New meditators often struggle with the idea of sitting still. One of the inevitable first questions asked at a beginners’ sitting is whether one must remain 100% perfectly still, or whether it’s okay to shift, scratch, and so forth.

( Read more... )

Four days after returning from Asia via Tokyo, I undertook a new adventure: Japanese ritual drumming-or taiko-in the form of a four-week beginner’s workshop offered by local group Pittsburgh Taiko.

Big drums have been used in Japan for centuries in religious rituals and to inspire troops in battle. However, kumi-daiko-the current style and form of ( Read more... )

One the many lessons of meditation practice is impulse control. I don’t like that itch or that knee pain, but I’m trying to stay still right now. Can I relinquish the need to scratch or to adjust my position? What happens if I try?

In meditation, the underlying motives behind such movements-even these trivial ones-are brought into conscious ( Read more... )