In which I Substitute Writing for Sleeping Meditation

meditating gnome

Meditation comes hard for me — or maybe too easy. I always fall asleep. It’s nice, really. I’m sitting there, trying to clear my mind, waiting for all the good things that come with that. Images flow before my eyes, and I watch them because they’re interesting.

Pretty soon, I realize that my chin has dropped to my chest and time has passed. Maybe 2 minutes, maybe 10.

Nice, but not meditating.

So I tried something different. Writing.

I sit down with a notebook and write for 60 minutes. I listen to the Alpha Chill channel on Focus at Will and keep the pen moving across the page.

After 8 days, I’m noticing a couple of things.

  1. The most interesting stuff comes out after I run out of things to say.
    It’s harder to lie to myself when I write for an hour a day. Getting at those uncomfortable truths was one of the benefits I wanted through meditating, and the writing version is working.
  2. Is it as good as the traditional sitting and doing nothing or doing something to focus for the appointed time? Not sure. But I think it’s better than sleeping.

And almost as much fun.

Photo by dorota dylka on Unsplash

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