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| Unit One | 
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"Only let the moving waters calm down, and the sun and moon will be reflected on the surface of your being." Why do I call it the Zone ? I could have called it anything. The term, Zone, reminded me of a phrase I used to hear sports announcers use at a time when I was much more concerned with athletic events. A person who was in the Zone was showing a good deal of consistency in their performance, making one excellent play after another. It became apparent to me that atheletes who were considered "super stars", would show up in this state of "Zoneness" more often and especially for the most important contests. Subsequent research indicates that the term is widely recognized. Atheletes are quite aware of the Zone. Many top atheletes understand how important it is to their game and they know how to access their Zone consistently. In other words, they had made the process explicit. It is no accident that Michael Jordan is able to describe this experience or that Phil Jackson, his former coach, is decribed as a Zen Master. My Zone is not about performance, sports performance or any other type. It's about feeling better. Still, I got my first real indication of the power inherrent in the Zone by observing my own sports performance. I used to live in New England and one of my very favorite activities was skiing. My experiences were very often diminished by my failure to meet my own performance expectations. In other words, I did not ski as well as I wanted to. I did not display the easy grace of those elite individuals who whizzed down the hill executing a perfect serpentine ballet of enlightened competance. They must, I thought, certainly be a better class of people. I did what I could. I skied as often as I could afford and frequently took lessons. I subscribed to skiing magazines. All of which was intended to have myself appear a certain way when I skied; my skies would be exactly parallel as others marveled at the precision of my perfectly executed linked turns. Since this never happened, I was often frustrated. Shortly before my final outing, I purchased yet another publication. It was called The Zen of Skiing. The book provided some simple exercises that focused one's attention to an awareness of the sensations of skiing eg. what it felt like to be pushing the snow a certain way, what our body was doing etc. This as opposed to listening to the "narrator" in one's head reciting instructions such as "plant the pole now!". It became apparent to me when I returned to the slopes, that this "narrator" really knew nothing about skiing. It just likes to give instructions. The real important information is in our immediate awareness of our bodies and their interaction with the terrain---not the labels the "narrator" puts on things. To make a long story short, I found myself skiing much better and more importantly I was enjoying it much more as I was focused on the movement itself and how much fun there was in it --- not how I looked to others. The experience illustrated to me very clearly that what we really know about things is not about language and the labels we put on things. Often it is language which gets in the way of using our knowledge. The Zone may be equivalent to Samadhi, a state of intuitive enlightment which Dennis Merzel describes as "effortless effort," "being totally present in the moment," or "with your whole being, being what you are doing." Accessing the Zone certainly has similarity to various meditation techniques but the method I have devised is intended to be much easier to use. There are no special postures or breathing techniques. There are no diets, hygiene recommendations, or any special regemin. There is a good deal to be gained by visiting the Zone and I will be addressing those points, but for now , it's time to try it out.
You will most likely notice that it is difficult to stay focused. The "narrator" really can't stand this process going on. He will do anything to get you to pay attention to his WORDS --- urgent messages, things which you should attend to. Complaints about the exercize are very likely: "This is boring!" "This isn't accomplishing anything." "My foot itches." "This is scary." "This is silly." etc. etc. etc. Do not be upset by this, Your attention will wander. Simply observe how this process works and gently re-direct your attention to the focal point. This is an important part of the learning experience. You will notice that the "narrator' has a whole bag of tricks trying to get you back to using language. One of his favorites is pretending to go along with the process and giving you labels for what you are experiencing. Avoid this especially if you are just getting started. Try not to have expectations as to what you will experience within the Zone. Just "get it" and keep practicing. Initially you may find that it is helpful to find a quiet place where you can make yourself comfortable. With practice you will find that you can visit the zone in even the most chaotic environment.
How often should you visit the zone?
When do you stop?
Why go there?
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