Underground Meditation -- posted by Katherine
WEEK THREE: DAY TWO
Yesterday I practiced moving meditation, but not walking meditation as the challenge suggested. I was moving much faster during my meditation: I was on the subway. And let me tell you, if there’s any place where a relaxed state of mind is necessary, it’s on the New York City subway system.
When you think about it, the subway is the perfect place to practice meditation. Riding a crowded subway car during rush hour is already a practice in the art of disengagement. For those of you unfamiliar with the unwritten rules and regulations of riding, two of the most stringent practices are: (1) you don’t talk on the subway, especially not anything personal because everyone will be listening to you, and (2), you don’t make eye contact with other riders. (This doesn’t mean that you don’t look at other people, but you just never let them catch you looking at them.)
As I clambered on packed express train yesterday, I shoved my New York Times in my bag (there wasn’t room to hold it in front of me anyway), grabbed on to the greasy metal pole and took a deep breath. I focused my gaze on an empty patch of floor at my feet and pictured it rising up to meet my eyes. The polished Oxfords, pant legs, high heels and nylons blurred in the periphery as the black speckled linoleum rose like some 3-D special effect.
Aside from the sound of the train speeding along the tracks, the car was silent. I was still waking up, so there wasn’t much chatter in my mind to suppress. I concentrated on my breathing and how my body bounced and undulated as the train bumped along the tracks.
I was briefly interrupted when the train pulled into the different stations, and the car emptied and refilled with new passengers. When we got to my stop, I filed off the train and realized how calm I felt despite being in Times Square during rush hour. It’s not a bad way to spend the morning commute.
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As an aside, I wanted to point out that in addition to the other health benefits mentioned in the challenge, meditation has been show to reduced blood pressure. Just one more reason to practice this ancient tradition.
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Walking meditation can be a really great way to deal with all kinds of stresses we face in our daily routines. I personally practice mindfulness meditation for ten minutes each day. It helps keep me sane and aside from that has made me more compassionate, patient, creative, focused, and efficient in my business. I strongly recommend it.
