How many times do you breathe in one minute?

Yesterday I went to my first Chan Meditation Class. I think I have found just what I need.

I was walking home the second day I was in Taipei. I must have had Help me! I am lost! written all over my face because these two wonderful girls came up to me with a flyer. They asked me if I was interested in hearing more about an English Chan Meditation Class that was starting up in a week. I said...YES!! I would love to! Basically this group is put together by a group of volunteers, and they made it as a way for people who speak English to get together and learn a little about meditation.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I did know that after my day yesterday...I needed a way to relax. Maybe meditation was it? It also couldn't hurt to make a few new friends that know English...so I went.

When we first walked in we just got to talk with other people there. It was amazing how many different people were there! I thought it would be all Westerners, but there were people from India, Nepal, Switzerland, Italy...I mean on and on! There were also a bunch of Taiwanese people who spoke English and were looking to meet people and have a forum to practice it!

Then we met our instructor. She told us about Chan, and it's purpose. She said that we use it to discover who we are and to find our inner wisdom. Religion and culture doesn't matter when practicing Chan. She went on to explain that we must achieve the purity and beauty of the lotus flower.

The divine lotus flower...I have seen it in India, Thailand, Vietnam...sprouting from the dirtiest water you could imagine. Yet, it is still so beautiful! Because the lotus rises from unclean water to blossom as a pure, uncontaminated flower, it is a symbol of purity in many cultures and has significant spiritual meaning.
So, it makes sense that the position we sit in during meditation is called the Lotus position. Then it is broken down into Easy Lotus, Half Lotus, and Full Lotus. Clearly I had to start at the Easy Lotus, which is just sitting Indian Style.

Once we were in Lotus position, our instructor timed us for a minute, and she told us to just breathe normally. As I sat there breathing I felt like I was breathing really slow...only to find out that I counted 32 breaths! TOO MUCH!

Basically, the first thing we learned was how to belly breathe. Belly breathing is slow, soft, deep, breathing. The goal is to actually see and feel the breath move up through your nose, down your lungs and into them as your stomach expands. So the thought behind this goes a little something like this:
Sea turtles live forever. Well, not really forever, but for a REALLY long time. They only take like 5 breaths every 3 minutes! Our instructor told us that we should aim to take less than 20 breaths a minute. If we take more than that, our breaths are too shallow, and as a result we may be short-tempered! (Clearly she hit the nail on the head with that one...and my 32 breaths!) Anyway, after she taught us belly breathing, she re-tested us, and I took 10 breaths. Not bad! It felt good, but was hard to concentrate on the lotus position, the breathing...and the pain that I was feeling in my legs and back!

You see we must concentrate on our breathing so the chi can flow through our bodies. If we are feeling any discomfort, it is because there is a blockage in our chi. So, I need to keep working until that discomfort is gone!

Our instructor told us the discomfort is normal, and with practice it will go away. SO...I have fully committed myself to practicing Chan Meditation. It started tonight when I got home. Right now I can stand only about 10 minutes of it, but I will get to at least 30 - that is my goal. I will also be able to sit Full Lotus before I leave! SO...Day 2 of meditation down, and I think I love it!

As I start to get settled in my daily routine, I am seeing opportunities where I can build in my running, my Chinese, and maybe a little meditation!