Meditation. Why should we do it and how to meditate effectively?
Do some research on meditation and you’ll see that everyone, neuroscientists, doctors, therapists have found that simply relaxing as much as you can while conscious (which is what meditation is) is so healthy. It’s physically healthy. It’s mentally healthy. It should be added into everyone’s lives.
But how do we do it?
Frankly, the way meditation is taught is really, really uncomfortable. You have to sit there straight; cross legged on a pillow; or perched on a chair. You sit there and you fight your mind as it races. It’s really uncomfortable.
So let’s approach meditation in a new way.
One thing we know about our minds, about our brains, is that they operate in all sorts of different modes. There is a lot more than just thoughts going. It’s physical and mental. Like when you blink. That’s a reflex, it just happens. Eyes need to stay moist so the body blinks regularly. We breathe in and out all the time. Our heart’s keep beating. All of these things are managed by the brain.
The brain does a really good job.
Trust it
So number one; let’s trust the way we’re build. Instead of fighting it, let’s go with it.
For this first lesson I’m proposing a simple meditation where you find some place quiet. You sit down relatively comfortably. Close your eyes. Then just do nothing.
What’s going to happen, more than likely, is your brain is going to go chattering.
Stressed out
One of the first things you might notice is how stressed you actually are. Like, you may feel your heart beating fast, and your breath isn’t relaxed. You sit down and you realize, “Oh my gosh. I am way more stressed out than I knew!”
Don’t fit it. Relaxing can’t be forced. If you go, I have to relax!” That’s the opposite of relaxing.
So relaxing means to just sitting there and let it be okay. It’s okay I’m stressed out. Let’s put a little time into this. Let’s sit here for a little while and see how long it takes to relax.
Break the rules
The other thing we tend to do is to follow meditation rules. We’re told to still our minds. Well, you can’t still your mind. It’s just the same as trying to relax. The more you try to still the mind the more your thinking runs away.
You start thinking, “Come on mind… be quiet.” And then the inner argument goes into full swing.
So don’t do either of those things. Don’t try to relax, just spend some time sitting as still as you can. Don’t try to still your mind. Do the exact opposite for this particular meditation technique.
Listen to yourself
Instead of trying to relax your mind pay really close attention to it. Pay attention to what’s going on. Listen to yourself. Really look at yourself.
You are going to be surprised at how great it feels.
One of the biggest spiritual techniques we have to get along with other people, is to learn to listen. So do that for yourself. Really listen to your self. You are going to find out that if you sit there and really listen to yourself that your self is going to thank you. Thanks for paying attention to me!
Perhaps your brain wouldn’t be so loud if it doesn’t have to shout Right?
So sit comfortably, just as comfortable as you can. For as long as you easily can and listen to your mind.
I have no idea if you are a beginning meditation or not, but start with five minutes. Five minutes is a really long time to sit still at first. You will helpfully work up from five minutes because it does take longer than five minutes to really relax. But in the beginning set your alarm for five minutes and sit there. Close your eyes. And then pay attention to yourself.
The mind goes in and out
What you’ll probably find happens is that, as you are paying attention to yourself, some thought will suck you in and you’ll drift away. Then after a while you’ll come back and go , “Oh? Where did I go?” You may even find that when you come back you don’t remember what the issue was.
Don’t worry about it. You just came back. You came back to yourself. Your mind had a moment of relaxation, and now you’re back. That’s very cool.
Pay attention to yourself again. Just listen. Listen to yourself and you’ll find that if you do this, after a while, it will get quieter and quieter. It will get easier to sit there and relax. It’s very much like exercising a muscle. You practice at it and you’ll get better. So the first technique: five minutes. Just sit comfortably. Close your eyes and pay attention to yourself.