If this observing meditation continues for 30 seconds to a minute—relaxing your mind into the feel of the blankets or how your body is responding to the waking process—then you have naturally gone into a state of beginning meditation.

This observing meditation may be very brief, but that is wonderful. The idea is to allow the underlying meditative qualities of the mind to naturally emerge while you are enjoying a sensual or mental interlude that brings comfort and peace to you.

Another observing meditation: feeling the hot spray of the shower on your face, neck and back and just relaxing into the heat and pressurized streams of the water on all the different muscles and nerve tracks of the upper part of the body. Try to feel as deeply as you can the sensations of the water, the heat, the spray, the skin, muscles. Let your mind relax into the experience rather than trying to concentrate on the experience. In doing this you will discover that the normal thinking mechanism of the mind is diminishing—in a real sense your consciousness is shifting from thinking to perceiving, a deeper state. Combining perceiving and thinking is the most creative and constructive type of thought. But in "observing meditation" the intent is to observe as wholly as possible a sensual experience. Thoughts will diminish in frequency, and my simply cease to arise. It is fine to think thoughts about the observing meditation: about the hot water and muscles. That cultivates your natural awakening into this meditation.

The daily ritual of brewing coffee is a wonderful observing meditation. I do this every day, and it is a combination of simple life/spirit—affirming ceremony and observing meditation.

Observing meditation can be applied to any interlude, or to a daily routine or process, that brings you comfort or a sense of relaxation. Walking along paths or sidewalks, or even down hallways that may seem familiar. Exercising, or spending time in a garden or near a garden. Drinking water. Preparing meals, or sharing meals. Doing house chores. (see my house chores article). Watching TV. Reading a good article or book. This makes it easy.

It also makes it easy to have a meditation each day, a time of a few minutes that can really be extraordinarily peaceful and insightful.

Part 2 to be published later.

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