Yes, Pascal was the French genius who founded probability theory along with Fermat. He is the one who said, "All of man's trouble come from being unable to sit alone in a room." Of course, the idea was learn to have a meeting with yourself, not watching a baseball game or visiting Facebook.
It is good for you know yourself, to comfortable with yourself as you are. Between what your mother used to complain about, what your mother-in-law disapproves of (she only let you know about the half of it) and perhaps what your inner self condemns, regrets and is ashamed of, it can take some firmness to shut the voices, remembered, current and inner, down. Getting negatives to shut up, getting negatives shut down, up or down, hold it!
Pause!
No agenda. No puzzles, no leader, no background music, no guidance, no companionship, no jokes - just the genuine, actual, unadorned you. You won't bite. Just settle down. Don't need the lotus position. Just sit up, find
a right angle to observe.
Sitting somewhere, you can probably find a right angle in the position shown: one arm "up" and the other "right". Just look at the point of intersection. Watch it. Stay alert. Even though you are dealing with an inanimate object. Look for movement. Be your cat, waiting for any sign of movement.
Count off ten breaths while you keep your eye on that angle. Next time, set a timer for 5 minutes. Have a short sit-down with yourself like this each day.
