I teach meditation at a juvenile prison in Kansas. One Friday evening I was teaching meditation to a new group of young men, drawing heavily on my experience from the retreat and Thich Nhat Hanh. After I gave a brief definition of meditation, a large, well-built young man came in late, grumbling, and definitely angry. I stated that I could see he was angry, and asked if he would like to talk about it. He replied that he was angry at having to be here in this group.
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I teach meditation at a juvenile prison in Kansas. One Friday evening I was teaching meditation to a new group of young men, drawing heavily on my experience from the retreat and Thich Nhat Hanh. After I gave a brief definition of meditation, a large, well-built young man came in late, grumbling, and definitely angry. I stated that I could see he was angry, and asked if he would like to talk about it. He replied that he was angry at having to be here in this group. I used the occasion of anger to work on anger; getting into breathing, calming the body, and allowing ourselves to smile. It was a beautiful opportunity to speak of our not pushing anger away, but rather observing it, and allowing our understanding to grow and transform the anger into a more affirming energy. Twenty-minutes into the session, this man commented to me, "I'm not angry anymore." I thanked him and we went on to practice two brief sessions of meditation.
Daniel McMahon
Topeka, Kansas
