Rest

There is a tendency in this media-overstimulated environment for people to consider sitting in front of a screen as rest. This is not rest for the mind. 

I am not a Luddite. I subscribe to video services, where I find too many things to watch. I obviously write on line and do my own HTML when necessary. I do all the illustrations I draw for this blog on my computer. 

But rest is rest. I take twenty-five minutes every afternoon to do a restful meditation. It is irrelevant that I do this after lunch. It can be done at any time of day or evening or night, for those who work an alternative schedule. What is highly relevant is that I do it daily as part of my practice.

I cannot put into words the depth of well being that has come from these daily restful meditations. It is remarkable. As a scientific skeptic, I resisted meditation for decades in favor of other practices such as running, yoga and chanting. I was ignorant. Those activities do not utilize the brain in the same way as meditation. My friend Rick Heller has confirmed this for me by sharing his research into the neurophysiology of meditation. My partner has benefited from meditation for chronic pain after participating in a research study at a pain clinic. 

Work is work. Play is play. Rest is rest. Learning to diversify life's activities with moderation and regularity is part of growing into a daily practice. It is a choice for health and well being.