Meditation in the Metropolis
Posted on | September 9, 2008 |
Certainly, meditation is important for all of us - in terms of centering and clearing the energies of our all too busy American lives. That said, when do we do it? When do our patients do it? Meditation is clearly part of the lifestyle change that is so much more important than anything we can do for our patients in the clinic. But this lifestyle change requires some time that is hard to find in our schedules.
As a student of Chinese medicine, I find that my program takes up a horrendous amount of my time: so much so that my child will be in school/daycare full-time (meaning an 8-hour day) when I start school next week. This is similar to so many graduate programs in this country - regardless of the fact that these long hours spent sitting are not conducive to the cultivation of health in the student (who is supposed to be, someday, advising other human beings on healthy lifestyle practices). Similarly, the jobs of working Americans require eight, ten and sometimes twelve hour days spent sitting or standing. Many of these working Americans come home to families that they get to spend little time with and eat meals that had to be prepared with minimal, if any, cooking time.
If my patient would like to have increased energy, better sleep, a healthier weight, less anger or depression, etc… much of how they might achieve this lies in their ability to find an inner peace that can certainly be helped along by meditation - but how do I recommend such a practice when doing it would require the loss of family time, the loss of their lunch break, or is just plain impossible to squeeze into the schedule that they are barely managing as it is? For many working Americans, finding a place to meditate, that is clear of the sounds of the TV in their house or the traffic outside can also be a huge barrier. I know that my own home, which is occupied by a 3 year old, is hardly the place for quiet time. I am lucky enough to have a quiet space at school that I can utilize during breaks, but most Americans don’t have that option.
One of my friends, a single parent, says that meditation is very important to her and so she does it in her car on the way to work. She explained to me that it’s the only time in the entire day that she has to herself, and so she utilizes it as best she can. She breathes into her abdomen and tries to focus her energies and awareness there while she calms down the worry and constant thinking that she suffers from. Leave it up to an American to figure out the multi-tasking of meditation! For me, the jury is still out as I try and think of how I can solve this problem in my own life and pass it onto my busy patients!
Comments
2 Responses to “Meditation in the Metropolis”
Leave a Reply
Categories
Sites
Archives
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution.
September 12th, 2008 @ 7:32 pm
Namaste
Meditation, like exercise, can be particularly useful in managing the stress and anxiety that come with the ever-increasing speed of life in our modern age. Ideally, we would set aside enough time every day to practice, but we all know how difficult that can be.
Personally, I try to meditate in the brief moments when I am not otherwise occupied. This often requires an effort to filter the tumult of my surroundings, but has value nonetheless. My personal favorite is the shower, but I also try while waiting in line, sitting at particularly long stop lights, or doing monotonous chores like folding laundry. If I’m having a stress crisis I will often excuse myself to the restroom for a brief respite. All of this doesn’t have the same satisfaction as spending thirty or more minutes alone in a quiet place, but I find it helps keep me calm and remember to set aside time for the real deal.
Really, I should just try to slow my life down a little and schedule more time for meditation, exercise and culinary curiosity. After all, if I have enough time to surf the internet, I have time to sit alone in silence without my computer too.
September 12th, 2008 @ 8:52 pm
Hi Jasper!!! It’s nice to see you!
Thirty minutes alone in a quiet place is certainly superior to anything else, but these other possibilities you’ve mentioned: the shower, waiting in line, folding laundry, etc… are great suggestions for patients who are really struggling to get their lives under control. Thank you so much. Following that line of thinking, any of the monotonous activities that we have to do during the day can be made into meditations: the dishes, sweeping, washing the car; and those are good starting points at which to open the door to meditation.