We often say “I am thinking”, but really it is the other way round; “thinking is doing you”, what I mean by this is that our sense of “self” is a product of our thought processes. There is no fixed self or personality, we recreate our “selves” from moment to moment.

So, if your personality is a product of our thought processes then who or what is doing the thinking? This is called the “our essential nature” in the Zen tradition and often illustrated by the Koan “What did your face look like before your parents were born?”

Siddhartha recognised this and realised that this self-made prison of “self” inhibits us and traps us in repeating unuseful patterns of thought and behaviour over and over.

Mindfulness meditation is the ultimate form of minimalism, not only do you abandon your possessions, you abandon your fixed concept of personality, you become free of the baggage of psychological ticks, hang-ups, contradictions and prejudices that make up “you”.

With the notion (And current trend) of “self development” all you are doing is making your cage more comfortable, you are going the wrong way, self “deconstruction” is the key.

Mindfulness is traditionally a Buddhist meditative process, but has been explored and studied by psychologist since the 1970′s and has been formalised into a number of therapeutic applications that have been shown to work with issues such as stress reduction, anxiety and depression and chronic pain.

Mindfulness is best described by John Kabat-Zinn as “…paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”

In the beginning mindfulness meditation is a practice of concentration, with a focus on following or counting the breath. It is essential to build up the required level of concentration.

This concentration and focus on the present moment can be a powerful outcome of it’s own. In the Zen tradition this is called Joriki. You develop a level of mental fortitude and concentration that Zen master Yasutani Hakuun Roshi has referred to as “a dynamic power that enables us even in the most sudden and unexpected situations to act instantly, without pausing to collect our wits, and in a manner wholly appropriate to the circumstances.”

However, mindfulness meditation is much more than just concentrating, it is a powerful tool of self-inquiry, boundless in its scope and ability to reveal the true basis of reality. Through mindfulness we come to realise selflessness and the interconnectivity of all things, which has the potential to transform our lives and those of others.

Meditation: A Simple How to Guide

There are hundreds if not thousands of different types of mediation, from guided mediation (which are closer to self hypnosis) to Transcendental Mediation(tm), to the hardcore hyper-speed psychotherapy for the soul of the Zen tradition. Some of these methods require the guidance of a teacher (and therefore are open to abuse and cult like tendencies, so do be careful if this is your bag).

However, the purest form of meditation is the practice of mindfulness and can be practiced by anyone (although, it is often recognised that a teacher can be useful) at any time. Here is a basic introduction:

Posture

Correct posture is essential to proper meditative practice. It is almost impossible to meditate if you are slouched, or even lying down. It can take some time to become flexible, strong and comfortable enough to sit for long periods of time, so it is a good idea to practice physical exercises to improve strength and flexibility outside of your meditative practice.

The key to correct posture is to have an elongated, unsupported spine and a strong base. There is no need to be able to sit in full lotus, although this a noble aim. Full lotus (or half lotus if you cannot manage full lotus – I sit in half lotus as do most practitioners I know), has been traditionally the meditative position to be in as it allow the body to be held completely steady for long periods of time by giving you a good solid, stable base using your bum, thighs and knees.

With a bit of practice you will be surprised how quickly you can sit comfortably in a good posture (although full lotus may take a few years to achieve!).

To begin with maybe you can only manage to sit in a chair (keep your back straight and unsupported, unless you need to), that is fine, don’t force yourself into an uncomfortable position, you won’t get as much out of your practice and maybe even injure yourself.  You can buy an inexpensive kneeling stool to help you sit in a kneeling position, I have used one for years and it is preferred if you can to sitting on a chair.

Stretch and practice the postures outside of your meditating and then start to incorporate it when you feel ready. Even if you, say, sit in half lotus for five minutes and then complete the rest of the meditation time on a chair.

For an excellent and detailed description of postures and recommended exercises to help improve them you cannot go fair wrong with Robert Aitken’s “Taking the Path of Zen“.

You can close your eyes, but this often promotes a lot more mental activity and it is easier to get distracted or drop off. So it is best to keep your eyes half open and defocus looking at the ground about 4 feet away.

Put your hands palm up in your lap and just gently rest one palm on top of the other and gently put the tips of your thumbs together.

Timing

You can use a stopwatch, glance a clock, or you can download a fancy app for your smart phone (I use the SotoTimer app for my iPhone, it is free and I find it does everything I need very well). Or you can use counting beads (mala), I like counting beads and find them useful tool when I cannot use a clock or timer, I wear my beads around my wrist or neck and find them a positive trigger and reminder to remain mindful (see “Everything is Mediation” below).

Start with a very short period of time, say five minutes and slowly build up by adding a minute a week until you reach 20 – 25 minutes. If you dive straight in with a 25-minute session you will find you get twitchy and distracted and give in very easily, it is better to do a short period time, even if you want to go further. This builds up momentum.

When to do it

It is often recommended to meditate twice a day; first thing in the morning, right after you wake up, and at the end of the day just before you go to bed.

For some people this just isn’t feasible and for others it isn’t the best time. I find it takes me a long time to get going in the morning and with the best will in the world I just don’t get as much out of meditating at that time. So I often sit mid-morning (admittedly I can, I work from home most of the time) after breakfast and few morning chores, I find I can then concentrate and focus better. I don’t often meditate in the evening unless I am sitting with a group.

Find your own rhythm and what works for you, it is most important to find a time that suits you and build up a regular practice (see “ritualising your practice” below). Experiment, we are all different.

Where to do it

You can meditate anywhere, but it helps to develop an area in your home where you go to meditate. This helps put you in the mood and act as a trigger, that when you are there that is what you do, it can be a room, or just a corner or a part of a room, you may want to make a little “shrine” with some flowers a candle, some incense (smell is a very powerful mood trigger and I find the smell of a particular incense always focuses me on meditation), a statue of the Buddha or some other religious artefacts if you have your own personal beliefs.

Buddhism recognises the power of ritual and by ritualising your practice, by doing it an specific time in a specific place, you will find you will build the habit much more quickly and gain the benefits of a meditative practice in a shorter period of time.

What to actually do!

I have talked a lot about how, where, when and how long to sit for, so now it is time to talk about what you should actually do when you are there.

In fact the “content” of mindfulness practice is the easiest to explain (but the hardest to master…).

To begin with, the first few times you meditate, just sit still, don’t try and focus on anything, just sit there, get used to doing nothing for five minutes or so, get used to the fidgets, the twitches, start to notice your mind racing around trying to fill the time. Once you have done that for a week or so and started getting in to the habit, you want to draw your attention to your breathing, don’t force it or try and change the way you breathe, just relax (by relaxing you will notice your breathing will lengthen, deepen and slow down). To help you focus, we count the breaths, you can count the in-breath, the out-breath, or both, it is up to you, see what works best. Count up to 10 then return to one.

We use or breathing as an area of focus as it is always with us, no matter where we are, or what we are doing, we can draw our attention to our breath.

You will notice that your mind carries on thinking, that’s what your brain does (your heart beats, your lungs breath, you brain thinks), the goal of meditation is not to “stop thinking” but to disengage from your thoughts, to just let them drift by like clouds in the sky. As you meditate more, you will notice that your thinking will slow, things will seem less important, less requiring of your immediate attention.

If you find during your sessions that your mind does wander, or gets caught up in the hustle and bustle of your thoughts, just gently disengage, take a couple of long deep breaths, check your posture and then return to counting your breaths.

It really is that simple. For years I thought, “Is this it? Is this all I should be doing?” I worried that it shouldn’t be that simple (it isn’t easy…), and I would sit in meditation and question myself and hunt around (and try out) different styles of meditation. But the more I hunted the more a I kept returning to the breath counting, to it’s purity and simplicity.

Stick to it, you will soon realise the benefits.

Everything is meditation

“The real meditation practice is life itself. The real meditation teacher is life itself.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

Sitting meditation is just a chance to practice mindfulness and build concentration, the real process of mindfulness happens in your day-to-day life. Everything is meditation. Everything you do should be an act of mindfulness. Whether you are working, showering, cleaning your teeth, eating or waiting for the bus, everything should be done with awareness. This can take years of practice to remain fully aware throughout your day, but by making an effort to be fully present for moment through the day, whether that is for just three minutes as your clean your teeth, as well as regular “sitting” practice, you will find that your clarity of thought, concentration and ability to cope with what used to seem like ridiculously difficult situations.

You will become “grounded in the present moment without being swept away by it”.

Now isn’t that cool?

Matt

Anyway, I digress, the reason for this post is to announce my new one-to-one online “Zen Therapy” coaching practice.

I have been coaching for over 10 years, three of those I have been developing the “slow strategies” using mindfulness as a core to the approach.

How Can Mindfulness Help?

Mindfulness, as Siddhartha discovered, is the first step of the process of change. By being mindful a broad vista of options open up to us and we don’t need to react in the conditioned hare-brained response that is holding you in your current, scattered and unuseful patterns of behaviour.

Mindfulness has been used by psychologists since the 1970′s to help with issues from stress to depression to chronic pain and substance abuse. It is best described by John Kabat-Zinn as “…paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”

I use mindfulness as the jumping off point to a creative process to reconnect with, and create, the life you want. It is probably something very different to what you have experienced before, but many clients describe it as “coming home” and feeling like they have done it before…

Online “Clinic”

After experimenting with different approaches for the last two years, I have developed effective strategies where I can use these processes online via Skype or email exchange. It means you are no longer bound by geographical location and I have worked with people all over the world (including Australia, which meant very early starts for me as I am based in the UK!).

If you feel your life is stuck and you don’t know how to move forward, maybe you have tried traditional “goal based” coaching in the past and it hasn’t worked for you, then this could help.

You can read more and book a session here.

Matt

I first got into Buddhism when I was 19. I remember it very clearly, surprisingly so since I was drunk at the time. I was rambling to a friend of a friend I had just been introduced to in a bar in Cheltenham, I was expounding my current thoughts about life the universe and everything to this poor guy and it went something like this:

“Right, what it is, yeah, is that we are unhappy because we constantly wanna have things, we strive and crave, but all that stuff will, like, just break or fade or fall apart man. The secret to being happy is to let go off all that shit, if you cannot be happy with nothing, you can never be happy with everything…”

To which he responded “Oh, I didn’t realise you were a Buddhist”

And I said “Huh…?”

He then went to explain he was in fact an ex-Buddhist monk what I had just been drunkenly waffling on at him about the Four Noble Truths. Once he realised that I wasn’t actually a Buddhist and had just come up with it by myself he encouraged me to read some books and meet with the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (now the Triratna Buddhist Community).

(actually, that is not strictly true, I had been aware of Buddhism for many years before that through my interest and experience in martial arts, but back then it just seemed to be to some mystical religion from the East with cool iconography and bad ass monks. OK, I admit it, until the meeting with the monk, my knowledge came from the Monkey TV show and Kung Fu movies).

I became fascinated with the Zen school of Buddhism a few years later after being introduced to the writings of the Beat Generation (particularly Jack Kerouac and Gary Snyder) by a good friend of mine. I consumed books by Alan Watts and DT Suzuki and eventually, through luck more than anything I became involved with Oxford Zen Group (of the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Zen) and studied Zen formally for about two years. I drifted away from my practice as I became more and more seduced by the cult of speed…

What is Zen Anyway?

Zen has become one of the most confused words in the West today. Because, to untrained ears, a lot of Zen writings sound like mumbo jumbo (“the sound of one hand clapping” anyone?), a lot of utter mumbo jumbo is often passed off as Zen.

It has become a “catch all” phrase for anything from chilled out cool, to focused attention. We like it in the West, as it seems a bit trippy and cool (probably because it’s early associations with the Beat movement). Many people I see talking about how “Zen” they are, are often the most “un-Zen” people I have ever met. They either use it as an excuse to be lazy, or are just waaaaaay too intense and twitchy…

For those of you who are unsure, Zen is a contemplative form of Buddhism that focuses on experiential wisdom rather than study of the scriptures. It de-emphasises theoretical knowledge in favour of direct realisation through meditation practice. It requires discipline and focus to practice.

“Zen” is the Japanese word for the Chinese word “Chan”, which, in turn is the Chinese word translation of the Sanskrit word “Dhyana”, which means “meditation”.

So, “Zen” in its broadest possible sense means being in a meditative state (we will look at that in a little more detail in a minute).

Doing Zen vs Being Zen

There is a difference between “doing Zen” and “being Zen”.

Doing Zen – Formal Zen Training

It is impossible to formally study Zen without being under the tutelage of a Zen teacher (from a recognised lineage). Zen is about experiential knowledge more than scripture study. Meditation (or “sitting”) is the corner stone of Zen practice, the intense meditative practice of Zen study can create some very strange psychological effects and it is essential to have a trained teacher who can help guide you.

Formal Zen training is designed to break down our mental constructs of the world around us and allow us to perceive the world as it really is (to achieve, as the Buddhists call it “enlightenment”, to break away from our dreamlike state and wake up). It is hardcore high-speed (a prime example of “slow down go faster”) psychotherapy for the soul and can create some extreme sensations and can send you a bit bonkers if you try and do it without proper guidance.

Being Zen

Of course, you can “be Zen”, without ever having any formal training (Siddharha didn’t have any, after all, he just sat down for a bit of a think…). Zen has become a word that is used in the West in a similar context to what sports people may call the “zone” or (especially Jazz) musicians call the “flow”, but people seem to like it as it is still a bit mystical and exotic and “groovy”…

It has come to mean a sense or state of calm focused attention where “you” seem to dissolve and the task you are doing takes over. Where the difference between the “doer” and the “doing” disappears. I am sure you have experienced that at some point in your life? It is about living in the present moment and appreciating the simpler joys of life (the more you practice Zen, or meditation in general, the less “stuff” becomes important to you).

The Zen of Slow

After my realisation that I had been seduced by speed and the kindly and timely intervention of serendipity introduced me to the Slow Movement, Carl Honore and Tom Hodgkinson, the first place I turned to for help regaining balance and centring myself was my previous practice in Zen. I kept returning to a phrase in my mind that I had read in a book on Buddhism years ago:

“Grounded in the present moment, but not swept away by it”

I realised that I could make all the changes I wanted in my external world to try and slow down (incorporating all the facets of the Slow Movement – Slow food, slow travel, etc), but to really change the way I was living I needed to change the way I was thinking.

I explored mindfulness and started to adjust the strategies and skills I had learned as a “success coach”. However, a lot of my take on the “Slow Movement” and particularly the idea of the “Tortoise Mind” have been influenced by my studies of Eastern philosophies of Taoism and Zen.

To become Slower, you need to start by slowing down your mind, your thoughts and your behaviour, to let go of cravings, anger and jealousy. Changing your lifestyle to try and change the way you think, feel and behave is working the wrong the way round.

You have to change your mind first.

I am not suggesting you dash off to sign up at the nearest Zen Monastery, but elements of Zen practice are very useful tools to help you cultivate this change.

Matt

(Please note: I make no claims to be an “expert” on Buddhism, or a Zen teacher, or anything like that. I am still very much a beginner in all this and I am just humbly sharing my experiences).

He even posits that the human race should not be called “homo sapien” (thinking or wise man), but “homo expetens” (wanting man).

However, we have now got to a point where those natural cravings have become a hindrance to our development (both socially and evolutionarily) and we need to get beyond them so that we can continue to develop and evolve…

I have been involved in Buddhism since I was about 19. I was sort of aware of it from an early age, when I took up martial arts at the age of 12, but that was really just the draw of a far off and distant land (the mythic “east”) and the iconography and aesthetics of it all.

But I remember when I real became interested in Buddhism was when I was sat in a bar in Cheltenham, I was a little bit drunk and rambling on to this bloke I had just been introduced to about how I thought the majority of problems people have is because they were always wanting more and more things and if they were just appreciated what they had got then the world would be a much better place and we would all be happier (see I was even “Slow” back then…). He interrupted me to ask me “How long have you been interested in Buddhism?”, I had no idea what he was talking about and asked him what he meant, he said I had almost, word for word quoted the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths:

1. Life is suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is craving (or attachment to things).
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable by relinquishing cravings.
4. We can follow the path to the cessation of suffering.

Turns out this guy was an ex-Buddhist monk and he introduced me to Buddhism, recommended books, and groups and events where I could learn more (I feel a bit guilty, as I can’t even remember his name!).

I studied Buddhism through my early 20’s, getting involved with varies groups including The “Friends of the Western Buddhist Order” (FWBO) and “Sanbo Kyodan Zen”, but around 2004 I found myself getting more and more distracted by the world of more, until I peaked in 2007 and found myself the craving, striving, stressed “success coach” that I had become.

What has this potted history of my relationship and involvement in Buddhism have to do with Slow or John Naish?

Well, over the years studying the Buddha’s teachings and methods I starting to formulate the idea that Buddhism was not really a religion but a process of therapy and the Buddha was in fact the first “psychotherapist”! His teachings helped you undo our natural propensity to want and crave and evolve beyond our instinctive urges.

I was not alone in this interpretation and notable Buddhist scholars such as Stephen Bachelor, Caroline and David Brazier, to name a few, have discussed Buddhist techniques and ideology, particularly Zen practices in a therapeutic context. Philip Kapleau has explaines:

“Bompu (or Ordinary) Zen, being free from any philosophic or religious content, is for anybody and everybody. It is a Zen practiced purely in the belief that it can improve both physical and mental health. Since it can almost certainly have no ill effects, anyone can undertake it, whatever religious beliefs they happen to hold or if they hold none at all. Bompu Zen is bound to eliminate sickness of a psychosomatic nature and to improve the health generally.”

This has finally led to Western psychologists and therapists, particularly Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Joseph Goldstein, and Sharon Salzberg, to have researched and studied Buddhist practices, particularly mindfulness, and recent research supports promising mindfulness-based therapies for a number of medical and psychiatric conditions, notably chronic pain, stress, depression and substance abuse and recurrent suicidal behaviour.

The more I study, explore and develop the slow life, in particular the slow mindset (which, to me, is where it is at), the more I recognise that mindfulness is the corner stone to that mindset and the spring from where everything else comes.

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– Plato

Mindfulness is best described by John Kabat-Zinn as “…paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”

Being mindful of the present moment can reduce habituation and therefore craving.

In one study of habituation, 3 Zen practitioners were placed in a room with their eyes closed and a clicking noise was made 20 times in a row at 15 second intervals,  their brain waves monitored. When the study had been done with non-Zen Practitioners (‘ordinary’ people) their brainwave patterns showed that by the 5th click habituation had set in and the subjects no longer noticed the sound. In contrast the Zen practitioners responded to each repeated click as fully as the first.

By cultivating the Zen mindset of being open to moment as you can reduces the sense of habituation, therefore craving.

After starting to discuss mindfulness in 3 previous blogs (here, here and here) I have to admit to distracting myself and I am going to return to the subject in the very near future. If you want to learn more about you can attend my “Day of Mindfulness Seminar” or my forthcoming (if I ever get it finished) guide to mindfulness ebook. Sorry. Plug Over…

So I am not going to go into mindfulness too much here, but the good news is you do not need to become a Zen Master or run off to a Buddhist monastery (far from it, most Zen practitioners are lay people rather than monks – people with every day jobs and lives), you can cultivate mindfulness by following a few simple principles:

1) Draw Your Attention into Your Body.

Pay attention to your body, check your posture and relax any areas of tension, move your attention so that you can feel your hips and “sit” into your hips. When you move, pay attention to the movement, whether that is walking or reaching for something or whatever

2) Focus on Your Breath

Don’t try and force it or change it, just focus on it. By focusing on it you will find it will naturally slow and deepen and you will find yourself calmer and more relaxed.

3) Do Something Deliberately

Pick something you do every day, like cleaning your teeth for example, and really pay attention to it, rather than just doing it whilst daydreaming about something else…

4) Be Polite

By making the effort to be polite to the people around you (saying “please” or “thank you” for example) you are forced to be more mindful of your surrounds and slow down!

5) Be Gentle

The Taoists have a saying of only apply “4 ounces” of pressure to whatever you touch. Now, it doesn’t mean exactly 4 ounces, but means being gentle with everything you interact with, both physically and psychologically.

We will look at my final suggestion for getting rid of wanted in this mini-series tomorrow.

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