Chemistry experiments as meditation

I’ve come to realize that doing chemistry or materials experiments is, in many ways, like practicing meditation. If my mind wanders even slightly, mistakes slip in—sometimes with frustrating consequences.

Take today (well, technically yesterday). After spending the whole day mixing a solution, I accidentally poured it into a dirty beaker. Just one moment of inattention, and all that effort went to waste. It drove me crazy.

Even the simple act of weighing particles on a balance demands complete focus and patience. Preparing five groups for a comparative experiment can easily take over an hour. There’s no rushing it. Every grain matters.

Honestly, I didn’t enjoy this kind of work when I first started. It felt repetitive and lacking in technical creativity. But something has changed. Recently, I’ve found that when I fully immerse myself in the process, a sense of inner stillness takes over. My thoughts settle. My attention sharpens. My heart feels… clean.

That feeling—that calm flow of presence—is perfect. And I think that, maybe, this quiet discipline is a kind of innovation. Not in the tools or the results, but in myself.