A newsletter for the Portland area Didjeridu player......Mar 2001 Volume 7 Issue 3
by Ed Drury
For a lot of people, initial
interest in the didjeridu was at least in part focused on finding a meditative tool.
Perhaps they attended a meditation workshop, which used sound as a focus, and
the didjeridu was part of the aural landscape. Perhaps they observed a
didjeridu player and felt the player was in an altered state of consciousness.
You can, as a matter of fact, use didjeridu playing as a form of meditation.
There are many forms of meditation, and I don’t intend to cover the spectrum of
that subject in this article. But I have, for a long time, wanted to share one
form of meditation which I practice called guided meditation. Even the term “guided”
can mean different things. Often it is associated with a facilitator, someone who
“guides” the mental imagery through a series of steps toward a desired state of
mind or ”no mind”. But if these steps are known, and practiced, the role of
facilitator can be adopted by one’s own inner voice. This is some times called
self-guided meditation. In this issue, I’m going to present a series of “visualizations”
while playing the didjeridu. I presented three in my booklet, “Learn to Play the Didjeridu”.
This will be a continuation of that section of the booklet. As in the booklet,
it should not be presumed that I am associating meditation with any indigenous tradition. - Ed
First, take care of any details that may interfere with the session. Prepare a space where you will be safe from intrusion at least as safe as one can be in our current world of cel phones, fax machines, computers etc…That may mean unplugging the phone, turning off pagers, whatever it takes to get away. You may want to light some candles, and or burn some incense if you like these things. Once you’ve set aside your area, you should select your instrument. If you have only one it’s not much of a choice. But if you have several, take a moment to test out each one. Feel it with your hands. Give it a couple of test blows. Try and discover which one you really wish to be with for this. Think about your history with it. Your feelings toward it. You might be surprised at which one you decide on. That’s good! If you are not surprised but rather know just the instrument to select, that’s good too. Now, find a comfortable position for playing. One that you can be totally comfortable playing in. This is highly individual. Some people really only feel comfortable standing while playing. If that’s the case, find a way to prop the didjeridu up so that you don’t have to support the weight of the instrument. Whatever position, try to make it so that all that is required is the minimum of effort to support the instrument so that you don’t have to expend any energy other than in the playing.
Before I start playing, I take a moment to center myself. With the instrument within easy reach or holding the instrument, I start taking some slow deep breaths. Breathe in to a count of six. Hold for a count of six. Then exhale for a count of six. On the next breath, inhale through the nose to a count of six visualizing positive energy coming into you body through the nose and into the belly where it warms you. Hold the positive warm energy in your body for as long as you can and then forcefully exhale all the negative feelings you’ve been carrying. Do this again. Now, take a deep breath in and as you do tighten the muscles in your feet such that your toes curl. Exhale and relax your feet completely. On the next breath do the same with your leg muscles. Tighten all your leg muscles and then on the exhale let them relax completely. On the next breath, tighten your shoulders and neck on the inhale. Release the breath and allow your shoulders and neck to relax completely. Raise your eyebrows and then let them relax back to a normal position. Turn the corners of your mouth back into a wide grin and then let go of those muscles as well.
Now it’s time. You already know what to do. Put the didjeridu to your lips and begin to play. I’m not going to suggest how to play other than play the way you like to play. Not the way, perhaps, you aspire to play. Play the way, which is most like you to play. That could be anything. Anything might happen at this point. Don’t bring any preconceived notions about style into this session. What’s meditative playing? What’s “aggressive” playing? What’s professional, traditional, jazz, world fusion or confusion? Let go of all that and just play. The idea of this is to get in touch with your inner self. And judgment will only get in the way.
Visualization time. Close your eyes (there are open eyed meditations, this just isn’t one of them) and image RED. If it helps you can use the image of a red rose, a red barn or any color red you are familiar with. But when visualizing these colors, I want you to eventually visualize a complete field of that color. Once you are able to fill your visual field with a color, just hang out with it for a time. In some cases, you will want to stay within a color for a long time, in others the color will quickly fill your mind and you may want on move on quicker. Other times, it will take quite a bit of time to achieve a real feeling for a specific color and once you attain it, you should probably stay with it for a while.
Next color, orange. Then Yellow, then green, then blue, then indigo, purple and finally white. For each one, wait until you have really “seen” with your mind’s eye that color. Once you have reached white, then we go back. First purple, then indigo and then blue. For each color, imagine the most vibrant example of that color you have seen. Now green. Now Yellow. Red. Now imagine black. Imagine you are in a safe, dark, warm place. Continue playing as long as you like but as you play, start to feel your surroundings again. Slowly become aware of your feet, your hands, and your body. Slowly open your eyes. Continue to play or simply stop playing and listen to the silent space created when you stop.
What is the purpose of this type of exercise? The goal here is that there is no goal. The exercise presented above is just a practice in visualizing the simplest of images, a field of color. It can have another purpose as well. It should enable you to momentary leave all your stress, negative energy or what ever you want to call your worries, fears and disappointments, aside. It is relieve from daily life. A short but complete vacation from all your duties, responsibilities and fears.
Do I need to play the didjeridu to do this? Absolutely not. With and without playing the didjeridu, the imagery is the thing. But you’re a didjeridu player, right? It’s what you do. The exercise takes you out of the player mode and incorporates playing with allowing. If you’re really focused on the imagery, then the playing is coming from somewhere else. That is part of the exercise as well.
Questions about this and other articles should be sent to Ed Drury