About Meditating
What is it?
There is a common belief that in order to meditate correctly ones thoughts have to be stopped and the mind has to become “still”, consequently when people try to meditate and are unable to achieve this result they can often feel disillusioned and give up!!
This is a pity because the reality is that our thoughts continue to occur of their own accord the thinking part of us just happens, thoughts popping into being of their own accord, rather like bubbles in a babbling brook!
How to approach it
The trick is not to become to attached to those little bubbles of thought as they pop into being, rather one would observe in a detached sort of way without engaging in them actively. It could be likened to a blue sky with lots of fluffy white clouds that drift lazily across that big blue canvas.. The clouds are in the sky but not of the sky!
Another pitfall to meditation is to rate the quality of it, so often I have heard people say “ Oh that was a wonderful meditation, full of love and bliss and light!!!” etc or “ that was not a good meditation, nothing seemed to happen at all” !!
This again is a form of attachment to what you experienced. You see it is all about “letting go” accepting what you experience as being just fine, analyzing your meditation in this way, only creates expectation as you sit to meditate.
So approach meditation in an “open way” accept that whatever happens within it is just fine, remember it is about letting go, and as a result allowing you to experience yourself in a much deeper and profound way.
Benefits of practice
Through regular practice it is possible for meditation to improve your day, you begin to create a sense of being more “involved” in your daily activities, “Life” just seems to flow better, there can be a sense of expansion, of being more connected with the world about you, more mindful in your interactions with others which creates a more positive and calm space around you. With regular practice we become more in touch with who we really are, beyond the confines of the “personality” and the various roles we act out each day - Wife, husband provider, mother, etc, etc. We start to get to know are real selves our” Souls” if you like are “Higher selves” and those qualities of unconditional love, compassion, sensitivity, peace and joy, begin to shine through….. Sounds good eh!!!
Creating a space
It is nice if possible, although not essential, to meditate in the same place each day and at the same time, this has the effect of imbuing the space with a positive and calming energy. Over time you will find that by merely sitting in the room (or part of a room), that you will be relaxing and focusing inward quite naturally, rather like that feeling you get when you slide down into a nice bath that…. “Ahhhhh” feeling!!
A simple alter, maybe a candle or some flowers will help to make the space special and create a focus for the mind.
How often to practice
It is important not to set yourself impossible goals that you will struggle to meet.
Far better to start by saying you will meditate twice a week for 10 minutes and later increase to maybe 3 times a week for 20 minutes and so on, rather than to attempt to sit for an hour a day, seven days a week.
By giving yourself more attainable goals you are more likely to have a positive attitude to your practice, because a commitment made and kept will enrich you whereas goals not achieved could mean that you give up after a few attempts consequently have a negative and demoralising effect!
Ways to meditate
There are many ways that we can meditate all are valid and it is really about selecting a technique that suits you. Some people like to play some relaxing meditative type music of which there is a huge amount. Then by visualising a scene, maybe sitting in a beautiful garden, or watching the sun rise from the top of a mountain the meditator is able to focus their attention inward and allow the outside world to simply melt away and in this way a profound states of calm, of peace in the mind can be achieved.
Another very simple yet powerful Tibetan Buddhist technique that I was taught some years ago which in Tibetan is called “Shinee” or (calm abiding) is merely to follow the breath.
The meditator simply focuses on the breath in a natural unforced way , ( no special type of breathing) just being aware of the breath as it comes in through the nose and following through the cycle as you breathe out. By focusing the attention on the breathe in this way, body and mind quite naturally become more and more relaxed and when you are aware that you have wandered off and stopped focusing on the breathe, simply return the attention to the breathe.
I personally use this technique a lot and find it very effective.
