Meditation Guidance

(In particular... for all those joining me for the next 5 weeks in a Living Yoga Wellness Program at Asha Yoga- and committing to meditation every day for the next 35 days!)

Dear Student,

The most important thing I have to tell you about meditation is this: Meditation is worth your time. Do it regularly and you will be forever grateful.

Getting Started

It is important that you make yourself physically comfortable in a meditation posture while following the one, unbending rule for meditation posture:  Spine erect and holding it's natural curves. 

If sitting on the floor:

• Prop your sitting bones up on a cushion so that the hips are at least 3 inches higher than the knees 
• Thighs slope downward toward the ground 

If sitting on the floor is too uncomfortable, sit in a chair. Either way:

•  Pelvis vertical
•  Inward curve in the low back
•  Shoulders over hips
• Chest open
• Chin slightly tucked 

If it's hard to sit upright, sit against a wall and stuff pillows behind your lower back. Use as many as you need to support your spine and hold you in an upright posture. Your aim is not to create a perfect meditation pose but to support your body so it will let your mind turn inside.

Technique- A Core Practice

We live in a world rich with abundance and variety. Our options for meditation practices are practically unlimited. You could spend years trying them out and yet, despite the time dedicated to practice, you may never go deeply inside.

This is why, when you begin your meditation practice, and as you're establishing the habit of sitting, it is best to choose one simple yet structured technique. Stick with this one technique as you develop the discipline of regular sitting. Learn to get your body comfortable, find inner focus, and gain a mental understanding of the practice.  This is your core practice. It is your foundation.  Doing the same practice every day to build this solid foundation clears a path in your consciousness and eventually this path can be followed into the state of meditation with greater ease. Establishing a core practice and developing this foundation is essential. In time, you can play with other practices and build upon this foundation.

Most simple practices fall into five basic categories: mindfulness, mantra, inner body, visualization, and self-inquiry. Breath awareness is generally an aspect of each category.  They are often combined, but when you are beginning your practice just start with one. Explore a few options at first and then choose a core practice that you feel drawn to.  If the technique doesn't feel pleasurable at least some of the time, it's not the right technique for you. If you don't get some enjoyment out of it, you won't do it. But don't let this be a reason to keep skipping around. Don’t get sucked in by "The grass is always greener on the other side" syndrome. Nobody's meditation is always enjoyable. Meditation can be boring at times. It can feel torturous. And there will be days when sitting for your allotted time seems impossible. This is normal. Only if your practice is consistently unrewarding, you may be better off choosing a new type of core practice. (Sample core practices will be given later.)

Length of Time

Start with 10 minutes of meditation and increase the time by one minute per day until you've reached a half-hour. Spend a month or so sitting for 30 minutes. Eventually, when you feel the tug to go deeper, begin to sit for 45-60 minutes.  Many people find that they need to sit for at least 45-60 minutes to get quiet enough to sink deeply inside. But this is often too much to start out with. I can also assure you: A daily 20-minute practice will improve your focus, balance your emotions, give you greater clarity, and allow you to connect with a deep sense of inner peace. Your outlook and your understanding of life will change from 20 minutes a day of meditation.

What (Not) to Expect

Your mind will not immediately go quiet. Your mind will never go quiet for your entire meditation practice. This does not mean you can't meditate. It does not even mean you aren't meditating. The goal is not to stop thinking. But with consistency, you will soon begin to experience periods of quiet, even contentment, as you sit. You will realize that meditation is actually a natural state and that it will arise on its own if you give it time. You will discover some of the benefits of sitting for meditation—how your life seems to automatically get easier, simpler, an more enjoyable, You will notice your opinion of others improve and your relationships and interactions with family, friends, and even strangers will feel deeper and more authentic. You will feel tethered to something solid and calm in times of emotional turmoil. Solutions to problems will seem to present themselves naturally, with less mental debate. You'll find that even when you don't think you've had a "good" or "quiet" meditation, the rest of your day feels sweeter, calmer, or more energized because of the time you spent sitting.

Have Patience

Understanding that the mind does not need to be silent will keep the mind from entering into war with itself. There have been studies to prove that if you say to your mind (mind says to mind) “Do not think the word banana.” it will be impossible not to. Your life could depend on it and the moment you tell the mind NOT to think the word… it will. This is exactly what happens if we sit down to meditate and we say to the mind, “Ok, now be quiet.” The moment we say that, it will never happen. But we cannot simply “play” reverse psychology with the mind either. It’s in there with itself- it KNOWS what’s going on. We have to really and truly understand that it’s ok for the mind to talk. This is a training process for the mind to learn to focus and there is going to be a learning curve. Like training a wild puppy to sit still, it takes time, patience, understanding and dedication. Ultimately the mind will learn to “sit”. But remember, it will not stay forever. And that’s ok. It will, however, settle down with time. Just like the puppy as it ages. J

Dedication

In addition to being dedicated to sitting down each day for your practice, you must be dedicated to each moment of your meditation. Each time you notice that you are thinking, spacing out, or wandering off, it takes effort to bring your attention back to the mantra, to the breath, or to whichever core practice you're doing. Over and over again, you'll lose your concentration, get lost in thoughts or stories. It is your dedication to “coming back” that will make all the difference. Your dedication to coming back is the thing that makes it meditation. It might be helpful to employ a strategy of saying to you yourself “thinking” whenever you notice it or “thank you for sharing.” and then come back to your point of focus. If you are more visual it may be helpful to imagine thoughts as clouds in the sky and see them drifting away. Once you have experimented a few times, pick one strategy for dealing with thoughts and stick with it.

Do it Anyway

Sometimes your practice will be inspiring and transformative. Other times, it may feel boring or particularly challenging. There may be extended periods of peace in your practice and times when emotions like anger, sadness, or fear arise. If you can be willing to sit through the boredom, resistance, and rise and fall of emotions you will build the foundation for doing this same thing in your life. Life is a rich tapestry of experiences and it is possible to learn to appreciate the full spectrum. Grief doesn’t have to be painful. It can be healing. Boredom doesn’t have to be avoided. It can be welcomed. Anger doesn’t have to be hurtful. It can be an opportunity for self-discovery. When we are willing to be with things as they arise, they are allowed to run their course in a way we can grow from and therefore appreciate.

The people who get the most out of their meditation are the ones who do it consistently. Even if they don’t feel like it. Though many try, as I have in this very letter, the ultimate gift that meditation offers is beyond explanation.

A Basic Core Practice- Mindfulness of the breath

Prepare your seat and posture for meditation.

Close your eyes.

Notice your breath.

Begin to fully experience each breath.

Notice the coolness in the nostrils and the warmth, the rise and fall of the belly and the chest. –The expansion of the ribcage. Notice energetic sensations. 

Notice without altering, but allow the breath to alter itself as it does.

After a few minutes, choose one aspect of the breath to direct your focus. Maybe the rise and fall of the belly or the cool and then warm air in the nostrils.

As you notice thoughts arising, simply note "thinking" and return your focus to the breath.

When your meditation is complete, before opening your eyes, begin to fully experience all the details of the breath once again. Take a few deep breaths and maintain an awarenss of the breath as you open your eyes and begin to transition into your next activity.

Thank you for reading, for practicing and for making a difference.

Warmly,

Cori