Start Here .. Meditation 101

By thesuccess

Sunday mornings.  Yum.

Waking to a blue sky. Perfect.

Meditating in the natural stillness of a house asleep.  Ideal.

Followed up with some time in my favourite chair by the window, soaking up the sunshine, a perfect latte in hand, the weekend magazine in my lap. Ready for a day of leisure.

And the first two pieces of writing that I read - are about meditation!

Yes - meditation is highly valuable for our health with loads of known benefits

Yes - meditation is 'trending' with articles now appearing in popular media with our Sunday coffee

Yes - meditation is being taken up with gusto by celebrity types, everyone appears to be 'doing it'

BUT .. most commonly I then read ... the big disclaimer .. 

As a meditation teacher, speaker and writer this ..

DRIVES ME BONKERS

If I had a free day spa voucher that had to be used tomorrow .. I know without a doubt most of you would MAKE TIME.

Following on from this .. I received an email last week from someone questioning how to find the time to meditate and where to start.  And this morning it occurred to me (light bulb moment) as I finished my coffee that for a beginner in this wide open land of meditation ..

Where does one start?

So I have promised myself that I am going to focus on this new task .. to make the journey a little easier .. a little simpler .. a little more fun!

First off .. I have renamed my previous '101' PAGE to - 'START HERE'.  And this week I shall be putting together a sequence of steps that will allow me to share your meditation journey.  I want to share with you a steady footpath of steps .. some tips and hints .. a little insight of the road ahead .. with loads and loads of resources.  So there will be ..

No excuse but to start

As I finished my Sunday reading, the final article include some inspiring words from Michelle Bridges, talking about incorporating exercise into daily life (but valid for any other plans we wish to implement for our health and well-being)..

"Like, for goodness sake: just get on with it.  Stop procrastinating, making excuses, bitching and whingeing.  Just. Freakin'. DO IT"

If you would like to learn how to meditate we have local classes (here) and an online E-Course (here)

Morning Rituals For A Calm and Balanced Life

Modern life does not often accommodate or honour rituals .. and I find that quite sad.  

There is a magic and sacredness to heart-felt rituals

..lighting a candle to mark the transition from day to evening, drinking a glass of warm lemon water each morning, taking time each evening to write in your gratitude journal .. personal rituals can turn mundane tasks into special and meaningful moments.

Like brushing your teeth

hab·it (noun) : an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary

Meditation is a practice .. and the best way to make a consistent, reliable and ‘no-fuss’ practice is to make it a habit.

Like brushing your teeth at night! 

You don’t have to re-think your commitment each night to brushing you teeth do you?  The process or the action itself, over and over again each day, has now made ‘brushing teeth’ a habit. Meditation is much the same.

While we might 'wish' to include meditation into our daily life, in real life we quickly find that while our intentions are good, the difficulty often lies in remembering to do the practice!

So how do we make meditation a habit?

In our 31-Day Quiet Mind Meditation eCourse today (just started 1st July - and you can still join us see link below) we look at ways to establish the meditation habit .. and some suggestions are:

1. Commit to a regular starting time and schedule it in your diary or phone

2. Commit to a set period of practice (10 - 20 minutes) by using a meditation timer (App timers are great) to monitor the time for you

3. Be gentle and finish well by never rushing to finish, but taking a few extra minutes to just sit and be happy that you DID IT!

We also understand how difficult it can be to remember to meditate, so we have devised some ..

strategies to help you along the way ..

* Join our FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM group, so when you receive our daily tips they act as reminders of your commitment and intention

* Join our Monday Meditation Musing group, so that each Monday morning you will receive some instructions for a new meditation practice, reflection or inspiration to sit and meditate

* Join our 31-Day Meditation eCourse for a clear, concise and practical introduction to meditation that will get you started with a daily meditation practice - 31 Day online course is $97 (just $3 per day)

* Keep in touch here on our blog for regular meditation inspiration, articles, research notes, links and all things 'meditation'.

You might also like to .. 

*use some visual reminders like post-it notes or set alarms into your phone to remind you
*place a little sign by your bed to see when you wake (we have beautifully crafted "Meditating" door signs at our store!
*start integrating your meditation practice as part of your daily routine ie. after breakfast = meditate; or before bed = meditate
*share your meditation practice with a friend each day (after your daily walk, stop on a park bench somewhere and spend a few minutes meditating)
*join a meditation group or class (such as Simply Silence)
*start listening to a guided meditation CD (you could try out Find The Stillness CD) 

.. any more suggestions? 

5 Tips for those who struggle with meditation

So nearly everyone has heard about the benefits of meditation .. right?

Everywhere it seems meditation is being touted as the next big thing .. (hahahaha .. insert giggly laughter) .. which is just so funny given meditation has been around for thousands of years, across the globe, and within nearly every different culture and tradition.

But one of the most common things I hear from tentative enquiries about learning this life skill? .. "Oh, I tried that .. it was too hard and I was no good at it".  

There seems to be way too much struggle around meditation.
  
Often referred to as ‘mind training’, meditation is the cultivation of our ability to sit and stay seated and focused (physically and mentally) with gentle curiosity and kindness. And it is through regular practice we develop our ability to be still and quiet, despite the constant distractions and entertainments that the mind and body provide us with.   

You will note that I have highlighted - 

cultivation and practice

I was recently asked for some secret (well not really secret!) tips for those who struggle with establishing a regular meditation practice.. 

ROUTINE is the big secret. You would rarely go to bed at night without brushing your teeth .. equally you should build the same habit with your meditation. 
Step 1: Find a habit pattern and slot it in eg. Wake, Drink, Pee, Meditate, Shower, Start your day.
Step 2:  Commit to a few minutes every day and then when ready slowly build up with an extra minute a week (or month) until you can comfortably sit with 15-20 minutes – that's just 1/100th of your day. Set a routine and stick to it. 

LISTEN TO YOUR HABITUAL PATTERNS people often say they don’t have time to meditate because they are way too busy (yep, the only ones!) But if I offered them a day pass to a luxurious spa – they’d find the time. Amazing right? And when life present you with a challenge you will quickly realize that the busy-ness was just an excuse. If it's important enough to you, time magically seems to open up. Do you procrastinate in life? Do you put off the important things? often what we are faced with in our practice is what we find in our life. Want to change those patterns?

BE KIND and forgiving when you slip up and forget to practice. Us humans are so judgmental and critical (of self and others).  Meditation is a practice and you need a little perseverance, consistency and kindness when learning any new skill.  If you were teaching a child to ride a bike for the first time .. you would be gentle, encouraging, positive, humorous and inspirational!  Be kind to yourself and know that each moment – each breath - provides an opportunity to start again. So just start again!

TRIGGERS can be the best way to remember to meditate, and remembering is often the first challenge we face.  So find creative ways to remind yourself of your intention to practice – diarise a time between meetings, set up an alarm on your phone, start waking 5 minutes earlier each day, leave sticky notes at your bed or on your computer, or write it on your hand.  Whatever works for you (and be creative). 

REWARD YOURSELF Once you are settled into a regular practice you will know for yourself the amazing benefits; but in the beginning it might take a little faith and trust – so maybe some positive reinforcement to make it encouraging and fun! Perhaps .. if you meditate each morning for a week you might book that massage on Sunday; or if you meditate after dinner each night this week then you will permit yourself a good sleep-in on Saturday. Go on, spoil yourself you deserve it.

After a few weeks you might reflect on the broader rewards of your practice – feeling a little calmer, sleeping better at night, a greater sense of connection with the world around you, a funny little spring in your step each day, a warmer engagement with others, an opening of spirit. 

Always sit with a smile and gentle heart. After all this is your time to be with you.

Nose or mouth?

Last night in our third Exploring Meditation class, I was asked whether, in meditation, it was best to breathe through the nose or a combination of nose (inhalation) and mouth (exhalation).  

This morning I was reading How God Changes Your Brain and was astounded to find just the perfect answer to this question (similar to what I shared last night, but backed by research).

From How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist by Andrew Newberg M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman (Chapter 9: Finding Serenity):

"In general, when meditating, we recommend that you breathe through your nose.  Why?  It turns out that nasal breathing increases the release of nitric oxide in the body, and this improves the functioning of your lungs and circulatory system.  Increased nitric oxide may also assist in the lowering of anxiety, especially in socially intense situations.  Nasal breathing, like yawning, also serves to keep the internal temperature of the brain in balance".

Cited research:

Decreased pulmonary vascular resistance during nasal breathing

Depression and cardiovascular disease: role of nitric oxide

Yawning as a brain cooling mechanism

The Habit of Meditation

hab·it (noun) : an acquired behavior pattern 
regularly followed until it has

become almost involuntary

Meditation is a practice .. and the best way to make meditation a consistent, reliable and ‘no-fuss’ practice is to make it a habit.

Like brushing your teeth at night .. you don’t have to re-think your commitment, the process or the action itself, over and over again each day .. because you have now made ‘brushing teeth’ a habit. Meditation is much the same.

In Meditation What Do I Do With My Eyes?

When discussing posture in meditation .. many people worry about ..

eyes open or eyes closed? 

In some meditative traditions the eyes are closed during meditation; in some schools (such as Zen) the eyes are half-closed/half open and looking slightly downward; the Brahma Kumaris eyes remain fully open.

Eyes are a real problem for Westerners. In the Judaeo-Christian culture of prayer and contemplation .. we prefer to keep our eyes closed, and so as a beginner it often feels more appropriate and natural, and it connects us with that sense of turning our focus inward.

If practicing a meditative technique such as Trataka (or Third Eye Meditation) eyes are first open and then closed .. and when closed the eyes rest on the Agya Chakra (or 6th Chakra) located between the eyebrows and said to be the mystical 'third eye' which people often feel is their natural centre.

Closing the eyes can often lead us to a state of drowsiness and lethargy, and with the lack of energy people often fall asleep or mentally wander in this dozy, blissful space. 

Opening the eyes can often contribute to distractions and busyness of thought. 

We may need to be flexible in our approach depending on how we find ourselves when we sit .. each time different, each time new.

One great article on this subject in my file (originally from Tricycle .. “This is Your Brain on Zen” ) has James Austin (neurologist and Zen practitioner) speaking about current thinking on where we might rest our eyes in meditation.

Austin has brought his two ‘loves’ together to investigate the 'neural correlates of the Zen experience'. He speaks often and around the world on the plasticity of the human brain, and the way the brain can alter its function through training (hence his view is hugely popular following a recent break through in neurological research).

Austin spoke of how the brain interprets information received by our eyes. Referring to ancient sculptures and images from the Buddhist tradition he points out that we often see the eyes wide open and staring upward, often to the left. The Buddha is said to have awakened at the moment he looked up and saw Venus, the morning star, just above the horizon.

While classical zazen instruction called for meditators to rest eyes half-opened and on the floor (shown to be useful in concentration practices that hone attention skills); more recent instruction is to soften the gaze and look up towards the eyebrows. 

“It fit’s right in with the Indo-Tibetan practice of sky-gazing, and with moon-gazing, which is firmly anchored in Sino-Japanese cultural history”... “Going out into the night and bathing in the moonlight we look in the general direction of the sky”.

Gazing up at something in the distance, above the horizon, is thought to help trigger awakening when conditions are right. Our lower visual field tends to focus on what is near at hand (that closest to the presumed ‘self’); while the upper visual field is better at processing distant objects ‘out there’.

In classes, I suggest participants try firstly with eyes closed, resting their gaze gently at the ‘third eye’ location (between the eyebrows) as they begin to meditate .. . a gentle, soft noting of where the eyes are, during the course of the practice allows us to raise the eyes to this point of focus again and again (usually when distracted). As we notice our mind has wandered we often find that are eyes have fallen into a downward posture (into subconsciousness) .. and so we can gently return again to raising the eyes and refocussing our mind to the breath.

In time it becomes easier to keep the eyes focused gently upwards .. often we note a centering of energy in the forehead that will ’hold’ our gaze there quite naturally.  You might also consider this gentle 'holding' a mindfulness tool .. requiring just a little effort and focused awareness.

What do I do with my hands?

meditation mudra

People often wonder what to do with their hands when starting a meditation practice. There are many different ways to place your hands, the simplest being wherever you find them comfortable! But in the Eastern traditions there are some specific hand gestures which have been identified as having special purposes – in this context, the hand postures are called mudras.

Let's Sit #2

The Zafu

A traditional Japanese round-pleated cushion which again raises the hips and tilts the pelvis so that the legs can rest comfortably, along with providing a firm foundation for the torso. 

Let's Sit

Recently over on Quiet Mind Meditation E-Course blog I received a question from one of the participants:

"is it any cushion or one particularly for meditation with regard to shape and thickness?"

Firstly, finding a comfortable position for your meditation practice is vital, and secondly what is 'comfortable' is going to be totally unique to the individual.

Do I need a meditation space?

A girl can dream!

As an experience meditator it really doesn't matter where you meditate .. it could be a busy railway station or in the car .. but as a beginner it can certainly help to set up the best possible environment right from the start. 

There are enough challenges to meditation (ie. busy mind, busy life, itchy feet, demanding children/partner, food) to suggest that if you can set aside a separate room or space .. then you are more likely to want to visit, stay awhile and meditate.

In this way we are honoring and supporting our intention to meditate, and we make the transition to practice as easy and as enjoyable as possible. All we really need is a space that is quiet, soothing and comfortable; away from the noise of daily life and the potential for interruption. Somewhere that allows us to withdraw from the outside world (no phone, no visitors, no distractions) that is welcoming and restful, can be invaluable for continuing with our meditation practice. 

Take a look around your home .. is there is a space that holds a special energy, somewhere you might naturally be drawn to when seeking to retreat and rest? 

My meditation cushion is my portable meditation space, it sits like a good friend in the corner of my living room waiting for me. It's a comfortable place to rest and I always feel very grounded when I sit, and when I see my cushion in the corner of the room it’s like my friend is beckoning me to join them .. a visual reminder to take a moment, stop and meditate. 

Taking the time to select, decorate and prepare a special place for your meditation practice also helps create an aura of sacredness. When we decorate the space with special mementos, pictures or flowers, we mark our time spent there as precious and not to be wasted. In the monastic traditions, keeping our space clean and ordered is seen as an external representation of the state of mind we aim to cultivate. 

By creating a sacred space solely for our meditation practice, we also build up an association of our time there with feelings of calmness and refuge. Once experienced, we then carry these associations with us wherever we go .. so even just thinking about our space can connect us with that deeper sense of ease and calmness. 

So that each time we visit our sacred space it is like sitting with an old friend, bring a smile to our face and warmth to our heart.

Cultivating Beginner's Mind

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are only few"

Shunryu Suzuki

I love starting new classes .. meeting new people and sharing my passion for meditation. It is such an honour (and pleasure) to meet each week and share experiences, challenges and questions. 

In the days leading up to a new series of classes, I also have an opportunity to re-connect with that sense of excitement I felt in the lead up to the start of a new school year .. you know it's coming, you kind of know what to expect .. but all the many 'parts' of the surprise are still unknown, yet to unfold. I feel again like a child.

A reminder of the very important and beautiful Buddhist concept of .. 

beginner's mind 

This is a highly valued state of being (or mind) both for life and for our meditation practice. 

A Beginner's Mind is a mind of curiosity and sense of wonderment. When we are learning something new (like meditation) we are in a unique position to truly experience the concept of Beginner's Mind. If we are open to the experience as it unfolds, with no sense of 'getting' or 'getting from' .. Open and awake and fresh ... welcoming and curious to all the infinite possibilities of what the present moment may bring. 

"Hmm what's my practice going to be like today?" 

The beginners mind is similar to a child's mind; full of simple amazement and curiosity. Attention is brilliantly and easily captured in exactly whatever is happening in the moment. 

When my daughter was younger I remember excruciatingly long walks where a whole world seemed to exist in the first footpath crack .. no sense of urgency to get somewhere, or cross it off the 'to do list' .. it was all about the wonders of the journey .. 

wow, what is it? how come? why? 

If someone has practiced meditation before, possibly had a wonderfully enlightening experience (or a challenging or uncomfortable experience) then they often have a sense of needing to get (or avoid) a similar experience. 

In this sense they are coming to meditation with the expert mind, and unfortunately since the expert believes they already have it figured out, or know it from a past experience .. then there is a subtle disconnection with what is actually unfolding - right now! By not needing to pay attention they often miss much of the experience! 

Typically our adult minds are always judging and filtering, and habitually managing our life experience .. BUT the Beginner's Mind has no fixed viewpoint, no likes/dislikes, no attachment to outcome, no judgements .. just, wow, what is this? 

Secure in the unknowing, the Beginner's Mind can be more open to actually seeing .. a mind free to be awake and fresh to whatever unfolds. 

Is it possible to cultivate Beginner's Mind during your day today? 

Can you be willing to not know, to not be the expert? 

Can you see what happens in your world without the little stories, without the habitual preconceptions? 

Flavours of Meditation

When people first try meditation, they are often astounded by the level of noise and frenetic activity going on in their mind. Buddhist refer to this as ‘monkey mind’ ..  the constant chatter and rapid fire talking that is our mind stream, a mix of disconnected thoughts, images, fantasies, ideas, concepts and emotions that can all well up in the quiet vacuum of meditation.  

A little like going to the movies .. we take our seat, relax our body .. and the mind rolls into a constant supply of wonderfully entertaining thoughts and memories to distract us.  

An Anchor

In meditation, to assist us in slowing down and finding that quieter place within, we give our mind something to do .. an anchor.  By placing our full attention, indeed our fascination and enthusiasm, onto our meditation anchor .. we give our monkey mind something ‘to do’ or hold onto.

When discussing meditation techniques, I often use the analogy of the glider seeking the freedom of flight.  Initially the glider is attached by a rope to the lead plane, and the glider pilot follows the tug as he is pulled up to the release height.  When the glider is comfortable and in tune his surroundings, he releases the rope. 

A meditation technique is like that guide plane, leading us to the point of stillness where we can then release the rope  (anchor).  And then we simply hold a gentle, restful attention.  If we become distracted or wander off with a story or a thought .. we simply return our attention to our anchor again, and again, and again.

Many Flavours of Meditation

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of meditation techniques available, from all cultures and countries across the world.  A little like approaching a luscious smorgasbord, we are presented with a range of meditation ‘flavour’s’ .. ancient,  contemporary, Eastern, Western, concentration, insight, seated or moving.  

Some of the more familiar meditation flavours include (we shall review each of these over coming weeks):

* Counting, feeling or following the breath (Zen, Mindfulness, Vipassana)

* Repeating a word or phrase silently or out loud (Mantra, TM, Chanting, Kirtan)

* Gazing at a candle or mandala (Yoga, Buddhist)

* Energy center awareness (Chakra)

* Compassion (Buddhist, Metta, Loving Kindness)

* Movement meditation (Qi Gong, Walking, Tai Chi)

Given we are all unique in how we learn, not to mention our goals and lifestyles, the aim is to find the meditation technique that resonates best for you .. and then to do it!

What meditation 'flavour' have you had experience with?

Meditation .. finding your centre

Welcome to Quiet Mind Meditation's 'Just Start' series .. a gentle journey into meditation where I look forward to sharing my experiences/insights/tips and passion for meditation.

I have been meditating for more than 20 years!  I started one day at school with a free class provided by one of the mum's (who was also a psychologist) .. and it was just one of those 'ah-ha' moments for me.  You can find out a little more about me (Sarah) and Quiet Mind Meditation here.

One of the most common questions I get as a meditation teacher is .. what is meditation, and why meditate? 

So when introducing meditation to a new class, I often whip out my daughters old snowdome.  

As I shake the snowdome the fairy princess becomes lost behind a cloud of white fairy dust .. and then I allow the snowdome to sit on the table for a few minutes, so that the dust settles and the liquid becomes still and clear .. and finally the fairy princess is unveiled.

This is a great visual image of what our busy mind can be like.. full of thoughts, noise and unprocessed stimuli, all of which cloud the mind.  

Meditation is an ancient practice that guides us to a place of deep relaxation (mind and body) .. and as the noise settles .. we find a place of clarity and stillness within us.

STAND IN THE CENTRE

The word MEDITATION literally comes from two Latin words … medio which means CENTRE and sto meaning TO STAND … and so in meditation we learn to STOP and STAND in our centre.  Like being in ‘the eye of a tornado’, at the very centre there is absolute peace and calmness.  

Meditation gives us a rare opportunity to step away from the busyness and noise, and rest in an inner place of stillness which is actually there all the time, but hidden behind all the fairy dust, the chatter and internal dialogue.

When we first try meditation it can be hard to understand this concept of stillness being already within us.  We close our eyes and often find a stream of chaotic and badly behaved random thoughts overtake us.  

But with practice we will begin to notice these small ‘gaps’ that exist between the continuous stream of thoughts, momentary gaps that appear between the noise and the silence.  As we become more aware of our thoughts, we realise they occur against this background of stillness, of empty space .. and in time, we understand that we can direct our attention from observing thoughts to observing the space within which they arrive.

As we stand in the centre the space between sounds, thoughts and experiences opens up, and the noise of the world is left behind.  Many people intuitively know this centre exists but cannot recall how they found it or when they were last there .. it often feels like coming home.

So the secret of meditation is really amazingly simple. 

We simply give our mind something to do, this is our meditation technique or anchor which might be a word, an image, our breath or a sound .. and we rest there.  The body softens, the mind calms and our awareness becomes alert and awake (as opposed to dreaming or sleeping where we are unaware of our mind and what it is doing).

Meditation is simply stopping and turning our attention inward 

This is meditation : connecting with the deep sense of peace and certainty within us regardless of the craziness of the world around us.  It's a beautiful place to rest.

Find Your Fit

Burning Incense by kevinpoh on Flickr 

In life (and in meditation) everyone’s journey is unique .. I am often heard to say ‘many roads up the mountain’ .. that part of our life journey is to find and travel our own unique road.

A recent study published online in Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing highlighted the importance of ensuring that new meditators select methods with which they are most comfortable, rather than those that are most popular or what 

everyone else is doing

When you select a meditation practice that YOU are most comfortable with, you are likely to increase your chance of sticking with it, says Adam Burke, the author of the study and a professor of health education at San Francisco State University.

Burke’s study compared four popular meditation methods — Mantra, Mindfulness, Zen and Qigong Visualization — to see if new meditation practitioners favored one over the others. The study’s 247 participants were taught each method and asked to practice at home and, at the end of the study, evaluate which they preferred.

The two simpler methods, Mantra and Mindfulness, were preferred by 31 percent of study participants, with about 22 percent preferring Zen and 14.8 percent preferring Qigong.

This study shows the value of providing new practitioners with a simple, accessible method of meditation, and emphasizes that no one technique is best for everyone.

“If someone is exposed to a particular technique through the media or a health care provider, they might assume because it’s popular it’s the best for everyone,” Burke said. “But that’s like saying because a pink dress or a blue sport coat is popular this year, it’s going to look good on everybody. In truth, different people like different things. One size does not fit all.”

FIND YOUR FIT

I spent many years exploring various schools of meditation, learning from different teachers, diving into different methods .. and then, when I came to sharing my passion for meditation with others I knew that I wanted to share some of those 'flavours’ so that participants could the best fit for them.

Ultimately meditation practice is not going to be effective for you, unless you like doing it – and you do it!

Some people will find a single technique that works well for them, and will continue with that practice for a lifetime; others might find in time that their original practice feels a little worn or limiting and move to a different practice.

It is those who stick with a practice that is obviously not working for them, that often declare they are ‘no good at this’ or ‘it’s too hard’ or ‘it just doesn’t work’.

It is VITAL to find a meditation practice that speaks to you and

DO IT!

Four Secret Tips to Meditating Regularly

A penny for all the time's I have heard ...

"Oh, I tried that .. didn't work"
"I'm too busy to stop and just sit for no reason"
"It was too hard and I was no good at it"
"I get bored"

There seems to be sooooo much 'struggle' around meditation.

Shifting our attention

In meditation .. we simply SHIFT our attention.

1. SIMPLE TO LEARN .. BUT TAKES PRACTICE

If you dream of riding in the Tour de France, singing on stage professionally, or achieving a deeper peace and calmness in life .. it’s going to take practice!  Achieving any goal or dream takes practice, commitment and a little passion .. 

it’s slow going if you only practice once the night before class or simply read the book

2. NO INSTANT ENLIGHTENMENT

Like brushing your teeth, you do it every day, not looking for fabulous experiences, but because it makes you feel immediately better and prevents problems in the future .. sometimes it feels brilliant, other times you simply can’t wait to finish.   Learning meditation is like any other skill, it requires practice and patience.  

you certainly cannot master meditation or experience the benefits of meditation after one class

3.  MANY ROADS UP THE MOUNTAIN

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of roads up the mountain to inner peace and quiet .. it may take some time to find the practice that best suits you .. keep practicing, one meditation at a time .. 

the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step

4. IT IS WHAT IT IS

There are no good or bad meditations.   Sometimes we experience deep and blissful stillness, other times boredom, anger or an annoying song from twenty years ago – sometimes all this can all occur in one meditation!  It is wise to take the view that ‘it is what it is’ and not worry too much about doing it ‘right’ or having the ‘right’ experience.  You can’t make meditation happen, just as you cannot make sleep happen (when you are not tired) or creativity or love.  

the most important thing with meditation .. is just to do it! 

And finally .. remember that we don’t meditate to become fabulous meditators.  

We meditate so that we are more able to be ourselves, to live from our values, and to be open to change .. it helps us become more skilful at living in this present moment. 

Just Start

In meditation, when distracted we gently and kindly return to the next breath .. the next moment and  

start again.

I am currently immersed in exciting times (think scary, challenging, energising) as I begin to work with my extremely talented sister on the redesign of the Quiet Mind website.  TOTALLY WOW.  

Which has led me today .. to wander through the 800+ posts on this site, and revisit some of my meditation journey.  I started this blog when I found my mind was so FULL of my passion for meditation that I needed to put it somewhere. The ideas, the insights and the thoughts.  Didn't want them in my head .. which led to posting them .. and sharing them .. and here we are five years and hundreds of posts later.

And with fresh eyes today .. I can see that the best way to share this knowledge would be to clean it up, give it a logical sequence, and package it into manageable pieces.  So that we have an archive on ..

the art and science of meditation

So (ta da) I would love to introduce to you the

JUST START SERIES

We shall begin shortly .. in the next day or two .. with a couple of posts each week.  Enough to JUST START.

Join me. 

When to Meditate

In meditation class this week a student asked .. 

"when is the best time to meditate"

I say .. any time.  Any. Time.  Just sit.  Just meditate.

However within the ancient meditation traditions we find there is a definite leaning towards building a regular meditation practice around the 'magic hours' .. around the rise and fall of the sun.

Mornings

The Sanskrit term for the early morning is Amrit Vela (Ambrosial Hour) or ‘time of nectar’ which covers the 2½ hours before sunrise.  For Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh and Indian yogis the Amrit Vela is the acknowledged time for deep spiritual practice, when the 'veil' of the ego is thinnest, when the mind is stillest and we are closer to being able to witness our habitual thoughts.   

Western science informs us that early mornings are when the pituitary gland sets up our hormonal balance for the day ahead. Meditating in the early hours, when the house and world around us is quietest, can establish a wonderfully clear and calm foundation for our day.

Evenings

This period is called 'prayer time' and provides us with some spaciousness and quiet at the end of a busy work day, an opportunity to let go of the pressures and urgencies and leave the outside world 'outside'.  As darkness falls we quite naturally start to wind down and evening meditation can clear out the mental clutter so we don’t end up sleeping with it.

Evenings are also when we are programmed to sleep so always be careful when meditating too close to bed time as sometimes meditation can energize.  Also, avoid meditating in bed because falling asleep is not what meditation is about, and don't eat too close to meditating as the digestive process can lead to drowsiness and uncomfortable belly.

In the end ~ just DO IT

Finding the right time to meditate really depends on your lifestyle and finding a time that you can regularly commit to.  I always suggest that you test out different times to see what best fits YOU.  I used to relish a midday meditation (in the office) which gave me a chance to refresh and sharpen my focus before I pushed through with the final responsibilities of the day.  And I was never a morning person until I started meditating with a Buddhist group that practiced at dawn.  It still amazes me that I manage to break through my reluctance to get out of bed each morning .. but I wouldn't miss my meditation FOR THE WORLD. 

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.  

Don’t go back to sleep. 

You must ask for what you really want. 

Don’t go back to sleep. 

People are going back and forth across  

the doorsill 

Where the two worlds touch. 

The door is round and open. 

Don’t go back to sleep.

{Rumi}