The Ego can be a powerful motivator but it is also a powerful distraction. The Ego is that piece of your psyche that says "I want." Sometimes we get confused and think it says "I will," or "I can," it does not. The Ego motivates as well as distracts because of WANT, because of DESIRE, because it COVETS. It will find the easiest way to satisfy it's drives because in addition to being a desirous creature it is also a lazy creature. How many people have you met in life who have said, "I want to exercise more,"? It's a common refrain heard around New Year's each year. How many of those same people establish a habit of excellence and achieve that goal? Very few. Why? Their Ego came in and said, "Come on, we don't have time for this," or "You ran yesterday there is no reason for you to workout today; you are doing better than you did before," or "Well, you are feeling a little achy and tired you should take the rest of the week off." The problem really is that the Ego Desires things (particularly comfort and luxury) but it does not Aspire to anything. Aspiring to become something or to achieve something is a far more powerful motivator that desiring something. I think that's because when we aspire we see the Virtue and Value in or goal and recognize it will improve us. When we desire something it is the next "bright shiny object" and when something comes along that the Ego covets more than the current desire we toss aside the old object for the new.
In order to be able to thrive on the fireground we have to quiet the Ego. If the Ego is about comfort and luxury then it is out of place on the battleground of a working fire. You will have to willingly and with clear focus do things that engage your Sympathetic Nervous System. You will work to the extremes of physical effort. You will likely confront situations that tax your emotional resilience.
Learning to Meditate teaches us to quiet the Ego; it teaches us to be 100% present in the moment. Think about the modern fireground. With the changing nature of fire behavior and it's effects on building construction we have mere seconds to recognize changing conditions before they have developed to the point we cannot control. The inside of a structure fire DEMANDS 100% attention to be given to the firefight if we hope to maintain Situational Awareness, the ability to make relevant and timely decisions, and maintain company integrity. Learning to Meditate can help us train our minds to achieve this goal. Once we become adept at learning to quiet the Ego we can then use the skills of Visualization, Mental Rehearsal, and positive Self-Talk to program our responses for challenges that we anticipate.
Here is how I learned to Meditate.
I find a quiet spot, someplace where there are no distractions (the phone is turned off, the TV and Computer aren't factors, no one is going to come in and ask me to do anything).
I sit down or lie down in a comfortable position.
I close my eyes and begin to breathe slowly and deeply. I use my diaphragm to breathe: my belly fills with air rather than my chest. This allows a deeper more controlled breathing. The belly should expand and "fill" on the in breath and completely collapse to expel the old air on the out breath.
I allow my body to relax; starting at my feet and working my way up to my shoulders I will contract the muscles of my body and then on an exhalation release the muscle. This helps is releasing tension and quieting the aches and pains of the day.
I then begin to count my breaths. Start with a four count breathing. Inhale for a count of four, pause for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, pause for a count of four. By counting your breaths you accomplish two things: 1 - you give the mind something to do (the old "boil water trick") and 2 - you practice Tactical Breathing that can aid in restarting your cognitive processing if you find your SNS gaining primacy. It becomes a true reminder that you must find a calm sense to accomplish your mission.
At times a thought will pop into my mind, "What will I make for dinner," or "Oh, I need to finish that project," I simply think "Noted, I will deal with that later." The key is to become aware of the distracting thoughts, acknowledge it, and then move on. I found when I started learning to meditate I was constantly overwhelmed by extraneous thoughts, now I notice that if I start to have a distracting thought it actually disturbs my breathing. So I refocus on the deep, rhythmic breathing and I can clear the distraction.
I usually set a timer on my phone for the amount of time I want to mediate. Occasionally I will use a guided meditation to work on my visualization or relaxation skills. Other things that can be helpful:
- Turn on some kind of soft instrumental music.
- Use a candle as a point of focus if you are unable or uncomfortable sitting with your eyes closed.
- Set aside the same time every day to practice meditation.
I have mediated for nearly 20 years now. I have changed my meditative practice to now include post work-out meditation (so I develop the ability to find tranquility when I am physically wrung out), mediation and mantra usage during workouts to reduce the noise of my body wanting to stop, and I continue to use mediation during times of quiet reflection to work on mental rehearsal and programing positive actions.
If you can find a workshop or class I think that is an excellent starting point. Whether you take a class or not I would check out the local library to see about finding a book, or some guided meditation CDs. I download the Meditation Society of Australia's podcast through iTunes to use quite often. Their podcasts include a lecture and guided meditation.
Some other resources are:
http://www.how-to-meditate.org/
http://www.themeditationpodcast.com/
http://www.meditationcenter.com/
I don't use these resources but I offer them as suggestions. Like anything use the wonders of Google to find a resource that works for you.
For the more advanced practitioner I would recommend looking into the articles that are available on www.SEALFit.com. If you sign up for their newsletter you get access to a great lecture on the "Unbeatable Mind". It's good stuff.
Good luck in your practice. We will get into visualizations and then mental rehearsals in coming videos and articles. Cheers.
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