monkeymind wrote:I read in one of my books that a good rule of thumb is to sit for any amount of time you feel comfortable with, plus one extra minute. It sounds like good advice to me. It'd be interesting to see what you pick up on during that final minute!
Yes - I totally agree. This is also why I sometimes remain in position after my timer has gone off, just so that on the more gloomy days I don't feel so tempted to cut off the mindfulness at a predictable point in time - and therefore splitting my life up into 'mindfulness' and 'the rest'. That extra little minute can be very useful to see what one's subconscious has got lined up next in it's 'playlist'.
Here's JKZ in Wherever you go, There you are(2004) - Chapter: 'Coming Out of Meditation', p117-118:
In your meditation practice, especially when you are not using a tape for guidance, see if you can detect the very first impulse to quit, and any others that may follow, growing in strength. As you recognize each impulse, breathe with it for a few moments, and ask yourself, "Who has had enough?" Try looking into what is behind the impulse. Is it fatigue, boredom, pain, impatience; or is it just time to stop? Whatever the case, rather than automatically leaping up or moving on, try lingering with whatever arises out of this inquiry, breathing with it for a few moments or even longer, and allowing the moving out of your meditation posture to be as much an object of moment-to-moment awareness as any other moment in the meditation. Practicing like this can increase mindfulness in many different situations that involve closing or ending something and moving on to something else.
Another aspect of seated mindfulness which is not mentioned enough, in my opinion, by mindfulness teachers, is to find a way to enjoy the sitting. The relaxing slow deep breaths can be a peaceful, enjoyable experience in itself - like sitting next to a quiet lake. It's a cliche, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying such things. One's 'internal lake' (JKZ lake meditation in Wherever you go..., for example) can be just as good as the real thing.
I wrote about this in a blog post last year titled: Mindful Sitting: Joy in Nature. We must not forget that we are as natural and potentially 'enjoyable' as the mountains, rivers, trees, etc., and this internal nature can be a source of joy while sitting anywhere. One of the quotes at the beginning of the blog post which I love, from the Indian Mystic Poet and Spiritualist Kabir (1440–1518), goes as follows:
"Don't go outside your house to see the flowers.
My friend, don't bother with that excursion.
Inside your body there are flowers.
One flower has a thousand petals.
That will do for a place to sit.
Sitting there you will have a glimpse of beauty
inside the body and out of it,
before gardens and after gardens."
Enjoy
