Millennium Bridge Sculpture, Commons Park, Denver, Colorado
There are many different types of meditation: mindfulness, movement, mantra, Zen, Transcendental, Taoist, Sufi … and I’ve messed around with a lot them over the years. Sitting cross-legged, standing, and walking; hands on my knees, palms up and palms down; first finger and thumb or middle finger and thumb, hands folded on my lap or palms together over my head, eyes open and eyes closed, in the forest, on the beach, and after yoga, I wanted to know how they all felt. And I wanted to know what they meant to me. You might say I’m a meditation slut. After all these decades, I’ve noticed the strangest thing. At the end of my meditation, when I stop, open my eyes and drop my hands, and I’m just sitting there in the afterglow … this is the moment when I’m the most present. When I quit trying, quit doing. None of the ritual is necessary. The only thing required to be present is to be present.