Continuous Calm

'Don't meditate; be in meditation.'
Buddha

To get the most benefits from the Calm Technique, it needs some sort of carrythrough into your everyday life. Being calm and contented for an hour a day is one thing, but carrying that feeling with you all day requires more effort. Undoubtedly, the Calm Technique performed every morning and evening will give you a more balanced and peaceful perspective, and a more harmonious outlook than if you didn't use it at all, but can the Calm Technique by itself maintain that unique sense of calm throughout each and every day?

Probably not. To realize the full benefits of the Calm Technique in every moment of your life, it needs to become part of your life. Not just in the morning and evening, but during your day as well.

THE CALM TECHNIQUE IN ACTION

Not all meditations are performed from a static position. In fact, some very well-known types are extremely active. Yet they all share a common objective with the Calm Technique: their goal is simply 'being'; their method is through centring the attention on just one activity. So whether the path is Zen-inspired archery, the ballet-like movements of Tai Chi, the feverish dancing of the Dervishes, the martial-art styles of China and Japan, or even the famous 'Little Way' of St Teresa of Lisieux, the objective remains the same for all: forgetting the distractions and centring the attention on the task at hand (i.e. living just in that moment).

After you have been performing the Calm Technique for a while, you will begin to find the process of 'hearing' your Calm Expression much easier. You will be able to make it much more a part of your everyday life. In time, you will be able to relax the rules; you will be able to meditate in rooms that are not darkened, that are not even quiet. You will be able to steal calming moments in places when you're surrounded by people and traffic. You'll be able to do it with your eyes open, when you're standing, when you're reclining. (Don't try these things in the early stages as they will only tend to lead you astray.) And even though your quiet, private morning and evening meditations will still be the basis of your Calm Technique practice, you will also be able to apply the 'Calm Technique in Action' throughout your day. It works similarly to the stationary version.

Try it when walking.

You begin by just walking - eyes unfocused (open please), looking in front of you, hands swinging loosely as you walk. Relax your neck, face and arms. After a minute or so, your hands will feel quite limp and heavy - maybe your fingers will tingle slightly. Your breathing will be deep and even, as it is in the Calm Exercises.

Then begin to listen to your footsteps as you walk. Listen to them until they fill your attention. Ignore the traffic sounds, hear only your footstep as each foot touches the ground. Be aware only of your walking. Relax into this one activity until you are totally absorbed by it. Forget the passers-by. You may have to stop at the traffic lights or cross through heavy traffic, but these things you will do safely and instinctively; your peripheral vision will warn you about oncoming cars and 'Don't Walk' signs. Let your awareness be filled with the rhythm of your walking; ignore everything else. That you're on the footpath and cars are going past means nothing: hear only that soothing sound of your own footsteps. Feel only the breath the breath in your lungs and the path beneath your feet. In minutes you will have forgotten the distractions, the traffic jams, the sweaty crowds: you'll be meditating. It will feel a little different from your regular morning and evening meditation, but it can be just as effective.

As an alternative to listening to your footsteps (or your breathing, if you prefer), you could 'hear' your Calm Expression emanating from your Calm Centre as you do during the Calm Technique. You could also try 'hearing' it when you're bouncing on a trampoline. Or travelling on the train or bus, when you're in the bath or on the beach, when you're waiting in a long queue - you'll find no end of possible places where you can perform the Calm Technique.

You will find that the 'Calm Technique in Action' can be an effortless way of recharging your energies and exorcising your anger and anxieties during a working day. In fact, to maintain a sense of calm, it is essential that you devote some moments of your working day to the Calm Technique or the Calm Technique in Action. Even if it's only for three or five minutes.

-- This excerpt was taken from The Calm Technique by Paul Wilson