any bench is a meditation bench
Week Three
The third session must have triggered something because from the start it was emotional. My instructor introduced the topic that we would focus on, the heart, and like a trigger was pulled, I could feel it. She encouraged me to open those doors and clean out the past hurt. It sounds simple and formulaic, but maybe that’s why it is so effective. I am beginning to suspect that keeping secrets from our self is a common and well practiced tradition.
For the third time, I am lying down, eyes closed, palms open and facing up. We begin.
The resonant pulse of the Tibetan bowl sounds like a horizontal landscape. I try to expand into it, but my breathing is uneven. When I inhale, it is notchy and rough. I try to smooth it out with calm perseverance. Later, I am told that I should not hide behind a well regulated breath. Release means letting go.
Three times the emotions roll in and then wash away, taking half a minute at the most. It’s good to hear the last and deepest bowl. It was an intense session.
During the week, I practice the focused meditations. They are becoming a little bit longer. I stay with it until I notice some change. Is my breathing deeper? Has my mind settled down and stopped thinking about all that needs to be done? Is anything different now, compared to when I started?
Day four, and I felt something new. Halfway through the meditation, my breathing started to do something different. Each inhale pulled in a feeling of strength. From the bottom of my feet, into my legs and then curiously into my two little fingers. It never got to my full hand. I wondered about that.
The feeling was not warm, it did not tingle, it just rose up. It was quiet, like a cloud. It took shape in my lower legs and the edges of my hand and then faded away. I continued breathing. After another minute or so, I released three deep long breaths, expressed my appreciation and opened my eyes.
Does this mean that things are starting to move?
I have decided that if I could find it once, I can find it again.
This article was considered, prepared and written by a student of
Mind Body Performance Management