Douglas
Johns, LCSW Portland, Oregon
(503)252-3739
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Meditation
Meditation is
nothing special. Simply put, meditation is
intentionl and conscious awareness to the
ordinary experience of your life, just as
it is, right now. There's a paradox to
meditation: the less one strives to
get "somewhere" when meditating - i.e.,
deep relaxation, blissful mind states -
the more benneficial meditation becomes.
Of course many of us begin a meditation
practice wanting something to be different
in our lives, myself included. And in time
it becomes clearer that meditation is not
about needing to get anywhere. Meditation
is a practice of just being.
Nothing special.
Try this: Take a
few moments and pay attention to your
breath. Just the breath. When your mind
wanders to other thoughts gently return to
simple awareness of your breath.
Experience the breath as simply the
experience of breathing. Don't judge how
well you do this. Don't put yourself down.
Just allow the breath to be what and how
it is. If it's short and shallow, let it
be. If it's deep and long, let it be.
However, it's natural for the mind to
wander and become distracted. When that
happens just notice it, silently note this
to yourself as "thinking", and return
again to your breath. That's
meditation.
There is
increasing scientific research
demonstrating the healing properties of
daily meditation. There's no need to join
a religious commune. Meditation itself is
a non-religious skill that anyone can
utilize regardless of personal belief.
While I am a student of Zen Buddhism, I
teach meditation to people of all
orientations as a straightforward skill to
cultivate self-awareness. The byproduct of
this skill is increased calm, increased
concentration, increased self-confidence
and increased self-compassion.
In the final
estimate deciding to meditate regularly is
about making a commitment to yourself: To
understanding yourself more fully and to
loving all the parts of yourself.
Increasing this potential creates more
room in your conscious mind to make
decisions about how to live your life.
It's not easy to do and kindness for
yourself is the way to begin. Please call
me with any questions you have at
503-252-3739.
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