How do I meditate when I've never really meditated before?

What was meditation really?

Do I just sit cross-legged and chant "om"? How do I know if I am doing it right?

This desire to meditate all began when I realized that it was a great way to tame my mind (click here to read how that realization came about). I have experimented at home with sitting on the floor and being aware of my breathing but somewhere deep inside, I felt there was more to it than that ...

... and there was.

After reading Making Space by Thich Nhat Hanh, I learned more deeply about meditation. I found the idea of meditating with mindfulness instead of forgetfulness surprising because I always thought meditation was about "clearing the mind" which to me meant trying to forget where I am and "getting lost" in the meditation (whatever that means). One aspect I especially enjoyed applying to my meditation are the gathas (short poems you recite during meditation).

I am going to share with you a great way for someone who normally don't meditate to begin meditating:

The first thing to do is

STOP.

Consciously stop trying to do something. When I used to meditate, I would count the breaths and view myself as moving forward towards finishing the meditation. I was so preoccupied with accomplishing my daily meditation that I wasn't really meditating, just counting my breaths and sitting there waiting for my alarm to go off to signal I was done. Knowing now that stopping is the first step, before I even get into the sitting position, I visualize myself coming to a full stop (sometimes abrupt) and just opening my senses to what is around me. What do I hear, smell, see, feel and hear? I also stop during various parts of my day even when I am not officially meditating to practice. I find the visualization of coming to a full stop very effective for me.

Having stopped, it is then helpful to mindfully

BREATHE.

Here is where I try to balance with being aware of my breathing and actually controlling my breathing. I haven't yet been able to make a fine distinction since I feel that being aware of my breathing causes me to control it. There are two gathas (both from Thich Nhat Hanh's book) that I find helpful to recite during mindful breathing:

Breathing in, I know I'm breathing in.

Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out.

and the second one that I really enjoy using when I consciously breathe is:

Breathing in, I calm my body.

Breathing out, I smile.

I have began focusing on my breathing outside of my home meditation practice and it has been a valuable tool for me to relax my mind when I feel overwhelmed or frustrated. We know how to rest our bodies but I think many of us (myself included) don't know how to rest our minds (until now!).

As I mindfully breathe in stillness, I proceed to

SIT.

I have created a small area in the house where I sit to meditate. I sit indian-style (chrysanthemum for the people who know the lingo) mainly because it hurts when I try to sit in half-lotus (I'm not even going to attempt the full-lotus, at least not now). I keep my posture straight as if someone is pulling me up with a rope attached to the crown of my head. I am supposed to sit just to enjoying sitting but currently I am still trying to find the most comfortable sitting position and to concentrate on my posture and breathing. I am sure it will get easier with practice.

So there it is, a guide to meditation for people who don't meditate.

I'll end with this enlightening line from the book:

"Distraction only comes with forgetfulness, the absence of mindfulness."

I would love to hear about your own meditation practice and what you find helpful when you meditate.

The post How to Meditate for People Who Don’t Meditate appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

Yoga Instructor: Breathe in through your nose ... breathe out through your nose.

Me: (thinking) in through my nose ... out through my ... this is interesting, I am going to do this when I get back to New York ... wait ... I should pay attention ... in through my nose ... out through ... I can't believe how much pee an elephant has, it was like turning on a faucet ...

Yoga Instructor: Breathe in through your nose ... breathe out through your feet.

Me: (thinking) in through my nose .... out through my feet ... in through my ... can't wait till breakfast, they always have a nice selection here ... I wonder how they choose what goes on the menu ... wait ... I should be concentrating on my breathing ... in through nose, out through feet ... how interesting that I am feeling something coming out of my feet ... I still can't believe they gave me a foot massage last night without washing my feet first ... nasty ...

Yoga Instructor: Breathe in through your nose ... breath out through your body.

And the pattern continues. I begin thinking about my breathing but then I get distracted. What's frustrating is I don't even notice my mind wander until it's been at it for some time.

After the yoga session, I decided to ask my yoga instructor about this issue. He went on to explain that the mind is like a wild horse that needs to be tamed. When it goes off course, you must reign it back in. Through practice, you will be able to fully control your mind and meditation is the taming of your mind.

I thought this was a very fitting analogy and I am currently learning more about and beginning to practice meditation. My mind tends to get distracted when I am working on my projects and I will be more productive if I can increase my concentration.

People perceive multitasking as being efficient but research has shown that multitasking actually reduces productivity. If someone is doing two complex tasks, there is actually no such thing as multitasking. That person is toggling between the two activities and not doing them simultaneously as the word multitasking would imply.

Normally I would have finished the last paragraph in a minute or two but because I am watching an octopus attacking a diver on tv (Caught on Camera 2 - Into the Deep) in my hotel room, it is taking about 10 minutes. I had to constantly find my train of thought by reading over what I just wrote.

Recently, I have been working on my focus and I believe that the next step for me is to tame my mind. I plan to do so by:

1. Meditating for 10 minutes every day after I wake up

2. Learn more about meditation and mindfulness

I will use a very simple meditation program by first concentrating on my breathing and to catch my mind wandering so I can reign it back in to concentrate on my breathing.

Feel free to share your methods or thoughts on meditation and the taming of the mind.

The post How to Tame Your Mind appeared first on Embrace Possibility.