breathe in

[troubadamsel]

WHO: Maribelle and Kei
WHERE: Kei's home.
WHEN: Early August, Pre-Event.
WHAT: Let's Learn Meditation!
WARNINGS: None.

Maribelle had only faintly heard of meditation from others, and still wasn't entirely sure what it meant. But how difficult could it be? ... At least it couldn't be more difficult than braiding flower crowns, which had proven to be surprisingly challenging... Anyway! Maribelle was confident she could get through this easily, and become a better person for it. Kei did seem like a reasonable and sensible man, more of which the town needed.

She arrived promptly, knocking three times before announcing her presence. "This is Maribelle."

Comments

[troubadamsel]

Such a gentleman! Maribelle's already high expectations raise tenfold. She bows her head slightly, hand to chest, before walking alongside him. "It would be nice to have some peace and quiet, away from people."

Though she can't help but glance at the forests... it tends to be dangerous, but surely just being near it won't hurt, right?

[totheno1]

"The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind." Kei's replied seem to be more from a self-help book than anything else, but he did seem to believe it.

He notices her glance and gives her a small smile.

"Do not worry...should there be an issue, I will have no problem dealing with it. I will keep watch while I teach you to mediate. Besides, we are only going close, not enough for whatever creatures lurk to take proper notice."

How thoughtful.

[troubadamsel]

Had she known they would be going near the dangerous forest, she would have brought along one of her tomes, or at least her healing staff... Oh well, too late to do it now. She'd just look like a paranoid worrywart, and we can't have that. Best to face this with grace and dignity, her head held high.

"Of course, of course. We'll be able to handle this, and I do trust your abilities. I'll focus only on meditation, you have my word."

[totheno1]

Perhaps having her act like a paranoid worrywart had been part of Kei's plan all along...to show her that to mediate you needed to concentrate included the belief and trust of others.

Maybe.

"Good."

Once they reach an area where Kei feels is proper, me builds a small seat of pieces of torn tissues and cloth that can function as a proper sitting area.

"Keep in mind that the ground's own natural hills won't be negated by this. Part of the training is to ignore what lies under you and concentrate on yourself."

Still, he invited her to sit down as he prepared his own, directly in front of her.

[troubadamsel]

Thankfully, Maribelle isn't THAT snotty, she can handle sitting on grass and dirt... for a while.

She took her time sitting down, legs crossed, glancing at him to see if this was the right way. "Is there any sort of... special position...?"

[totheno1]

"What you feel is the most comfortable, miss Mirabelle. Traditionally, there are three positions when sitting; lotus, half-lotus and burmese like you are currently doing."

As an example, he set down on a mat he made for himself, removing his shoes and getting into a full lotus pose with his legs. If he didn't make it so easy, it would probably look plenty painful.

"Burmese is best to start out with. Keep in mind that meditation is meant to relax but also to help you stretch out your muscles and keep you in better shape."

Or at least as Kei was taught.

[troubadamsel]

How is he doing that with his legs?! How have they not snapped?! She's so amazed at his talent she doesn't even get mad at the accidental insinuation she needs to lose weight. Good call.

"I... I see. In that case, since I'm just starting, I'll stick with 'burmese'. Not need to go all the way all at once..."

[totheno1]

If Kei knew what she might have thought, he would have apologized; he meant stretching ability and certainly not her weight.

"Do not worry. A few months will increase your flexibility as you become more attuned to your body." He looks back at her, and briefly closes his eyes.

"What's most important right now is to concentrate on your breathing. Take slow breathes and exhale slowly. Ignore everything else around you."

[troubadamsel]

If he's closing her eyes, then so shall she. She takes a deep breath, and tries to think only about her breathing.

In... out. In... out. Is she supposed to say something? Wait, don't think about that! Don't think about not thinking! I-In, out...

[totheno1]

"You're breathing too fast," he told her, gently. "It is rather hard to grasp at first, don't don't worry if we don't quite figure it out today...the ability to tune out everything and not let the mind wander is extremely difficult to master. I myself still have issue with it."

If she looked back at him, she'd notice he had one eye open. Just making sure that nothing was around them, after all.

[troubadamsel]

Sh-Shut up, it's harder than you made it sound! Maribelle grits her teeth, trying not to lose her temper - that was the point of this, after all. "I... must try to get as close as I can to mastering it! The sooner I lose my dreaded snobbery, the better we're all be. I'm just making everyone miserable!"

[totheno1]

"Hmmm. Stop." Kei moved from his position and moved his 'carpet' closer to hers. "I think we should talk a little more about that first. I realized you felt you had an issue, but it appears that it's weighing a lot more on your mind than I suspected."

He paused before adding;

"Does being like this make you feel miserable?"

[troubadamsel]

Maribelle opens her eyes, sighing deeply. They'd barely just started and she was already screwing up.

"... I don't want to be the sort of person who thinks they're above others, no matter what. I've seen what those people can do... How much they can hurt everyone around them. I want to help people, not put them down. I should know better... I was treated much like that when I was young."

[totheno1]

Well he wasn't a psychologist, but even Kei saw a giant arrow towards part of a root issue when he heard one.

"...Maybe we should talk about your life then. It's true we don't know much about each other. That might help you mediate better, if you make some sort of peace with your past. I've had to do that for myself before."

[troubadamsel]

Maribelle bit her lip - she thought she was at peace with her past... then again, if she was having this many issues, what did she know?

"... All right. Where do you want to begin? It's difficult to just spill everything once."

[totheno1]

Sometimes just talking would help. Or at least that's what Kei thought anyway.

"What you feel is pertinent to what we are doing may work best. I can start with my own experiences, if you'd like."

[troubadamsel]

Well, if he was going to offer...

"Go right ahead. I'm listening."