Om.

I have started going to a meditation class. It's actually not as "out there" as it sounds, though it is a little. I do like the incense and the hippies that show up, but it is mostly people like me -- just curious and keen.

It was the third class last night and they started in on the religion part of it. After talks of the "ideal lifestyle" that included only wholesome music; vegetarian diet; abstaining from alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and excess sugar; working out daily; and no napping, I realised that I perhaps was undergoing a sales pitch. I mean, waking up early, refreshed, every morning without poisoning my body in any way all day sounds fine. Until I get to work and need a cup of something! Usually tea, so I'm accidentally lowering my caffeine intake. Then I eat my lunch of tuna (which is technically meat, I know) while listening to angsty music. I assume that a glass of wine with dinner will just hit the spot, too.

So while I am keen to sit and learn the meaning of stillness and mental clarity, I am not interested in a new religion. Me and God are pretty good friends. I'd like to keep it that way. It doesn't really help that my entirely well-intentioned leader of meditation seems like she would have gotten obsessed with something -- meditation just got there before anyone else did. She also encourages us to "breathe in" things we want accented in our lives. Let's say you are about to have a very important meeting, you may well breathe in confidence and capability. She continues to encourage us to breathe in happiness, joy, and power. I don't feel unhappy and powerless. This is good, I feel. But I would like to breathe in clarity and connectedness, maybe inspiration and creativity. But if your spiritual leader (as I'm sure she'd like me to think of her) is craving power and happiness, you gotta wonder. After 20 years of meditating, I would hope to have found a hint of happiness.

Then again, she's a lovely person who looks about my age, while I guarantee she's closer to her mid-30's. She can wake up with a smile on her face at 6am - 7 days a week. She does marathons, can play several instruments, can sing, and is ridiculously healthy. There is something to be said for religion, I suppose.