Midwestern Meditation

If you’re distractedly shuffling through the Landlocked blog entries, absentmindedly trying to find the perfect one to read, then stop. Read this one. See that cloud of thoughts buzzing around your mind like gnats? See how the cloud keeps you from concentrating on your present task?

Stop. Breathe. Close your eyes and sit. Don’t try to do anything.

Welcome to meditation.

Meditation clears away all of that clutter from stress—schoolwork, relationships, taxes, what to cook for dinner, and so on. Somehow, when you "just sit there" for a few minutes, no longer distracted by the endless enticements of the external world, you temporarily surrender control of all those concerns - you are letting go. Ironically, when you sit down to meditate and stop trying to solve everything, you leave feeling more alert, thus more capable of fixing your problems.

Photo from: http://www.peoplejam.com/files/u3346/meditation

I have traditionally heard of only one rule for how to meditate correctly: do not try to meditate correctly! The point is to stop trying. If you feel your mind slipping into “fix it” mode, just relax and watch your thoughts fly around. They will settle down eventually.

Now that you are itching to meditate, allow me to point out a few key Midwestern locations for your endeavors. You will need to check out Fairfield, Iowa—where the air is pure and fragrant with the positive vibrations of thousands of Transcendental Meditation practitioners. The small Midwestern town became the spiritual mecca of the Midwest when the old Parsons College became Maharishi University of Management. Think Catholic school, and then replace Catholic practices with meditation, vegetarian cuisine, and a new-age-esque atmosphere. A myriad of alternative spiritualities have made their homes in Fairfield. Taoist, Hindu, and other temples grace the streets.

If you live in a major city (or in my hometown, Kirksville) you should look up the Art of Living Foundation in your area. It was founded in Bangalore in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, an Indian spiritual leader and activist. Through the courses offered through the Art of Living foundation, Shankar has transferred his extensive amount of personal growth knowledge to teachers all across the country who host a variety of transformative courses, including meditation. Now, instead of trying to make time to head to an ashram for years to gain knowledge from a guru, you can simply take a weekend out of your life right now and learn some ancient techniques to connect to deep levels of your being.

Otherwise, look up a Buddhist or other spiritual center near you and ask if they lead meditations. You can find a directory, the Independent Meditation Center Guide, here.  If you manage to make it a regular thing, you will start relishing the blissful time you reserve for sitting and doing absolutely nothing.

Here are some sites to guide your practices:

http://www.how-to-meditate.org
http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate
http://www.meditate.com