The Meditation Challenge

I have meditated sporadically over the years. I always gain a lot of serenity, peace and clarity when I do. I can even recall my first attempt. It was in 1967 and I had ridden my bike up to Mt. Davidson in San Francisco. The exercise was quite aerobic because the hills were huge getting up to the top of this hill. When I reached the top I was able to see Forest Hills and Portola drive from a particular vantage point. I found a grassy knoll and laid my bike down. I think I even got in the Lotus position. Slowly I closed my eyes and began to breathe slowly. I must have been there for around 20 minutes to a half hour. The fog was rolling in and I began to get cold.

Riding down the hills back to my home in St.Francis Woods, I had the Beatles tune, " The Fool on the Hill" playing in my head. The Sergent Pepper Album had been out for some time and this song made me think of where I had just been. It also made me think about Jesus and how "The eyes in his head see the world spinning round." It left me with a melancholy, yet hopeful feeling that I will never forget.

Later, I began reading books by George Leonard who wrote about the inner life of Sports, and how transforming that experience can be for people. I began running seriously after that. Different meditation techniques were used like something called,"Soft eyes" where I would intentionally soften my focus to allow a more restful attitude to inhabit my being. This helped me with my emotional states throughout my teens and twenties.