Many people have meditation practices these days. Some are very involved. Some are quite simple. Some require a particular posture. Some are less formal. Some with eyes closed. Some with eyes open. Some practice many times during the day. Some just once.
Whatever one’s practice is, the emptying and presence really matters.
My practice is quite simple. Just breath. Slow breathing. Usually for 10-20 minutes. I love the moment, when I feel like I’m no longer counting length of breath (yes, I do this sometimes), and instead, begin to feel like I am being breathed. Empty (er) and being breathed. Quite simply. Like it might I feel if hooked up to a grand and invisible oxygen tank (wait, maybe we already are). Maybe it’s God. Maybe it’s the larger living system that is the world. Maybe it is the composite field of meditators.
Regardless, presence matters. The physical and emotional memory of presence matters, given rather demanding circumstances that many of us find ourselves in.
My 12 minute meditation today was based on the awareness that most of my breath cycles are 30 seconds. Slowly in, pausing when full. Slowly out, pausing when empty. In my brain, I wanted to experiment. I kind of liked thinking that in 12 minutes, that’s 24 breaths. One breath for each hour of the day.
I won’t necessarily measure these breaths, that’s not the point. But infusing each hour of the day with some presence and pause and emptiness — there’s some attractive meaning making and practice.
In just 12 minutes.
