Let’s sit and do nothing. Just sit and do nothing…and see what happens. That is doing. It is the “seemingly doing nothing” that is powerfully “doing something” in your recovery. How can doing “no thing” actually be doing “some thing” useful? I will explain.
The issue of meditation and mindfulness has come up quite a bit recently in coaching sessions. I have explained sitting zazen and other mindfulness to the individuals. Additionally, I have sent a link to a blog post on the topic from five years ago.
Today, that blog post has gotten updated and is being presently fresh to you.
Less thinking and more doing
In my recovery, I had to learn to stop thinking so much, and just “do.” However, just doing without thinking was something completely contrary to how I had been in my life and how I was at the time when I had Parkinson’s. Moreover, one of the things I realized in my recovery was that since I was doing what I always had been doing when I got Parkinson’s, part of my recovery would require me to do things differently. Doing without thinking was one of those important changes.
Initially, thinking about doing meditation
When I had Parkinson’s and was considering doing meditation. Essentially, I was thinking about doing. Can you see the the problem? If not, here it is:
- I read about sitting zazen.
- Then, I looked up articles and videos so I could get a sense of how to sit.
- I was looking for the correct posture, correct mudra (way of holding hands), correct amount of time to sit, correct time of day to sit, correct…etc..
Clearly, I was still thinking and over-thinking in my then-Parkinson’s Adrenaline mind mode. Additional, I wanted it to be perfect.
However, my physical limitations narrowed down the ability to “correctly” do almost all that I had read.
- Sitting on the floor for any great length of time was impossible.
- Also, sitting with my back straight was impossible.
- Additionally, sitting in a lotus or half lotus position was impossible.
- Moreover, holding my hands in a special mudra for any great length of time was impossible.
- Finally, a possibility: counting my breaths from 1-10 starting the counting on the exhale, and starting over at 1 and doing it again…that I could do!
Initial difficulty in sitting, breathing and counting
There should be no difficulty in doing nothing except breathing and counting. So I thought. Plus, I needed to improvise how sitting zazen was recommended. Here is how I did it:
1. I sat at the front of a hard, straight-backed chair.
2. Next, I had my feet on the floor pointing straight.
3. Additionally, I hunched forward and put my hands on my knees.
4. I set my timer for 10 minutes.
5. Also, I closed my eyes about 75% (eyelids cracked to assist me in not falling asleep).
6. Finally, I started counting my breaths on the exhale.
When I reached 25 or 26, it occurred to me that I must not have been paying attention because I was supposed to go back to 1 when I reached 10. So I started at 1 again. After a few 1-10 sequences, I looked over at my timer to find that I had about 7-1/2 minutes remaining. I thought I was going to lose my mind (I had yet to realize that losing my over-thinking mind was the whole point of the sitting and doing nothing; I was a slow learner). Additionally, I looked at the time a few more times over the next few minutes.
My initial thought was “what a waste of 10 minutes; why in the world would anybody sit zazen for 30 or 40 minutes.”
The need for persistence
However, as was my way in my recovery, when I started something new, I stuck with it for a month so I could properly assess its usefulness. It took me quite a few days to make it through 10 minutes without looking at the timer.
Moreover, I had really good reasons for looking at the timer:
“I am certain I have been sitting here for a long time, but I am so focused on my counting, I did not notice the timer when it buzzed.”
“I feel like I have sat here twice as long as yesterday, so the timer must be broken, I better check the time.”
“If I have been sitting for too long, I will not wake up Sally and our children on time and they will be late for work and school, and it will be all my fault.”
Also, it is embarrassing to say, but this is just the beginning of a long list of reasons for looking at the time during the 10 minutes. Instead of just doing, that is, breathing and counting, for most of my 10 minutes, I was involved in self-judging, self-criticizing over-thinking.
The need for more persistence
Finally, one morning, it occurred to me that I needed to shoot down every excuse to look at the timer. Also, I realized that part of what I was trying to accomplish was not over-thinking things and not worrying so much about the future. Additionally, it hit me that worrying about the time prevented me from being in the moment. The mind was in a “what’s coming next” mode instead of living in the moment, and I was preoccupied with the future (and sometimes the past).
More or less, I think everybody suffers from this with Parkinson’s — a preoccupation with how one got Parkinson’s and what will the future be like with Parkinson’s. Doing, instead of thinking too much, is how to be in the moment. Additionally, doing what looked like “no thing” (just sitting) turned out to be “some thing” special; it brought me into feeling the reality of the moment.
My new feeling was “what a glorious way to 10 minutes; I now understand why somebody sit zazen for 30 or 40 minutes.”
This was an important realization for me. Also, I became better equipped for embracing the Parkinson’s.
Think about it: In the present moment, you have Parkinson’s in your life. Also, at some time in the past, you did not have Parkinson’s in your life. Additionally, at some time in the future, you may not have Parkinson’s in your life. However, if all you do is think about it, you stop living. You end up caught in the “life was so good before, and the future looks bleak” mentality of Parkinson’s.
Make a better and healthier choice!
Respecting yourself by sitting
In Suzuki’s Not Always So, he makes this point: “In our zazen practice we stop our thinking, and we are free from emotional activity. We don’t say there is no emotional activity, but we are free from it. We don’t say we have no thinking, but our life activity is not limited by our thinking mind. In short, we can say that we trust ourselves completely, without thinking, without feeling, without discriminating between good and bad, right and wrong. Because we respect ourselves, because we put faith in our life, we sit. That is our practice.”
This is a powerful message for your life and recovery:
“Because we respect ourselves, because we put faith in our life, we sit.”
I need to take a brief aside. Some people with a strong Western religious practice and faith have expressed to me that they feel an aversion to meditation. Also, it is new and different, and they have raised concerns with me that they feel they might be doing something contrary to their religious ideals. I respect those concerns.
I look at it this way. In the Western religions’ Bible, in Genesis, God said let there be light. This means that all of creation that followed this announcement was first in the darkness and born into the light. Also, this is no different than each of us being in the darkness of our mother’s bodies before we were born into the light.
Additionally, meditation takes you back into the darkness to help you see the light of your essence deep inside you. It helps you to sit in the darkness and allow your luminous essence to grow and shine…it delivers you from the darkness back into the light.
Doing nothing often leads to the very best something
Finally, a friend and I were engaged in a lively email exchange about doing nothing. I remembered another couple of old friends, Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin. Their conversation looked like this:
“Winnie the Pooh: “But what I like doing best is nothing. How do you do nothing?
Young Christopher Robin: It’s when people call out, “What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?” And you say, “Oh, nothing.” And then you go ahead and do it.
Winnie the Pooh: Ah, yes. Doing nothing often leads to the very best something.”
When you are doing nothing…just being…meditating…praying…staring out the window into the wonderment of the Universe…all the worries disappear, and then, doing nothing leads to the very best something…you become one with everything. There is no Parkinson’s in this space.
So, my friends, in your soul, mind, and body Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® journey, taking the inspiration of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, and taking the words of Suzuki, respect yourself, put faith in your life, and let’s do nothing and sit…it often leads to the very best something.
Finally, in the comments below, let us know how you are doing with sitting and doing nothing.
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
Thank you Howard! It takes a while to form a habit. I need to form a new habit that replaces thinking about future moments, and living in this moment. It is time to practice doing nothing.
Still struggling with the mind part of the recipe.
Can’t seem to calm my mind to keep it from going
everywhere, so this is an enormous help. Thank you
once again Howard! So very grateful for the weekly
updates and clarity.
Thinking back to so many times when someone has
caught me gazing off and asked, what are you thinking?
Responding, nothing! Just seems so simple….but when I
try it is so much harder.
Will take inspiration from Winnie and Christopher!!!
I am worth it!
I AM…………………I AM……………………..I AM,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I AM …….I AM…..
Richard, your post makes me think of a song I have been listening to often lately, Neil Diamond’s “I Am, I Said”. It seems to enliven a sense of being a luminous soul and the “I Am” seems to say so much. We warriors are here, even if we are operating out of the realm of what might be considered “normal”. Then I learned that Neil also has PD, and the song has taken on greater meaning, as he sings about his fame not being enough in his life to let him live in the truth of his own beautiful soul. All the best to you.
This is one area that has grown over time. I now CHERISH this quiet time every day, because I AM WORTH IT! It took some time to get to this point, and since I have embraced it fully, understanding that I deserve this, and I am worth it….not a day goes by without my sitting and doing nothing. Embracing and falling in love with my true authentic self.
Thank you Howard for this wonderful reflection.
I, too, still struggle with my mind wondering every which way, primarily into the future, worry, or “what’s coming next”…
Reading this today, was particularly inspiring:
“… since I was doing what I always had been doing when I got Parkinson’s, part of my recovery would require me to do things differently. Doing without thinking was one of those important changes.”
I am motivated to consciously do things differently now, to stop thinking and start doing without thinking, to follow the example of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, to be surprised by being in the moment, moment to moment!
Thank you, Howard, for your continued inspiration and support!
Sitting almost daily for a time now and doing nothing suits me. I have always counted my breath from 1 – 10 so learning to breath out from 10 is new and a chance to do things differently. I need to focus on the NOW and stay away from future thinking….this is the moment we have and we are WORTH IT!
Howard, the standing and sitting meditations are a favorite part of my Recipe every day. I still look at the clock occasionally but I have learned to let my thoughts come and go like the tide.
There is joy in doing nothing because it is NOW and NOW is perfect.
Meditation and Acceptance go a long way on the path to recovery.
It has taken me a while to get to the point where I can sit and do nothing but now it is one of the favourite times of my day. The peace and calmness that washes over me is wonderful and I really feel God’s presence. Thank you Howard for the post. I am worth it and I am recovery!
Thank you Howard. I am able to sit for 30 minutes a day. I focus my mind on parts of my body for a count of 10 breaths. I also try to extend the meditation throughout the day while moving particularly if my symptoms are strong to embrace what is happening
I had to smile about your description of thinking and over-thinking before doing the meditation. Very recognisable 😉
Meditation out in the veranda of our apartment, or somewhere closer to nature, is a wonderful thing! It relaxes and massages our brain. If you desire, soft instrumental music can assist greatly
I took a transcendental meditation class in grad school, but wasn’t able to stick with it. My high stressed beta brain waves were rolling too fast and I was unable to slow down and sink into meditation. I picked it up again many years later– I was forced to make changes because I noticed something off in my body—later I would find out it was PD.
Mindfulness meditation has always been harder for me so I added guided meditations to my daily practice and that has helped a lot to quiet my mind and sit for much longer but sometimes I still wonder if the timer broke! Over the years I have developed a robust meditation practice. I definitely think a lot and still overthink before during and after my meditations, but I have a much better handle on it now— recognizing and shutting it off immediately. And, it’s the only time of day when my tremors dissolve, and I can be still—mind, body and soul…ahhh!!
I have since realized that I can meditate doing any task throughout the day. For instance, folding my laundry, putting away the dishes, brushing my teeth, etc., any task that has to be done. I can shut out the world and focus solely on that task, staying conscious and locked into the present moment. It’s a powerful tool— this sitting and doing nothing and I’m in love with it!
My mind wanders like a monkey mind
I am working on my focus every day
Some days are perfect and some days are not so I breathe to bring myself back
As a person who is usually “doing”, I have enjoyed the permission to just be as I sit. I find myself enjoying the breathing and sitting, and often reset my timer to do another 10 minutes. Thanks for your thoughts about the darkness of meditation helping us to find the light of who we are. The light is so much more visible in the darkness and emptiness of meditation. Thanks for meaningful post Howard.
I’m still here, and it’s still now! Zazen agrees enthusiastically with me…
I am struggling but I hv Howards book.
Last week I was feeling very content listening to music and didn’t think of anything.
Next thing I know I found myself dancing in the kitchen!!
Once I realized I was dancing I thought about it and couldn’t do it anymore…
Now I am trying to get that feeling back. Without success, of course. So I will start again by doing nothing.
Blessings to all.
Such food for thought — or no thoughts. Thank you, Howard, for giving us so much to think about – or not.
Meditation is one of my favorite parts of the recipe. It is one of the few times that I feel at peace physically. I like the starting with the exhale It makes sense. I also started with Maharishi’s meditation when I was in high school, but didn’t stick with it over the years. So grateful now for this.
Meditation is no stranger to me and I have been doing it for 40 years. I first encountered zazen when I was a member of a zen dojo doing meditation morning and evening for 6 years.
When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, it was as if I was brought right back to the beginning again. The tremors and tension were a huge distraction, but with persistence over 2 years, I can now once again sit in stillness where there is no PD. I can totally relax my body, mind, and spirit. It is my saving grace every day.
Zazen agrees with me and learning the importance of being in a place of “feeling” that light within me, to assist in being rather than in thinking.
During a meditation, my recently deceased mother appeared to me as a child. She ran past me and wanted to show me something. She sat down on a meadow, chewing on a blade of grass, just looking around. I looked around too but saw nothing special. Then I asked her what she wanted to show me. She simply said, “It’s all very simple.”
And I feel that she wanted to show me something that perhaps cannot be understood with the mind – but only with the heart.
Something that lies in being – not in doing.
Something that cannot be explained, but simply is.
Maybe not everything is “easy” – but maybe, deep down, it really is simple.
Less doing. More being.
Less fighting. More receiving.
Less fear. More trust.
“Simply doing nothing” is the essence.
With love and gratitude, for my mama, Anett.
My husband is new to the recipe..My question is does he do every exercise that Howard demonstrates every day?…there are 9 Exercises and then acupressure…jin shin jyutsu, brain vibrating chanting and sitting zazen? He repeats all of the above in one day and continues with the same the next day.
Thank you for your input. We are praying for recovery of PD.