The Meditation of the Bouncing Ball
Earlier this week, I did something I haven’t done in over 20 years. I took my lacrosse stick over to the park near my house and tossed a ball against the wall.
A classic tool for helping to develop fundamental throwing and catching skills for lacrosse, tossing a ball against the wall builds hand eye coordination and increases comfort using the lacrosse stick. It was a common activity for me for almost a decade and a half, going back to when I began playing lacrosse in the 4th grade, but I hadn’t picked up my lacrosse stick since graduating college. It had just been gathering dust in the corner of the room.
When I arrived at the wall, I was intimidated. It had been so long since I used my lacrosse stick. I expected to be bad at it. I expected to be chasing down the ball after every throw. I expected to give up quickly.
But before too long, muscle memory took over, and I fell into a familiar rhythm. The deep thunk of the ball as it impacted the green painted wall reached a rapid regularity. As I stood there, throwing and catching, throwing and catching, I reached a point where my mind cleared of the nagging thoughts that follow me throughout the day. Forcing my mind to focus on this mundane task quieted my active mind.
I’ve tried meditating in the past, but even with regular sessions, I never attained the results for which I had hoped. I continue to attend singing bowl sessions at the Dharma Bums Buddhist temple here in San Diego when I’m available, but I find it difficult to turn off my train of thought, even when presented with the sound of the bowls on which to concentrate.
For about an hour, I practiced this meditation of the bouncing ball. My attention was locked on the lacrosse ball, and my eyes followed it from my stick to the wall and back. With this focus of attention on playing catch with myself, I was able to reach a place of calm that eludes me most days.
In the end, my shoulders and arms were sore, but my mind felt at ease, cleared — for the time being at least — of the anxious thoughts I carry with me each day. This has given me a clearer insight into meditation and the conditions that work best for me, encouraging me to take up practice once more.
