Meditation Monday
Cocooning
There are times in our lives that may feel so difficult that none of our “peace tools” seem to bring relief. At times like these we may experience a deep and ancient pull to close ourselves off; sequester ourselves from the world and its stressors.
The act of cocooning oneself sends a powerful message to our body/mind that it is alright to relax and let go. Using a prayer shawl is an ideal prop for this. A scarf, blanket, or swatch of material will work too. Anything, in fact, that allows us to close out the world and enter into shelter, a safe and sacred center. I have a shawl I use for this purpose, as well as a traditional sari a friend brought from India. The shawl feels like cashmere, soft and warm. The sari is silky, spacious, and cool feeling. Each has a slightly different effect, but both serve me well when I am in need of insulation.
Fashion designer, Diane Von Furstenberg, has created her own version of a cocoon. In the middle of her New York City apartment is a meditation tent. A simple wood-framed structure ornamented with gauzy fabric, she enters into this cloister every morning for yoga and meditation. As she describes it, this sacred space invites her to focus and center, to retreat and step back from the world whenever she needs it.
Whatever method you choose to cloister yourself—fabric or structure, or simply crawling into bed and pulling the covers over your head—give yourself plenty of time to reap the benefits. Close your eyes, focus on your breath, and allow the protective “walls” of this sacrosanct enclosure to bring you home to a place of peace. Imagine yourself being tenderly swaddled in celestial fabric, your cocoon a divine abode where all is well.
As always, I welcome your thoughts ...
(Image courtesy of shawlministry.com)
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23 comments:
Oh what a wonderful idea!! I knew a Mom who had many children... there was no quiet place ..not even the bathroom.LOL! So she would pull her apron over head and that was the signal for all of her kiddos to leave her be for a bit so she could breathe. I had not thought of making this a physical item for myself..I like this idea..alot. Think this winter I will make one for myself:)
Wonderful post! Namaste, Sarah
Your descriptions conjur up wonderful visuals of the fabrics and the tent.
During the busy holiday season my question/fear is that I will enter that cocoon and refuse to come out until - oh - say February 1st. While I know I need to take time for myself (and I do) this is the time of year I need something to tempt me to get going. Do you have any hints for that?
Darla
As a kid whenever I needed to hide from the all bad things sometimes associated with a dysfunctional family I would hide in my parents old, white wicker hamper basket. It smelled of dirty laundry, even when empty, but I loved the dark solitude and tightness of the confines. I could close my eyes and not hear anything. Even now as an adult, when I need that cocoon, I draw the blinds in the house, close my eyes and I can once again smell that old, white wicker hamper. Thanks for your suggestion as I may add a soft fabric item to that ritual.
Oh Jan, we must love cocooning in my home. We have throws and comfy blankets on much of the furniture, especially in the fall and winter. Every time we sit down, it's irresistable to tug a throw off the top of the sofa or chair and cozy for awhile. There's nothing like just "being" in the comfort and peace of home like that, is there?
Sarah, welcome! I hope you will. Perhaps a lovely shawl or special blanket just for the occasion. Right now, I am making flannel tie blankets for Christmas gifts. They are really cozy and comforting. I have one I am so attached to (a blanky!) that I travel with it. True!
Darla,
Great observation and questions! Some people definitely do not need to cacoon. Their tendency is to hide away at the first shriek of fear or worry. How about focusing your first morning thoughts on gratitude. I did a post on this at my other blog. You can find it here.
http://www.awakeisgood.com/2009/11/meditation-monday.html
Or, focus early on on what you can do for someone else today. I love to hand write notes, so I like to think of the person I will write to during my morning break. Today, I wrote a quick note to my daughter at college and my mom in another city. This always energizes me? How about love notes to your grandkids? I find that by focusing on others and how I might bring a bright spot to their day, I can get the energy flowing. Does this help?
I think my bath serves this purpose for me. There's something wonderfully restorative about relaxing into warm scented water.
Izzy, thank you for sharing this tender memory. That must have been really difficult for you as a child. Perhaps you can recreate a place of warmth and safety (and lovely scent, of course) where you live now. My heart would be happy to know that. :-)
Joanne, I am with you. We have cozy "lap"blankets all over the place. We even keep them out in the summer for cool nights. I particularly like the flannel ones that you make by tying together. I just made one last night for a new grandbaby who is coming in May. :-) Here's to inner and outer warmth!
Beautiful!
I describe the years after my divorce as being in a cocoon. That period was one in which I still interacted in and within the world but focused on keeping my world small and manageable enough to allow me time to heal and grow and transition myself and my children to our new life. I call this period I am now in my butterfly stage...I have emerged from my cocoon (I know technically it's a chrysalis, right?, am testing my new and improved wings and experimenting with all around me to see how best to fly.
In daily life, my children and I use the evenings to "cocoon" in the boat...we cozy up on the couches with blankets and books or games, talk, laugh, play, whatever we need to unwind before a restful sleep. This time allows me to wake refreshed and on the evenings commitments force us to miss our "cocoon" I find that the following mornings don't run quite as smoothly.
I had to stop and go fetch my little wrap from the dresser. It's thin and light, yet it adds so much warmth. Thanks for the reminder, as I'd been sitting here feeling cold. Wrapped in my shawl, I do feel safe, and somehow it also makes me feel a bit ancient in a way, connected to women of olden days who'd wrap their shawls tightly around them for protection. Sometimes, I cover my head, too, reminding me of mom going to church with her black lace mantilla back when women had to cover their heads.
I love the idea of cocooning within our own safe havens.
Carolynn,you know what? That is my cacoon, too. I enter nearly every night and on a very cold day like today, indulge in the afternoon instead. A bath, unlike a shower, has an immediate calming effect, like one big OM. But then, I've always wondered if I was part mermaid. :-)
Joy,
I love the idea of you cacooning with your kids. What a neat picture! And I sure bet it does even everyone out mood-wise.
I also appreciate your desc. of life after divorce. How important it is to cacoon! After mine, I had a small, two bedroom apt, Victorian style, in the top of a turn of the century building; high ceilings, brick walls, floor to ceiling windows. It was marvelous. Talk about feeling safe! Other than some pesky mice, of course. (wink)
Oh, I like that idea too! A yoga tent. I can just imagine stepping inside and immediately feeling calm and centered. Will have to make one for me.
A lovely connection I had not made in my mind. Throws and scarves are favourites in my decor and wardrobe. To have a new use for them is a joy!
Wendy,
Isn't the idea of a sacred enclosure just great?! I wish I had enough space in my home to have a meditation tent. Or a Red Tent, depending on the day. (LOL)
Kel,
Oh, I am very glad to hear that you can now think of scarves and shawls as something to tend to yourself with.
A while back, during a very wintry period, I was outside with no hat. All I had was a scarf. So I wrapped it around my head. Can't say I had ever done that before. The change within me was profound. I felt like an ancient woman, safely protected from the harshness of the world, clothed in a sacred mantle. I loved the feeling. :-)
Wow Jan, I really needed to read this today. I am going through some deep grieving at the moment and this is what I need to do. I have a beautiful Talit...a prayer shawl that I purchased at my first session of Yoga & Jewish Spirituality Teacher Training...it is lovely oranges and yellows...It reminded me of the first light of creation when I bought it (still does) That's my cocoon...I always put it over my head when I say the Amidah (standing/silent meditation) prayer...I make sacred space for myself in this way...separate from others at synagogue...I think tomorrow morning this is what I need to do first thing in my bed...thanks for sparking this idea for me.
gentle steps always,
Laura
Hi Jan!
How wonderful to read this today when it's cold, snowing and blowing outside - I'm in my cocoon! I have an OM blanket - I just call it that anyway - and I wrap up, head and all sometimes for meditation or most of the time for a peaceful nap. It also serves as a signal to hubs - if he sees me in my OM blanket, he will not disturb me.
I love the image of the tent in the middle of the woman's apartment -- and now I understand why I liked making a "quilt tent" for myself as a kid to get a little peace once in a while. Maybe I should bring back that habit. :)
This Once Woman needs to cocoon.
I have a lap quilt that my mother made and when I wrap it around my shoulders "I feel loved". But it also brings a sadness because of missing her. Maybe it is not a good idea to use this small quilt.
I imagine myself shrouded in "heavenly" white light. Wonderful post Jan, thank you.
Laura,
I am so glad that this post will offer some solace and comfort at this time of "grieving," as I just read about it on your blog. Wonderful that you have a prayer shawl and can use it for this "new" purpose. May the Creator bless you and keep you warm in heart...
SuZen,
Love your blanket idea. It sends such a powerful signal to you (and to hubby) that sacred time is engaged. May you believe, breathe, and be well!
Chris,
You reminded me of how much I used to adore making tents when I was little. I often made them with my children when they were little too! They were like a giant chrysalis of comfort and giggles. Thank you for this!
One Woman,
Your lap blanket from mother sounds so precious. I wonder, though, if you could craft a new one, or purchase a soft shawl for yourself (or ask for one for Christmas!) to represent a safe and warm cacoon of beingness.
Matthew,
I appreciate your comment and the visual of a cacoon of light. Beautiful!
i think this is one of the things that can be a little challenging for me about living in such a warm climate ... while there are things i do appreciate the mildness (especially when my friends in other states describe the extent of snow and cold), in the eternal sunshine there is always a pull to be out, to be doing, to be always expanding, expanding and expanding... and sometimes we do need that time to contract, to hibernate, to pull back... i think that is why i so relish the very rare days of rain in the winter... to wrap myself in a cozy blanket with the darkness of the skies outside is so incredibly soothing and restorative...
while in the cocoon we rest, restore, gestate, and when we emerge we are ready to be butterflies again...
We use warms throws and quilts in our house, too. Fleece, flannel, corduroy, and wool keep us cozy all winter. It is comforting to snuggle in.
Joanne,
Love your word play about what a cacoon offers us. It is so true that transformation is at hand, can take many forms, and why not offer ourselves a chrysalis of comfort? I am so heartened that you do this for yourself. :-)
Sharon,
We have so many blankets and wraps too. Aren't they marvelous? I wonder if you've considering having a special one for extreme soul care. Hmmmm....
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