~ Sanjay, Sundaresan, Vasanth
I work with two Youth, VasanthaRaj and Sundar as part of the modelling and MSV team for C3StreamLand/AuraSemi. All the youth here have been introduced to Vipassana meditation. While the high standards set by GoenkaJi for daily Vipassana practice (2 hrs/day. These are not met even by most seasoned household meditators and in many cases even Dhamma workers at the centers) may not be maintained by the youth, I notice that they do practice of their own volition from time to time.
I notice both Sundar and Vasanth sit upright, back and neck straight on their chairs, eyes closed, palms on thighs and meditating. This post is about this practice of theirs in the form of a Q&A
Q: I notice that the two of you meditate on the chair at work now and then. How often do you do it?
Ans. About once or twice daily?
Q: How long do you do it?
Ans. 2-3 minutes each time
Q: Why do you do it?
Ans. To Bring back our attention to work. When we notice that our mind is not on work
Q: What causes you to have difficulty in attending to work?
Ans. The normal mental wear and tear of the day
Q. Does the 2-3 hour of meditation work in bringing back your attention to work?
Vasanth: Yes, the Concentration does come back 60% of the time with just 2-3 minutes
Sundar: For me, with 2-3 minutes, the concentration comes back 90% of the time
Q. Have you tried longer duration, say 5 minutes?
Vasanth: Yes, if I am completely de-energized, I sit for 10 minutes. This is rare. I did not test how often this works
Sundar: I sit only 2-3 minutes at a time, but if I find it not enough, I go for another 2-3 minutes. I don’t have an estimate for how often the next attempt works or how often I need to sit a second time.
Q. Do you use a stop watch for setting the time?
Ans. No, we just sit for as long as is comfortable. We estimate it is around 2-3 minutes, but not more than 5 minutes.
Q. Any concluding comments?
Vasanth: Practicing Anapanna for a few minutes throughout the day helps me to regain my concentration when my mind is wandering. It also improves my work efficiency.
Sundar: Practicing Anapana helps me regain my concentration when my mind is scattered. However, it can be difficult to maintain focus on the breath, as my mind tends to get distracted by my thoughts.