When we’re in a train looking at a parallel train on the opposite track and ours pulls out, we can sometimes experience the illusion that the other train has started to move, when it’s actually the one that we’re on. We experience a similar illusion every day, as the sun moves across the sky; but it’s the earth that’s rotating on its axis every day at nearly one thousand miles an hour. So as humans we sometimes misperceive what’s going on in our environment.
Our busy world has increased momentum. Not only are there more things to do in our day, but time also seems to go faster than ever. Never before in human history have we had so much access to new and changing information from hundreds of channels across multiple devices. We have increased workloads and possibly lower job security, as organisations do more with fewer people; while the global world of politics, economics and the environment seem to become more chaotic and unstable by the day. No wonder we sometimes feel agitated, irritable and anxious.
From two hundred thousand to around twelve thousand years ago, humans lived as foraging hunter-gatherers, During this period there would have been occasional times of danger and worry, but nothing approaching what we experience today. Like the hunter-gatherer tribes that still exist today, our ancestors led simpler, uncomplicated lives, which were in many ways much richer, more satisfying and healthier than the way we live in modern, Western societies. They typically spent one to two days gathering food and the rest of the time relaxing, socialising, eating, drinking and entertaining themselves. Although we can now gather our food much more quickly with a visit to the supermarket, it’s almost the reverse, as we spend most of our week working, with a couple of days for leisure if we’re lucky. Hunter-gatherers are more aerobically fit and tend not to experience hypertension, obesity or diabetes and have much lower levels of cholesterol.
The level of activity and information that we have to manage today can sometimes seem as if we’re swimming in the middle of a storm, being tossed around by the wind and waves. Within storms like hurricanes, there’s a place in the centre that remains calm. This is because the force of the strong winds deflects them away from the centre, so they never actually reach it. This is similar to the storms we experience in our own lives. We can get caught up in all the movement as our attention and sense of who we are gets pulled by the momentum of events and activities.
So, if we could find a way of navigating to the centre of the storm, free from the powerful momentum of events, we might find a space of calm and stillness.
Some of the core practices of meditation and mindfulness are to quieten the restless mind and stabilise emotions.
The wind blows against the surface of a lake and creates waves. Eventually, the wind subsides, and the lake returns to clearly reflecting the surrounding trees, mountains, and sky, like a mirror. In the same way, restless, agitated and fragmented thoughts create mental noise and emotional turbulence, which limits our ability to think clearly or perform at our best. Rather than skilfully responding from a point of stability and balance, we end up layering noise on top of noise. Like raising your voice so you can be heard in a noisy restaurant.
To have a proper conversation, we need to move away from the noise, towards a quieter place.
To find the calm centre we first need to become aware that the mind is becoming restless and agitated or notice strong emotions arising in the body. We can then bring our attention and awareness to the body and senses to ground ourselves in the present moment; seeing thoughts as just mental content and allowing movement in the mind to settle, like the particles in a snow-globe; letting go of holding onto any strong emotions in the body; allowing them to naturally release and dissolve in their own time while relaxing and releasing any physical tension; then using the sense of hearing to reach out to near and distant sounds, as we embrace a wider space within our awareness; resting in the space, stillness, and silence that contains everything.
We’re only human, so there are times when we’ll get caught up in the storms of our lives and won’t be able to find the calm centre. But with consistent practice and perseverance, we’re more likely to weather the challenges of what it means to be human in the world today.
Suggested weekly practice
- Begin the day with a sitting meditation practice, so you start from a point of calm that you can use as a resource and refuge throughout the day.
- Remember to check in with yourself to feel what’s going on. If you feel agitated or restless, take a break, some deeper breaths, go outside and look at nature or the open sky for a few calm and peaceful minutes.
- Try turning off the notifications from apps on your mobile phone to see if this increases your level of calm.
Guidance
Find somewhere undisturbed and sit in a comfortable, dignified and upright posture, where you can remain alert and aware.
There are two guided practices for this session. You can close your eyes, or lower your gaze while the meditations play.
- Play the first settling practice, then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps.
- Then play the second practice to explore and experience finding the calm centre within yourself
