try sunbathing

This is one of my favourite meditations. And you may already enjoy sunbathing yourself. But there are a few techniques to pay attention to, which can help your sunbathing become more meditative.

Firstly, don't make it a social affair. Sunbathing with other people can be very pleasant. But that's not going to help us reach a state of meditation. So find a place where you can be alone, or at least have enough space around you that you are not aware of other people's presence the whole time.

And of course, it needs to be sunny, sunny and comfortable. Sunbathing is best done lying down, and I like to be in contact with the ground, not on some sunlounger. So lie on the sand or the grass or a flat rock. Find a place where your body is comfortable.

And if at all possible, be naked. Being naked helps all meditations: we've already removed half of our masks, just by undressing. That contact with nature, and with the sunlight, will be that much stronger without clothes. Plus, of course, you won't have any tan lines. So get naked, lie down, and relax.

Now you may be in the habit, when sunbathing, of taking a book with you or a magazine, or maybe your telephone or a music player. Leave all these things behind, though. They are entertainments, distractions. And what we want, for our sunbathing to become a meditation, is for the mind to become quiet, and not just be filled with distractions.

Of course, lying there doing nothing, with no entertainment, your mind will probably become rather busy. This happens with all meditation. Everything you are worrying about in your life will come up, as thoughts, anxieties. This is the nature of the worrisome mind that many people live in all the time. But if you lie there in the sun long enough, these worries will subside. It is natural.

The sun will be warming your skin. And without any effort, your mind will become quiet. And your attention will begin to move to this warmth that's oozing into your body, all over. It's a sensation. And it doesn't need thinking. One can enjoy it most fully when the thoughts are absent; just with that simple awareness on the feelings of warmth.

And that warmth will melt the tension in your muscles. And those bodily tensions are a reflection of your mental tensions, of those anxieties. And as your muscles relax, your mind will relax too. It is natural.

And this is why sunbathing is one of the best meditations. The sun is doing all the work. It is giving you a deep heat massage. And all you need to do is relax; relax and surrender to that warmth. This is the warmth of existence, kissing your body, touching your being, seducing you into a state where your anxieties will melt away. And if you are lucky, in that silent space, you will feel that you are the warmth; that there is no you apart from this tranquil, peaceful warmth.

So give it a try: try sunbathing.