Monday, August 17, 2015

Let GO of the eGO: A New Meditation Method

If I were a licensed psychiatrist and you came to see me, I would tell you there is no need for such a formalism and I would immediately prescribe to you a week of doing nothing at all and thinking about nothing any more in a secluded area whether it is by a beach or a mountain.

Unlike my previous trips that aim at breaking the record of how many thousands of things I can do, see, taste and experience per day, last week has known nothing more than a couple of beaches by a natural reserve in Corsica. For a week, I would spend a whole day on the beach, with monotonous observations and no particular thoughts until I would start to remember my childhood memories -- memories so foreign that they seem from a dream or from a different life. 

This kind of meditation must certainly have a name and practitioners, otherwise I shall call it Al's Meditation Method (AMM) and it consists of experiencing one action, that could be tied to your childhood, repetitively and over a long period of time.  It could be  swimming, dancing, playing with animals, spending time with your parents or relatives... eventually, you would start to recall a huge deal of your childhood that will in turn set you free. You must be prepared for terrible childhood memories that you might have suppressed as a child. As a kid, like many kids, I did nothing but play. I had no issue with changing beach or exploring various sites. I would be happy to spend the whole summer on the same beach unknowing of an alternative which was blissful. If it is social networks that make us always unsatisfied with the plethora of choices we cannot afford to live, then we need to disconnect and let go of the ego. 

One day, I spent 7 hours in a park watching kids play, love each other, fight, be jealous. Kids are so natural. They never try to be other kids. They just do what they like and they would cry otherwise.  I have even been involved in the play as I fell asleep on one of the merry-go-round-ish swings that several kids have attempted to swing. I kept my eyes closed and enjoyed the ride.