The Lion’s Roar: Druidic Meditation Part II

Winston Churchill said this before he began his work as Prime Minister of England during the dark times of World War II:

“I felt as if I were walking with Destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial. Eleven years in the political wilderness had freed me from ordinary party antagonisms. My warnings over the last six years had been so numerous, so detailed, and were now so terribly vindicated, that no one could gainsay me. I could not be reproached either for making the war or with want of preparation for it…Therefore, although impatient for the morning, I slept soundly and had no need for cheering dreams. Facts are better than dreams.”

Most of us will never be in such a momentous occupation.   Most of us will live far simpler lives.  If we are lucky, we will be blessed with the classic Celtic trio of Health, Wealth, and Wisdom.  There are times in life, however, when even the dental assistant, office manager, or java programmer needs to ready themselves for a daunting task. And so I give you part two of my Druidic Meditation series.  This is a simple exercise for gearing yourself up for something scary or intimidating.  

Don’t think that just because it’s simple it won’t be effective. I have found that particularly in moments of stress it’s the simplest things that work well. 

Exercise Two: Moving From a Low Energy to a High Energy State

Sit or stand with your feet squarely on the floor.  Roll your shoulders back and make sure you are not hunching them.  Imagine you have a thread attached to the top of your head pulling you upward and let your neck and spine adjust accordingly.  Take note of your breath and your heart rate for a moment, but do not try to change anything, just notice where you are at.  If you are feeling panicky it may be worth it to practice Exercise One first.   Once you are feeling fairly calm focus on making your breath even calmer. Let it be light and easy, maybe even a little shallow.   As you continue to focus on your breath let each breath be a little deeper and stronger.  Again, focus on the out-breath.  The in-breath will take care of itself.  With each exhalation push air out more forcefully and intensely.  You may, if you like, lean a little forward at this point as if you were about to burst into action.  This does not need to be a huge motion to be effective.  As you breathe, think about the thing you are going to accomplish, either on the final outcome, or the first step that you will take to accomplish it.  When you are ready and feel full of energy and excitement allow yourself to move forward with a burst into whatever it is that needs doing.

This can help with folding laundry as well as defending your country or achieving another huge task. I actually did this meditation before I began to write this post.

Certainly it's a simple technique.  You may even think to yourself that it is foolish for me to devote a whole post to such a thing.  But I would ask you, have you tried it? Have you ever had a morning when you felt like the last thing you wanted to do was to get out of bed or a moment when you wondered if you would be able to do a thing?    Simple techniques are effective because when you are in a moment of stress or strain it’s hard to remember to do anything at all, let alone some esoteric pattern for calming the mind.

I would like to close this post with a quote from another great man, Thich Nhat Hanh:

“While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means that while washing the dishes one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes. At first glance, that might seem a little silly: why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that’s precisely the point.  The fact that I am standing there and washing these bowls is a wondrous reality. I’m being completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions. There’s no way I can be tossed around mindlessly like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves.”

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