Peppered liberally throughout my studies of Happiness has been strong suggestions to Meditate.
I hate to admit this, but I probably have just a bad a case of “monkey mind” as most everybody else. ‘Probably because I don’t meditate (like most everybody else). However, I have a deep commitment to walk the path of Happiness and so I am giving it a try. I went to Barnes and Noble (I like the one on 21st and 11th East) and picked up two books: Meditation for Dummies and the 8 Minute Meditation book by Victor Davich. I flipped through both and because through my flipping Davich kept promising “simple”, “easy” and “straight-forward” information about meditation and that I would be up and meditating in no time. So, I went with that. I DO like Davich’s style. Very little fat. Straight-forward. He states that meditation IS doing something – where I always thought it was the absence of doing something. I’m up to page 23 and have tried a couple of his mini meditations. He suggested focusing on where you feel your breath the most. This was a wonderful little exercise as, in my mind, I gave attention to the various parts of my body that allow me to breathe. I noticed a tightness in my throat, about two inches below my Adam’s apple. I found that with some attention, I could relax those muscles (whatever they’re called) a little. I also noticed tension in my shoulders and with a little attention was able to let some of that go as well. I ended today’s reading with a great slice of statistical data – Davich’s reference to a study out of the University of Wisconsin that has proven that a regular regimine of meditation can “encourage the brain to physically rewire itself to be Happier (Time 8/4/03; The New York Times Magazine, 9/14/03). Now they’re playing my song!
~Frank Clayton, LPC and meditation newbie