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NYblk Culture - The Big Quiet
Medi Club and The Big Quiet
By Stephen Wilson
I was talking to my friend, Hannah, a few weeks ago, who was telling me she had just gotten back from this meeting where young, like-minded people all gathered to meditate and share experiences. She called it Medi Club. Though, admittedly, I’m not a big meditator… OK, I don’t meditate. (I once read David Lynch’s book, Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity, and thought that would be helpful, but meditator I am not.) However, I was immediately intrigued, and asked if I could join her at the next meeting.
That meeting was last night. With Hannah by my side, I stepped off the elevator into a top floor SOHO loft, which was obviously a multipurpose space: design studio, showroom, photography studio, home, and now meeting space for hundreds of young professionals. However, these were not just any young professionals… Picture what you wish your tinder matches looked like, and that’s who filled the room around us. It was incredibly intimidating, but only briefly. We made our way through the crowd, saying hello to a few people that Hannah knew here and there, and claimed seats on a large couch on the outskirts of a semi-circle made up of multiple rows of game day stadium seats on the floor. I was glad for the normalcy of the couch.
Soon everyone started to find their places and the moderator, Jesse Israel, opened the meeting by greeting the group and acknowledging the people whom had helped organize the evening’s event, and those whom were working on something called The Big Quiet. As the acknowledgements were wrapping up, I could feel it coming. I was about to be exposed as a non-meditator. I was expected to sit perfectly still and silent for 20 minutes in a space filled with what all looked like seasoned veterans. What’s worse, our seats were clear across the room from the door, so even if I freaked out, I would literally have to crawl across at least 50 people to make my epic getaway. By now my palms were dripping, and my heart was pounding so hard I was sure the woman next to me could feel it through the couch. I was having a legit panic attack. Jesse asked everyone to close their eyes and breathe in deeply, letting it out audibly. On the second breath, we were off to the races. My two deep breaths were followed by two hundred shallow, quick ones. I could feel my muscles twitching. I opened my eyes and analyzed the damage to be done if I was to just run out… Then something incredible happened. A phone rang. Someone had left their phone in their bag near the door, and it had not been turned to silent. I was no longer the perceived center of attention. My breathing slowed, and I did what everyone else was doing. I meditated. I don’t know that I have the capacity to fully describe the ins and outs, but my mind went blank, and it was also free to fully examine things that I normally do not give it the luxury to. It was refreshing and rejuvenating. Looking back, I am amazed at just how silent it was. However, just like that 20 minutes were up. I was shocked back into the space by Jesse’s voice giving us a two-minute mark to slowly bring ourselves back to the physicality of the room. It seemed like I had just closed my eyes. A bow was slowly being drawn across the strings of a violin and then shaped a note, then another, and then another. The smell of musk or some exotic scent found my nose, and I was all-together back on the couch. I opened my eyes and looked next to me to Hannah. Apparently I was smiling, because she smiled back at me like we just shared some existential secret.
The meeting wrapped with Jesse sharing a few thoughts on living in contemporary society with social media and our perception of the world around us through its lens. The floor was opened to a few other poignant additions, and we were invited to once again enjoy the snacks provided by Good Eggs while we mingled and made our way out. As we left, I no longer felt like an outsider. I actually felt more tuned-in to the people around me than I have in years. The meditation was great and I feel inspired to begin a regular practice, but more than anything I took away a ton of positive energy, and perspective.
If you’re like me and find this world intriguing or if you already have an existing meditation practice and want to get involved with something really special, I would encourage you to check out The Big Quiet, Medi Club’s Event produced in collaboration with SummerStage in Central Park, this Saturday June 20th, 2015.
In New York City, where silence is sacred, Medi Club and SummerStage in Central Park invite you to join thousands of New Yorkers to sit in a shared moment of meditation. On June 20th at 4:30pm in Rumsey Playfield, The Big Quiet will bring together community members from all five boroughs in the first official mass meditation in Central Park. Organizers will share a simple meditation technique to welcome people of all experience levels to participate.
This free event is hosted by SummerStage, in coordination with Medi Club – several hundred young self-starters and creatives that share meditation as a common thread. Medi Club and The Big Quiet aim to make clear that modern people can have a practice of meditation in their busy lives that aligns with their everyday passions.
Like music, food, art and other cultural beacons that connect people in profound and inspiring ways, meditation acts as a leveler for deeper human interactions to exist. Together, we will all play a part in making history as we sit together to inspire healthier relationships, smarter businesses and a more aware New York City.
Space is limited, so you will need to RSVP. However, tickets are free via http://www.bigquiet.nyc/
There will be no late entry to the Big Quiet. Following The Big Quiet, SummerStage will present a free show featuring Jungle and Ibeyi. Doors for the concert open at 6pm
For more information or just to follow along:
The Big Quiet
Instagram: @TheBigQuiet
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigquietparty
Twitter: @thebig_quiet
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