Meditation

Meditation is the ancient discipline of quieting the mind. It is also the art of connecting to the intuitive consciousness that we all have but don't always realize. This intuitive consciousness is part of our mental power, a part that often goes unobserved and, consequently, unused.

Because we are most often wrapped up in our cognitive thoughts, analyzing and trying to figure out the world around us, we miss the ability to tap into the higher intuitive understandings that we all have, that part of our psyche that gives us unexplained insights. Those understandings that come to us as "gut feelings."

Meditation has great value in quieting our anxieties, those fears that we have that sometimes are seen but most often not even realized. Most of us spend our lives, without even knowing it, bouncing from one fear to the next, from one anxiety to the next. These fears are so subtle that we don't even realize they are there. They become so attached to our psyche on a subconscious level that they become part of our personality. They become part of our everyday, even every moment, feelings and we don't even realize they are there in our minds creating, or at least influencing, our thoughts and actions.

Meditation is the discipline, and the art, of looking at our thoughts from an objective position, without being caught up in the effects of them on our psyche. In meditation one thing that we become aware of is that our thoughts are separate from us. That is they are simply thoughts and not who we are. Part of the misperception that we have is that we think we are our thoughts. When a person develops the discipline of meditation they come to realize that we have a choice in what thoughts we chose to keep. We can choose what thoughts we integrate into our personality.

The person who does not practice the discipline of meditation also experiences meditative moments in their normal everyday life without even knowing them as meditative moments. All of us have meditative experiences from time to time without even realizing what the experiences are. When we quiet our conscious mind and get totally involved in the moment we are experiencing the reality of here and now. This is a moment of meditation.

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the beauty of something that it transfixed you? Sometimes this happens when we experience something in nature such as a beautiful sunset, a streaking comet, the first snowfall of the season or when we are enraptured by the beauty of one of nature's billions of creatures. When we take time alone to quiet our mind and commune with nature and soak in its rich beauty we become connected to it on a deep intuitive level. This is an experience of meditation.

Another time we become meditative without realizing it is when we are doing something that so totally absorbs our focus and concentration that we stop the inner ramblings of our mind and get lost in the experience of the moment. When we quiet our mind and get totally involved in doing something creative, allowing the creativity to flow through us naturally and easily, this is a meditative moment. When we get involved in our tasks, letting our mind be quiet and allowing ourselves to experience the present to its fullest, this is also meditation.

Why is meditation valuable?

So, why is meditation a valuable discipline to develop? We live in a world that at times can seem very chaotic. There are dozens of distractions in our lives every moment, hundreds every hour and thousands every day. These distractions keep us from realizing our true selves and our true potential. We get caught up in the mindset that we are what we do, instead of realizing that we are much more, that we are the life force itself and that our true potential is quite unlimited. It is in learning to be that we realize this, a realization that can only come about through the discipline of meditation.

In addition, there is a great amount of pressure that we put upon ourselves, in our search for meaning. We allow others to put pressure on us as well in our quest to be validated and valued, and then there is the pressure of simply living in an uncertain world where there is very little that we can control or predict, as much as we would like to. It is a world where nearly anything can happen and often does.

The meditative person, after practicing for a length of time, comes to realize certain things:

We are responsible for the health of our own psyche. A healthy psyche is one that is strong and resilient, that is able to encounter changes in the life experience without allowing the stress of those changes to cause undue difficulty.
Meditation enables us to become more patient, both with ourselves and with others. It enables us to develop patience even with our own life process, helping us to see that changes are taking place within us, as well as around us, and to accept those changes as part of our growth process. We learn to let the changes take place in the time frame that nature intended.
Meditation helps us to be more thoughtful and compassionate. We discover the value of having greater empathy. We begin seeing others and ourselves with a different perception and we begin to develop a sense of unity, of connectedness, with all living creatures of the world.
Meditation brings our focus to our intuitive powers and enables us to pay more attention to those intuitive promptings that we all get from time to time. You could say that meditation opens doors of our consciousness that were previously closed. By quieting our mind we can become more aware of the intuitive promptings, perceiving them more vividly, thus enabling our creativity to blossom. In doing so we are able to connect more fully to our life experience and get the most value from our experiences.
Meditation enables us to transcend our fears, to rise above them. Without realizing it most of our energy in life is used up in dealing with our fears. We all have them. Many of them are subtle and nearly invisible, but they are there and they show up in our lives at the most inopportune times. Sometimes the fears are strong and easily sensed and sometimes they are hidden. In reality there are no small fears for anytime a thought or feeling paralyzes you and keeps you from acting calmly and in control of yourself, from acting courageously, that thought or feeling needs to be analyzed and assessed for its true value to you.

That is what meditation does. It brings the subtle and hidden thoughts we have to the surface of our conscious mind where we can see them in their true vivid form. Here we can assess them and either use them for our benefit, as our minds and our thoughts are simply tools to be used, or we can reject them and learn to rechannel our minds in more productive ways.

One thing that is important to realize is this; what we think is our own responsibility. Let's take a look at that idea again. What we think, is our own responsibility. You have the choice of what thoughts you hang on to and what thoughts you choose to ponder and expand upon. Just because an idea pops into your head or just because a thought crosses your mind doesn't mean you have to hold onto it. Meditation teaches us the power of discernment. It teaches us the ability to reject thought that we deem harmful to our psyche. If we allow garbage into our mind we get disharmony and chaos in our lives. If we build our psyche with thoughts of kindness and compassion, and learn to love unconditionally both ourselves and others, our life experience becomes valuable, meaningful and harmonious.

Meditation is a vital part of that psyche building process. In a brief sentence, meditation is the discipline of learning to quiet the mind enabling us to become aware of our higher selves. We achieve this by experiencing the Now of reality in its most vividness.

What meditation is not

Many people have a misperception about what meditation is. I know I did when I first started to learn meditation. It is not the transporting of one's consciousness to another realm where colored lights flash and angels sing. It is not a visual alteration of one's reality. It is not a psychedelic experience. It is not a relaxation technique, although sometimes meditation can be relaxing, and it is not a form of escape from reality. It is, rather, the clarification of one's perception of reality. It is the stilling of one’s thoughts and it is in that stilling that life becomes magically alive. The ancient Zen Buddhist monks referred to the pinnacle of meditation as "satori." This means "an awakening," a change in one's perception. It is combined with a realization that one is eternal and connected to all life: past, present and future.

How do I begin meditation?

Okay, let's try some meditation. Let's first find a comfortable position. Sit up as straight as you can to allow the breath to flow as freely as possible. For some it is helpful to turn on some soothing background sound. Personally I often like to use nature sounds such as a gentle rainfall. Now settle into a comfortable place mentally. Close your eyes softly or leave them partially opened, whichever is more comfortable and natural for you. As best as you can, without mental force, begin to clear your mind of thought. You will need to focus on something, as your mind needs a distraction from your thoughts, so the best thing to focus on is your breath. Breathe deeply and slowly, hold your breath for a short moment then slowly and easily exhale. As you breathe follow your breath with your attention, letting it flow easily in and easily out like the coming and going of waves upon a sandy beach.

What is a mantram and do I need one?

If you find that focusing on the breath is still allowing thoughts to come into your mind you may want to use a mantram. Said silently to yourself, a mantram is a sound, a word or a phrase that you repeat over and over to give your mind something to focus on. In transcendental meditation the sound, "Om" is often used. In passage meditation, such as taught by the well-known Indian meditation teacher / guru Eknath Easwaran, a spiritual passage is repeated over and over. Some mediators simply use the words "Divine Love." Still others, such as myself, use the phrase, "Thy will, not mine, be done". This phrase is a surrender phrase that allows one's own ego-bound will to be displaced by a higher egoless Divine will.

Search your heart for the right mantram for yourself. You will know it is the right one when you find your attention being absorbed into it. If this doesn't happen for you then commune with nature and study spiritual writings. Go on a vision quest until something you experience touches the core of your True Self, your essence of being.

When is the best time to meditate?

So, when is the very best time to meditate? Anytime, and all the time, is a good time to meditate. Anytime you feel agitation creeping into your mood or anytime you feel anxious or overwhelmed. Essentially anytime you find yourself not feeling calm and patient, with yourself or others. Anytime that you don't feel in harmony with the world around you. It is a good idea to begin your day with a few choice moments of meditation to get yourself centered. Giving the rest of your day a proper mindset that is positive and vibrant.

Once you get yourself centered it is easier to maintain than to wait until you have a disruption in your day and then try to get centered. Therefore, it is particularly beneficial to meditate first thing in the morning. You can even spend a few minutes lying in bed getting yourself centered. This is a good practice particularly if you experience disturbing dreams from time to time.

While you lie in your bed awakening, begin to feel the muscles in your body. Note any that are tense and try to relax them. Move your focus to your breathing and note if it is slow and relaxed. If not slow it down. Breathe deeply and deliberately. For a couple of moments clear your mind of thought. For the next few minutes do not give thought to the coming events of the day. Instead focus on your breath and work to get yourself relaxed and centered. The events of the day will be what they need to be. For now the most important thing is to get centered, to connect to your deep inner power, your deep inner calm, so that this day you can express your greatest potential, your higher self.

It is also good to get into the practice of looking for moments throughout your day to meditate. Meditation is not something that requires you to sit in a lotus position and burn incense and have special music playing in the background. Although this setting is ideal, meditation needs to be practiced wherever and whenever you find yourself unbusy. Whenever you find a few moments of limbo. Simply practice clearing your mind of thought and focus on your breath.

How often should I meditate?

Since meditation is a discipline that must be developed, the beginning meditator should set aside a minimum of twice each day to begin to develop the ability. The very best time is the first thing every morning and then again in the evening, a couple of hours before retiring to bed. At these times the mind should be alert, awake and not prone to drifting off to sleep. If you find yourself highly stressed and unable to relax, this is probably the very best time to meditate. Stay with it. This is when you need it most. If, on the other hand, you find yourself drifting off to sleep then perhaps you should take a short nap and try it again when you are rested.

As you progress in your meditation practice you will easily find moments throughout the day when you can stop the inner turmoil and self talk, focus on your breath or silently on your mantram, and spend that time getting re-centered. Some of the best times for me are; when I am sitting in my easy chair about to have my morning tea, in the shower engulfed in the sound and feel of the water, relaxing in the garden in the afternoon, or sometimes even waiting in a check out line at the supermarket. When you finally develop the ability to shut off the inner talk you will find that it can happen instantly and that you can easily step into and out of the meditative mindset at will.

When beginning to train your mind set aside a minimum of fifteen minutes per session, a half an hour or more is ideal. As with any discipline the key is to not allow yourself to become discouraged. The changes will come very slowly and very subtley. You won't even know they are happening until one day you realize that something about you and about the world around you is very different.

How will I know when I have reached a breakthrough in my meditation?

This is how you will realize that you have a made a breakthrough. First of all you will find that you, yourself, are calmer. You will develop within you a sense of peace that is more genuine than anything you have felt before. You will begin to sense a connection between yourself and others that wasn't there before. You will sense a connection to strangers. The psychological walls that you have hidden behind will come tumbling down.

The world itself will appear to be less hostile and your own fears about the world will begin to dissipate. You will begin to see that the world may be confused, but it is not confusing. Suddenly everything will begin to make sense. You will begin to see the world and everyone in it as a "work in progress." You will develop an understanding, a knowing, and at the same time a compassion for all those in the world who are struggling with their own inner turmoils. You will begin to see yourself, and all others, with a different perspective.

What if I experience uneasiness and unsettling thoughts and feelings during meditation?

Particularly to the beginning meditator it is common to experience mental and emotional uneasiness when developing the meditation discipline. Think of it as if going through a dark scary forest to get to a golden castle that lies beyond. The only way to the castle is through the forest. It requires courage and faith.

In beginning meditation, you are getting to know yourself, getting to know your thoughts, and some of them may be unpleasant. The uneasiness must be expected. You are getting to know what your deepest fears are, your greatest desires and all those little things that distract your mind. Allow the uneasiness to happen, Meditation is not for the faint of heart. Recognize that it is part of the growing process. Simply recognize the thoughts that cause the uneasiness. Do not attach your attention to them. You can mentally eliminate them or let them drift away, like a helium filled balloon. Refocus your mind on your breath and your mantram. You will discover that you will inevitably have to deal with whatever thoughts you regularly put into your mind. You will soon discover the value of selecting your thoughts consciously.

What if I experience physical discomfort during meditation?

Physical discomforts will come during meditation. Expect it. Particularly in sitting meditation if you are not accustomed to sitting in one position for long periods of time. It can be a twitch in the toe, a throb in the leg, a stiff back, or an achy joint. You may soon realize that you have more physical parts than you previously realized.

The most important thing in acquiring a good meditation position is to find one that is comfortable and does not irritate or distract. The time-honored lotus position is seen by many as the ideal position, but remember you are learning to train your mind, not satisfy someone else's ritual. If the lotus position is difficult to maintain, simply try sitting upright in a cushioned chair with your feet flat on the floor or even cross-legged in the chair if that is more comfortable for you. Robert Pirsig, who wrote "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" once said that trying to master the difficult lotus position gave him chronic health problems later in life.

For those who are limber, or would like to become so, yoga is an ideal practice prior to meditation. It helps to slow our internal agitation and prepare us for a period of internal quiet and intense focus. To those who may have less flexibility in their muscles and bones Tai Chi can be a great warm up prior to meditation.

How to create your own meditation schedule

The most important thing in creating your meditation schedule is to be very aware of how you spend each 15-minute segment of your day and what the priority is of the time you spend. In other words, how important is it that you sleep an extra half hour each day, or that you spent that time in front of the television set or surfing the Internet, or even chatting with your friends? Remember, you are developing a discipline. If you wanted to learn to play the piano you would make sure you set aside the time to practice. Learning meditation is no different.

When you set aside time in your day to meditate you are doing something valuable for yourself. You are giving yourself a rare and precious gift that you truly deserve, the gift of growth, of becoming more than you are in this moment. Take a look at your day. Ask yourself the hard questions: What if I got up a half hour earlier each morning? What if I missed that television show each evening? What if I spent less time on the Internet or less time chatting with my friends? How could my life be improved? Every great achievement begins with motivation and is fruitful when self-discipline is applied.

How to create the perfect meditation environment

There is a saying that applies to the advanced meditator that says, "If you can't meditate in a boiler room, you can't meditate." To the seasoned meditator this is true. When you finally learn to step in and out of the meditative mindset, being in the here and now at will, there is literally no place you can't meditate - even on a battlefield - literally. To the beginning meditator, however, it is a different reality. Why? Because the beginning meditator has not yet developed the ability to stop the flow of thoughts; the fears and desires that keep us on edge, that keep us making judgments and keep us trying to control what we really cannot. In this endeavor, of calming the psyche, the beginning meditator needs help.

Two things help the beginning meditator to focus their mind and quiet the inner turmoil: nature and the sound of water. Both are very soothing to us. The sound of a light rain shower, or a babbling fountain, even dripping water in a fish tank can be very calming. The sound of songbirds, the hush of the wind in the trees or the purring of a feline friend can also be relaxing. Any of these things, and many others, can help to reduce your agitation and slow down the inner turmoil. The selection of these elements is individual to each person and no two things work as well for one as the other.

Ideally for me I will have a soft cushion to keep my gluteus maximus from getting tired, indoor air temperature in the low seventies, the sound of trickling water or a nature sound recording of rain falling or a babbling brook. Some meditators have a favorite incense or scented candle that they burn. Experiment a little and find out what works best for you. When you emerge from your session relaxed and you sense a new inner calm you are on the right track. Make your meditation place unique and as special as you are. Hang some inpirational photos in the room or even better; meditate in the garden where you can enjoy the sounds of nature first hand.

Meditation types and techniques

What is sitting meditation?

The Zen monks have a saying, "When meditating sit erect, sit still and do not wobble." Sitting meditation is the most commonly known form of meditation. Some believe that it is the one form that creates the most mental discipline because to sit and do nothing is extremely hard for most of us. This is what sitting meditation is; the developed discipline of simply sitting, without moving, in a relaxed state and focusing on your selected mantram and your breath.

This is called, learning to just Be. When we have so much to do, not only what we have to do but also what we can do to entertain and distract ourselves, just sitting and breathing can be excruciatingly painful. The idea here is, though, that if you can't do it then there is a valuable self-discipline that you haven't yet developed, no less than reading or writing or learning a language. In the Far East meditation is often taught when children are still toddlers. Can you imagine being a toddler with the ability to just sit still?

What is walking meditation?

Learning to focus the mind to be in the present moment is the point of meditation. So often our minds wander. We may go out for a walk under the moonlight, in a night filled with billions of stars, but where is our mind? Did we leave it home rehashing the last television show we watched or replaying the last discussion we had with our partner? Perhaps we sent it on ahead to ponder the dental appointment we have tomorrow. I'm sure you get the picture. Wherever it is it is not here and it is not focused on the Now. Most often even when we think we are in the here and now we really aren't. It takes great mental discipline to really be in the present. What happened five minutes ago is not in the present. What happened two minutes ago is not. What happened 15 seconds ago is not. The very present is just what the word says, the VERY present. In walking meditation no matter what you are doing focus on the Here and the Now, the very present, without analyzing or evaluating.

What is present moment breath follow technique

Once you have mastered the ability to clear your mind of thought using a mantram, the next challenge is to develop the technique of mentally following your breath. Mastering this technique requires great concentration. The object here is to follow your breath out without allowing thoughts to bombard your consciousness or to allow your mind to wander. Anything more than a few seconds of focus is a great accomplishment.

One thing that this technique does is to reveal to us, very vividly, just how many distractions there are in any one moment of life. When you learn to quiet your mind and focus on your breath, the world around you becomes magically alive. You will be amazed just how much activity is happening in the here and now. I follow the coming and going of my breath and suddenly realize how precious it is. I sense my body and all the little aches and feelings of it. My senses burst to life like a suddenly blossoming flower. My hearing becomes acute. I recognize the distant barking, a car driving past, water dripping, children laughing, distant music, a cat purring, the smell of lilac, a breeze on my skin, the ticking of a clock, the clap of distant thunder; all happening in the time frame of seconds. Welcome to the experience of life. Welcome to the here and now.

When you are able to bring your attention totally to the very present, to the here and the now, your life will take on a depth and richness that you haven't experienced since you were an infant. When you live this way life becomes magical. The smallest details of life come alive and become exciting. Suddenly life has more meaning. It is said that to the enlightened person nothing is ordinary. That is the meaning of this. Life takes on a magical power, even a sacredness, when you learn to focus on the very present moment. You begin to "see" what you had never seen before although it was there all the time.

For more meditation instruction please refer to the Blue Mountain meditation page.

Joyful Self

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