Nature's Place

… for peace of mind. Get in touch if it appeals to you.

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It’s really very simple. There is sense or sensation that is of the body. You can feel the tingling in your hands or feet or … (eyes closed – to start) or smell the rain and see what’s in front of you. That’s sense with no need to think about it.

And then there is thought and emotion that is of the mind. Worry, stress, anger, fear and all the other negatives of mind.

Meditation, the practise, is to determine which you give your attention to until it is a subconscious reality and you can do it at will.

See here : The Idea Behind for an idea, what else, of what it’s all about.

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If I give my attention unduly to the stuff of mind I get the excesses of mind. Such as, thinking turns to worry in all its forms, or emotion turns to unhappiness. It’s my experience enough of either one, thought or emotion, always ends in some negativity.

If I give my attention to the stuff of sense, and do it enough, the momentum of mind slows and the sense of wellbeing grows. Really, wellbeing is just uncovered inside by breaking the habit of mind to fill inner space with form and movement.

The rule is what I give my attention to grows, what I don’t give my attention to dies. It’s that simple. The rub is it has to be done. And the beauty is it works.

The difficulty is in the minds momentum, it isn’t easy to stop. And like a truck has to have its brakes applied to stop it there is some effort to begin with.

Peace of mind being the whole point. Relaxation and focus of attention are the key.

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A little exercise : Of course it is easier if someone leads you through until you know it enough.

Relax. Let go. Be easy. Let go of the tension.

There is no hurry.You have nothing else to do but this for a few minutes.

It took a long time to get stressed, it takes some time to dissolve it. So relax. Let go. Be easy.

Sitting upright, hands resting in lap, feet comfortably on floor. First, take a few deep breaths. Begin with exhalation and when the lungs are empty force the last of the air out with a little push, by contracting the stomach muscles. Then let the body inhale, but down into the belly first, naturally, and hold it as long as comfortable. And exhale again, only bringing force into it at the end of exhalation to get rid of old air.

Relaxation is the key to this being effective, so just do it and don’t think about it. As you breathe in you can feel the tension break up. And as you exhale you can feel the tension leave or break down. Do that for a few minutes – comfortably so – sitting upright.

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Now, eyes closed, go around the body ‘inside’ and feel any tension there is. Focus on the tension without reacting or thinking about it and watch it dissolve, a bit at a time – seeing the tension is halfway to relaxing it. Move to the next place inside there is tension and do the same, see the tension and let go. Let go the tension and it will fall away. Do this until you are ready to move to the next part of the exercise. Proper focus is more important than speed, there’s no hurry.

In between remember to take a few deep breaths, as you are moved. And most important, relax. Let go. Be easy.

Now, eyes still closed, feel the tingling or pressure in your hands, or feet, or anywhere else you can feel it – one place at a time – and focus properly. Go around the body inside for five or ten minutes. And relax while doing it. See how the mind tries to continue in thought? And see also how you feel lighter, more at ease, more spacious?

After going around the body inside you can now focus on the space inside it all occurs in, that lightness of being, and go back to the sensation as you are reminded. Switch between the two as necessary to keep the mind out. And relax.

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When you finish this meditation you can take this sense of space with you into the garden or park and practise being in the senses, whichever presents as a focus for your attention, including the inner sensation and the sense of space.

See the blue of the sky, the green of the nature, hear the wind in the trees or the birds or the rain, feel the grass under your feet, the leaf or the …, smell the freshness of being new. And acknowledge the simple sense of wellbeing.

If you do just this for a few weeks, morning and night – and any other time you are free or are moved to, you will begin to  see a real difference to your general wellbeing.

And that’s the beginning of the work to change your inner space from clutter to clarity, from mind to sense, and enjoy more just being alive.

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For an indication of the next stage of the process see here : The Real Discipline

© Mark Berkery

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