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Frazzled meditation!


Frazzled Meditation

Hello hi areet! How are ya? It’s November now. I succeeded in that October was indeed the acclaimed ‘dry month’. Apart from best mate Al’s 40th night out – that I knew of; and has been the breaker on other dry-spells in previous years too – I drank nothing alcoholic. Woopidoo! Gold star! Woo. Ahem.

Benefits? The pocket maybe, but not massively. Hmmm. Coffee instead of booze? Different story coming soon!

Okay. To the real blog intention. Meditation.

Beryl King my meditation teacher at the fantastic resource of Benmar House (MSRRF) was on holiday at time of this writing. Point in question, she loaned me a book last month that I have just recently finished. And what a book.

A Mindfulness Guide for the FRAZZLED by Ruby Wax. It was highly recommended by Beryl, and with me being a ‘slow reader over-thinker analyser’ type, it took a while to finish.

I loved it and it has inspired me to investigate to (possibly) further my meditation journey beyond ‘client’. Vehicle for that yet unsure, but it is in motion….
As an engineer (OK, I was, but once an engineer…) the actual writing of the guide has me thinking through the related and quoted science. Lost? Fair enough. It is not a ‘science book’! What I mean is that Ruby (my mate, well that is how it feels a bit after the read) has been a successful TV entertainer and comedienne for 25 years and is famous for it. She also has a family that contributed to some hard times; and has suffered deep depression for years too. That lead to a reinvention for her as she started to study mindful-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).

The study ended with a Masters degree from Oxford University. This is no biography; but why MBCT? I will quote the book:

“The only reason – and, I repeat, the only reason – I went for it was because of the impressive scientific evidence proving that it has the highest success rate in treating a whole pot-pourri of physical and mental disorders.”

“pourri” not my spelling.

I have said elsewhere in other related blogs, that I enjoy doing, learning and practicing meditation. If I didn’t I simply would not do it. Off you ohm!

A word or two that I got from the book?

Acceptance.

Of the ‘monkey mind’ of manic thoughts. As monkeys jump wildly from branch to branch to tree to branch randomly, that is similar to how ones’ thoughts can leap too.

The knowing of this and the frustration can be somewhat annoying and then some (my opinions obviously). Accepting those thoughts, as briefly as the acceptance may be, you’ve recognised said thought and that alone can be calming. My take on this anyway! I will improve.


Attention.

Yes, attention. As in paying attention to something on purpose. Using one of the five (basic) senses. This is a blog not a reference document! Think of noticing a ‘thing’; at that moment. For example/s:

Sight
  • Look at an item that may have caught your attention. Slowly think of it. Colour, texture, memories… Whatever.

Hearing
  • Hear a sound. Traffic, radiator clicking, fridge, pet…

Smell
  • Food(!), flower, traffic, aftershave, pet…

Taste
  • Food, drink…

Touch
  • Washing, brushing teeth, working, typing, digging…


Some examples of what we do and take for granted? Consider the actions and by actually doing so, the thought pattern is focussed. Not on the millions of daft thoughts rushing continually through the mind – the monkey mind.
First things last! Breathing.

Breathing is where a lot of meditation principles and practices start. Again, by paying attention to the process, it is already literally starting. More to come soon, not patronising now!

So, where to now. Well, breathing and the Chakras. Not a typo. Another type of meditation I particularly enjoy. Enough for now!

Any thoughts to share, or are you too busy thinking!?


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