The Unusual Buddha: Meditation, Presence, and Joss Sticks
I meditate every day. I sit still with my eyes closed. I try to relax and focus my attention on my breathing. When I notice that my mind has wandered and I’m thinking about something else, I bring my attention back to my breathing. And repeat. And repeat. And keep repeating until my timer beeps, or I feel that it’s time to stop doing this.
I’ve been doing it for several years now and I’m not sure what I gain from doing this. But I do know that by doing it I get to take a break – even if it’s just for a moment or two – from the constant stream of thoughts that inhabit my head. I get a short rest from the constant push and pull or everything that I’m supposed to be thinking of at any given time.
I wanted to speak to someone about meditation and why it’s such a healthy and worthwhile practice. So, I reached out to Nelli D and Jim Martin, the people behind The Unusual Buddha. Jim literally wrote the book about meditation – it’s called The Practical Meditation Journal – and you can get your copy here.
We chatted for about an hour remotely, about why it’s good to take a break from our thoughts from time to time, how it can help us be present and find more depth to life. And we chatted briefly about how, when our mind wanders, sometimes it’s not just our daily worries that it wanders to, but fresh ideas, insights and even others worlds.
Enjoy this conversation, with all its glitches and background noises. I gained a lot from it, and if you’ve never tried meditation, maybe this will convince you to give it a go!
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