Meditation
2012
Meditation calms the mind. It turns your busy ‘On’ switch off and you enter into a more relaxed state where you can use your mind more consciously and productively or you can just let it rest and at both times be free of its background chattering.
How to Meditate
There are many ways to meditate. I have delved into and explored many different types of meditation. This is my favorite approach to it.
Sit quietly in a comfortable position in a quiet space where you feel relaxed. Wear comfortable, non restricting clothing and make sure the phone and any distractions are turned off. You can sit cross legged on a cushion or mat on the floor or seated in a chair. Fold hands together in a gentle mudra position on lap, with both palms face up and with right palm holding left palm and thumbs lightly touching so that hands form an oval.
Now close your eyes gently or gaze softly with eyes half closed at an area just in front of you on the ground. I prefer closed; either is fine. Choose whichever you feel most comfortable with. Now direct your attention to your breathing and follow the breath as you breathe in and out. Feel the air coming into the body and going out. Continue with this practise.
When a thought comes into your mind, simply be aware of the thought. Do not follow it. If you refrain from following it and simply notice that it is a thought you are having it will go away on its own. Often people let their thoughts go wild and do not take any control of them and like unruly children they soon take over and then you are in their charge.
When you pay attention to your thoughts and realize you have power over them and can control and choose which ones you want, then you have power to only let the helpful and beneficial ones into your mind. Do not give attention to thoughts you do not want. In meditation, simply observe that you are having that thought. Watch silently without judgement or evaluation. When you practise watching your thoughts, you will realize that they are not real. They are only a thought. Realizing this makes it easier to disregard them and let them go.
Me, Myself and I
Me– my physical active body that moves, breathes and does things.
Myself – my thinking mind that analyzes and makes decisions and tells the body when to take action.
I– my higher mind, or self that watches the thinking mind and its thoughts. It also watches the physical body and its actions as well as the external world that you see and interact with around you.
In meditation we want to be very aware of the ‘Third I’- our higher mind, or self.
Meeting our Higher Self
Seated in meditation position, eyes lowered or closed, focus on your breathing. Now pay attention if a thought enters the mind. Who is noticing that thought? You will realize that it is as if you have 2 minds: one who is thinking the thought and the other who is watching you thinking the thought. This realization is one of the more important aspects of meditation. This one realization opens you up to the reality of who you are.
You are bigger than just your thoughts and this deeper part of you has the power to choose and adjust and throw out thoughts. It sees more clearly what is the truth, what is best for you and what is false. When you let this higher part of yourself scan your thoughts and programs and beliefs running through your mind you can also decide more objectively which ones to keep and which to let go of.
The miracle is to change your thoughts you do not need to do anything, only to be aware” Osho
Meditation Practise
In seated meditation, be aware of your breath and now also be aware of your body. Be aware of each movement and gesture, of your breathing, your heart beating, your toes, fingers and muscles moving. Be aware of any bodily sensations and any impressions from the outside word. Then guide your awareness to your thoughts. Just as one comes, see it like a butterfly, but don’t catch it, let it fly by and think “there is a thought’ and it’s gone. Eventually, the chaos of chattering unruly thoughts will drop away and a deep peace will prevail.
Meditation is not a result or goal-oriented activity. Don’t look for results. The ego is always looking for results. This is a difference between the higher mind and physical mind. The higher mind watches the activity and the physical (ego) mind is not as interested in the activity but in the result. If the ego can gain without any action, it will take the shortcut. Educated people are always looking for shortcuts. But with meditation the key to success is in the activity.
Active Meditation
Once you have mastered watching your thoughts, you can in the same way, watch your actions. This is what is known as active meditation. Meditation is awareness. When you are watching your breathing and your thoughts with your higher mind, you are in meditation. So walking or doing dishes can be an active meditation.
If you are new to meditation, it is best to start with sitting to get used to using your higher watching mind. Then you can add simple actions, like walking and eventually it will become second nature so that you watch yourself in all of your everyday actions. This is the goal – that all of your actions and thoughts are alert and watchful.
Mind Body Connection
Your body and mind are tightly connected and when your thoughts are healthy, your body will become healthy. When you are aware of your thoughts, the next step is to become aware of feelings, emotions and moods. This is a subtle and deep layer that is harder to reach and requires deep awareness. With focused attention, you can start reflecting on your emotional self and on healing and strengthening.
Namaste.
