How to Meditate
Why
practice meditation?
There are a multitude of reasons for you to establish
the practice of meditation. Some reasons include: stress/anxiety management,
anger management, achieve higher levels of consciousness, decrease the level
of noise in your head, achieve higher levels of creativity and
intellectual development. Meditation has been shown to be a significant aid to
psychotherapy and in using the Real Solution Workbooks according to Dr.
Richard Pfeiffer. All of this and much more is the result of consistent
discipline and practice of meditation and contemplation.
I:
How to begin meditation practice
Before you
begin: As with all things, start where you are.
You have everything you need right now. First, decide to sit each day. Next,
plan the time, place and duration for your sitting meditation.
Choose a time:
Morning is often best because the mind is calmer than it is later in the day.
However, the best time is the time that you can commit to on a regular basis.
If one longer sit isn't possible, try two shorter ones.
Choose a space:
There is no perfect place. If possible, dedicate a space exclusively to your
daily sitting. Choose a relatively quiet space where you can leave your
cushion (or chair) so that it is always there to return to. You may want to
create an altar with a candle, inspiring photos or statues. These are not
necessary, but are beneficial if they help to motivate you.
Choose a duration:
As long as is comfortable, plus 5 minutes. This is a general guide, not a
rule. Even fifteen or twenty minutes will seem an eternity in the beginning,
but that impression will change with time. If you sit each day, you will
experience noticeable benefits (e.g., less reactivity, more calm) and be able
to increase your sitting time.
Every time you sit:
Set your intention: It is helpful to recall at the start of each sitting
meditation why you are doing it. Remember that your purpose, to become more
open and free, will benefit you and those around you.
Set your posture:
Alertness is one of the two essential ingredients in every meditation. Sit on
a chair, cushion, or kneeling bench as straight and tall as possible. In the
beginning, sitting against a wall can help you learn what a straight back
feels like. Around this straight-back position, let the rest of your skeleton
and muscles hang freely. Let the hands rest comfortably on your knees or lap.
Let the eyes close, bringing the attention inward.
Relax deeply:
Openness is the second essential ingredient in every meditation. Once you feel
your spine is erect, let everything else relax, hang loose, and soften.
Breathing through the nose, loosen the face, neck, hands, and stomach area.
You may want to begin at the scalp and move your attention slowly downward,
methodically relaxing and softening each part of the body. Please don't skip
the step of relaxing/letting go! Consciously releasing body tension will help
you open to whatever arises during your meditation.
Choose an object of
meditation: Once you've established this alert and open posture, you are
ready to decide where you'll place your attention. Useful objects for
beginners are:
*The breath as it enters
and leaves the nostrils.
*Other body changes during breathing, e.g., the rise and fall of the
chest.
*Sounds as they arise from within the body or outside of it.
*Other body sensations as they arise.
Whatever object you
select, stay with it for at least ten breaths. Even with this effort, your
mind will insist on going to its usual places. Make note of this when it
happens, and gently lead your attention back to the chosen object of
meditation. Your intention and persistence are the key ingredients for
cultivating awareness, not the number of times your mind wanders. As often as
you need to, check yourself -- "Alert and erect? Relaxed and open?" - and
begin again.
Examples
of meditation:
1) Mindfulness of the
body
2) Mindfulness of feeling
3) Mindfulness of mental objects (thoughts and emotions).
4) Mindfulness of all phenomena.
Lovingkindness
meditation: The phrases might be:
May I be filled with
lovingkindness
May I be safe from harm
May I be well
May I be peaceful and at ease
May I be happy
May my parents be filled with lovingkindness
May they be safe from harm...(etc.)
Concentration and
mindfulness: It is important as you practice to
recognize and balance the qualities of concentration and mindfulness.
Concentration is the ability to gather your attention into one place.
Mindfulness is pure moment-by-moment noticing. Without some concentration,
mindfulness is difficult to sustain. Without mindfulness, concentration bears
no fruit. In meditation practice, both are developed gradually.
II: Common issues when beginning
meditation
Monkey mind: At
first, you may be surprised at how active and uncontrolled your mind is. Don't
worry - you are discovering the truth about your current state of mind. Accept
and "sit with" whatever comes up. Don't try to change it by force, use
patience. Sit up, relax, and gently bring your attention back again and again
to the object of your meditation.
It is common to mistake
thinking for meditating. It takes practice to distinguish pleasant, dreamy
thoughts from having your attention connected to the changing experience of
this moment. Staying focused on the body/breath is a good way to stay grounded
in the present.
The classical five
hindrances to practice are:
* Grasping: wanting more
(or something different) from what's present
right now.
* Aversion: fear, anger, any form of pushing away.
* Restlessness: jumpy energy, agitation.
* Sloth and torpor: sleepy, sinking states of mind and body.
* Doubt: a mind-trap that says, "it's no use, this will never work,
maybe there's an easier
way".
Practisers experience all of these states. During sitting practice, if
you notice one of the hindrances arising, it is useful to name it silently to
yourself, e.g., "grasping, grasping" or "sleepy, sleepy". If it is strong, try
not to pull away from the difficult energy, but bring all of your attention to
it. Let yourself experience it fully through the sensations in your body,
neither getting lost in it nor pushing it away. Watch what happens without
expectations, and when it dissipates, return to the primary focus of your
meditation.
III:
Maintaining a meditation
practice
Here are
some helpful suggestions
for maintaining your meditation
practice:
* Sit every day, even if
it's for a short period.* A few times during each day, establish contact with
your body and
breath.
* Practice sometimes with a group or a friend.
* Use resources such as spirituality books or
audiotapes of inspiring talks.
* Consider getting a Mind Machine
or a BioFeedback Machine to aid in your meditation
The experience
will
deepen your practice by stimulating various brain waves.
* If you miss a day, a week, or a month - simply begin again.
* If you need guidance, ask for help from an experienced
practiser or
teacher.
Mind Machine Information (PDF)
Proteus Mind
Machine
ThoughtStream Biofeedback Machine
