Meditating Against Depression
Then I take one foot and move it past my other knee and look the other way as the vertebrae from my neck to my tailbone pop like firecrackers, and hold the position until the ash from my incense drops to the carpet. Then I reverse body parts. By now I feel my entire thoracic cavity opening up as I literally suck up all the air in the room and expel it in one great gust.
I do a couple of spinal flexes from my stomach - with a few optional stretchers thrown in for good measure - then it's nose down and tail up for the grand finale - the head stand. The exercise is a two-way street: I am compelled to be still. At the same time, the effort stills me. Gradually, a few of the TVs and VCRs in my mind click off and go silent, and after three minutes, I'm ready for my next round of prelims.
Now, for the first time, the seat of my pants meets the seat of my floor cushion. I bend my legs into a semi-lotus position, but my back sags under the strain. But then come my breathers.
Warning: It is not advisable to begin breathing exercises without instruction or supervision.
I start - eyes closed - by forcing air out my nostrils then allow my diaphragm to expand on the intake. As I work up a good speed, my back becomes ramrod straight as if being pulled up by an invisible string from the ceiling. Then, to settle down, I breathe in through one nostril, hold my breath for a few seconds, and breathe out the other. With the open nostril I breathe back in and continue the cycle. Finally I take twenty slow breaths in and out.
I might also take in a bit of chakras and visualizations and mantras, but this is strictly optional.
Having accomplished all this, I have now achieved the benefits of an excellent workout, a sure stress-buster, and a positive deterrent to depression. But I am not about to miss the big payoff, especially so close to my goal. Who knows? Just around the corner could be nothing less than the big E - enlightenment, the Boddhi tree spectacular, the Fourth of July in my head I keep hoping for, when all those TVs and VCRs and blue light specials resolve into one glorious chord that puts me in harmony with
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