Meditation and Flow
I did a short little meditation when contemplating what to write about today, and I had this image of water flowing.
The park at the bottom of the hill where I grew up had this odd bridge. It was cement that sat on the creek bed, with alternating areas that were higher than the water, and slots for the water to flow through. So the water didn’t go under the bridge, it went through it.
That’s the image that came to mind, the flow of the water through the slots.
Next I thought “how is this a topic?”
Flow. That’s how this is a topic.
Meditation in the Western world has been heavily influenced by Japanese Zen. I love Zen, and pretty much everything that comes out of Japan. But the cultural differences between the West and Japan lead to vast and harmful misunderstandings about meditation.
People often view meditation as something rigid and narrow, with a strict set of rules.
Let’s talk about where this comes from, and the beauty that we overlook in this misunderstanding.
If you go to any Zen temple for meditation there is a very clear way of doing everything. Which can feel like a lot to learn, but the reasoning behind it changes everything.
The rules are there to help you relax.
“What? How does that make sense? If I’m worried about all these rules, then the last thing I’m doing is relaxing.”
Right, this is the core of the misunderstanding.
The whole point of the rules is to help you reach that flow state, where relaxation washes over you like someone turned off the stress faucet.
Have you ever done anything to the point where it becomes something you could almost do with your eyes closed? Where you’ve got the muscle memory so ingrained that you can do the thing without any thought?
Imagine knowing all the steps, all of the details, around Zen to the point that you can do it without thinking about it. That rather than thinking “which foot am I supposed to step over the threshold with?” or “which way do I turn to sit down”, imagine it was all effortless.
What could you pay attention to then?
You could pay attention to the quality of the light, the subtle sounds of nature heard through an open window. You could feel the curve of your back and adjust so you’re comfortable for the full meditation. You could decide to get up to go to the bathroom when you need to without worrying about disturbing anyone, because you’d know that’s completely okay.
I think this is why I finally found success in Thailand. Thai Buddhism is much more relaxed when it comes to their approach to meditation. In Thailand they have the concepts of sanuk and sabai built into life. Sanuk means making everything at least a little bit fun. Sabai roughly translates to comfortable and relaxed.
How would your meditation practice change if you brought in more comfort, and more fun? What kind of relaxed attitude might you be able to adopt?
My practice is designed to help me feel comfortable and relaxed. I make sure that my temperature is good, when sitting still I often get cold so I wrap myself up. I sit in a position that my body finds stable and supportive. I listen to the sound of rain because it makes me feel happy and grounded.
If you struggle with making room in your day, is it time to bring in more sabai and sanuk? When I make sure my meditations are sabai and sanuk, it’s easy to make the time to meditate.
When you build comfort and enjoyment into your meditations, you’ll feel a deeper level of flow.
Join me in Clubhouse. The app is open to the public now, my handle is @laurenbear, and my club is called The Meditation Lounge-Mindset Alchemists. I partner with a Thai Buddhist Monk to offer guided meditation M-W-F at 8:30 CT.
*typos included to remind you that the Universe is simply organized chaos.
