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  • Sitting meditation is the classic mindfulness technique. Other practices like mindful walking or mindful eating may seem more accessible, and sitting in silence may seem a little intimidating. But sitting has a lot of merits as a way to get introduced to the experience of mindfulness. This post is my attempt to clear away some of the obstacles.

    1. Sitting meditation is not complicated. The task is to “sit and observe what’s happening.” Nevertheless, don’t be surprised if you’re laughably bad at it for a while. There is no limit to the number of times you might find yourself saying “woops, I’m completely lost in thought again” during a session.
    2. Sitting meditation is not our normal everyday experience. We are used to doing things, and it’s somewhat bizarre to do nothing. You may find yourself thinking “What is this thing that we’re doing? Why are we doing it?” Those befuddled questions are a good start on the path to thinking differently.
    3. Sitting meditation is not dependent on sitting perfectly still. If you’re wiggling, then your assignment is to notice that. It may be that your noticing will help the wiggling slow down, but whether it does or not is not really important.
    4. Sitting meditation is not dependent on any special equipment. You might imagine (rightly) the huge variety of pillows, benches, and other gear available to aid in sitting meditation. My advice: don’t worry about that, and start out by sitting in a chair. It’s what you’ve been doing most of your life.
    5. Sitting meditation is not dependent on any particular beliefs, or the suspension of any beliefs. It’s about noticing what is so. That noticing helps us apply our beliefs with greater utility and precision.
    6. Sitting meditation (at least the mindfulness variety – there are others) is not a way to zone out, bliss out, or have amazing experiences. It’s just a way to pay attention to what’s going on in your mind, in your body, and in your sensory experience. Sometimes that’s amazing, and sometimes it’s not – just like the rest of life.

    We’ll dive into all of this (including some experimentation with sitting meditation) and much more at my Mindful Technology Delivery class, September 27, 2017 from 4-6pm in Pioneer Square. Learn more and register here.