On one level,
meditation is a tool. It can help combat stress, fosters physical health, helps
with chronic pain, can make you sleep better, feel happier, be more peaceful,
as well as be present.
But on a deeper
level, meditation is a doorway into the unknown. It can help us get a sense of
the mystery of who we are.
When you start
meditating, you will notice how unruly the mind is. I remember being quite
shocked by this! I noticed that my mind was all over the place. Profound
thoughts about my past or future jostled with mundane thought clips about what
groceries I needed to buy. Some time afterwards I would come too and notice
that I had spend 15 minutes running a painful memory over and over. It was like
sitting in a crazy cinema!
So, if you’re
starting out with meditation, please don’t beat yourself up about your wild
mind. It is a natural condition. In time you will learn to work kindly with the
barrage of thoughts and you will find some clarity and peacefulness.
Here are some
simple tips on how to start meditating. Maybe those of you who already practise
meditation could please add your comments of what has worked for you.
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1. posture
Whether you sit on
a chair or cross-legged on the floor, make sure that your spine is upright with
head up. If you are slumped your mind will drift. Mind and body are
intertwined. If your body is well-balanced, your mind will also be in balance.
To straighten up, imagine that your head is touching the sky.
2. eyes
Try and keep you
eyes open. Open eyes allow you to be more present. Just lower your eyes and let
your gaze be soft. If you close your eyes you will be more likely to drift away
on thoughts and stories. However, it’s important to do what is comfortable for
you. Some people find closing their eyes much more effective. It’s good to
experiment and see what feels best for you.
3. focus
In ordinary
consciousness we are hardly ever present. For example, sometimes we drive the
car on autopilot while being preoccupied with thoughts. Suddenly we arrive at
our destination and don’t remember anything about the drive!
So, meditation is a
wonderful way of waking up to our life. Otherwise we miss most of our
experiences because we are somewhere else in our mind! Let’s take a look at
what focus is. In ordinary life, we tend to equate focus with concentration.
That’s like using the mind like a concentrated beam of light. But in
meditation, that kind of mind isn’t helpful. It’s too sharp and edgy. To focus
in meditation means to pay soft attention to whatever you place in the centre
of awareness. I suggest using the breath as a focus. It’s like a natural door
that connects ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. Zen Master Toni Packer says:
Attention comes
from nowhere. It has no cause. It belongs to no one
4. the breath
Paying attention to
the breath is a great way to anchor yourself in the present moment.
Notice your breath
streaming in and out. There’s no need to regulate the breath – just let it be
natural.
5. counting you
breath
If you are having
difficulties settling, you can try counting the breath – which is an ancient
meditation practice. On your outbreath, silently count “one”, then “two”, and
up to “four”. Then return to “one”. Whenever you notice your thoughts have
strayed far away or you find yourself counting “thirtythree”, simply return to
“one”. In this way, “one” is like coming home to the present moment. It’s good
to return without a backward glance.
6. thoughts
When you notice
thoughts, gently let them go by returning yous focus to the breath. Don’t try
and stop thoughts; this will just make you feel agitated. Imagine that they are
unwelcome visitors at your door: acknowledge their presence and politely ask
them to leave. Then shine the soft light of your attention on your breath.
7. emotions
It’s difficult to
settle into meditation if you are struggling with strong emotions. This is
because some emotions tend to breed stories in the mind. Especially anger,
shame and fear create stories that repeat over and over in the mind. Anger and
shame make us keep looking at past events of the past. Fear looks at the future
with stories that start with, “What if…”
The way to deal
with strong emotions in meditation is to focus on the body feelings that
accompany the emotion. For example, this could be the tight band of fear around
the chest or the hot roiling of anger in the belly. Let go of the stories and
refocus on your body. In this way you are honouring your emotions but not
becoming entangled in stories.
7. silence
Silence is healing.
I know that there are is a lot of ‘meditation music’ around, but nothing beats
simple silence. Otherwise the music or sounds on the tape just drown out the
chatter in your mind. When we sit in silence we actually get to experience what
our mind is doing. There is steadiness and calmness that comes from sitting in
silence. In time outer and inner silence meet and you come to rest in the
moment.
8. length
Start with 10
minutes and only sit longer if you feel that that is too short. Don’t force
yourself to meditate longer if you are not ready to do that. In time you might
like to extend your meditation to 25 minutes. That’s a length that allows you
to settle your mind without causing too much stress on your body. Most
importantly, shrug off any ‘shoulds’. Some people enjoy sitting for an hour at
a time. Others find that they can’t sit longer than 10 minutes. Do what feels
right for you!
9. place
It’s lovely to
create a special place to sit. You can even make a shrine or an altar that you
can face when you sit in meditation. You might like to place a candle on your
altar and objects that have meaning to you. It’s lovely to find objects for
your altar as you walk. Maybe you find stones, or seashells, or flowers that
speak to you.
10. enjoyment
Most of all it’s
important to enjoy meditation. You might like to try sitting with a hint of a
smile. Be kind to yourself. Start sitting just a little each day. It’s helpful
to establish a daily habit.
