Sheila Story : Winter can be perfect time for meditation

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Even before the holiday chaos, I found myself looking forward to the season of short days and long nights. It was my day off. I had no worries or concerns. Just me and the cat sitting on our second-floor porch soaking up warmth from a noticeably low sun at high noon, detached observers of life on a busy intersection. Rather than suffering, as some do, from classical Seasonal Affective Disorder from diminished sunlight, I realized I was recovering from its opposite.

I don’t do well when summer peaks here in Nebraska. It starts with Daylight Saving Time. I miss that hour of sleep and never seem to be able to get it back until the following October. I enjoy spring and early summer, but July and August scorch me like an unwatered tomato plant. I don’t sleep well in air conditioning of any kind. I’m constantly tired and frazzled. … You get the picture. Girl of summer I’m not.

Winter is a relaxing and productive time for me. Creativity surges and inspiration flies at me from all directions. I tend to be a hermit anyway, but winter sends me into a deep retreat of introspection from which I gain valuable insight, ideas and increased productivity

I find that darkness doesn’t obscure surroundings so much as it reveals subtle clues to the nature of things that we often miss when daylight reveals their form. It’s an alternate way of seeing things that I just kind of like.

For millions, the effect is just the opposite: The loss of sunlight combined with decreased activity leads to depression and despair.

In fact, winter is a time of quiet for most creatures living at our latitude. You don’t see a lot of activity in the natural world when the temps drop below 20.

A memory emerges from long ago on the farm. The Black Angus herd stood in a still pasture coated by an undisturbed inch of snow. Their heads were low, their eyes nearly closed like Buddhas in deep meditation. They were in a place beyond the reach of emotions, judgment or desire.

The quiet of winter is perfect for meditation. But if weather-imposed rest makes you restless and introspection leads to self judgment and despair and like the dreaming bears you crave Twinkies and chips, try to take it easy on yourself.

Try this meditation from “Emotional Yoga, How the Body can Heal the Mind,” by Bija Bennett, for deepening contentment.

n  Decide on an attitude you’d like to cultivate — happiness, for example.

n Sit comfortably with eyes closed and direct your awareness within. Lengthen the flow of your breath and allow yourself to feel the silence.

n Now, bring your awareness to your heart, while thinking the word “happiness.” Then release your intention into your field of consciousness. It’s like blowing the seeds off a dandelion — you say the intention in your mind, then let it go with the breath. Next, bring your awareness back to yourself and be there silently for a moment.

n Repeat this procedure with one intention at least two to four times, always coming back to yourself.

I tried this after an evening yoga class. While I was thinking the word “happiness” in my mind, I felt a pull of anxiety that I physically perceived in my chest. I stayed with it and imagined letting go of it with each  exhale. After a night of sound sleep, I woke up feeling positively blissful.  

Was it because of the meditation? Who knows?

It wasn’t long before life baked up a new batch of anxiety, but a few hours or even minutes of calm happiness here and there can only be good for you in the long run and could help to get through a cold, dark winter.

It also might help to leave some of the holiday lights up until the sun climbs high, the days begin to lengthen and our world once again blooms with life.

And be sure to make a note in your barely used 2006 calendar to come and rescue me in July.

Reach Sheila Story at 473-7333 or sstory@journalstar.com.