Meditation Challenge: Day #6
Meditation Day 6 – Taize Chanting
Last night on a whim, I decided to check out a local Episcopal church. Specifically, I went because they had a “Contemplative Service” during which, at least in the first half, they play Taize, Celtic, and ancient Christian chants. I like this type of music but hadn’t attended anything live like this in a while, so why not?!
The church sanctuary was fairly empty with about 6 other folks in the pews when I got there. I found a seat on the far-right side, halfway in. After I got settled, I closed my eyes, kneeling to breathe in the peaceful atmosphere and sounds. However, the music was a bit quiet and, as a recording rather than an actual performance, was also a little flat. Within a few minutes of listening and kneeling, I began to feel restless and antsy, wondering if I’d made a mistake by coming.
Suddenly without even thinking about it, I began my ONS chant silently. That changed my experience, almost immediately deepening it. I felt a little odd using a Sanskrit mantra while the voices of Gregorian monks were drifting through the air. But hey, it’s what works, right? And chanting and praying in any form seemed more fitting to the setting and my intent than thinking about my grocery list or feeling guilty for doing it wrong.
At any rate, as I was disappointed in the intensity of the Taize last night, this morning I looked up some Taize chants on Spotify and decided to try again. I planned to just listen to whatever was in the song rather than sing or chant along since I didn’t know the words or the melodies. But what I noticed – at least for the songs in English – was that I paid a lot more attention to the meaning of the words and thought about them rather than quieting my mind.
After two Taize songs, I decided that it was not helpful – at least today - and switched over to a recording of Tibetan Buddhist monks chanting “Om.” What I quickly noticed was that simply listening to a song other people are singing or chanting is not meditative for me, at least not in the way I am currently desiring. So, with the monks doing their thing, I began chanting silently the now familiar ONS and finally got myself to a place of mental space and quiet.
If you want to listen to the monks I spent the morning with, check them out here - It is about an hour long, but I probably only listened and meditated with it for 15-20 minutes
PS…My mantra coloring book came. Here’s the first one I did. It did help me de-stress after all! I also realized it helped me with focus because it is simple enough to start and finish in one session.
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