If you would like to practise with meditation, I acquired these pointers from other people, maybe they'll be of some use to you as well:
Focus on your breaths, try to do abdominal breathing. I learned this by laying on my back and trying to move the hand someone put on my lower stomach up and down by only taking deep breaths. Breathe by expanding your abdomen, use the lowest muscles you can move there to achieve this. Relax your shoulders and try to keep your chest completely still.
It's okay if you can't completely empty your mind. Pay no attention to your thoughts, just let them go without focusing on them if they appear. Concentrate on what you're doing.
Relax your fingers and your toes, try to keep your head still. Do not force this, you can move slightly if you're uncomfortable. Take a few breaths. Relax your hands and feet. Feel how warm they are. Next, slightly tense the muscles in your legs, and let this tension go after a moment. Repeat this with your arms. Focus for a moment on your face. Smile slightly, or frown. After that, let that expression slide of your face. Check your shoulders. Are they still relaxed? Breathe slowly in for a few seconds until your lungs are completely full, hold your breath for about the same time, and breathe out. Do this by simply relaxing your torso so that the air slowly leaves your body.
Focus on the sounds inside your body, the beating of your heart, the rush of air in your lungs. Listen for a while to these sounds. After that, listen to the sounds you produce, the slight rustling of your clothes, your breath when it is leaving your body. Then listen to the sounds in the room. The ticking of a clock, the sounds a pet, or a friend makes by simply being there in the same space as you. Take your time to try to find the rythm in these sounds. Shift your focus to the outside of the room you're in. Are there birds? Is there a rustling tree?
If you're able to distinguish sounds you're making yourself, try to adjust them to the other sounds you're listening to. Become a part of it.
-
The good lord woman, I'm not going to read/do all of that version:
Breathe in slowly through your nose for a few seconds, hold your breath, and breathe out through your mouth. I think the 4-7-8 seconds version should be the most relaxing. Count the seconds. Focus on that.
Be aware of your body, try to relax the tense muscles. The only muscles you should feel are the ones you use for breathing.
This is also suitable to do when you're feeling stressed or if you're trying to fall asleep.
-
Last but not least, please start slowly with this. Build it up.
For a culture that has always prided itself on being the most 'down-to-earth' it is surprising how many people here are interested in meditation. After all, most seem to believe it is on par with astrology and 'healing stones'.
Firstly, my French teacher. She told to me how to empty my mind, how to stop paying attention to my thoughts and just 'be'. Secondly, my theatre teacher, who taught me how to use my breathing as a way to relax mentally and physically.
And lastly, the two sweaty, coarsely built kendoka who explained why I should stop and just *listen* every now and then while I was nursing a bleeding blister at the bottom of my little finger and drinking warm sake from a delicate little cup.
But it might just be me. I could very well be the one who gravitates towards this subject or the people who talk about it.
I can remember how I as a little girl played with the rice my mother kept in a large bucket. I submerged my hands, skooped the rice up in my hands and focused on the feeling of the rice pouring down from between my fingers. Again and again, until my mother told me to go play outside. There was also a teacher who told the class I was in to "only draw what you see, don't draw what you think you know". I can't remember his face, but I can still hear the tone of his voice when he told us this.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed nowadays I tend to shut myself down to a meditative state. It got easy. I've sat with people in a room without even realising I started meditating.
Usually it's pleasant, but there are moments when you should take care. I can feel detached when I meditate for too long, or if I do it too often. Most people approach it too candidly in my opinion. The positive absolutely outweight the negative here, but if you don't build this up gradually there is a chance you can get emotional or depressed. After all, you open yourself up to your own feelings, while taking away your defenses. Take care if you have some unresolved issues.
Sep 9, 2022·edited Sep 9, 2022Liked by John Wheatley
There's something ultimately quite special about finding a writer who's work you actively want to engage with. With everything seemingly so partisan these days it seems almost quaint to find a writer where i don't feel like i have to be on guard against a forced narrative.
There'll be quite a few people i'll forward this to as i think its a wonderfully stated piece.
Congratulations on Miyazaki pt2, its great having non hyper politicised content where two people can just sit and discuss things to heart.
Have you considered a look at Death Note? I'd be interested to hear your views on justice, morality and human nature.
Really loves the article. I’m glad you’re doing your own stuff, you were always my favourite presenter on Lotus Eaters but it felt like you were very different ideologically, less dogmatically hateful and more contemplative than clickbait.
The article was interesting but I was wondering if you have dabbled with any of the dharmic religions? I can highly suggest the Bhagavad Gita and the dao de jing(which works very well with the Gita)
I know in china people are culturally Daoist and many Chinese will quote from it, such as Bruce lee’s famous “be like water” would you say Zen Buddhism underpins the Japanese moral conception of the world?
The piano playing was lovely, John! You seem to be a person of many talents 😉.
I was wearing noise cancelling headphones and the sound was pretty good. Your set up did seem to pick up a sound that may have been tiny barking dogs in your neighborhood (or building) at around 10 minutes and 26 seconds, but I could be wrong.
Key words= “Ordered emptiness.” Wow, I actually meditated along with the audio (sounded nice, btw). Have you read much about similar benefits being gained through certain physical tasks? While working on my masters I discovered doing things like painting with no goal in mind for a bit would allow me to focus on research & writing papers. Now I keep a “Buddha board” on my desk. So good for the overly anxious (& hyperactive) mind. Forgive my ignorance on this topic, and it may not be the intent, but I find the kōans especially amusing! Just remember wherever you go, there you are. 😉
This is the first article I've recorded with the new audio setup. Let me know your thoughts regarding audio (if any!) in reply to this comment, which I'll pin at the top.
If you would like to practise with meditation, I acquired these pointers from other people, maybe they'll be of some use to you as well:
Focus on your breaths, try to do abdominal breathing. I learned this by laying on my back and trying to move the hand someone put on my lower stomach up and down by only taking deep breaths. Breathe by expanding your abdomen, use the lowest muscles you can move there to achieve this. Relax your shoulders and try to keep your chest completely still.
It's okay if you can't completely empty your mind. Pay no attention to your thoughts, just let them go without focusing on them if they appear. Concentrate on what you're doing.
Relax your fingers and your toes, try to keep your head still. Do not force this, you can move slightly if you're uncomfortable. Take a few breaths. Relax your hands and feet. Feel how warm they are. Next, slightly tense the muscles in your legs, and let this tension go after a moment. Repeat this with your arms. Focus for a moment on your face. Smile slightly, or frown. After that, let that expression slide of your face. Check your shoulders. Are they still relaxed? Breathe slowly in for a few seconds until your lungs are completely full, hold your breath for about the same time, and breathe out. Do this by simply relaxing your torso so that the air slowly leaves your body.
Focus on the sounds inside your body, the beating of your heart, the rush of air in your lungs. Listen for a while to these sounds. After that, listen to the sounds you produce, the slight rustling of your clothes, your breath when it is leaving your body. Then listen to the sounds in the room. The ticking of a clock, the sounds a pet, or a friend makes by simply being there in the same space as you. Take your time to try to find the rythm in these sounds. Shift your focus to the outside of the room you're in. Are there birds? Is there a rustling tree?
If you're able to distinguish sounds you're making yourself, try to adjust them to the other sounds you're listening to. Become a part of it.
-
The good lord woman, I'm not going to read/do all of that version:
Breathe in slowly through your nose for a few seconds, hold your breath, and breathe out through your mouth. I think the 4-7-8 seconds version should be the most relaxing. Count the seconds. Focus on that.
Be aware of your body, try to relax the tense muscles. The only muscles you should feel are the ones you use for breathing.
This is also suitable to do when you're feeling stressed or if you're trying to fall asleep.
-
Last but not least, please start slowly with this. Build it up.
For a culture that has always prided itself on being the most 'down-to-earth' it is surprising how many people here are interested in meditation. After all, most seem to believe it is on par with astrology and 'healing stones'.
Firstly, my French teacher. She told to me how to empty my mind, how to stop paying attention to my thoughts and just 'be'. Secondly, my theatre teacher, who taught me how to use my breathing as a way to relax mentally and physically.
And lastly, the two sweaty, coarsely built kendoka who explained why I should stop and just *listen* every now and then while I was nursing a bleeding blister at the bottom of my little finger and drinking warm sake from a delicate little cup.
But it might just be me. I could very well be the one who gravitates towards this subject or the people who talk about it.
I can remember how I as a little girl played with the rice my mother kept in a large bucket. I submerged my hands, skooped the rice up in my hands and focused on the feeling of the rice pouring down from between my fingers. Again and again, until my mother told me to go play outside. There was also a teacher who told the class I was in to "only draw what you see, don't draw what you think you know". I can't remember his face, but I can still hear the tone of his voice when he told us this.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed nowadays I tend to shut myself down to a meditative state. It got easy. I've sat with people in a room without even realising I started meditating.
Usually it's pleasant, but there are moments when you should take care. I can feel detached when I meditate for too long, or if I do it too often. Most people approach it too candidly in my opinion. The positive absolutely outweight the negative here, but if you don't build this up gradually there is a chance you can get emotional or depressed. After all, you open yourself up to your own feelings, while taking away your defenses. Take care if you have some unresolved issues.
There's something ultimately quite special about finding a writer who's work you actively want to engage with. With everything seemingly so partisan these days it seems almost quaint to find a writer where i don't feel like i have to be on guard against a forced narrative.
There'll be quite a few people i'll forward this to as i think its a wonderfully stated piece.
Congratulations on Miyazaki pt2, its great having non hyper politicised content where two people can just sit and discuss things to heart.
Have you considered a look at Death Note? I'd be interested to hear your views on justice, morality and human nature.
Best wishes :)
Really loves the article. I’m glad you’re doing your own stuff, you were always my favourite presenter on Lotus Eaters but it felt like you were very different ideologically, less dogmatically hateful and more contemplative than clickbait.
The article was interesting but I was wondering if you have dabbled with any of the dharmic religions? I can highly suggest the Bhagavad Gita and the dao de jing(which works very well with the Gita)
I know in china people are culturally Daoist and many Chinese will quote from it, such as Bruce lee’s famous “be like water” would you say Zen Buddhism underpins the Japanese moral conception of the world?
The piano playing was lovely, John! You seem to be a person of many talents 😉.
I was wearing noise cancelling headphones and the sound was pretty good. Your set up did seem to pick up a sound that may have been tiny barking dogs in your neighborhood (or building) at around 10 minutes and 26 seconds, but I could be wrong.
Key words= “Ordered emptiness.” Wow, I actually meditated along with the audio (sounded nice, btw). Have you read much about similar benefits being gained through certain physical tasks? While working on my masters I discovered doing things like painting with no goal in mind for a bit would allow me to focus on research & writing papers. Now I keep a “Buddha board” on my desk. So good for the overly anxious (& hyperactive) mind. Forgive my ignorance on this topic, and it may not be the intent, but I find the kōans especially amusing! Just remember wherever you go, there you are. 😉
This is the first article I've recorded with the new audio setup. Let me know your thoughts regarding audio (if any!) in reply to this comment, which I'll pin at the top.