I have to say, as someone who has meditated profusely, this new form of meditation was not as intimidating or foreign as I expected. In my mind, when I meditate I become introspective in a way in which I acknowledge my thoughts without interacting with them. In many ways this is similar to this visual meditation. I tend to give more attention to what is happening in front of me and with my hands rather than what is happening in my mind or around me. I was “zoning out” — or meditating — in a way in which I could only acknowledge my thoughts without giving them attention, since all my attention was with my eyes and hands. My surroundings tended not to phase me as much as expected. Knowing myself, I choose only locations and times where I would have minimal distractions. Because of these strange hours of silence my mood always tended to be focused; although I know I would’ve had trouble meditating if I wasn’t so at ease with myself. I feel as though my primary challenge was being able to abandon my thoughts, responsibilities, and anxieties about other work in order to become truly immersed in this drawing experience. I guess I simply bargained with myself about these things. I told myself that this visual meditation is a small part of the day, and will allow me to become more relaxed and connected with my senses. By telling myself what I was doing was produced allowed me to relax and therefore focus. I feel as though this feeling of needing to do things comes from being both a perfectionist and a little nerdy…this meditation helped put me at ease.
