WHAT I’M THINKING is a new, probably infrequent, feature of my blog. In it, I shall feel free (I hope) to share my thinking about any number of topics that matter to me and may matter to my readers, whether they be regular subscribers or those who stop along the way to somewhere else.
. . . Achieving Calm. I began meditating over twenty years ago on a tip (strong suggestion?) from my then psychologist, who helped me to understand that the practice might effect change in my own thinking. That is, in keeping my thoughts calm or by avoiding telling myself the same old “stories” (my father is to blame for all my problems as a man, I’ll never get anywhere in my career, etc.), I might experience a certain peace.
To launch my meditation practice, I used several different CDs put out by various practitioners of meditation but primarily one by Jack Kornfield. I could only sit for less than ten minutes each day; my mind was just too active to “master” (what some call monkey mind). Once I realized what the CD gurus were trying to teach, I did learn to quiet my mind, and, in quieting my mind, I became less likely to strike out in anger, less likely to say things and to take drastic actions I would later regret. I meditated this way for many years until I realized my practice was becoming stale. It was then that I bought the phone app Calm. I had heard about Tamara Levitt’s Calm app, had even seen it advertised on American TV (she’s a Canadian living in Toronto), and decided to give it a try.
To launch my meditation practice, I used several different CDs put out by various practitioners of meditation but primarily one by Jack Kornfield. I could only sit for less than ten minutes each day; my mind was just too active to “master” (what some call monkey mind). Once I realized what the CD gurus were trying to teach, I did learn to quiet my mind, and, in quieting my mind, I became less likely to strike out in anger, less likely to say things and to take drastic actions I would later regret. I meditated this way for many years until I realized my practice was becoming stale. It was then that I bought the phone app Calm. I had heard about Tamara Levitt’s Calm app, had even seen it advertised on American TV (she’s a Canadian living in Toronto), and decided to give it a try.
Tamara Levitt In the Daily Calm, Ms. Levitt guides you through a ten- to eleven-minute meditation—every step of the way. It is repetitive in that every session works for a beginner (who knows little) or a seasoned practitioner (who may appreciate the daily refresher course). Levitt includes short but pithy anecdotes (almost homily-like in nature) to illustrate her points. She introduces interesting foreign words and concepts from around the world: all helping the participant to silence the mind in our busy world full of angry posts on social media, full of angry voices on the street or marketplace. I’m not selling or promoting the app. I’m saying that for me a short meditation (I’m on a 269-day streak) beginning each day helps me to curb road rage in Lubbock’s sometimes rude and ofttimes chaotic traffic. It helps me to think before I respond in anger to my partner (I still fail) or a stranger on the phone just isn’t getting what I’m trying to say. If you’re experiencing a certain chaos with life, it might be worth it to you to invest $74 for an annual subscription (22¢ per session if you sit 356 days). That’s a pretty good bargain, especially if you consider peace of mind a good outcome.
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