Why Meditation Is A Sport

I read an article recently that drew an analogy of the term 'meditation' to 'sports', a word that describes a large class or family of varying forms of activity such as track, baseball basketball, etc. The general family of meditation was defined as 'complex emotional and attentional regulatory strategies developed for various ends including cultivation of well-being and emotional balance' (Lutz et al., 2008: Cell). (Various forms of meditation might include TM, mindfulness, yoga, Tai Chi, centering prayer, etc.).

This led me to ponder the reason I meditate. Why? To what 'various end'?

Although meditation has brought me many new insights and led me to act in much kinder ways to myself and others, the purpose of meditation for me is to explore the inner recesses of mind.

The Thoreau quote: "Direct your eyesight inward and you will find a thousand regions in your mind yet undiscovered" sums it all up.

Exploration of mind.

Many people begin to meditate because of the impact such a practice can have on 'stress'; I began that way myself seven years ago. But I quickly discovered that the process of discovery was much more interesting than any stress reduction it afforded.

I liken the process to an archeologist of the brain where each object is examined with complete curiosity, without judgment, until the object is carefully weighed, investigated, and perhaps labeled. At that point, an archeologist might put the object into a framework - it's part of a house, etc. - as we might, through conscious investigation, categorize the thought or feeling as 'helpful' or 'harmful'.

There are many reasons that people meditate. For some, meditation is used in a religious context (e.g. contemplative or centering prayer) and the endpoint is a greater connection to their God. For others using meditation in a non-religious context, the endpoints might be health, stress reduction, well-being, and perhaps compassion. The process of meditation under these two contexts might look very similar or very different depending on how much the contextual framework guides the meditation itself.

Meditation is a process of inward investigation that - depending on the goal or purpose of its use - can be purely religious, purely secular, or both. The 'endpoint' of meditation will depend greatly on the goal of the meditator.

Like sports where people participate for the sport itself, not just to 'win', meditation may be for discovery process itself, where the means is the 'end'.

That's why I meditate.

Comments

[cyranorox]

Why is 'being a sport' valuable? Who has the authority to decide what is and what is not a sport? Is it better for an activity to be a sport than not? What is gained [lost] in declaring an activity a sport anyway?

[candyperfumegirl]

Interesting, I always found my sport, swimming, to be a meditation

[wm1066]

I can see that. I do speed walking around a track and do a rowing machine and I go into a meditation with both. Your brain is working on moving the body and your thoughts can slow down. And then the endorphene rush....

[Dap]

Dear Dr. Smalley,

Well ya knocked that one out of the park, eloquently expressed indeed. Agape.

[Readbetweentheelevens]

"Like sports where people participate for the sport itself, not just to 'win', meditation may be for discovery process itself, where the means is the 'end'."

For all of you who only read the title: The author agrees with you. Meditation does not have a goal -- it is the goal.

[syryn22]

I started meditating about a month ago and my wellbeing and life has changed for the better. I am still quite the novice, but it really helps to center me, and to clear out the clutter that builds in my mind. I also use my meditation time to pray to God and muse over the many blessings that have come to me. I wish I would have been meditating all along in my twenty eight years on this earth. I have a pretty stressful job and I was searching for something aside from pot to help me relax. Meditation far surpasses the relaxation I get from smoking. I am now much more productive at work, smile more (and as a result, every person I come into contact with warms up to me) and my mind and heart has stopped racing (from stress and anxiety). I do not necessarily view it as a sport, but looking at all the meditation products on Amazon.com tells me that it is a sport to other people - which is fine, it can be whatever you want it to be. I now meditate at least once or twice per day and I make the time to do it. I am not a morning person, but now I wake up everyday at six AM to have morning quiet time to pray and meditate. Life has been so much better since I rediscovered meditation.

[shoabear]

Your story makes me happy :)

[cheshirecat831]

I have been on meditation retreats and while most mediators do not see it as a sport there are always several people who try extremely hard to sit the longest without moving, sit on the most minimal of cushions having taken out most of the kapok etc. But all the meditation teachers I have sat with stress that it is not a goal oriented enterprise. So I must disagree with this post.

Talking Pez Heads
http://sfbaysailingpix.com/pez2008p1.htm

[schoolmaster]

The Candle Light

The flicker of the flame lodged between my eyebrows as I meditate
Constantly blown asunder by the tempest of temptations
Steadied only by me, the inner Me " not by my parents, teachers or friends
The flame penetrating the deep crevices of my brain, my mind
Illuminating my soul and my whole body
Shedding light- the halo as I tread
Shredding ignorance and dispelling the darkness of fear and hatred
Within and without
Ready as a candle burning itself to light other candles
The ultimate sacrifice to spread the glory and knowledge supreme
Everywhere and to every human being
May God bless that I may just serve.
Ram
Please comment about my poem.

[SarcasticFringehead]

I understand what you're saying. It has sincere sentiment.
What does "Ram" mean?

[schoolmaster]

Ram is my short name.

[Readbetweentheelevens]

I didn't like it. The poem does not address the posted article.

[schoolmaster]

Please see my pThe Candle Light

The flicker of the flame lodged between my eyebrows as I meditate
Constantly blown asunder by the tempest of temptations
Steadied only by me, the inner Me " not by my parents, teachers or friends
The flame penetrating the deep crevices of my brain, my mind
Illuminating my soul and my whole body
Shedding light- the halo as I tread
Shredding ignorance and dispelling the darkness of fear and hatred
Within and without
Ready as a candle burning itself to light other candles
The ultimate sacrifice to spread the glory and knowledge supreme
Everywhere and to every human being
May God bless that I may just serve.
Ram
oem and comment.

[Jonahson]

Some of you are mixing everthing up like salad. Meditation is a process. First of all you must know why you are meditating. There must be a purpose, not all meditation are the same although the first step of calming the mind and developing concentration is common practice after that each develop according to their religious or personal level of attainment. Once you have establsihed your purpose then get a good teacher otherwise you may mess up your mind.
Once you have calmness and feel comfy the next step is to develop concentration or simply focus. There are many ways to develop concentration, in buddhist scriptures are listed 40 types eaxamples like focus on light, colour, breathing but they roughly fall into two catagories of form and formless. For example sound(chanting) and breathing belong to formless while visualisation of colour, object belong to form.
When you stop your thoughts, a reverse flow of stored consciousness comes out.. These outflow of stored consciousness take center stage and you become restless hence the 'monkey mind' or you fall into sloth and stupor followed by nodding your head or even falling asleep. Briefly, after your teacher have given you a few lessons you can do it on your own but check with your teacher every now and then when new experience arise.
Concentration can be of many levels. Once you develop the required focus the next step is to look into your purpose for meditating. This will take your mind into another level.

[MagisterLudi]

I am sorry to intrude upon this treatise, but have ever meditated?

[Jonahson]

May I know what is meditation in your sense before I answer you?

[Wiredwilly]

I just spent an entire week with the Dalai Llama.
Meditation has nothing to do with Sport whatsoever.
There IS no goal.

[wm1066]

I have noticed in Falon Gong, TM, Yoga, and Tai chi some teachers have a pecking order top down approach that translates into "I am the Teacher ,you will never get to my degree."
I really noticed this in Falon gong, where the teacher had people sit in meditation for hours!
I think thier sport is sadism.
You really have to look hard for good teachers, I have had good teachers so I have been amazed when I run across teachers who teach for thier own ego.

[arunachala]

only someone who doesn't meditate would see meditation as a sport, unless you see the sport as meditation, if you know what i mean.

[shoabear]

I once heard a Buddhist monk refer to his practice of meditation as "Olympic Mind Training."

Sense of metaphor, anyone?

Anyone?

I meditate. Been to India, I've done days and days of monastic silent retreats in the U.S. I can use sport as an analogy if I want to. I can view my meditation as a form of mind training just as the athlete trains his/her body. I can choose to see the connection with the athlete instead of judging him/her. Time to get off the lofty enlightened vs. non-enlightened, meditator vs. non-meditator stuff. We SO like to pin other people to our own ideas of them when we need an ego boost don't we?

[shoabear]

Ms. Smalley, may I recommend a book to you? It is called "West of Jesus." Please excuse me, I cannot remember the name of the author, a young writer who surfs the world investigating how religious experience, meditation and certain sports are connected.

If you begin to research this topic from the point of view of brain science it becomes quite interesting. This is where we drop ideas like religious vs. secular, and goals (to win) vs. "inward investigation." This is where we have evidence of a common human experience.

Focus. Single pointed concentration. Getting in the "zone." We all go here via some route. Meditation, intense focus while playing a sport (or say, surfing), or prayer. The "zone" if you will- is when a part of your mind is activated or actually inactivated you will see if you read about it. It is that feeling of bliss or "one with everything" that we all share when we reach this "zone". I would go into more but I am only allowed few words here. So please do not dismiss the analogy of sport and meditation so fast.

And BTW, Tai Chi is actually both a form of meditation AND a martial art. That's why it is known as an "internal martial art."

[MagisterLudi]

The idea of enlightened practice.

After you finished eating, wash the bowl.

[wm1066]

Tai Chi was mainly used for fighting until the Boxer Rebellion in China when the Boxer's told thier tai chi neophytes that with tai chi they would not get shot by the Europeon guns! That didn't work so well and tai chi fell out of favor in China. Then it was brought back as a meditation and morning work out. The meditation aspect was secondary.

[shoabear]

Seems a little bit too simple an explanation.

[MagisterLudi]

We could say that meditation doesn't have a reason or doesn't have a purpose. In this respect it's unlike almost all other things we do except perhaps making music and dancing. When we make music we don't do it in order to reach a certain point, such as the end of the composition. If that were the purpose of music then obviously the fastest players would be the best. Also, when we are dancing we are not aiming to arrive at a particular place on the floor as in a journey. When we dance, the journey itself is the point, as when we play music the playing itself is the point. And exactly the same thing is true in meditation. Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment."
Alan Watts

[MagisterLudi]

1.Meditation with a "goal" or distinct purpose is highly ineffective.
2. Tai Chi is a martial art, not meditation.
3. We meditate to get rid... not to gain....
4. Dividing meditation into religious and secular creates a wrong impression: ALL meditation is spiritual.

"The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation."
Milarepa

[shoabear]

"Mediation with a "goal" or distinct purpose is highly ineffective."
Yes, this is true....

"we meditate to get rid...not to gain..."

But actually, the idea of "getting rid of" in meditation IS a goal. We do not attempt to achieve the goal of getting rid of something. This is a common misunderstanding about meditation. What we hope for is to become a compassionate witness to whatever arises in our mind, actually. We do not catalog, judge, or rid ourselves of anything. We soften our judgments about what comes up and hopefully get to a place of compassionate acceptance of any unpleasant feelings or thoughts we may have without identifying with them. Deepak Chopra calls this the "ever present witnessing awareness."

Tai Chi is both a meditation and an internal martial art. Depending also on which form you do. Chen style has the most external aspects to it out of the many styles. Meaning, the most living martial applications. Please look into these things before making broad statements.

[MagisterLudi]

"The idea of "getting rid of" in meditation IS a goal. "
You are right. You caught me. I meant the unintended effect, no-mind not a goal.

Still, Tai Chi is absolutely not a form of meditation.
I have been doing Wu style Tai Chi with for about eight years with a reputable master and can assure you that Tai Chi (esp. push hands, swords) is a vigorous Martial Art exercise, the balancing of Ying and Yang notwithstanding...
Leave Wiki alone Try it some time.

[lovingkindness]

"hopefully get to a place of compassionate acceptance of any unpleasant feelings or thoughts we may have without identifying with them".........that is also a statement of a goal

that place is the beginning of the journey, not the end.