Best Place to Practice Meditation in SF is…Muni?
Photo by Ben Morrison, taken on Valencia Street
…those of us who meditate also know how hard it can be carrying that divine relaxation over into the rest of our lives…One super place to practice is on Muni, either while you’re waiting for that bus that feels like it will never come, or when you’re stuck in the tunnel for the umpteenth time. Since riding Muni can be such a stress-inducer, why not turn the situation around and make our city’s fine transportation system your stress-reducer?
Hmmm. Really? The writer sensibly suggests that you first make sure there are no lurkers or drunken passengers around you, then, “surround yourself in a bubble of divine white light, for protection…take a deep breath and let your tension sink into Mother Earth.”
I don’t know about that take a deep breath part, as I suspect that there are many smells you might not want to take in on the bus. Lastly, the writer suggests repeating some favorite mantras inside our heads. For this, I have many ideas:
- Everything is peaceful, no one is fighting about opening the window for some air. No one at all.
- The nice young ladies throwing ham at each other on the bus are celebrating the bounty of the season. Namaste.
- That is not a bull frog at my feet. There are no bull frogs on the bus.
Want more tips and details for meditating on Muni? Read the rest of the Examiner story.
I’ve actually done a version of this! You can’t get too deep into a meditative state for obvious safety reasons, but you can concentrate on your breathing and practice mindfulness techniques and it makes the ride feel far less stressful. It’s not like I have any other time to practice meditation, anyway, so why not on Muni?