Mindful June 2017

the mindful faq
What if I have a really good idea during
meditation? Is it OK to pause to write it down?
When we’re struggling with a thorny issue or
trying to untangle a difficult problem, letting
go of trying and simply settling gently on the
meditation cushion for a period of time often
provides a more relaxed and flexible cognitive
state that allows us to see things from a different
perspective. And, yes, sometimes remarkably
clear and unanticipated ideas arise from the
depths of our psyche when we let go of trying.
So, if you need to you can keep a notepad
nearby when you sit down to meditate, jot down
a note, and let yourself rest in knowing that you
have offloaded the idea and can drop back into
awareness of the moment. I find that if I try to
preserve a good idea while meditating, I simply
become fully preoccupied and distracted by
the idea and its subsequent offspring. Writing it
down allows me to let go of it for the moment.
I also want to note what is likely NOT to
work: meditating in order to solve a problem or
have a good idea. When we use our meditation
practice to achieve a goal, we are destined for
frustration. As Jon Kabat-Zinn said in Wherever
You Go, There You Are, “In meditation practice,
the best way to get somewhere is to let go of
trying to get anywhere at all.”
When I’m freaking out
about something, I find it
impossible to meditate. I
do have a history of panic
attacks. Any suggestions?
We’re often susceptible
to inadvertently engaging
in what I like to call
Strategic Meditation. That
is, because we sometimes
attain a degree of calmness
when we practice,
we begin to think that we
should meditate in order to
change how we feel. Such
an approach is particularly
ineffective and fraught with
danger when we feel highly
distressed, panicked, or
depressed.
At such times, we’re
not really meditating. If
mindfulness meditation is
the allowing or accepting
of all that is arising in our
awareness and holding it
with kindness and patience
and willingness, then using
Strategic Meditation to
calm down or stop a wave
of sadness represents
resistance to our feelings,
not acceptance. We are
adopting a stance of judging
the feeling as bad or undesirable
or problematic and
trying earnestly to make it
stop or go away. The problem
is that trying to make
yourself stop feeling or
thinking about something
only tends to make the
problem worse. What you
resist, persists.
So then should you stop
practicing mindfulness
when you’re freaking out?
No. But you may want
to try a slightly different
approach. Instead of sitting
very still when your body is
feeling agitated and fearful,
consider walking mindfully
or doing yoga with
the intention of bringing
awareness to your experience.
That may just indulge
your agitation enough to
let you find a rhythm in the
tumult. Let go of trying
to make the anxiety go
away and instead see if,
for a time, you can simply
befriend it and get to know
it a bit. Perhaps by letting
go of the resistance to
freaking out, you will find
that you actually take the
wind out of its sails.
Letting go of needing
anything to be any different
in this moment is the key to
moving mindfully through
difficult situations. It isn’t
easy to do, but when you’re
practicing regularly, this
stance of letting go becomes
more accessible and easier
to embrace. Regularly cultivating
mindfulness when
we aren’t freaking out or
anxious will help us when
we are freaked out. If our
inner “volume” is already
turned down, these difficult
situations don’t provoke us
in the same way. ●
42 mindful June 2017