Meditation :: Draft

Meditation. As practical as going to the gym and as misunderstood as a toddler throwing a tantrum.

To get better at owning our slippers, get better at minding the gap between “Observation” and “Feelings”.

Meditation is a good way to practice doing this.

Through the eons many religions Curiously, “meditation” is exactly the wrong word for the practice that we suggest. To meditate is to deliberate, to contemplate, to think deeply. It is what society is calling it now, so who are we to disagree. and groups have discovered the benefits of meditation. Some have shrouded it in mystery and some have started charging money for magic words. There are groups arguing about the correct positioning of the fingers and the correct way to sit.

This is not the meditation I suggest.

What I suggest is highly practical. The outcome of a good meditation session is this: To practice having more “direct mode” experiences.

That’s it.

The brain has two distinct neural networks (TK - flow psych). The first is called the “default network”. It is the one that is active most of the time, by default. What it is good at is to add meaning and interpretation to the current moment. What it is bad at, is noticing the moment to start out with.

The default network is good at feelings and meaning making. It’s really bad at observations.

Meditation then is the practice of intentionally exercising the second distinct neural network: The direct mode network.

This network is the one that gets activated by the senses. It is the one that observes, without feelings.

For owning your slippers – this is what we want to get better at. Observing first.

The one sentence “How to Meditate” guide: For a while, sit and experience the world without making sense of it.

The 30 seconds “How to Meditate” guide:

Decide on a time. 10 minutes a day, every day, is a good start. For that amount of time: Sit. Or lie down. Or walk.

The magic sauce of meditation is this (and only this): Experience the world, directly. When you notice that your default network is kicking in by interpreting the world, just gently get back to experiencing.

For the time that you have decided, fully see, hear, feel, smell and taste the world. There seems to be a class distinction between “vision/hearing/feeling” (with a ridiculous strong emphasis society has on vision) and the “rest” – taste and smell. You would do well to spend more time expanding your experience of these senses. A wine or coffee tasting course is a good exercise in this.