Susan Piver - Freedom from Fear: A Seven-Day Meditation Program

A Seven-Day Meditation Program

SUSAN PIVER

ST. MARTINS GRIFFIN
New York

Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on
in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace,
like a clock during a thunderstorm.

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

All spiritual practice begins with slowing down, letting the concerns of everyday life drop away, and turning ones attention inward. This evening, allow your body to slow down. If youre not at home, dont rush through unpacking. When you sit down to journal or meditate, take your seat gently. Dont multitask. Do one thing at a time. Breathe deeply. Allow your mind to expand. Know that, for the next thirty-six hours, youre going to let it rest quietly. When body and mind slow down, the spirit comes forward.

As you begin the program, realize that learning these practices could mark a turning point in your life, so really go for it. Leap, and the net will appear, as the saying goes. You can trust that when you take your first step, even if it appears to be into thin air, the net begins readying itself to catch you. The leap and the net come into existence at the same time. So as you do this inner work, the world around you seems magically to create the circumstances and coincidences that will support you best.

5:006:00 P.M. SET UP

Whether youre in your bedroom, a friends house, a hotel, or a retreat center, do what you can to make sure your space will be available by 5:00 P.M. There is nothing magical about 5:00 P.M. , but its helpful to have a clearly delineated start time and to begin your retreat with a sense of discipline. If youre using your bedroom, make sure that youve cleaned up and put away distracting or irritating things. Make sure you have the groceries youll need for the entire thirty-six hours. If youre going to a friends house, take care to have checked out and prepared the space beforehand. Come a little early to do so, but be ready by 6:00 P.M.

If youre at a hotel, ask that your room be in a quiet spot. Unplug the telephone. Turn off your cell phone and stash it. Cover the TV with a blanket, or swivel it around to face a wall. When you shut the door, your space should feel goodsafe, but maybe a little exciting.

Unpack your retreat box. Create a shrine by placing the object that represents your highest wisdom somewhere neat and clean. A bookshelf, bedside table, or windowsill is good. Since this object represents what is most precious to you, you dont want to place it on the floor, in a closet, or amid a bunch of cookie crumbs. Next, place your offering next to or in front of your item. Do so with a sense of gratitude for this gift of solitude and quiet.

Choose a place for your meditation. It could be facing your shrine or not. If you have a cushion, set it up in a clean and, if possible, out-of-the-way spot. If this isnt possible, its no big deal. Simply decide where youre going to sit and be prepared to set your cushion there during meditation periods. If you arent using a traditional cushion, decide whether youll be sitting on a chair, a sofa, or the bed. If youve chosen a chair or sofa, make sure its one you can sit up straight in, back unsupported, feet on the floor. If youre going to sit on the bed, figure out a way to stack pillows so that you can sit comfortably but upright. You could sit cross-legged or on the edge of the bed or with your feet on the floor. If your feet dont reach the floor, stack some pillows or cushions under them to bring your knees level with or slightly above your hips.

Unpack your clothes, toiletries, groceries, and so on.

6:007:00 P.M. JOURNALING, DINNER,
CLEANUP, WALK

Open your journal. For your first journaling exercise, take about twenty minutes (or longer if you wish) to make note of what your senses are able to take in. For now, leave your feelings behind, forget about whatever motivated you to do this program, and look around you. What are your surroundings like? What type of furniture does this room contain? What are you sitting or lying on, and how does it feel? Is it comfortable? What colors can you see? What can you smell or hear? How does it feel to be in this roomnot how do you feel, but how does the room feelis it serene, jumbled, warm, plain? Does it feel like a happy, unhappy, or neutral place to be?

Note how your body feels. Scan from your feet to your head, and jot down whatever you notice. The bottoms of my feet hurt. My back is so comfortable against these pillows. My chest feels warm. My eyeglasses are pinching the bridge of my nose a tiny bit. And so on. This is a way of attuning to your environment and settling into it by making contact with its energy through the placement of your attention. When youre finished, set your journal aside and get ready for dinner.

Dinner should either be prepared already or easy to prepare. Whether you cooked in advance, picked up takeout, or need to cook now, keep it simple and nourishing. It shouldnt take more than thirty minutes to prepare, nor should it be a bag of cookies or chips. Eat something you know is basically good for you. As you eat, you can read one of the books you brought, or do nothing but taste your food.

Clean up.

Take a twenty-minute walk unless its freezing cold or youre in a dangerous neighborhood. Walk around the block. Take your time. This walk isnt meant to be athletic. Walking is an uncomplicated way to connect with your body and digest your food. If youre on familiar turf and you have a portable audio player, you can listen to your quiet playlist while you walk. Otherwise, pay attention to your breath and take in your surroundings.

7:0010:00 P.M. JOURNALING,
RELAXATION, SLEEP

Get your journal out again and make yourself comfortable. During this exercise, youll be turning your attention inward to begin a dialogue with yourself. The following sentences are like little prayers, requesting the blessings of whomever or whatever you believe to be the source of blessings. If you have no such beliefs, this is fine. If its more comfortable to you, dont think of them as prayers but look at them as markers that set your intentions in motion, little ways of telling yourself the truth about whats on your mind. What you write should be fairly simple and straightforward. Dont rush, but dont spend an inordinate amount of time finding the perfect words either. Write what comes to mind. You can always tweak this later.

Please help me to _________ so that I may_________.

Please guide me to _________ so that I may _________.

Please show me _________ so that I may _________.

Please teach me _________ so that I may _________.

Here are some examples of things you might say:

Please help me to quit smoking so that I may be healthy.

Please guide me to the people or circumstances who can help me find a job doing work I really love so that I may express myself fully.

Please show me how to talk with my sister so that I may stop fighting with her.

Please teach me how to have confidence so that I may ask for what Im worth.

Keep it simple, but if youre inspired to elaborate, feel free. You can use a sentence a page, explaining each item. Whether or not you elaborate, be sure to fill in the blanks.