MEDITATION TIP OF THE WEEK

MEDITATION TIP OF THE WEEK IS A WEEKLY SERIES OF VERY SHORT, EASY TO REMEMBER, AND BASIC TIPS ON MEDITATION. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK, IS IT HELPFUL?

Where is your mind…right now? Here, right? Great. Where else? Where is it going to be in, say, a few minutes? What’s next?

I’m not asking you these questions because I’m curious…even if I am curious. I’m asking you this because this site is about meditation and because meditation is about knowing where your mind is. And integrating meditation into your life, living your meditation practice on a day-to-day basis is about knowing where your mind is. Why is this important?

When we meditate, and we find some success at it, we’re able to know what our mind is up to. We’re able to watch “where” our mind goes and, without judgement, we’re able to “watch” our mind and obeserve the flow of our thoughts and whatever arises within our mind without getting caught up or lost in them.

Finding our mind in meditation is about learning to know when we’ve become distracted, perhaps even knowing where our attention has drifted to, and bringing it back – gently – to the present moment. What’s incredible is that sometimes when we “find” our mind, what we find is similar to finding a clear, still pond in the middle of a dense forest. What we find there is a peaceful and tranquil environment where we can just “hang out” without a care in the world.

How to find your mind anywhere:

Begin by bringing your attention to your breath. (For information on how to work with the breath, you may want to check out the free ebooks on this site, previous posts on meditation and particularly out this link: Exercise #1: Riding the Breath) Once you’ve established a connection with your breath and are able to remain with it for a short while, begin to watch your mind. Wherever it goes, simply remain observant of it, without judgement, and gently bring your attention back to the breath if you find yourself distracted. Now, notice the times when your mind feels relatively at ease, somewhat free from thoughts or distractions. Or, notice when the distractions aren’t grabbing your attention. What do you find? Where is your mind? Doing this practice, and working with what has been posted on this site about how to meditate, will help you get to a place where you’ll be able to find your mind, not matter where you are, no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. That’s the beauty of meditation!!

Enjoy.