Stumbling Toward Inner Peace

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Ah, nature! That vast expanse of trees, lakes, and mountains. Scientific literature provides numerous studies (take a look at this) that show significant improvements in mental health outcomes when individuals engage with natural environments. It highlights that 98% of the studies reviewed reported mental health benefits from nature-based interventions, such as reduced rumination and lower cortisol levels from activities like forest bathing and hiking.

So, to quiet my monkey mind, I decided to immerse myself in a 5-hour mixed meditation (Vipassana, TM, Zen, Tibetan, and Hindu prayer) on the sloping shore of a lake flanked by deep forests and pretend that mosquitoes don't have a personal vendetta against me. Even though I have been practicing TM (off and on, with mixed results) for the past 30 years and dabbled in other forms of meditation, I had never tried to mix them all up in one session. It was like setting my inner mixed martial artist upon the demons of my mind.

As I arrived at the lake, I was greeted by the soothing sounds of chirping birds and the gentle rustling of leaves -- a nature documentary, minus the soothing voiceover, plus dodging dragonflies the size of small dogs.

I settled down by the lake, ready to channel my inner Buddha. But as soon as I closed my eyes, TM (mantra meditation) started duking it out with Zazen (Zen meditation that requires dispassionately observing one's breath). So, instead of slouching toward enlightenment, I found myself pondering the existential crisis of a squirrel and imagining the reflection of my tangled-up soul in the mirror-like surface of the lake, the ripples of my thoughts disturbing the still water.

Still, despite the distractions, I found moments of clarity amidst the chaos. Nature has a way of teaching us that life is unpredictable. Sometimes, you just have to roll with it, whatever the "it" might be.

After nearly four hours of battling my thoughts, allowing the mosquitoes to suck most of the blood out of my legs, and contemplating the life choices of nearby wildlife, I emerged from my meditation slightly more enlightened and significantly more aware of the importance of bug spray.

As I packed up to leave, I couldn't help but chuckle at my grand experiment. Who knew that the path to inner peace would involve so much itching? Next time, I think I'll stick to meditating in my living room – where the only wildlife I have to contend with is Rocco, our friend’s Brittany Spaniel, who's mastered the art of zen-like living far better than I ever will.

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‘Til next time.
ak