Keeping It Simple
March 14, 2008 by Anne Wayman
Filed under Jobs
Someone asked me the other day if I didn’t feel like the world was speeding up even more. I was surprised when I realized that I haven’t been having that “I’m going to fast and so’s the world” feeling as often as I used to, and I wondered why. I think the reasons are probably:
- Freelancing in a home office means no commute. For me this means I can usually travel when there’s less traffic which means way less stress. I can also shop when there are fewer folks shopping, and go to the gym…
- I don’t have a TV. I get my news from radio. I can’t prove it, but I’m convinced no TV means I’m not getting all those negative images and that helps me feel good.
- I meditate almost every day. This is, I suspect, the big one. I don’t understand how meditation works, and my meditation is certainly messy. That is, I’ve got “monkey mind” all the time. But just sitting seems to make me a better, or at least more level person.
What do you do to unplug from the world?
Write well and often,
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If you’re having trouble meditating effectively, try doing the “five Tibetans” yoga positions. I don’t have the name of a reference book for you, but I’m pretty sure the book in which I saw the illustrations of the five positions had some fairly silly name like “Secrets of the Fountain of Youth.” Anyway, I tried them and got a great feeling of general well-being afterwards. If you find the book, which I no longer have, you’ll see some pretty outlandish stories of super-old yoga masters and wild claims. I can’t vouch for the book other than the fact that the five Tibetans gave me some relief from the hectic world.
John, somehow the Five Tibetans and the title “Secrets of the Fountain of Youth” rings a vague bell with me… not sure why. I may actually have the book in boxes which, with luck, will all be unpacked and in bookcases in a week or so.
I’m actually involved in Zen practice at the moment… sitting. Boring as heck but seems to be doing something positive for me.
To unplug from the world I go work out.
I am at the gym 5 evenings a week; I take a long hot bath, book and glass of red wine at hand; take a ride, weather permitting, on our 883 Harley Davidson Sportster.