Zen and the Art of Being Feline

My husband has a radio show on Asheville FM (www.ashevillefm.org) called "Holistic Harmony" in which he interviews a holistic health practitioner most weeks and plays cool, often obscure jazz records and CDs.  This past week his guest was a meditation instructor (and Pandit) who was talking about how we seem to have lost the ability to "just be," rather than feeling like we have to be doing something all the time.  It was a good show.  (You should check it out.)  

Afterward, Sean made the comment that he loves the fact that our cats (and really, cats in general) have no problem whatsoever with just "being."  (Actually, Reggie is the exception to that rule.  That cat cannot sit still.  Seriously, I would think he had ants in his pants if he actually had any pants.)  But most cats are completely comfortable with just closing their eyes half-way and smiling at the world, or indulging in a "cat nap," where they're resting their eyes and their mind, but still completely aware and alert of everything going on around them.  Wow, that sounds a lot like...meditation.  Yep, cats are natural yogis.  They don't even have to work at it.  As a matter of fact, not working at it seems to be what allows them to reach their particular brand of present-focused enlightenment.   

Not that they don't have their stumbling blocks.  Otto is hardly ever content to be on any side of a closed door.  Reggie and Elroy can reach states of near hysteria when the food bowls are showing shiny at the bottom.  But for the most part, they get the Zen thing.  It's just one more thing that makes me feel lucky to be their friend.  There's just so much to learn from our little furry Buddhas.