Time flies

First time meditating on an airplane

I had the best plane rides ever — going to Kansas City from San Jose via Denver and back. The total flight time was 8 hours and 20 minutes. I meditated for 7 ½ hours. I sat in meditation as long as possible each flight, until after I heard the “click” “click”, seat belt unbuckling sounds post landing. What a feeling walking off the plane! I felt completely rested and energized, as if I just broke my meditation at home. And what a welcome contrast to how I usually feel after any flights — fatigued, stiff, sluggish and the lack of mental sharpness.

Mantra works best

I started meditating shortly after I sat in my seat except the first leg, much slower to start being a newbie. The plane seat is not comfy. That didn’t matter. I sat up the whole time with the seat in the upright position, skipping snacks. I tried meditating by listening to the inner sound (OM). That didn’t work. It was just too noisy! I tried visualizing with my eyes closed. That worked when no one was talking near by. Coming back from Kansas City I had a true test. A couple of passengers were engaging in a conversation. I could not concentrate neither by visualizing nor listening. I tried chanting my mantra silently—sa-asmita samadhi. It worked. My thoughts were flowing to the mantra, not distracted for much of the time. The mind might wander here and there. That is normal. Time flies indeed. Each flight was over before I knew it. Bring on the flights. I now look forward to my next trip — 18 hour plane rides to Bangkok in the near future. 

Credit:  photo by M. Kiethanom

Plane ride:  11/4/16 San Jose to Denver- 2 hr 35 min; Denver to Kansas City -1 hr 35 min and back on 11/6/16