People often
complain that they’re able to get in deep states during formal practice but are
not able to maintain those states in daily life. There’s a lot to be said about
this but one suggestion I have is to work smart by creating for yourself
“challenge sequences.”
The idea is
simple.
Take any
meditation technique you relate to and attempt to maintain it through a
sequence of progressively more challenging activities. Stay with each stage for
however long it takes you to get as deep as you were in the previous stage.
Here’s an
example.
1. Lying down
2. Seated eyes closed
3. Seated eyes open
4. Standing
5. Slow walking
6. Faster walking
7. Walking in a sensorily
impactful environment
8. Simple exercise
9. More complicated
exercise
10. Washing dishes
11. Cooking a simple meal
12. Cooking a more
complicated meal
13. Carrying on a vacuous
conversation
14. Watching low-impact
tv
15. Watching high impact
tv
16. Carrying on a substantive
conversation
17. Carrying on an
emotionally charged substantive conversation
Your goal is to maintain the deepest state you can experience in #1
while in #17. It's like weight training, you build it up gradually. It may seem
like an awful big homework assignment but you have the rest of your life to
turn it in!
And than say: "Yes"!
ReplyDeleteThanx for this advice! My problem seems to be more "tiredness". Hard to explain...it seems like having worked all day pysically, but in another way it seems emotional, like not really caring enough to make the effort of awakening deeply to the moment. How can I maintain the attenion - not just in a difficult activity, but day after day and month after month?
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ReplyDeletethank you for the challenge. i am starting now with the activity or reading and doing email while meditating.
ReplyDeleteVery good advice, and essential training to integrate mindfulness skills into the vicissitudes of life. Setting goals to work with gives the mind a bone to chew and makes practice fun! Practice here, practice there, practice practice....
ReplyDeleteIn theory could you use any of your meditation techniques whilst working at a computer based job and some conversations/meetings and still function well at your work all day?
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