Learning the Instrument of Your Mind

A while ago I was speaking to a group of executives from a big tech company. The head of the team asked a question: ”Look, I've got to tell you, I'm quite skeptical about this whole meditation thing. When I get stressed I go for a walk amongst the trees. That works for me. Why do I need to meditate?”

I also love to walk in nature. What did you think? I’m not one of those wicked ‘anti-tree’ monks! But walking in nature, for all its richness, does not have the same effect as meditation.

Listening vs Learning

Think about the difference between listening to music and learning to play an instrument. It feels good to listen to music, but learning to play an instrument is an evolving experience that exercises every part of your brain and can, over the years, lead to mastery.

Meditation also exercises parts of your brain and mind that you didn’t even know existed. If you practice regularly, gradually a series of remarkable changes take place. Not only do your stress levels go way down, but you become less prone to feeling stressed in the first place. And removing the stress unlocks your powers of focus, creativity, empathy, and just being able to feel contented! Oh, and you sleep better. Nice!

Once you’ve begun to control your stress response and master the instrument of your mind, you can recreate that feeling that you get when you walk in the forest, within your own head! Not all of us have an actual forest just outside our front door, so this can come in quite handy.

I cherish my memories of wandering amongst some of the most incredible trees in the world. But even the most beautiful forest has its limitations. Your inner world has none.

I took this one in Yosemite National Park, California.