The Simple Feeling of Breathing
A chronically congested nose can at times be our greatest teacher. After sniffling through the winter, I usually find my nose blocked by my springtime allergy. A few days ago on a sunny afternoon I found myself, strangely enough, able to breath freely. I was overtaken by childlike wonder of this feeling of just breathing, and stood there for the next 5 minutes exploring this strange sensation.
When was the last time you allowed yourself be carried away by this feeling of awe and wonder for everyday things?
Meditation as an Exercise in Wonder
The last time I remember myself experiencing something like this was towards the end of a ten-day meditation retreat I was attending a year ago. The first six days or so ranged from uncomfortable to agonizing, but then for some reason my mind settled into a, well, peaceful state of mind.
I remembering walking along the paths during the breaks and staring at just about everything I could find; the beetles, straws of grass, the blue sky, the starry sky, the mundane, and the genuinely beautiful. And everything felt like I was seeing it for the first time. That was the point when I became convinced about the benefits of meditation.
Happiness
Granted, maintaining that state of mind in the middle of our hectic lives might not be easy nor even practical, but perhaps there’s something to be learned here. Relaxing our views of the world, our “knowing”, we can meet the world anew and see it with fresh eyes. We all have our ways to unwind and relax physically, perhaps it’s time to learn how to do so mentally?
