Yesterday, a highly educated, very intelligent man asked why he might sit and look at a single spot for 10 minutes. You might recognize the question as a typical one people ask when they are considering meditation. Similar questions arise when someone holds a solitary vigil. I think some of the best writing about how to meditate is found in the two books by Chade Meng Tan and in the book "The Ordinary Dude's Guide to Meditation" by John Weiler. Very good writing on the subject can also be found in the books of Jack Kornfield, Sylvia Boorstein and Jon Kabat-Zinn. I like Boorstein's title "Don't Just Do Something! Sit There"
I was recently asked the same question by a member of the audience I was speaking to but with a slight twist. The man said that he had tried mediation for several months and had not found any change in himself. He did not feel any benefit from his practice. I thought he was looking for a reason to continue or a reason to stop the practice. I answered his question by advocating a short duration: 2 minutes of mediation.
The book by Jill Bolte Taylor, "My Stroke of Insight" tells about her stroke when she was still less that 40 years old. She is a neuroscientist and recognized what was happening at the time. In her book, she mentions 90 seconds, 1.5 minutes, as a likely length of time that a strong emotion can run its course:
These passionate thoughts and feelings have the potential to jump instantly into my mind, but again, after their 90 seconds have come and gone, I have the power to consciously choose which emotional and physiological loops I want to hook into. I believe it is vital to our health that we pay very close attention to how much time we spend hooked into the circuitry of anger, or the depths of despair. Getting caught up in these emotionally charged loops for long periods of time can have devastating consequences on our physical and mental well-being because of the power they have over our emotional and physiological circuitry. However, with that said, it is equally important that we honor these emotions when they surge through us. When I am moved by my automatic circuitry, I thank my cells for their capacity to experience that emotion, and then I make the choice to return my thoughts to the present moment.
Taylor, Jill Bolte. My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey (p. 155). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
So, various yoga teachers, coaches and such would probably say if you are interested in meditating but find it dumb, boring or otherwise objectionable, try it for a couple of minutes, using a kitchen timer or other device that will sound to free you. If during or after, you experience distaste for the practice, breathe deliberately for 90 seconds. After that, if you find you are reluctant to try any more, you might take comfort in "Mindfulness Redesigned" by Amit Sood, MD. His book explains the high numbers of people who try mindfulness training but don't find it helpful.
