Meditation instills deeper levels of relaxation or calmness
It may be a case of “easier said than done”: many meditation students discover that finding stillness or quieting the mind is no simple task. Yet there are proven steps for transcending all the external noise and emotional distractions and truly turning inward.
THE FOUR ELEMENTS
Systems of meditation may differ, but most require four basic elements: a quiet space, a formal posture, an object to focus on, and a passive, receptive attitude.
1. The main requisite for successful meditation is learning to be still. This begins with finding a quiet, relaxing space in which to practice.
2. The second requirement is a posture that allows you to be erect, comfortable, and alert. In yoga, the student is taught to keep the head, neck, and trunk aligned while sitting in a meditative pose, or asana. Once you have mastered a suitable meditative pose, you should always use the same posture. It also helps to meditate at the same time and in the same place each day. Some students wear a light shawl when they meditate, believing that the shawl replicates the vibrations from the previous day’s meditation.
Begin by sitting in a firm chair or on a comfortable pillow with your back upright and your eyes closed. Focus on each part of your body, allowing all the muscles to relax except in the neck and back. Take your time, reveling in the feeling of letting go. As your body gives in to this liberating sensation, your mind will soon follow. Next focus on your breathing: become aware of how your lungs draw air in and then expel it. To truly relax, lower your breathing from your chest to your diaphragm; observe your breathing but do not control it.
3. As you attempt to “keep your thoughts in the present moment,” begin focusing on an object, a sound, or a word. Some Buddhist monks focus on an unanswerable question, or koan; these can free you from the limits of rational thought.
4. Your restless mind will likely supply many worrisome thoughts, but do not heed them. Let your mind wander before bringing it back into focus. This is the trick, many students say, of successful meditation. Hear the thoughts but do not react to them—it is not the thoughts but your reaction to them that distracts you. This is the beginning of understanding the person you can be without all that mental churning.
Meditation instills deeper levels of relaxation or calmness
CHOOSING YOUR REACTION
Conversely, by practicing meditation and not reacting to random thoughts while in that state, you will now be open and attentive to any problems or questions that come before you in daily life. The uncertainty, anger, moodiness, depression, or other heightened emotions you typically feel when something negative happens will no longer goad you. Now, you will face discord with a sense of awareness, for instance: “I am feeling very threatened by this encounter.” The emotion will be experienced, it will move through you, and you will then have a range of calmer emotions to choose from before deciding how to address the problem. In other words, you won’t be the victim of your volatile emotions: you will observe them, and then choose an alternative reaction—rationality, serenity, enthusiasm, determination, humor—that is best suited to the situation.
Meditation also strips off some of the masks people wear; it reveals inner complexes, immature behaviors, and unproductive habits. Again, you will now be able to give these issues your full attention, coming up with strategies to weed them out of your life. This is the only way in which such things ever really clear—by examining them in the light of day.
The beneficial effects of meditation may occur slowly, over a period of time. There may be no dramatic “Eureka!” moment. You will probably notice small things at first—deeper levels of relaxation or calmness. You may realize that you fret less over problems. If you continue with your practice, eventually you will feel free of the commonplace worries that trouble most of us. And that is a good indicator that soon you will be able to be fully present and fully receptive as you enter the meditative state.