As a preacher’s kid, I just couldn’t resist the pun!
June 30th marked my 700th day of Musing. Many thanks to InteraXon for bringing this amazing technology to consumers.
For more on my Muse journey, please see here and here. Please also see this video beginning at around 26:00.
I’m planning to lead some meditation retreats in 2022 (Covid got in the way the past two years). Each attendee will receive a Muse S and meditation instruction over the course of a weekend. More to come after I work out the details. ✸
Newton observed that a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by some outside force. This so-called law of inertia concerns the physical world but also seems to hold true in psychology (and here).
And so it is that I’ve reached the arbitrary Muse milestones of 500 days, 659 hours, 5 million Muse points and three headbands (they’re like running shoes—you eventually wear them out).
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As prior, many thanks for InteraXon for bringing such amazing technology to market. Much appreciation also for David Godman for answering my many questions. ✸
What advantage is there in meditating for ten hours a day, if in the end that only has the result of establishing you a little more deeply in the conviction that it is you who are meditating?
I just completed a year of mindfulness* meditation with Muse, the brain-sensing headband. And what an amazing, consciousness expanding year it was! Many thanks to InteraXon for developing and bringing Muse to market. Also much appreciation for Stephan Bodian and Sister Mary White, my meditation teachers. ✸
— * Sort of. My practice has evolved from mindfulness to awakened awareness. (Please see Stephan Bodian’s masterfulBeyond Mindfulness for an exploration of both.) Accordingly, I’ve adapted the way that I use Muse: I’ve turned off Feedback, Birds and Background (Session Volume Settings), which reduces the temptation to manipulate attention. Muse mainly serves as a meditation timer when configured in this way, although, as a doctor, I love to review the resulting EEGs.
Meditation is my medication. I added Muse, the brain-sensing headband, to my meditation practice in July. I hit the 1,000,000 mark yesterday for “calm points.”
“Thanks a Million” is the alternate title for this post—as in, many thanks to InteraXon, the company that developed Muse and brought it to market. My quality of life so much better because of it.
Stress, anxiety, depression and substance use have increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. This has a lot people thinking about better self-care.
I’m helping one of my employers with a four-week “meditation challenge.” It grew out of a recent lunch and learn for employees that included some material on mindfulness. The more the merrier, so I’m sharing this with my entire social network.
Here’s the challenge: Meditate three times per day, generally in the morning when you wake up; sometime in the afternoon; and again in the evening right before you go to bed. Start with 5-minute sessions, increasing the duration week-by-week as follows:
Week 1: 5 minutes, 3 times per day
Week 2: 10 minutes, 3 times per day
Week 3: 15 minutes, 3 times per day
Week 4: 20 minutes, 3 times per day
In terms of technique:
Assume any comfortable position. I personally like a semi-supine position (see below)
Set a timer (e.g., on your phone) with a soft alarm
Close your eyes
Direct your attention to your breath. This might be your nose, chest or belly
Follow your breath in and out. Some people use simple mental mantras for each in-breath and out-breath. Examples are: in-out, deep-slow and calm-ease
Internal and external distractions will occur. Just let thoughts, emotions and sensations pass without judgment. Return to your breath, using a mantra, if needed. On the flip side, don’t worry if you feel sleepy or even doze off. Allow that to pass without judgment, too.
And that’s it!
Please let me know how you feel during and after the challenge.
— I’ve greatly benefited from Alexander Technique lessons. One tip/trick is something called constructive rest, which involves the semi-supine position depicted below.
1. Head slightly supported by a softcover book (or two) 2. Arms slightly away from body (abducted), palms down (pronated) 3. Shoes off; feet about hip-width apart — Photo: Ayden Frenz
I’m also a fan of Muse, the brain-sensing headband, but that’s a post for another day. ✸
