Michael Stone recalls the first time he was “aware of being aware.”
He was 8 years old. He may have had an earlier start than some of us, but his words ring true for many new meditators: “I felt I didn’t know what was important and I wanted to get clear on what is real and what is true.”
As a social activist, Buddhist teacher, yogi and retreat leader, Michael has created many mindfulness based courses, some online and others in person. This includes a yearlong immersion exploring the intersection of Western clinical medical practice with the insights from the contemplative traditions of Asia. His idea is to train clinicians to be more present as healers and to give them practical tools.
Michael spoke to us from the heart, smiling easily and calmly considering his responses. Think of him as the “after” picture following years of meditative practice.
Is it hard to keep a challenging schedule and also maintain your cool?
I think it looks like I do a million things, but I don’t really. It is possible to be really engaged in many areas without adding on top of it another level of stress.
As a meditation teacher, can you help to explain some of the many benefits?
As you start to make a
commitment to a mindfulness practice, it starts to touch the intentions you have and the choices you make. It touches everything from how you eat, to your livelihood to your relationship. When you set the intention to be mindful, then you can engage your life more deeply, leaving no stone unturned.
What does your own practice look like?
When I was younger, I had a very formal practice. I would wake up at the same time every day. Now, I have a daily practice, but it is much more connected to my family. I try to integrate my formal practice into my domestic life. My partner and I joke that we have a domestic monastery. We try to use everything that is happening in our home life, whether it is putting the baby to sleep or staying up late to clean dishes as
part of our spiritual practice.
We have a meditation challenge coming up. Why do you think a consistent practice is essential?
Having a daily practice is really key in training our brain to be able to pay attention in a way that increases concentration, emotional stability and resilience. Without some formal training, it can be very hard to maintain a level of presence
throughout the day.
It’s important to set a timer, maybe for ten minutes. Whatever comes up in that ten minutes, that person can make a commitment to stay with it without getting up. All of the thoughts of wanting to space out or make a meal or plan a day aren’t followed. Step by step, we can see our mental patterns without thinking that is how life is.
Ten minutes can seem like a lot for someone who is not used to it.
There’s a wonderful French philosopher Blaise Pascal who said, “all of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” I think there is something true about that.
Our mental habits, which are wrapped up in our physiology, have so much momentum. When you sit down and inhale and exhale, you can probably feel your breath for three or four breath cycles. Then your mind wanders off into a task or into the future. When we notice that, we try bring our attention back to our breathing,
very gently and without judgment. Then again our attention wanders, so we try again to come back.
Coming back could potentially be hundreds of times.
We notice it is really hard to sit still. There is something about sitting still that can create tension and some anxiety. We literally see the state of our mind. Not what we think of as the state of our mind but we really see our mind. We see how busy and distracted it is and how habitual our mental patterns are. Sitting still you can see much more clearly how unskillful we are with our minds. We are so reactive. We are so identified with our thoughts.
You lead four and eight-day silent meditation retreats. Is this for the experienced meditator?
I have heard it said that it’s sad when urban kids don’t grow up seeing the stars because of light pollution. I think it’s amazing that we can grow into adulthood and never really have a few days where we allow in silence. Because of that, I think silence is threatening. When we have it, we don’t know who we are. We are used to seeing ourselves in relationship to technology. Silence can become a
place of refuge and a real solace.
Michael believes that good teaching goes along with meditation practice – either a teacher or a community or good teaching tools. He says that by doing so “we can reimagine what is happening from a broader perspective. This is what creates wisdom and a deeper understanding of our lives.”
Looks like we are on the right track as of February 2nd.
If you want to bump your meditation practice to the next level, consider
joining Michael on one of his silent retreats or courses. He assures us that unplugging is a relief as we learn “how to pay attention to the way you pay attention.”
Have you joined the FREE 30-Day Meditation Challenge yet? Sign up now to secure your spot, starting this February. This year we're also giving you the chance to upgrade to the Premium Experience. Learn more here.
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