Meditation: The Do Nothing Technique

Meditation is a great tool for focus and clarity, but many people have a mistaken perception that it is somehow out of their reach.

There's a book I have recommended in previous posts titled Meditation Made Easy by Lorin Roche, Ph.D. He takes a "meditation for the rest of us" approach, assuring us that, if we breathe (which I'm guessing most of us do) we have what it takes to meditate.

In the book he offers numerous meditational exercises. My favorite - and the one I still use most - is the "Do Nothing Technique." Here's how he describes it.

TIME: 3 to 5 minutes
POSTURE: Sitting or lying down
WHEN: Anytime

Sit or lie down and just allow your mind to do its thing. Your aim is to tolerate being there without trying to control anything...

Let your attention goe anywhere it wants. You can think about sex, your to-do lists, movies, nothing, everything.

Notice where your mind goes. The only thing that makes this seem even vaguely like meditation is that you have given yourself a time frame of three to five minutes.

This exercise helps you overcome technique-itis, which is the notion that there is something to be afraid of or that the human mind somehow has to be controlled even when you are resting. Technique-itis, left untreated, is mildly contagious and tends to last for ten to fifteen years, or until you give up on meditation forever.

To develop an immunity to technique-itis, simply Do Nothing and tolerate whatever your mind and body do. You want to be in the same state you're in when you're about to fall asleep. The mind is just drifting. You need to find out if you can take whatever happens when you release control.

You will learn to experience your natural state, without *doing* anything to it. Many people are slightly ashamed of their unvarnished selves and look for "techniques" to "improve" themselves. Years later, they are still doing gadgetry to themselves, and often nothing has changed.

The Do Nothing Technique was what I used to help me dip my toe into meditation (it took me a couple months before I could actually call it meditation. At first it was simply "practicing being still."). It helped me get used to just sitting and "being."

How about it? Why not give it a try?

--

Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst (sm)

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Comments

[OceanBlue]

Hello Mr. Rosengren,

Thanks for sharing the simple technique. I am about to give it a try.

Would you mind further sharing how meditation helps you in your career or everyday life?

[Curt Rosengren]

Ack! Please, call me Curt. ;-)

For me, it's a way to slow my mind (and body) down. When I incorporate meditation into my day on a regular basis, I feel more focused, more clear, and more relaxed. When I feel like that, I can put more of my energy and effort into moving forward, and less into spinning in circles.

[David Buchan]

This is something similar to a technique I've been taught to help me coaching. It's all about stillness. One extension which I've always liked is that if you find something pressing, imagine yourself getting up and doing it then returning. After a while I no longer felt compelled to even bother thinking about getting up.

[David Buchan]

Curt, would you be able to comment on the appropriateness of a pda version or the paperback? Is this the type of book to always have with you?

[Seamus Anthony]

Great - this is exactly the kind of thing that many people need to hear. Meditation is a tarnished word in a lot of ways, mention the word to somebody and you can almost see their mental machinery conjuring up their own idea, often misconstrued, of what it means. Doing Nothing or Letting Go are much better terms. Good stuff!