Passive

Doing nothing: easier said than done.
This week at The Happy Homunculus, we're trying some meditation-inspired challenges in order to foster a more relaxed mindset.  Yesterday, we picked a spot for doing meditation and lounged-about.  Today, we're going to try to trigger a solid relaxation response by adopting a particular mental attitude during meditation.  The goal?  Do nothing.

More specifically, we're going to be as passive as possible during our brief meditation.  This does not just apply to movement - of course, we will sit still during the meditation - it extends to our thinking: the goal is to reduce our mental activity as well.  Easy, right?  Wrong.  Where this gets especially hard is when we include the thought "don't think" as something to avoid. Yikes!

Let me put it this way: if our goal is to relax, "trying" to relax is likely to have the opposite effect.  I mean, we're trying!  That's different from relaxing.  The goal for today is to achieve pure passivity.  I recommend letting thoughts come and go, but gently nudging your homunculus into a state of tranquility.  Personally, I find this very, very hard.  I always feel like I should be doing something, even during meditation.  Truly letting go is something I continue to work on.  I hope you find it easier!

Passive

Task: Sit passively in your meditation spot for 15min.

Info: Close your eyes and let go.  Thoughts will come in and out of your mind - this is fine! But, whenever you find yourself wandering, gently return to a more passive state.  During the meditation, feel free to check a clock to know when you're done but try to avoid feeling like you're watching the clock.

Goal: Maximize the feeling of passivity.

Did you try this?  Share your experience with other readers in the comments!

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