy of holding a pose, or asana).
At the height of the global pandemic, in December 2021, I gave my spouse a Master Class subscription for Christmas. I thought he might enjoy listening to a few of the pundits there, including authors and chefs and business leaders.
To my surprise (and what is a long marriage without surprises?), he began watching Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s course on meditation. Kabat-Zinn, founder of the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness and Meditation. While Dr. Kabat-Zinn was introduced to meditation through Buddhist teachers in the Zen tradition, he adapted what he learned to a scientific and secular practice he calls “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction,” or MBSR.
One day in early January 2022, I was having a tough time, experiencing a lot of anxiety about work issues. When I said “I’m having a bad day,” my spouse said “Wait a second. Let me have you try something.” He brought his iPad and earpods to me and suggested I lie down and “Just listen.”
Dr. Kabat-Zinn has a 60-minute full-body scan he recommends people try early in the course. Although I’d spent time in savasana at the end of yoga class and even had a brief yoga nidra experience, nothing prepared me for the deep relaxation of an hourlong “reversal of consciousness.” Because I was already so anxious, I managed to stay awake through the entire hour (I’ll confess to falling asleep during subsequent meditations — and that’s perfectly okay). I was able to pay attention as my body parts relaxed and my mind detached from the past and the future.
It was such a powerful experience that I decided to commit to daily meditation, for at least a week. That turned into two weeks, then two months, then most of 2022. . . before I knew it, it was 2023 and I was still meditating. Yes, I do miss days occasionally. And I rarely have time for a 60-minute reversal of consciouness. But I always have time for 20 minutes, and when I don’t, I know that I can turn on my app (I use Insight Timer, although there are many others available) and take just one minute to breathe, relax, and stay present.
Next week, I’ll talk about the results of my meditation practice on my mind, body, and spirit.
May you be happy, may you be well, may you be safe, may you be at peace.