zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance

Sara has been raving about the benefits of meditation for months now, and I think I'd like to go on a meditation retreat sometime - maybe this summer. After the month I've had, I'm so ready for a mental break - and places like Spirit Rock and Tassajara offer discounts for people under 25!


I've tried meditating before - briefly - and had a pretty rough time. My butt hurt. My back hurt. My nose itched. I couldn't concentrate on not concentrating. I kept thinking about things, like what I was going to get from the grocery store, and what my plans were for the weekend. And that was only a 30 minute session!

But from what I understand, these meditation centers offer a very Bay Area-influenced experience (i.e., the food served is very tasty, made from local, organic, sustainable, vegetarian ingredients).  And especially after reading a recent article in the Times about how meditation may change the brain:

M.R.I. brain scans taken before and after the participants’ meditation regimen found increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an area important for learning and memory. The images also showed a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress. A control group that did not practice meditation showed no such changes.

Pretty compelling stuff, hmm? So, who's with me?

Reading: Cat's Cradle
Listening: Magnetic Man, Getting Nowhere