Start
small
Doing nothing, in the true sense of the word, can be
overwhelming if you attempt to do too much nothing
at once. Do small nothings at first. Focus on 5-10
minutes at a time, and start your practice sessions
in a safe place — at home, not at work or in a busy
public place. You may also not be ready to do
nothing in the middle of nature, so do it in your
bedroom or living room. Find a time and place where
there are not many distractions, not much noise, not
a lot of people to bother you.
Shut off all distractions — TV, computer, cell
phones, regular phones, Blackberries, and the like.
Doing nothing is hard when our communications
gadgets are calling at us to do something.
Now, close your eyes, and do nothing. Yes, the
smart-asses out there will say you’re doing
something — you’re sitting there or laying there,
closing your eyes. But we mean doing nothing in the
sense that if someone were to call us up and ask
what we’re doing, we say “Oh, nothing.” Don’t let
them call you up, though. They are trying to
distract you.
After 5-10 minutes of doing, nothing, you can quit,
and go do something. But try to do this every day,
or as much as possible, because it is not possible
to become a master without practice.
Breathing
The first place to start in the quest for mastery
over this art is in your breathing. If this sounds
suspiciously like meditation, well, cast those
suspicions out of your mind. We are not here to do
suspicion — we are doing nothing.
Start first by breathing slowly in, and then slowly
out. Now closely monitor your breath as it enters
your body, through your nose, and goes down into
your lungs, and fills your lungs. Now feel it as it
goes out of your body, through your mouth, and feel
the satisfying emptying of your lungs.
Do
this for 5-10 minutes, if you can. Practice this as
you can. When you start thinking about other things,
such as how great that darn Zen Habits blog is,
well, stop that! Don’t beat yourself up about it,
but bring your thoughts back to your breathing every
time.
Relaxing
An important part of doing nothing is being able to
completely relax. If we are tense, then the doing of
the nothing is really for naught. Relaxing starts by
finding a comfortable place to do your nothing — a
soft chair, a plush couch, a well-made, clean bed.
Once you’ve found this spot, lie in it, and wiggle
around to make it fit your body better. Think of how
a cat lies down, and makes itself comfortable. Cats
are very, very good at doing nothing. You may never
approach their level of mastery, but they make for
great inspiration.
Next, try the breathing technique. If you are not
completely relaxed by now (and a short nap would be
a great indication of relaxation), then try self
massage. Yes, massage is much better when
administered by other hands, but self massage is
great too. Start with your shoulders and neck. Work
your way up to your head and even your face. Also do
your back, and legs and arms. Avoid any areas that
might lead to doing something (although that can be
relaxing too).
Yet another great way of relaxing is an exercise
where you tense each muscle in your body, one body
part at a time, and then let the tensed muscle
relax. Start with your feet, then your legs, and
work your way up to your eyebrows. If you can do the
top of your head, you may be too advanced for this
article.
Once you are relaxed, see if you can relax even
more. Try not to relax so much that you lose control
of your bodily fluids.
Bathing - an advanced stage
Those who are in the beginning stages of the Art of
Doing Nothing should not attempt this stage. But
once you’ve become proficient at the above steps,
the stage of the Bath can be pretty great.
The bath must be nice and hot. Not lukewarm, but
hot. Bubbles are also required, even if you are a
man who is too manly for this. Just don’t tell any
of your guy friends. Other bath accessories, such as
a loofah sponge, or bath gels, or potpourri, are
very optional.
Again, you must have all distractions shut off.
Bathing (aromatherapy baths) is also best done if
you are alone in the house, but if not, everyone
else in the house must know that you CANNOT be
disturbed, even if the house is burning down. If
they break this sacred rule, you must turn upon them
with the Wrath of Hell(tm).
Step into your bath, one foot at a time, very
slowly. If your bath is properly hot, it is best if
you get into it an inch at a time. For more
sensitive body parts, such as the crotchal area, it
is best to squeeze your eyes shut tight and slowly
lower yourself into the steaming water despite all
instincts to flee. Once you are fully immersed (and
you should go completely under, head included, at
first), close your eyes, and feel the heat
penetrating your body.
You may begin to sweat. This is a good thing. Allow
the sweat to flow. You may need a glass of water as
the sweat could dehydrate you. A good book is
another great way to enjoy your bath. Allow your
muscles to be penetrated by the heat, to be relaxed
completely, and feel all your worries and stresses
and aches and inner turmoil flow out of your body
into the water.
A
hot bath is even more awesome if followed by a
bracing cold shower. Either way, get out of the bath
once the water is no longer warm and your skin is
very raisin-like.
Tasting and feeling
Doing nothing is also great when accompanied by very
good beverages or food. Good tea or coffee, wine
(note the number of wineries out here on the North
Fork), hot cocoa, and other sensual beverages go
very well with the Art. It’s best to take these
beverages by themselves, with no food, and without a
book or other distractions. Focus on the liquid as
you sip it slowly, savoring every bit of the flavor
and texture and temperature in your mouth before
swallowing, and feeling the swallow completely.
Close your eyes as you do this. Truly enjoy this
drink.
Foods are also great: berries, rich desserts,
freshly made bread, the
best … soup … ever,
or whatever it is that you love. Be sure you eat it
slowly, savoring every bite. Chew slowly, and close
your eyes as you enjoy the food. Feel the texture in
your mouth. It is bliss!
Doing nothing in nature
Once you’ve passed the above stages, it is time to
practice this gentle art out in nature. Find a
peaceful place — in your front yard if that’s
peaceful, a park, the woods, at the beach, a river,
a lake — places with water are excellent. Places out
of reach of the sounds of traffic and city life are
best.
Out here in nature, you can practice the art for 20
minutes, an hour, or even longer. There are fewer
distractions, and you can really shut yourself off
from the stresses of life. Don’t just let your mind
wander everywhere — focus on the natural
surroundings around you. Look closely at the plants,
at the water, at the wildlife. Truly appreciate the
majesty of nature, the miracle of life.
Incorporating the Art in daily life
This is the final stage of mastering this Art. Don’t
attempt it until you’ve practiced and become
competent at the above stages.
Start by doing nothing while you are waiting in
line, at the doctor’s office, on a bus, or for a
plane. Wait, without reading a newspaper or
magazine, without talking on the phone, without
checking your email, without writing out your to-do
list, without doing any work, without worrying about
what you need to do later. Wait, and do nothing.
Concentrate on your breathing, or try one of the
relaxation techniques above. Concentrate on those
around you — watch them, try to understand them,
listen to their conversations.
Next, try doing nothing when you drive. Yes, you
must drive, but try to do nothing else. Don’t listen
to music or news or an audiotape. Don’t multi-task.
Don’t talk on your cell phone, don’t eat, and don’t
do your makeup. Just drive. Concentrate on your
driving, look at the things you are passing, and
feel your breathing. Relax yourself, and don’t worry
about the other drivers (but don’t crash into
them!). Drive slowly, going easy on the gas and
brake pedals. This technique has a great
side-effect: better gas mileage.
Last, try doing nothing in the middle of chaos, in
your workplace or other stressful environment. Just
shut everything out, close your eyes, and think
about your breathing. Try a relaxation technique. Do
this for 5-10 minutes at a time, building up to
20-30 minutes. If you can do this, in the middle of
a stressful day at work or with the kids, you will
allow yourself to focus more fully on the task at
hand. You will be relaxed and ready to concentrate,
to bring yourself into a state of flow. (Warning:
Doing nothing could get you in trouble with your
boss, so be careful! But if it makes you more
productive, you boss might not mind.)
Finally, the Art of Doing Nothing cannot be mastered
overnight. It will take hours and hours of practice,
of hard work (doing nothing isn’t easy!). But you
will enjoy every minute of it! Try it today.
