day seven: meditation my OM way!
as my husband and his friend hiked around remote villages in nepal, they passed buddhist prayer wheels along the way. their guides would turn the wheel with their right hand and repeat the phrase *om mani padme hum* meaning “hail the jewel in the lotus.”
my husband and his friend took to following their lead most of their time there.
after a while, however, exhausted after weeks of high altitude and desperate for a real bed and real food – their beseeching changed from hailing the buddhist prayer to one a bit more selfish: *ohm mommy, take me home*
I repeat this story only because I received an email from a yogi friend of mine, reminding me that meditation is a form of yoga and suggested I take one day and do a mantra meditation in lieu of an asana practice.
(mantras are words or phrases that are chanted out loud, or internally, as objects of meditation. often these mantras are associated with particular Buddhist figures)
suggestions included: om prana swaha . . . or atma hridaya . . . or om pranaya namaha.
honestly, i’d be better off chanting things like, I love popsicles . . . or melt-snow-melt - - because at least those words hold some real meaning for me.
i know that to be a “serious yogi” i’m supposed to be able to sit for long periods of time, legs crossed and fingers stuck together, and chant a long string of nonsensical sounds – a seemingly secret language - for hours on end.
yea right. clearly, i’m not serious enough. but I DO meditate.
meditation is a technique for clearing and resting the mind. creating an inner state that is still and open, and ready to receive.
my forms of meditation include gardening, journaling, surfing, hiking, and yes, even and especially - asana. you see, each of these activities allow me to empty my mind of thoughts, focus inwardly, experience a deeper level of consciousness, and achieve a sense of serenity.
There is one more form of meditation I do quite regularly, as a matter of fact. and it offers me a great sense of peace, actually. my friend is right – today, I should practice a meditation.
therefore, don’t be surprised if you run into me in bloomies, chanting all the while: ohm newshoes shebuya
my husband and his friend took to following their lead most of their time there.
after a while, however, exhausted after weeks of high altitude and desperate for a real bed and real food – their beseeching changed from hailing the buddhist prayer to one a bit more selfish: *ohm mommy, take me home*
I repeat this story only because I received an email from a yogi friend of mine, reminding me that meditation is a form of yoga and suggested I take one day and do a mantra meditation in lieu of an asana practice.
(mantras are words or phrases that are chanted out loud, or internally, as objects of meditation. often these mantras are associated with particular Buddhist figures)
suggestions included: om prana swaha . . . or atma hridaya . . . or om pranaya namaha.
honestly, i’d be better off chanting things like, I love popsicles . . . or melt-snow-melt - - because at least those words hold some real meaning for me.
i know that to be a “serious yogi” i’m supposed to be able to sit for long periods of time, legs crossed and fingers stuck together, and chant a long string of nonsensical sounds – a seemingly secret language - for hours on end.
yea right. clearly, i’m not serious enough. but I DO meditate.
meditation is a technique for clearing and resting the mind. creating an inner state that is still and open, and ready to receive.
my forms of meditation include gardening, journaling, surfing, hiking, and yes, even and especially - asana. you see, each of these activities allow me to empty my mind of thoughts, focus inwardly, experience a deeper level of consciousness, and achieve a sense of serenity.
There is one more form of meditation I do quite regularly, as a matter of fact. and it offers me a great sense of peace, actually. my friend is right – today, I should practice a meditation.
therefore, don’t be surprised if you run into me in bloomies, chanting all the while: ohm newshoes shebuya
Comments