Saturday, January 31, 2009

A Near-Life Experience

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.
Marcus Aurelius

I have read many stories of people who, after brushes with death, report that they emerge with a new consciousness, an awakened state in which everything seems to fit into place and make perfect sense. Their stories are filled with such hope, such intense understanding of life, that I could only think, “I gotta get me some of that.”

Like most people, I have never faced the great white light of a near-death experience. I have, however, seen the faint glimmer of a near-life experience. This is a nagging sense that one is almost there, just a step away from personal fulfillment and only a few short steps from the Promised Land. However, it is never close enough and one’s days are spent lamenting a life almost lived to the fullest, dreams almost made real and the desire to be the most sought after, well-liked person in the known solar system left unfulfilled.

Where is our enlightenment? When does the awakening take place for those of us who spend more time in the “ditch often occupied” than the on “the road less traveled?” Sure if you spent an evening hovering over your body while the EKG machine flat lined, and then were able to return to tell your loved ones that you heard every word they said about how you should have exercised more, you might have a new outlook on existence. But what if the only out of body experience you ever had was followed up by a smashing hangover and your only contact with nirvana was a concert you went to years ago that left you thinking, “what are they so angry about?”

Prior to Buddhism, there were two primary roads that one could travel down in search of higher planes of existence. One was hedonism and the other asceticism. With the first you flood the senses with all the earthly delights you can stand in hopes of reaching ecstasy. With the other you inflicted suffering on yourself in hopes that you could break down your human trappings and discover the divine truth hidden underneath. Both paths came with pitfalls, but my choice would have been the unending pleasure-fest.

The Buddha’s great insight was that neither road was necessary and both actually had at their core the problem of desire, even if that desire was to renounce all earthly treasures, in the case of asceticism, in order to get a payoff from the Supreme Being. The Buddha pointed out that somewhere between these two extremes was a middle path that was the natural course that life takes. Simply living in accord with life and not fighting it brings one back to the natural state of enlightenment. The image often used is that of a river taking the path of least resistance back home to the sea.

In the end it is not gorging on life or coming close to death that wakes us out of our misery, it is living life mindfully, being totally in the here and now and not allowing our thoughts and desires to run the show. To reach this state of deep peace within ourselves does not require an out of body experience, but you will have to get out of your mind. This will feel like death to the ego so don’t be surprised if you hear its shrill voice calling, “stay away from the light, don’t go towards the light!”

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Waiting to Inhale: The Healing Power of Breath


I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray
of my heart: I am, I am, I am.
Sylvia Plath

Chances are that unless you have a head cold, and a box of tissues have been your constant companion, you are giving very little thought to your breathing. The body, in its infinite wisdom, has relegated breathing to the autonomic nervous system so that we can eat, sleep and do Sudoku puzzles all without having to think about taking our next breath. The wisdom of the body extends even deeper, as the breath is also something that we can bring under our conscious control. This attention to breath is central to meditative healing practices both ancient and modern.

How can something so simple and so ordinary have the power to transform our lives? This question arises because the mind, in an attempt to maintain control, is convinced that transformation is a very difficult process that takes years or even a lifetime to complete. The answer, however, is evident if we think about the physiological impact of breathing. Stripped down to basic science, breathing is a constant miracle. With each inhalation an invisible substance is drawn from the external world, undergoes a chemical transition, and becomes the very stuff of our existence. With each exhalation comes the expulsion of a potentially harmful invisible substance, making room for the introduction of more life-giving nutrients. From your first gasp to your last whisper, your breath is always with you, making all other processes possible.

To tune in to the healing force of breath, find a quiet spot to sit where you won’t be interrupted. Now, just pay attention to your breathing. Don’t try to change it in any way, just observe. When the inevitable stray thought arises, simply notice it and then turn your attention back to the breath. Next, watch the body as the breath enters. Feel the chest moving in and out in response to your breaths. Pay attention to the intervals of the in and out breath, and especially to that quiet moment between breaths.

Once you have a feel for your normal breathing you can begin to tinker with it a bit. On your next breath, make a point of drawing it down deep into the lungs. You should see and feel your stomach expanding out as you fill your lungs. On the exhalation, watch as the stomach sinks in and see if you can push it back towards the spine to really empty the tank. Finally, go back to normal breathing and just observe.

You will probably notice that your mind was blank during the time that you were aware of your breath. It seems that the mind cannot think and observe the breath at the same time. This is great news for those of us “thought junkies” since in the absence of the racing mind we make contact with our deeper selves. This is one of the reasons that breathing is so connected to all things spiritual.

That we can have access to this free creative energy whenever we want should be headline news. The fact that it isn’t is a symptom of our culture that looks for big ticket items and misses the more subtle nature of existence. Plus, you can’t package breath and sell it as the latest cure-all for everything from insomnia to impotence for the low price of $9.99. Although, given the state of our marketing-crazy world, don’t be surprised to find “Canned Breath” showing up in your local New Age shop right next to the box of Instant Karma cookies. Before it comes to that, take a breather, you deserve it and there's no charge.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Quantum Stress

Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real.
Neils Bohr—Quantum Physicist

Ever since the day that an apple fell on Newton’s head we have been living with a model of the universe that has separated mind and body, things from no things. In the world of Newtonian physics the relationship between an apple and one’s head is predetermined and governed by laws that can predict the behavior of both the falling orb and the head that is about to receive it.

In the wacky world of quantum physics things get a little more blurry. Not only is there no true separation between one’s head and an apple, both are involved in a complex dance of interdependence. This connection is so deep that without an observing consciousness inside the head the apple doesn’t even exist. Even weirder is that there are no things in the quantum universe, simply energy that is pure potentiality waiting for a conscious presence to bring it into being. What does all this head-spinning, Alice in Wonderland physics got to do with our stress? Everything, and in true quantum paradox, nothing.

In Newton’s universe, the mind struggles to stay one step ahead of the world lest it do something to threaten the existence of the material form that is the body. When something comes along that challenges the status quo a series of physiological changes take place in the brain in an attempt to bring things back into balance. Classically, the brain triggers a fear response and prepares the body to either run or stand and fight.

In the quantum world, everything arises from within consciousness in what quantum geeks call the collapse of the possibility wave. What that means in terms of our stress is that there is no evil force hiding around every corner waiting to jump out and rain on our picnic, parade, wedding day, or beach vacation. When the line between the observer and the observed is erased the notion of a suffering self in the grips of an uncaring world dissolves. Thus, we give rise to both internal and external reality and in the end there is nothing to fight and nowhere to flee to.

Much our so called stress results from still clinging to the Newtonian model and believing that simply because the mind sees separation in things that these boundaries actually exist. Of course it is threatening to imagine that we are isolated beings that happened upon a rock that is hurtling through space all the while trying to fling off the annoying pests it finds running about its surface. In the Newtonian nightmare, the sky is falling and it’s not only raining apples there are all kinds of nasty things to dodge.

In the peaceful kingdom that is reality, however, we did not arrive upon an alien world, we arose out of it as a wondrous byproduct of intelligent universe. To paraphrase the Desiderata, not only are we children of this universe who have a right to be here, the universe is here because we are here. So the next time you feel a panic attack coming on, brought about by a mind at odds with reality, take a deep breath and make the quantum leap over the imaginary fence that separates mind and matter. Not only is the grass greener, it never needs mowing.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Mindful Aging: A Word to the Wise

Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and whatever abysses nature leads, or you will learn nothing. Thomas H. Huxley


The phrase “with age comes wisdom” would suggest that while mother nature is busy taking things away from us as we grow older, she is at least willing to offer up compensation. However, the fact that many people go from being young and foolish to old and foolish means that wisdom is not something that is given freely, like grey hairs and wrinkles, but requires some action on our part.

Wisdom, as most people think about it, is simply the accumulation of life experiences. To have lived a long life is to have gathered a lot of information about life. This information, the theory goes, gives us a leg up on those who have not been around as long. So simply having an earlier birth date can elevate one to the status of “wise one.”

The origin of the word wise, however, does not mean to know but to see, or “to see the path.” This implies that wisdom is not just experience but experience plus learning. Touching a hot stove is an experience; not touching it again is a wise thing to do. Extend this example across a lifetime and you can see why we often continue to get burned by the same things over and over again; we just never learn. This is one of the core differences between mindful and mindless aging. When we are mindful we learn from every happening in our life because we have been fully present and aware, we see clearly. We know that the hot stove will burn us every time we touch it and do not play the game that maybe we can outsmart the stove or forget that hot stoves hurt.

Another aspect of mindful aging that contributes to wisdom involves breaking out of habitual thinking patterns and seeing the world with new eyes. Through mindfulness, we can turn the saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” on its head by teaching old tricks to new dogs. Becoming a witness to life reconnects us with something very ancient that paradoxically lets us experience life anew.

If you have forgotten how to do this simply observe young children at play. Watch as their total absorption in the moment reveals new worlds to them. Mindfulness returns us to this state and puts the growth back into growing old. It imparts its wisdom through the gentle path of allowing things to be as they are. A word to the wise, this path still comes with wrinkles and grey hair.