Anyway, he went on to tell me about another patient who did a week long silent meditation. I was like how do you go to work, go to the grocery store? Did he wear a sign? " I'm not speaking. Don't be mad if I don't answer you." No, no, my doc said he went some where. Somewhere where they do this, a retreat center. I guess these retreat centers provide food and lodging while you mediate for a reasonable fee (The doc thought it was less that $200 for a week). He suggested I look into it and even suggested I talk Tai into it.
So I told Tai the doc's suggestion.
Tai: Can I bring my computer?
Me: No, I think you can't bring anything like that. No distractions.
Tai: I don't want to go if I can't bring my computer. When are you going?
Me: Do you think I can go a week without talking?
Tai: You can't go 5 minutes without talking. Will you take your cell phone?
Me: I imagine so.
Tai: Nope, you won't do it.
So what do you think? Can anyone sell me on the positives of a silent meditation retreat? Or any tips for beginning meditation?
Me: No, I think you can't bring anything like that. No distractions.
Tai: I don't want to go if I can't bring my computer. When are you going?
Me: Do you think I can go a week without talking?
Tai: You can't go 5 minutes without talking. Will you take your cell phone?
Me: I imagine so.
Tai: Nope, you won't do it.
i haven't been to a retreat but always wanted to do a day or two without talking. I'm a big talker whether anyone is around or not so just taking the opportunity to just be in silence does sound quite appealing.
ReplyDeleteknowning me know if i'm not talking during the day, my luck i'd be blabbing while i was asleep!
I used to fish when I was little, really little and I quickly learned the art of not talking.
ReplyDeleteFor me I'd just sort of make up a fantasy in my head, almost like having a movie. So it'd be almost like I was talking in my head.
I still do it from time to time when I am just waiting for a while.
Hmmm, I don't know that I could go a whole week...
ReplyDeleteMaybe try looking for a meditation CD that you could play at night before bed. Maybe if you worked on it before bed, it would relax you and make you sleepy? Just a thought. Plus, a little less extreme than going away and being silent for a whole week. ;-)
Try a mini-retreat. Like this weekend, if you have nothing planned for a few hours, go to a local park for a while, take a walk, sit in a garden. Just be. No husband, no phone, no watch. Just you.
ReplyDeleteIf you like it, then try something bigger.
If not, Unisom is a great sleep aid. It's non-habit-forming and it's what they give to pregnant women, so it's really gentle, but it does work!
I second what Erica said. Unisom rocks the house. It was the only way I was able to sleep at all when I was pregnant, between the 3 a.m. baby-kicking-my-ribs parties and all of those "holy god, I'm going to have to give birth to this thing" anxiety thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible the sleep problems are related to a sort of a post-wedding funk? I've heard it happens to lots of women - you spend all this time focused on one thing, and then when it's over, you're sort of stuck. It's like the day after Christmas times 1000, you know?
in high school one of the sports teams once went the day of one of their games on a silent meditation kick. they all wore signs that explained what they were doing (staying silent) and why (to conserve energy before their big match), but that they would be happy to answer questions using a pen and paper if asked any by a teacher. it was mostly tongue-in-cheek, but in case you can't get away to a retreat, you could probably do it!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I can picture you going a whole week in silence exclusion. Like mentioned above, what about a spa weekend? Long, hot, bubble baths, full body massages and facials, unlimited time to read your book, private candle lit dinners with calming music . . . sounds good to me! :)
ReplyDeleteIf you can only find a few minutes to give yourself, try some candle meditation: Go to a comfortable, secluded place in your own home with no phone/TV/husband. Get comfortable, watch the flame on the candle and try not to think of anything but that flame and taking deep, steady breaths in and out. You don't have to do it for very long. Just try going for 1 minute at first, then increase your meditation time as you find yourself able to concentrate on the flame longer. This exercise is supposed to be very relaxing and excellent for increasing mental focus. I'd suggest not using sented candles at first unless you wanted to go with a subtle lavendar (for calm/sleep), but only if you are already aquainted with it's sent so that it doesn't distract you. It's harder than expected to NOT think of other things while trying to concentrate on that flame. Good Luck!