|
|
So You Think You Can't Meditate?
Think
again. If you think you can’t meditate you probably have an idea that
meditation means sitting still, doing nothing, for prolonged periods of
time. This is a narrow view of meditation and even if you have trouble
sitting still you could find a meditation that suits you.
What is
meditation?
Meditation
is a way of focusing your attention so that you develop the skill of
choosing where you place your attention, or awareness. It is simply a
way of focusing.
If you have trouble focusing, finding a
meditation that suits you can help to improve your focus, and your
attention-span. There are many ways to do this and so there are many
types of meditation.
Why meditate?
As
it’s end goal meditation aims for pure awareness. What buddhists call
‘no-mind’. The experience of simply 'Being'. Being is a state of pure
awareness, without thinking. Some say to meditate you must stop
thinking, whereas others say we cannot stop thinking and so the way
forward is to observe the mind. Certainly its' aim is to still the
mind. To allow our thoughts at least to calm down and slow down, so
that we can experience stillness and a sense of inner peace.
What are the
health benefits of meditation?
Regular
meditation is a healthy way to relieve stress and help reduce anxiety.
Used regularly it can help you to focus and has even been linked to
health benefits such as reduced blood pressure and a reduction in
stress-related illnesses such as anxiety states, depression, asthma and
even irritable bowel syndrome.
When is it
best to meditate?
Some
people prefer morning some prefer evening. With our busy lifestyles
whenever you can fit it in is a good time! However, if you are
constantly falling asleep while trying you might want to pick a time
when you’re not tired, or choose an active meditation.
How do I
meditate?
There
are many types of meditation. In each type the idea is to focus your
awareness on the activity, or on an object, to reduce the time you
spend thinking. The idea is to keep your attention on something and if
you find your thoughts wandering, to gently and repeatedly keep
bringing your awareness back to whatever it is.
Types of
meditation.
Breath
meditation.
This
is the simplest and oldest meditation in the world which you can do
anywhere. You don’t need to be sitting in any position, you can even be
lying down, although to get the most benefit you need to stay awake and
alert.
Just make sure you are comfortable and begin.
Keep your attention on your breathing and whenever you find your mind
wandering return to observing your breath.
Notice everything about it.
What does it feel like?
Where does it go?
Stay with it for as long as you can.
Stay alert.
If you feel drowsy, bring your attention back to your breath.
Begin with 2 minutes and increase the time until you can do at least 20
minutes to get the most benefit.
Active
meditation.
There are many types the simplest of which is walking.
For walking to be a meditation you simply immerse yourself in the
experience of it.
What is it feeling like?
Notice your body.
Notice the earth beneath your feet.
Be silent.
Go within.
Notice yourself in the experience.
If you are distracted by thoughts, once again, gently and repeatedly
bring your awareness back to the activity of walking.
This is great for beginners and people who are active and too fidgety
for sitting meditations!
If walking meditation is too sedentary for you another type of active
meditation is dancing, or jumping or shouting!
Gibberish
is an early form of active meditation. Supposedly created by Jabir ibn
Hayyan (721-815) an Islamic alchemist. It is said that he encouraged
his students to speak their thoughts out loud. Whatever rubbish came
into their heads was to be spoken out loud until they literally ‘ran
out’ of thoughts and experienced the state of pure awareness or ‘no
mind’. The term gibberish stems from his name and the idea of speaking
rubbish or gobbledygook!
Mantras.
Mantras
are sounds used to achieve the same effect. They are helpful in that
they give the mind something to do and help to stop wandering thoughts.
An example is So-Hum.
Combined with breath observation, think the word ‘So’ on the in-breath,
and ‘Hum’ on the out breath.
If you get distracted just return to breathing and ‘So-Hum’.
Single-point
meditation.
This
is where you choose an object and focus on it visually. An example of
this is candle meditation where you sit comfortably with a lighted
candle in front of you and keep your attention on the flame. If your
mind wanders bring your attention back slowly and gently to the flame.
There are many other kinds of meditation but this is merely an
introduction.
What makes
any activity a meditation?
Where
you put your attention. Even if you are drinking a pint of beer it can
be a meditation if you fully place all your awareness on the beer.
What does it feel like? Taste like? Smell like?
If
you do this fully, to the exclusion of all other thoughts, so that your
mind is still and you are fully in your experience without thoughts…
you are meditating.
Guided
imagery.
Some
people have experience of guided imagery and visualisation. Although
these are helpful aids to relaxation, and the development of
imaginative and intuitive abilities, they are not truly meditation
because they use your mind. True meditation takes your attention away
from your mind.
(Unless you are doing an ‘observing your
thoughts’ meditation, which is possible, however in this case your
awareness is on the observer, and not the thoughts themselves.)
Eventually all meditation should bring you to the awareness that you
have a 'self' beyond your thoughts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
