Striving for Less to Get More

by Cheng-Ling Chen — November 21, 2007

I've never understood meditation. When my yoga teachers start class with meditation, I am always sitting there wondering what I should be doing. I am also wondering what the person next to me is thinking and where she got those cute yoga pants. Sometimes, even though I am trying to be humble and reverent, I am thinking this is the part of yoga class that is a bunch of hooey.

In an attempt to understand meditation better, I am reading Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn. I haven't been completely enlightened on the subject, but today I read something that gives me pause. Zinn writes,

"The impulse frequently arises in me to squeeze another this or another that into this moment.... I like to practice voluntary simplicity to counter such impulses and make sure nourishment comes at a deep level. It involves intentionally doing only one thing at a time and making sure I am here for it. Many occasions present themselves: taking a walk, for instance, or spending a few moments with the dog in which I am really with the dog."

I multitask all the time and pride myself in being efficient and productive. I'll make dinner while running the laundry, talk on the phone while surfing the net, run while listening to music, take a walk while thinking about my writing. In fact, one of my favorite Friday night activities is to put up my feet, sip tea while watching TV, and flip through a magazine and pet Miso my cat, all absent-mindedly at the same time. Talk about working hard to relax! Zinn's passage makes me wonder if I often go through the day without truly living the moments at all. Am I trying to move forward so fast that I have slipped into cruise control and forgotten the joy of being in the driver's seat?

Zinn describes, "Voluntary simplicity means going fewer places in one day rather than more, doing less so I can do more, acquiring less so I can have more." There is something to this. Perhaps I will try going on my run today without my iPod and see if I discover anything new on my running route or about myself. Perhaps I will refrain from making unnecessary purchases this month, even if it IS the most chic pair of boots or handbag or winter coat I've ever seen.

This is going to be hard! But it's worth a try if striving for simplicity allows me to live more fully and with focus. Now this is something I can meditate on.