A beginner guide to Mediation
When I open the discussion about meditation experience with my students in an introduction to meditation class, the common reply I get is “I haven’t tried much meditation” or “I can't meditate”. To be true, it's what I think most people in the world would reply with. The thing is, in the world and society we live in today, more and more people are turning to mediation or slow practice to help them develop a sense of control, harmony and peace in their busy lives. It’s sad to me to know that people feel hopeless about starting a meditation practice, or maybe even might be scared to do so.
My aim with this short post is to clarify what meditation is and what are the first two steps to reaching a meditative state. It’s funny though because without even realising it, a lot of us experience a state of meditation in our (maybe daily) life. I often ask students, “ok, well is there anything that you love to do, a hobby or an activity where you find you that completely loose track of time, you become unaware of the time of day, where you are or even who is around you?”, and the answer is "yes, when I play guitar” or “Yes, when I'm knitting.” It’s in these moments that we don’t even realise that we naturally get into a meditative state because we are so focused and so concentrated on the activity or hobby that we love to do, that everything else disappears. A meditative state can be found in so many moments of our lives and honestly, it’s a lot simpler than we think. I will give you the tools to start to experience this. Meditation, however, as it’s final practice is much more deep and I will discuss this now.
Meditation according to Patanjali explains it as Dhyana. Dhyana is a state of mind where one’s focus is maintained or absorbed in the point of focus. It is the 7th limb of his Ashtanga path to Samadhi, Samadhi being the 8th. It needs to be emphased on how much dedication and self control this step takes to achieve. We can experience moments of stillness and peace, but to really get lost, into the trance of meditation, take practice, more practice and even more practice. The step before this is Dharana, which is also very important and this is one of the steps we can take and develop skills needed to follow into achieving the state of Mediation. Dharana is the sustained practice of focused concentration on a single object. This focus is usually the breath, but it can also be the repetition of a mantra, the visualization of a deity, or the contemplation of a deep truth. It’s not so important what this object is that we are focusing on; the purpose is to quiet the mind with this total concentration. Dharana is like focusing the lens of a camera on a moving object and Dhyana is when the object remains still and the camera’s focus is locked on to the object. Now, I know for me, when I started meditation, there was no way I could concentrate on an object for more that 20-30 mins (if that!). So maybe before we can even begin to achieve this state of concentration, we need to develop two skills that will give us the taste of what it means to be in meditation.
Awareness and Mindfulness. These are the first two steps. Awareness is building a focus and understanding of your environment around you, noticing every detail and being present in every moment using your heightened senses. Mindfulness has an inward focus, one were there is non judgement from whatever is arising. It still very much requires you to remain present, but is something that is happening internally rather than externally. When practicing mindfulness it teaches us that we may not be able to shape the world to our specifications, but we can definitely do something about how we interact with it or how we react to it. Mindfulness needs to be brought into your life in many ways. We first must be mindful of how we speak, think and act like to others and ourselves, we must be mindful of the foods we choose, the places we go and live, the things we choose to occupy our time.
When we practice mindfulness meditation, we’re training in recognising the thoughts, sensations and emotions that arise in the moment and letting them pass by like clouds in a blue sky. To do this, we settle the mind on a focal point that is decidedly in the here and now, such as the rhythm of breathing or immediate physical sensations. Every time we realize that the mind has drifted away from its focal point, we gently but firmly bring it back. With a little practice, this form of meditation becomes a haven, a homecoming. But mindfulness can be brought into every activity you do. You simply need to focus your attention on whatever it is you are doing, and simply observe, let it be and mostly enjoy the moment without judgement or expectation.
Awareness, spirutal awareness specifically, is connecting us to the true meaning of yoga. the word Yoga is derived from the sankrit word Yug, meaning to unite. Awareness helps is to realise our true nature, that we are all one consciousness and that the divine lives within us. Awareness allows us to be present in every moment, t really observe and witness this beautiful life we have been given. Awareness needs to be on our physical world, the people around us, the changing patterns, the colours, the movement. Once we become aware of our true purpose, once we can see and feel love everywhere, that is when you have begun to develop true awareness.
My task for you…Be present in every action you do. Be aware of all of your senses. Be mindful of how you speak, think and act. Start now, next time you wash the dishes, or put on your clothes, can you become totally immersed in that action? Feel the textures on your skin, the tempurature, any sensation that might come up. Enjoy the moment. If you notice a frown on your face, can you turn it upside down and take a big breath and just be? These moments, these small changes, if you can make them, will help you take the steps to one day being able to sit, observe and settle into your mediation practice.
