iPods & Mindfulness

Since the iPod can, if you believe the hype, do everything but wash & fold the clothes, I might as well chime in & say I use mine as a meditation timer. I have a CD that I got from DharmaCrafts that has various length blank tracks & then an end chime. If I had been less lazy, I could have made the same thing, myself, although by the time I got it, I'd already packed much of my studio stuff away.

Anyway, I ripped the CD to iTunes & made a bunch of playlists for 15, 20, 25 & 30 minute periods. Right now, I'm only doing 15 minutes. Or that's the plan, anyway.

Except, as if in mute testament to my lack of mindfulness, nearly every time I use the darn thing, I press some incorrect button or don't turn on the speakers (No, I can't meditate with headphones in, so I plug the iPod into some speakers.) End result -- I sit until I realize that I can't sit still anymore.

Next time, I start to get antsy -- have I set the right time? Did I actually turn on the critter? Is it too loud?

Yet another distraction. And another reminder to actually pay attention to what I'm doing.

If I was a clever monkey, I would just go in search of one of the old portable CD players & keep it, permanently, in my meditation room, with the CD in it. Of course, that involves going through boxes, and I have no idea where the thing is...

And it all goes round & round & round again. Rather like breathing.