“There is no good or bad meditation — there is simply awareness or non-awareness. To begin with, we get distracted a lot. Over time, we get distracted less. Be gentle with your approach, be patient with the mind, and be kind to yourself along the way.” -Andy Puddicombe, Headspace co-founder
Zen: (Noun) A state of calm attentiveness in which one’s actions are guided by intuition rater than by conscious effort
Zen: (Adjective) Having or showing qualities (such as meditative calmness and an attitude of acceptance) popularly associated with practitioners of Zen Buddhism.
(Used in a sentence)
“I hate to use this word, but Owen is very ‘Zen’”, said Rita Nagel, a vice president at Goldman Sachs. “When some traders start losing money, they get nervous. Owen stays very relaxed”.
To sum up, ‘Zen’ is a state of being. Just like being Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy, Dopy, Sneezy, Bashful, or Doc. No not Doc. I apologize, it was right there, I had to go for it.
Knowing the definition of Zen and possible uses in a sentence is all well and good, but what on earth does it have to do with Camping? Moreover, how can Zen be used in my life to help me succeed?
Why is Finding Your Zen Important?
Any one person can have over 6,000 thoughts per day. That is a lot of work for your mind. Even your brain needs a bit of rest from time to time. Without knowing it, people often find themselves going into a Zen like state. Most people call it “Zoning Out”. It’s not because you are personally tired or are extremely bored, it is mostly because your subconscious mind needs for your conscious mind to take a time out so it can sort through all these thoughts and direct you in the direction you need to go in.
How Do You Get Into The ‘Zen’ state?
The state of Zen is often acquired by practicing meditation. Meditation is consciously taking the time to allow your thoughts to stop and just be. During this time, you are allowing yourself to not feel guilty of not doing anything.
Meditation in and of itself is a practice that is very difficult to accomplish. Those beginning the practice of meditation often start off with ‘Mindful Meditation’. This is practiced by consciously focusing only on the task at hand, not allowing other thoughts to enter your mind. If thoughts do arise, you simply recognize them and let them pass. Focusing on breathing in and out, or ambient sounds around you slows down all other thoughts. Enough so, where the mind can relax enough, and you enter that euphoric state of just being. When in this state, you have no cares, worries or troubles. Nor do you feel excited, happy, or glad. You just ARE! This is your ‘Zen’.
What does Camping have to do with being in ‘Zen’?
Being out in nature helps to get you into this ‘Zen’ state. Nature doesn’t carry all the thoughts and emotions that we as humans do. Nature just is. When being out in nature, you surround yourself with the simplicity of life. Ultimately, people find their thoughts slow down and they feel more relaxed and calmer.
Inversely, think of how relaxed and calm you would be if you were to find yourself in a crowded subway system in the middle of a city, where everyone was hot, tired, hungry, and full of hate and anger from something that had happened to them that day. You probably wouldn’t, unless you have been meditating for years training yourself to recognize these emotions and feeling as just another thing and not let it get to you.
People go camping simply to take a break from their everyday lives. They choose to go camping because they enjoy it. They enjoy being out in nature. They enjoy the simplicity of it all. It is a time where they allow themselves a reprieve of duties. Camping allows them to not feel bad just sitting and doing nothing or doing something with focused enjoyment. Sound Familiar?
You Should Sit In Nature For 20 minutes A Day…
Unless You’re Busy, Then You Should Sit For An Hour!!!
– Zen Saying
Why is all this important to succeeding in life?
Simply put, the feeling of calmness, relaxation and simply recognizing that things just are, carry over for a long time after meditation. This is the perfect state of mind to be in when you are going throughout your day. You see problems as they are without incorporating emotion into them. Making them easier to handle and deal with. You view your goals as just a place to get to without worrying about all the Who’s, What’s, When’s, Why’s and How’s. With less thoughts and emotions running through your head, you will have an easier time focusing on the task at hand, getting through it quicker, more efficiently and ultimately getting you to your goal.
If success is the steady progressive realization to achieving one’s worthy goal or ideal. Wouldn’t you want to go through your steady progression in a calm relaxed manner knowing you are going to get to your ideal or goal no matter what happens? Instead of franticly thinking, second guessing, hoping, and stressing, wondering if you’ll ever reach your ideal or goal.
Finding your ‘Zen’, or getting into the calm, relaxed, meditative state. Where your disruptive thoughts are tuned out before setting forth to achieving your ideal or goal, should be the first thing you do. It takes time and patience and lots of practice to accomplish this. Camping helps get you back to nature, to the simplicity of life. It helps slow your thoughts and allows you to shift your mind to the tasks in front of you. Giving your subconscious mind time to work in finding the most efficient way to accomplish the ideals or goals you want to accomplish in your everyday life.
Thank You For Reading
