I’ll be honest with you. This whole adLenture business has been really quite draining. Putting myself in these bizarre situations for you all to read about has been enjoyable, but just a bit hectic. So on Day 30, at the three-quarter milestone of my 40 Day Challenge, I decided to take a bit of down time and relax. And what better way to do this than meditation? Today’s new experience would help me find my centre and make my totally “Zen”. Groovy baby.
Working in the City of London, things can get a bit manic.
Surrounded by over-worked bankers and drained financiers, it can be hard to
find a moment to relax. Fortunately, in the midst of the madness, there exist
several areas of relaxation and calm; you just have to know where to look for
them. One such place is the Free Medidation class organised by MOOT, aptly
titled “Stressed in the City”, just in case there was any confusion who these
classes were for.
On my quest for calm,
I asked my colleague and fabulous friend Joel if he'd like to come with. He
eloquently replied with: “Hell yes, I’m gonna find the f**k out of my centre”. I
think that sums Joel up pretty well... We arrived at our meditation a bit nervous but I assured Joel we could leave at
any point, and we took our seats in the circle of our fellow spiritualists. In
fact, the mediation was entirely friendly. We began by
each giving our names and rating our current stress level
from 1 to 10. I was a pretty chilled 4. The lady next to me described herself
as 9. I didn’t know whether to smile sympathetically or call an ambulance.
After a quick stretch, we all sat down, feet firmly on the
ground and backs straight, ready to begin our 20 minute silent mediation. The
instructions were simple: close your eyes, clear the mind and repeat the phrase
“MA-RA-NA-THA” silently to yourself. In the inevitable event of the mind
wandering, gently bring your attention back to this phrase and refocus the mind.
This process was quaintly compared to a train station. Thoughts, like trains,
would come and go; you just have to make the decision not to board the train
and allow the thought to pass by undeveloped. Cute.
Our leader struck a gong three times to signify the start of
the meditation. I began breathing deeply and repeating the mantra to myself. “MA-RA-NA-THA...
MA-RA-NA-THA... MA-RA-NA-THA...” So far,
so good. But then my mind got the better of me. I tried sticking to the mantra, I really did. But unfortunately my
train of thoughts went a bit like this:
“MA-RA-NA-THA...
MA-RA-NA-THA... This is really fun, I wonder if Joel is enjoying it? Oh crap.
MA-RA-NA-THA... Hm, I managed not to get on the train, that was really good
Rich! I wonder how many other people are at this train station? I feels kind of
empty. Oops. MA-RA-THA-NA. Or is it MA-RA-NA-THA? I can’t remember. Oh no. I’ve
forgotten the mantra. This isn’t good. Maybe I should just pick one of them?
No, I don’t want to do this wrong. Think, Rich, THINK. Definitely having
ravioli for dinner. NO, THINK! I can’t believe I’ve forgotten the mantra. I’m
making a mockery of this whole thing. Hm, I wonder who’ll be on Strictly Come
Dancing this year? It would be amazing if they got One Direction. Ahh Harry
Styles. NO, this is so not the point of this. Ah bollocks to it, I've lost it.
Let’s just think about Harry Styles”
Needless to say, my meditation didn’t go quite to plan. Although
I did feel more relaxed after the 20 minutes, I don’t think it was by the
correct method. Joel said he had visions of climbing a hill and felt like every
breath was banishing bad energy. He therefore looked slightly disappointed (and a bit
confused) when I told him I spent my time thinking about teenage pop
stars and reality TV.
Our leader told us not to evaluate meditation sessions as “good”
or “bad”, and that all positive efforts would help on the path to relaxation.
This encouraged me. Maybe all hope is not yet lost and, presuming I remember
the mantra next time, I’m sure I’ll soon achieve full spiritual Zen-ness. But for
the time being, Dalai Lama I am not...
Day 30: Meditate the stress away. CHECK!
Peace & Love,
Rich xx
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