Why Meditate?
Recently somebody asked me why I practice mindfulness meditation, and particularly what it has to do with playing music and or martial arts. When I meditate, I practice being attentive. Or you might say "metacognating": thinking about thinking. When I'm in the habit of noticing my thoughts, my time spent practicing is much more effective . For example: + I'm able to better notice when my posture is wrong + I can notice my thoughts - more like an observer - and therefore consider whether they might be side tracking or undermining me + I can be aware of whether the reason I'm not getting something is because I don't see it, or because I don't hear it, or because I'm playing it too fast , or because I don't really know how it feels in my body to play those notes, or I don't really know the changes or the harmony For most of us, the myriad thoughts that pass through our minds while we're practicing usually happen way too fast fo...