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S I D E _Q U E S T _I V C R E A T E _Y O U R _O W N _F O R C E _F I E L D This week we will be taking lessons from The White Council of Middle Earth. No, not that lesson. The Strength of The Elves and The Maia comes from their Wisdom. The Wiser they are the stronger they become. Even Melkor was considered the wisest among the Valar before he became Morgoth. This week we will work on creating our own force field of peace, calm, mindfulness and wisdom; and use it to defeat The Necromancer. Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t watched The Hobbit trilogy — what’s wrong with you? — don’t watch the videos, they contain scenes from the last movies and the extended edition of The Desolation of Smaug. Why? Meditation can help you realize just how far and fast our minds can wander from what you're supposed to be doing at the mo— OH, LOOK! A SQUIRREL! Got it. Okay. How am I doing? Okay, monkey. Got it. Okay. Okay, look out for the other monkey. In the age of multitasking ninjas, hyper-scheduling wizards, and Cheechoe’s Cat Memes and Gifs, that alone can be a huge help. If you are, indeed, part of the Monks Guild, you have attempted to practice meditation in some point in your life, so I won’t go into details on why we need to meditate. It’s what we do, it’s how we roll. We take up the practice of mindfulness meditation to increase focus, lower stress and maintain present the forgiveness and compassion we show others and ourselves when we fail. We know our physical health cannot be dissociated from our mental and emotional health and that there’s a close relationship between physical fitness and mental and emotional fitness and willpower. Fatigue, weakness, lack of stamina, physical exhaustion, or just our everyday life can drain our willpower. The experienced, tough and well-conditioned Monk who takes up the practice of mindfulness meditation has a feeling of fitness and confidence, and is much less susceptible to many of the factors which undermine our willpower. So, when you feel overwhelmed by the Shadows of Mordor, low on willpower and morale, I want you to do this: Stop, smile, and breathe. How? Let us start our mindfulness meditation challenge by emptying our mind... * snorts * Nah, sorry. I’m just kidding. Mindfulness meditation is perhaps the most accessible form of meditation. And it's not about clearing your mind but rather focusing on one thing. When the mind wanders, the meditation isn't a failure. Our brain is like a wayward GIR Unit, out of control. Catching it and putting it back to the object of focus is what meditation is all about. It can be as simple as focusing on your breath. As you breathe, your mind will wander and other thoughts will come rushing to you. That’s okay! That’s what your mind do. Don’t let those thoughts fester like Orcs; make a conscious effort to always go back and focus on your breathing. What you’ll need Nothing. Mindfulness meditation requires only that you’re willing to concentrate and notice what's happening around you and, in most cases slow your mind down and follow your breath. You can do it lying down, in a chair, in savasana, in your daily commute, after yoga, in the shower, while your wash your bowl, or if you’re a fancy monk: using a zafu or a zabuton and seated on seiza. Even if you do it only for two minutes, it counts. It's dangerous out there, take these You start focusing on your breath, and after a brief victory, in comes the squirrel... Here are a few techniques you can use. Count your breath: As you breathe in, count 1 in your mind, and as you breathe out, count 1. Breathe in, count 2. Breathe out, count 2. Continue through 20, then return to 1 again, like a string which attaches your mindfulness to your breath. When the count is lost, simply return to 1 and keep trying until you can keep the count correctly. Seek inspiration: If you are inspired by Eastern spiritual traditions —which being here I’ll assume you are— you might reflect upon the principles of your martial art. You can also use a candle, a flower, the smoke from incense or any other object that has meaning for you. Lightly allow your attention to sit there, quietly and peacefully. Recite a prayer, mantra or a positive affirmation: A mantra literally means "that which protects the mind." So reciting a mantra protects you with spiritual power. It is also said that when you chant a mantra, you are charging your breath and energy with the energy of the mantra. Do a Guided Meditation: Guided meditation is akin to guided imagery, a powerful technique that focuses and directs the imagination toward a conscious goal. You'll find a lot of guided meditations, both free and for sale, around the web. If you are currently practicing meditation or have practiced it during some part of your life. Please share your advice, technique, app, and experience below. Now, go. Wield the light of Earendil and Create a Force Field capable of sending Sauron back to the filth from which he came.