Mindfulness Meditation is a way of developing a felt-sense of being with the body and simply being present. It challenges us to step back from the mental chatter to reduce stress and regulate attention. It is a discipline of sheer focus, but we don’t have to take ourselves seriously to be committed to the practice. Here’s a story from some years ago.
I’m in the middle of the desert for a 10day meditation retreat. Every day I wake up at 4am, step outside of my dorm and into the cold morning air. It’s quiet, and in the distance a rosy dawn is painted over the mountains.
I walk over to the big meditation room with 60 other people – no speaking or eye contact for the entire 10 days. You just sit there quietly and breathe, beside yourself.
On day 3 I noticed a few people had left.
On day 7 in the afternoon, there was an old man who was sitting in the back row with me. All of a sudden, he rips a massive fart that echoed through the entire room. It was like throwing a stone at a large aquarium. It started with a few giggles here and there. Then we were desperately trying to hold it in. Slowly the entire room just erupted with laughter. It was out of control. People broke into tears and most had to leave the room. It took another hour until we got back to the meditation, turned inward, quietly breathing again.