The Theory Of Diminishing Meditational Effect

Someone who understands the concept of 'being present', was watching the Dali Lama as he (the Dali Lama) was speaking to various people.

The person watched the Dali Lama, over a decent period of time, engage with people fully. In the moment. All the time.

The Dali Lama has a set routine. According to his website, he sleeps for 8 hours. Then he (mindfully) meditates for 4 hours. So that he can be in the moment, for the remaining 12 hours of the day.

So it takes around one quarter of the time you are awake to practice to be in the present, so that you can be in the present, for the other three quarters of the time you are awake (when you are not meditating!).

Picture this western style ('cause there's no way we westerners could find 4 straight hours)...

Every 3 minutes, you need to stop, drop, and do a one minute meditation, so you can spend the following 3 minutes, being in the present moment. It's not going to work. That's ok because...

I have a feeling that the benefits of meditation are most likely not linear. ah HA!

If this thesis - that I just made up - is true. Well, it means that there's probably more benefit in doing say, the first 60 minutes of a meditation, than there is in the last 60 minutes.

So that first 60 minutes of meditation, might actually be worth most of the other 15 hours we are awake, being in the present. In the moment. Ok, now we are getting somewhere.

Let's say that you just happen to be a person who stretches. And you just happen to have 60 minutes a day. When you are just stretching. Well. That's just boring.

Why don't you just use that 60 mins, when you are bored stretching, to meditate - mindfulness style. And that way, you can experience most of the other 15 hours, in the present.

That sounds like an excellent use of your time! Well.

You won't just be stretching any more...You'll be meditating as well.

You better give those two things a name, when they are together................What was that you said? WOGA? Oh...YOGA....ok yoga.

WELCOME TO WESTERN YOGA 

(it's times like this, I wish I could get written text to flash)

P.S. In a later post we'll go through how to put yourself into a meditative state during yoga.