Meditation, the ancient practice of mindfulness, has found a home in the west in its many different forms over the past fifty or sixty years, growing in popularity and becoming a household word. Unfortunately, since there's no native culture of meditation in the United States or Europe, people who are interested in it often don't know exactly what to do, or where to go, and the variety of options make the practice seem complicated and overwhelming. The images of Eastern masters sitting in caves, or on top of mountains, training for years, also makes meditation appear to be something available only to those willing to dedicate all of their time to the pursuit while training under a master, something a work-a-day person need not bother to approach. Fortunately, this could not be further than the truth. Meditation itself is not difficult, and in fact usually involves a process of releasing effort, rather than making any, while benefiting everyone, homemakers and monks. So-
What is Meditation?
What is Meditation?
Meditation has many different forms, but each form centers around presence or awareness, a focus on the present moment, the Now. It is, in all of its forms, a paying attention, whether to the breath, or to the motion of the body, or to some fixed exterior object. It is not, as is usually assumed, only a form of concentration, rather a simultaneous sharpening and relaxing of focus, which seems quite contradictory until one actually practices.
From a practical standpoint, meditation is the observation of consciousness and awareness, and is a subjective experience. There are objective correlates to the subjective experience, but they say nothing of the experience of meditation. In this sense, meditation is a subjective experiment of consciousness and awareness.
Different Kinds of Meditation
Energy Work
Internal Focus and Chakra Work
Internal focus works much like breath focus, except that the object of focus is usually a part or point on or inside the body. This is called energy work because as one becomes more and more aware of the feelings of the body, one can begin to sense the body's internal energy. Notice that everyone has an internal energy flow, and that energy work, in its first stages, is not bringing anything new into the body, nor is it an imagination of anything not always in the body, but rather the sharpening of perception until it can be felt. At this point, one can "increase" the amount of energy in the body, or, rather, flowing through the body, but it is important to note that everyone and everything shares in this energy whether they are aware of it or not. (See Qi Gong, below.) This spot of focus is often also moved in various ways on particular focal spots of the body, where energy channels converge like intersections of roads, (Chakras, not merely the seven major Chakras, below, but any major convergence of the energy carrying system of the body) or to cover every part of the body, and can also be used as the first stage of more thorough energy work.
When the focus is one of the body's seven major Chakras, this work is sometimes called Chakra work, and often includes various kinds of motion around the Chakra, wrapping it, stirring it, etc. and also often involves "breathing into the Chakra," where, in the in and out breath, the practitioner focuses on and feels the breath coming in and out of the Chakra, rather than or in addition to the nose.
Universally, the practitioner will find "blockages" in the flow of energy in the body, and will have to concentrate on opening these places. As the practitioner begins to connect the larger areas of the body through these "blocks," he or she can begin to "sweep," awareness through the body, bringing attention up and down the body repeatedly.
A note on energy work: terms like "energy work," and "Chakras," can turn away the more scientifically minded group, as there is no evidence for their existence. While this is true, the subjective experience of thousands and thousands of practitioners in the literature is not to be ignored. For those suspicious, or who feel these terms are "new-agey," (something I sympathize with,) all I can say is that none of this requires any sort of belief to practice, so try it out for yourself. If you can find a better explanation for the sensations, or terminology, I would be glad to use them. I do agree that often the co-opting of traditional terms can confuse things rather than elucidate them, but in this case, other than their new-agey feel, I think these terms are effective.
(See also Qi Gong and Tai Ji Quan directly below.)
Qi Gong and Tai Ji Quan
Qi Gong and Tai Ji Quan (T'ai Chi) are modern day practices that evolved out of the ancient Daoist energy practices of China. "Qi Gong" actually basically translates as "energy work," and Tai Ji is a subset of this, being composed of around 108 movements performed in series, depending on the form, or between 24 and 36 movements for the short form. The following, then, includes Tai Ji as well as Qi Gong.
Qi Gong focuses on the movement of energy in the body, using both non-moving postures, and moving postures. In non-moving postures, there is often a focus on circulation of energy, and one of the most important exercises in Qi Gong, "The Microcosmic Orbit," focuses on moving energy from the first Chakra at the base of the spine, up the spine to the top of the head on the in-breath, and back down the front of the body through the Chakras on the down breath, connecting with the first Chakra and starting the process over again. (Chakras are an Indian nomenclature and understanding of the energy pathways of the body, but the pathways are the same no matter what tradition is involved, although the three main "energy storage organs" of Qi Gong, in the head, heart, and belly, are not the same as Chakras, though they are associated with Chakras.)
In the first stages of Qi Gong, the focus is on cleaning out blockages in the energy system, as one would clean out buildups of gunk in a pipe. Awareness itself is the tool used, and as more and more "water" (aware qi) flows through the "pipe" (your body) the more "gunk" (areas shut off from awareness) is removed. Eventually, when your body is clear, and you have full and open sensations of energy flow throughout the body, the larger and larger the pipe gets with practice, allowing more and more qi to flow through the body. In much Qi Gong literature, there is talk of "increasing" the qi in the body, or in some spot of the body, and while this is a helpful metaphor, and partly true, it is helpful to remember that qi is always flowing through the body, and that, in fact, attempts to "hold" onto qi, energy, emotions, or conversely, holding them off, is what creates much of the blockages that impede the flow of qi. With relaxation, qi is allowed to flow naturally and fluently through the body, which is the point of qi practice, "Qi Gong."
Other Meditations
Vipassana, or Insight Meditation
Vipassana, which means "insight," is another "kind" of meditation that has expanded since first being practiced in South India thousands of years ago. Modern Vipassana retreats usually focus on one of the above techniques, concentration and internal energy work being popular, to root the practitioner in the present moment. When this is accomplished, work begins on a search for identity as the practitioner tries to answer the question "who am I," or, "where am I," not with short and easy answers, like, "Ted Smith," "Northwestern Alabama," of course. The point is to search for the source of that sensation, "I." Is it in your head? Your heart? Where exactly is the person that is you inside of you?
This technique is highly recommended (in fact, is the only technique recommended) by two of this centuries greatest sages, Sri Ramana Maharshi, and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Sri R.M. enjoined his followers that all of their questions revolved around a misunderstanding of who they were, and that they ought to do nothing but find an answer to the question, "who am I," and Sri N.M.'s technique was similar, while emphasizing the feeling of being, telling his followers to hold onto the feeling "I am."
Moving Meditation
In addition to Qi Gong, which often uses moving postures, and Tai Ji, both discussed above, many practices are called meditation which use focused motion to increase awareness, as dancing, or with stretching postures, or with gentle motions, like Qi Gong. Sometimes the motions are used to work out pent-up emotions to prepare for more still meditation, and sometimes they are meditation themselves.
Kung Fu, (or Gong Fu in Mandarin) began as an exercise for the monks of the Shaolin Temple. There are two stories about its invention. One is that the Buddhist Monks, responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of those in communities around them, needed a way to protect themselves as they traveled so as not to be hassled by pirates and thieves, and the other is that the Monks, in meditation all day, found their bodies shriveling, and so devised the martial art to keep their bodies fit for meditation. Whether one of these stories is true or not, the monks found that Kung Fu solved both of these problems, and that Kung Fu itself helped to increase concentration and made meditation more effective.
Yoga
Hatha Yoga is a form of moving meditation, where the yoga practitioner moves from posture to posture, pushing the limits of what the body can do to foster both concentration and physical well-being.
While the west usually associates "yoga," with the activities of "hatha yoga," and its postures, or "asanas," yoga is a much broader term. Coming from the sanskrit verb "to yoke," the yoga practitioner seeks to unite his or her individual soul with God, and uses every means at his or her disposal to do so. This includes "Raja Yoga," which is intellectual and philosophical study, "Hatha Yoga," exercises for the health of the body, and "Karma Yoga," or doing good deeds, among others.
Contemplation
In contemplation, the subject takes on a theme, or a word, or an emotion, say, "love," "god," or "death," or a short phrase, like "Heaven is inside you," and contemplates it, holding the idea or emotion in their awareness exclusively. This form of meditation is likely the most traditionally used in the Western Judeo-Christian religions, as a form of prayer.
Metta, a word which means "love," is a type of contemplation, where one connects oneself to a feeling of universal love, visualizing first those one loves, then those one is neutral towards, outwards and outwards, extending even to those one hates the feeling of universal love. Metta is not contemplation in the sense of thinking about love, but is a more direct feeling of the sensation of love flowing from the body (or the soul, what have you) to the rest of the Universe.
Summary
There are many kinds of meditation, and many different words for the different kinds, as meditation has been practiced for thousands of years and spread through many different cultures, each modifying the practice in their own way. Any other word you may find associated with meditation likely refers to a specific practice that uses the techniques and philosophy above, some of which you can find below in the resources section.
As you can see, the overlap in forms of meditation is great, and most forms of meditation are some kind of combination of the above. For instance, visualization is often used as a part of energy work, and energy work is often a part of different concentration activities. Which type of meditation is right for you is a personal question, and you may find that many different types suit you.
By helping to make the practitioner aware of things that they were not previously aware of, meditation can also aid in an individual's growth, helping them to understand the problems in their life from a more distant and objective viewpoint.
There are also many medical benefits, and a great number of medical studies done over the years have pointed to real physiological benefits of meditation.
The real reason to meditate, and the purpose of meditation, if it can be said to have a purpose, is that it allows the practitioner to separate his or herself from the traps and illusions of the mind. nearly every religion and philosophy instructs us that this world is a construct of sorts, that it is not what is ultimately real. The mind, however, blinds us to this, and lets us participate in this world as characters, not as actors. A meditator can perceive more easily when one is reacting to the construct of this world rather than what is actual and real.
There are some who would say that everybody meditates naturally, and that a better question would be, "why is meditation a part of life," along the same road as the question "why do people sleep?" An example would be a computer programmer who sits for hours at his screen, disconnected from time, engaged fully in what he is doing, or a businessman who comes home and runs an hour on the treadmill, or someone who curls up with a good book and gets lost in the process. It's not the activity that's so important, as the effect it has on the body and mind. Anytime somebody engages their concentration fully in an activity, "enters the flow," as it is called, this could fairly be called meditation.
Web Meditation Resources- a vast catalog of online resources, including message boards, and websites on yoga, merkaba, transcendental meditation, Vipassana, Dzogchen Buddhism, and many many others.
Transcendental Meditation- The homepage at TM.org
Vipassana Meditation as taught by V.S. Goenka.
Zen Meditation Instructions- Instructions for beginners on Zazen.
Taoist Tai Chi Society- A helpful aide to find classes in your area.
Qi Gong Institute- A comprehensive website with tips on practicing, articles on health benefits, and directories of Qi Gong teachers.
From a practical standpoint, meditation is the observation of consciousness and awareness, and is a subjective experience. There are objective correlates to the subjective experience, but they say nothing of the experience of meditation. In this sense, meditation is a subjective experiment of consciousness and awareness.
Different Kinds of Meditation
For instructions on simple (but effective) meditation, see "How do I Meditate?" below.
Note: The below covers different techniques all placed under the heading "meditation," not different schools that teach meditation. If you are looking for a school of meditation, "Zen Meditation," for example, please head to the "Resources" section below. Sitting
Sitting Meditation is what most westerners think of when they think of the word "Meditation," but the range of activities undertaken from this position is broad, and I mention it only because it's so typical in the western mind. Sitting comfortably in a cross-legged (either in a half-lotus position, or the lotus position, if you can manage it) position with the back straight actually takes quite a bit of practice, and if you are just starting meditation, it may be better to just focus on the position for five minutes at a time while practicing "meditation" in a straight-backed chair separately. However, when one has become accustomed to it, the cross-legged pose is wonderful for meditation, as it provides a stable base, while naturally keeping the back straight, and it is worth the practice.
Focus and Concentration Work
Breath Focus
This is the most basic, and basically effective, kind of meditation, where one focuses on the breath coming in and out of the body, either by focusing on the sensation of the flow of breath in the nostrils, or the feeling of the breath expanding in and then exiting the lungs. Once you've caught the mind wandering, attention is gently returned to the object of focus.
External Focus (Concentration)
Another form of Meditation common in the minds of westerners, External Focus Meditation (or Concentration, somewhat misleading because all forms of meditation aim at concentration) takes as an object any external thing, often an idol, candle, or mandala, but just as often a spot on the wall, or a flower in a garden, and uses it as an object of focused looking. The aim is not to strain oneself, but to fixedly observe the object while simultaneously relaxing the body and the mind. As with breath focus, when the mind wanders, attention is simply returned to the object of concentration.
Mantra Repetition and Chanting
A mantra is a syllable, word, or short phrase, repeated over and over in the meditator's mind. Used widely in Transcendental Meditation, and Zen meditation, it is, in effect, like the above: the meditator focuses on the mantra, repeated over and over, until the mind wanders. When it does, attention is gently brought back to the mantra.
Chanting is similar to saying a mantra, except that the meditator repeats the phrase (often longer) aloud, and often with a group of others, using the vocalization as a fulcrum to open awareness.
Sitting Meditation is what most westerners think of when they think of the word "Meditation," but the range of activities undertaken from this position is broad, and I mention it only because it's so typical in the western mind. Sitting comfortably in a cross-legged (either in a half-lotus position, or the lotus position, if you can manage it) position with the back straight actually takes quite a bit of practice, and if you are just starting meditation, it may be better to just focus on the position for five minutes at a time while practicing "meditation" in a straight-backed chair separately. However, when one has become accustomed to it, the cross-legged pose is wonderful for meditation, as it provides a stable base, while naturally keeping the back straight, and it is worth the practice.
Focus and Concentration Work
Breath Focus
This is the most basic, and basically effective, kind of meditation, where one focuses on the breath coming in and out of the body, either by focusing on the sensation of the flow of breath in the nostrils, or the feeling of the breath expanding in and then exiting the lungs. Once you've caught the mind wandering, attention is gently returned to the object of focus.
External Focus (Concentration)
Another form of Meditation common in the minds of westerners, External Focus Meditation (or Concentration, somewhat misleading because all forms of meditation aim at concentration) takes as an object any external thing, often an idol, candle, or mandala, but just as often a spot on the wall, or a flower in a garden, and uses it as an object of focused looking. The aim is not to strain oneself, but to fixedly observe the object while simultaneously relaxing the body and the mind. As with breath focus, when the mind wanders, attention is simply returned to the object of concentration.
Mantra Repetition and Chanting
A mantra is a syllable, word, or short phrase, repeated over and over in the meditator's mind. Used widely in Transcendental Meditation, and Zen meditation, it is, in effect, like the above: the meditator focuses on the mantra, repeated over and over, until the mind wanders. When it does, attention is gently brought back to the mantra.
Chanting is similar to saying a mantra, except that the meditator repeats the phrase (often longer) aloud, and often with a group of others, using the vocalization as a fulcrum to open awareness.
Visualization
Visualization also covers a wide range of activities, all centered on holding an image in the mind's eye and concentrating on it. The image can be most anything, from a letter of the alphabet, to a god, and can be either held static, or rotated, depending on the practice. Also, one form of visualization meditation is to look at something in your surroundings, and then close the eyes and re-create it. Alternately, visualization can be used to train and prepare yourself for a future event, whether to plan your day and keep yourself focused, and many top athletes visualize their performance before and during events.
Visualization also covers a wide range of activities, all centered on holding an image in the mind's eye and concentrating on it. The image can be most anything, from a letter of the alphabet, to a god, and can be either held static, or rotated, depending on the practice. Also, one form of visualization meditation is to look at something in your surroundings, and then close the eyes and re-create it. Alternately, visualization can be used to train and prepare yourself for a future event, whether to plan your day and keep yourself focused, and many top athletes visualize their performance before and during events.
Energy Work
Internal Focus and Chakra Work
Internal focus works much like breath focus, except that the object of focus is usually a part or point on or inside the body. This is called energy work because as one becomes more and more aware of the feelings of the body, one can begin to sense the body's internal energy. Notice that everyone has an internal energy flow, and that energy work, in its first stages, is not bringing anything new into the body, nor is it an imagination of anything not always in the body, but rather the sharpening of perception until it can be felt. At this point, one can "increase" the amount of energy in the body, or, rather, flowing through the body, but it is important to note that everyone and everything shares in this energy whether they are aware of it or not. (See Qi Gong, below.) This spot of focus is often also moved in various ways on particular focal spots of the body, where energy channels converge like intersections of roads, (Chakras, not merely the seven major Chakras, below, but any major convergence of the energy carrying system of the body) or to cover every part of the body, and can also be used as the first stage of more thorough energy work.
When the focus is one of the body's seven major Chakras, this work is sometimes called Chakra work, and often includes various kinds of motion around the Chakra, wrapping it, stirring it, etc. and also often involves "breathing into the Chakra," where, in the in and out breath, the practitioner focuses on and feels the breath coming in and out of the Chakra, rather than or in addition to the nose.
Universally, the practitioner will find "blockages" in the flow of energy in the body, and will have to concentrate on opening these places. As the practitioner begins to connect the larger areas of the body through these "blocks," he or she can begin to "sweep," awareness through the body, bringing attention up and down the body repeatedly.
A note on energy work: terms like "energy work," and "Chakras," can turn away the more scientifically minded group, as there is no evidence for their existence. While this is true, the subjective experience of thousands and thousands of practitioners in the literature is not to be ignored. For those suspicious, or who feel these terms are "new-agey," (something I sympathize with,) all I can say is that none of this requires any sort of belief to practice, so try it out for yourself. If you can find a better explanation for the sensations, or terminology, I would be glad to use them. I do agree that often the co-opting of traditional terms can confuse things rather than elucidate them, but in this case, other than their new-agey feel, I think these terms are effective.
(See also Qi Gong and Tai Ji Quan directly below.)
Qi Gong and Tai Ji Quan
Qi Gong and Tai Ji Quan (T'ai Chi) are modern day practices that evolved out of the ancient Daoist energy practices of China. "Qi Gong" actually basically translates as "energy work," and Tai Ji is a subset of this, being composed of around 108 movements performed in series, depending on the form, or between 24 and 36 movements for the short form. The following, then, includes Tai Ji as well as Qi Gong.
Qi Gong focuses on the movement of energy in the body, using both non-moving postures, and moving postures. In non-moving postures, there is often a focus on circulation of energy, and one of the most important exercises in Qi Gong, "The Microcosmic Orbit," focuses on moving energy from the first Chakra at the base of the spine, up the spine to the top of the head on the in-breath, and back down the front of the body through the Chakras on the down breath, connecting with the first Chakra and starting the process over again. (Chakras are an Indian nomenclature and understanding of the energy pathways of the body, but the pathways are the same no matter what tradition is involved, although the three main "energy storage organs" of Qi Gong, in the head, heart, and belly, are not the same as Chakras, though they are associated with Chakras.)
In the first stages of Qi Gong, the focus is on cleaning out blockages in the energy system, as one would clean out buildups of gunk in a pipe. Awareness itself is the tool used, and as more and more "water" (aware qi) flows through the "pipe" (your body) the more "gunk" (areas shut off from awareness) is removed. Eventually, when your body is clear, and you have full and open sensations of energy flow throughout the body, the larger and larger the pipe gets with practice, allowing more and more qi to flow through the body. In much Qi Gong literature, there is talk of "increasing" the qi in the body, or in some spot of the body, and while this is a helpful metaphor, and partly true, it is helpful to remember that qi is always flowing through the body, and that, in fact, attempts to "hold" onto qi, energy, emotions, or conversely, holding them off, is what creates much of the blockages that impede the flow of qi. With relaxation, qi is allowed to flow naturally and fluently through the body, which is the point of qi practice, "Qi Gong."
Other Meditations
Vipassana, or Insight Meditation
Vipassana, which means "insight," is another "kind" of meditation that has expanded since first being practiced in South India thousands of years ago. Modern Vipassana retreats usually focus on one of the above techniques, concentration and internal energy work being popular, to root the practitioner in the present moment. When this is accomplished, work begins on a search for identity as the practitioner tries to answer the question "who am I," or, "where am I," not with short and easy answers, like, "Ted Smith," "Northwestern Alabama," of course. The point is to search for the source of that sensation, "I." Is it in your head? Your heart? Where exactly is the person that is you inside of you?
This technique is highly recommended (in fact, is the only technique recommended) by two of this centuries greatest sages, Sri Ramana Maharshi, and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Sri R.M. enjoined his followers that all of their questions revolved around a misunderstanding of who they were, and that they ought to do nothing but find an answer to the question, "who am I," and Sri N.M.'s technique was similar, while emphasizing the feeling of being, telling his followers to hold onto the feeling "I am."
Moving Meditation
In addition to Qi Gong, which often uses moving postures, and Tai Ji, both discussed above, many practices are called meditation which use focused motion to increase awareness, as dancing, or with stretching postures, or with gentle motions, like Qi Gong. Sometimes the motions are used to work out pent-up emotions to prepare for more still meditation, and sometimes they are meditation themselves.
Kung Fu, (or Gong Fu in Mandarin) began as an exercise for the monks of the Shaolin Temple. There are two stories about its invention. One is that the Buddhist Monks, responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of those in communities around them, needed a way to protect themselves as they traveled so as not to be hassled by pirates and thieves, and the other is that the Monks, in meditation all day, found their bodies shriveling, and so devised the martial art to keep their bodies fit for meditation. Whether one of these stories is true or not, the monks found that Kung Fu solved both of these problems, and that Kung Fu itself helped to increase concentration and made meditation more effective.
Yoga
Hatha Yoga is a form of moving meditation, where the yoga practitioner moves from posture to posture, pushing the limits of what the body can do to foster both concentration and physical well-being.
While the west usually associates "yoga," with the activities of "hatha yoga," and its postures, or "asanas," yoga is a much broader term. Coming from the sanskrit verb "to yoke," the yoga practitioner seeks to unite his or her individual soul with God, and uses every means at his or her disposal to do so. This includes "Raja Yoga," which is intellectual and philosophical study, "Hatha Yoga," exercises for the health of the body, and "Karma Yoga," or doing good deeds, among others.
Contemplation
In contemplation, the subject takes on a theme, or a word, or an emotion, say, "love," "god," or "death," or a short phrase, like "Heaven is inside you," and contemplates it, holding the idea or emotion in their awareness exclusively. This form of meditation is likely the most traditionally used in the Western Judeo-Christian religions, as a form of prayer.
Metta, a word which means "love," is a type of contemplation, where one connects oneself to a feeling of universal love, visualizing first those one loves, then those one is neutral towards, outwards and outwards, extending even to those one hates the feeling of universal love. Metta is not contemplation in the sense of thinking about love, but is a more direct feeling of the sensation of love flowing from the body (or the soul, what have you) to the rest of the Universe.
Summary
There are many kinds of meditation, and many different words for the different kinds, as meditation has been practiced for thousands of years and spread through many different cultures, each modifying the practice in their own way. Any other word you may find associated with meditation likely refers to a specific practice that uses the techniques and philosophy above, some of which you can find below in the resources section.
As you can see, the overlap in forms of meditation is great, and most forms of meditation are some kind of combination of the above. For instance, visualization is often used as a part of energy work, and energy work is often a part of different concentration activities. Which type of meditation is right for you is a personal question, and you may find that many different types suit you.
Why Meditate?
Meditation is a life-tool, and its benefits are universal. The obvious benefits are more focus, and clearer thinking, along with a greater level of relaxation and less stress in life.By helping to make the practitioner aware of things that they were not previously aware of, meditation can also aid in an individual's growth, helping them to understand the problems in their life from a more distant and objective viewpoint.
There are also many medical benefits, and a great number of medical studies done over the years have pointed to real physiological benefits of meditation.
The real reason to meditate, and the purpose of meditation, if it can be said to have a purpose, is that it allows the practitioner to separate his or herself from the traps and illusions of the mind. nearly every religion and philosophy instructs us that this world is a construct of sorts, that it is not what is ultimately real. The mind, however, blinds us to this, and lets us participate in this world as characters, not as actors. A meditator can perceive more easily when one is reacting to the construct of this world rather than what is actual and real.
There are some who would say that everybody meditates naturally, and that a better question would be, "why is meditation a part of life," along the same road as the question "why do people sleep?" An example would be a computer programmer who sits for hours at his screen, disconnected from time, engaged fully in what he is doing, or a businessman who comes home and runs an hour on the treadmill, or someone who curls up with a good book and gets lost in the process. It's not the activity that's so important, as the effect it has on the body and mind. Anytime somebody engages their concentration fully in an activity, "enters the flow," as it is called, this could fairly be called meditation.
How Do I Start?
Check out the resources below, and research them, trying to find a fit for you. The below is a simple form of meditation that can be used from the first day you meditate until you understand Buddha-hood, and is arguably the method the Buddha himself taught.
Sit comfortably, with your back straight, either in a chair, or in a cross-legged position. Alternately, lie in a comfortable position, but make sure that your back is straight. Relax your body, and concentrate on your breath. Feel the breath come in and out of the nostrils, focus everything on this feeling. That's it. There's nothing else that you need to do. Thoughts are okay, there's nothing wrong with them. When a thought occurs, just let it, and focus on the breath. Neither concentrate on it nor fight it off, let it come in, let it come out. If you find, and you will, that your mind has wandered, as soon as you do, without judgment or frustration, for you have done nothing wrong, simply refocus on the breath. That's it.
When you start, try to practice for five minutes at a time, in the morning and the evening. Experiment with different times of day, and different positions. Gradually increase the time that you practice as you get accustomed to it, from five to ten to twenty minutes and even up to an hour.
Sit comfortably, with your back straight, either in a chair, or in a cross-legged position. Alternately, lie in a comfortable position, but make sure that your back is straight. Relax your body, and concentrate on your breath. Feel the breath come in and out of the nostrils, focus everything on this feeling. That's it. There's nothing else that you need to do. Thoughts are okay, there's nothing wrong with them. When a thought occurs, just let it, and focus on the breath. Neither concentrate on it nor fight it off, let it come in, let it come out. If you find, and you will, that your mind has wandered, as soon as you do, without judgment or frustration, for you have done nothing wrong, simply refocus on the breath. That's it.
When you start, try to practice for five minutes at a time, in the morning and the evening. Experiment with different times of day, and different positions. Gradually increase the time that you practice as you get accustomed to it, from five to ten to twenty minutes and even up to an hour.
Resources:
For more formal and varied meditation, check out the following:Web Meditation Resources- a vast catalog of online resources, including message boards, and websites on yoga, merkaba, transcendental meditation, Vipassana, Dzogchen Buddhism, and many many others.
Transcendental Meditation- The homepage at TM.org
Vipassana Meditation as taught by V.S. Goenka.
Zen Meditation Instructions- Instructions for beginners on Zazen.
Taoist Tai Chi Society- A helpful aide to find classes in your area.
Qi Gong Institute- A comprehensive website with tips on practicing, articles on health benefits, and directories of Qi Gong teachers.
prateek sharma
Invite as author
Untitled
Chanda Trivedi
Invite as author
hi