Today you start meditating

I meditate so that my mind cannot complicate my life ~ Sri Chinmoy

There are enormous benefits to meditation. It can help one overcome stress, boost physical health, sleep better and become more present. Advanced meditation opens the door to the spiritual world. Many people love the idea of meditating but either never start the practice or give up after a while. I have found that for many their reason is a lack of understanding. They feel that meditation is a blank thoughtless mind and because they don’t achieve the state of a blank thoughtless mind they give up. During my early spells of mediation I used to get frustrated because I also held these expectations. I even went through spells of start/stop the practice. When you start the practice of meditation you will notice how uncontrollable the mind is. What bothered me was not that my mind was busy but it was all over the place jumping from one thought to the next. No matter what method I tried; closed yes, opened eyes, staring at a candle, music, mantra chanting, I had the same experience – my mind was all over the place. In due course I learnt that trying to stop the mind is the problem. My mind has been working this way all my life and now I wanted to stop it in a few sessions. I dedicated time to meditate. At first it was ten minutes. During those ten minutes I allowed my mind to do whatever it wanted. I did not try to stop the thoughts, instead I paid attention to the thoughts. Sometimes I got caught up in my thoughts and forgot I was not paying attention. Realizing that I was not paying attention would bring me back in the present moment. So, if you decide to start a meditation practice understand that in the beginning your mind will be all over the place because that is natural. My advice is not to block anything out for example if you hear a sound like a dog barking acknowledge the sound of a dog barking. Just stick to the practice and over time you will become an observer to your thoughts. Pay attention to recurring thoughts. Don’t try to make sense of the thoughts. When you are out of your meditation session then you can analyze the thoughts. Overtime the blankness between thoughts will become longer and you will experience quietness and serenity.

Here are some simple tips on how to meditate:
1. Decide and commit to meditating daily
2. Place – Chose a location where you can be alone to practice. After a while your mind associates this space to a meditative state of mind. You can create an altar if you want.
3. Posture – Always ensure that your spine is erect. You may sit on a chair or on the floor. You may cross your legs or not just as long as you are comfortable.
4. Eyes – Raise your gaze upwards and close your eyes. Ensure that your eyes are not straining. Raising your gaze naturally places the mind into the Alpha mind state. You will recognize the alpha mind state because this is the state your mind goes through just before falling asleep.
5. Thought – Don’t force yourself to block out thoughts. Stay present and observe your thoughts but don’t analyze.
6. Breathing – A great way to stay present is to observe the breath entering and exiting. In the beginning don’t try to control your breath just let it be natural.
7. Duration – The duration you choose depends on your body. Stress and pains in your joints and muscles will disrupt your session. Start with 10 minutes and only sit longer if you feel the length is too short. Gradually you can extend the duration.