Basic Meditation Instruction
By Ajahn Sujan
Meditation is absolutely wonderful technique to relax mind body for managing stress and coping in different situation in life. It helps mentally and physically and brought well beings into life.
So, one of the very important in practice of meditation is to find a quite and calm place for sitting whether that at your room or home somewhere you sure that there will not be any disturbance. It is also a place that you feel comfortable and secure.
2. Practicality
Once you find quite place and suitable time, then you need to consider about how to sit. You can sit either cross legged on a floor, but it can be quite uncomfortable for someone who never sat on the floor. Nevertheless, it is a good posture for the practice if you are seeking development in the practice. Otherwise, find a chair to sit where you will not fall asleep, or you will not slouchy. In a practical sense, sitting regarded as essential way to practice the meditation, however, it is not about body posture but mental exercise that vital in the practice. Therefore, if you can dedicate sometimes to learn to sit on a floor is advisable otherwise choose your comfortable posture. Once you sat upright in comfortable position gently close your eyes and focus attention on the breath.
1. Regularity
Regular practice is the key, as exercise required in any form of skill development. Similarly, time of practice also essential. Most people use to meditate early in the morning or before the bed. It does not require to be an hour like a monastic life. One can practice from few minutes per day and gradually increase as time pass on. Further, before bed would help you to sleep well and makes you feel fresh when you wake up. Similarly, morning practice may assist you to look at things positively throughout the day. It is entirely depending on individual’s availability and suitability.
3. Breath
At the beginning of the practice of meditation, simply take few deep breaths to relax body and mind. Along with the breath, let yourself settle in and grounded. After couple of breaths let it breath naturally and normally. Do not force or try to regulate it.
Breathing in, breading out and relax. Observe bodily sensation and checking any tensions around the body. Allow your shoulders to dropped and remained comfortable. Allow yourself to relax and body upright and no strain in the body. Gently bring your awareness back to yourself and concentrate on breathing in and breathing out.
4. Feeling breath
You can breathe either from your nostrils or mouth. Breath through nostrils is suggested as it has many benefits compare to breathing through mouth. Breath naturally and normally. Breathing in you know that you are breathing in and when breathing out you know that you are breathing out.
I must tell you that it is very important that you should not focus too hard, so you are forcing your breath nor too loose that you are unaware of it. Feel the breath as it comes in and goes out, rather than thinking of its entry and out. It is just following the breath.
The basic rule for meditation is following the breath with awareness. Just attending your awareness to the process of breathing in and out. You are breathing air in and breathing air out through the nostrils. Feel the breath in your nose as it enters and comes out.
In some cases, it could be feeling expanding and contraction your chest or your stomach rises and falls as you are breathing. You have to make your mind up by observing the breath that where you can feel the most without forcing or operating it. Once you established the area of breath, consciously adapting that area of breath as the centre of the concentration. It is a home-base for the mind to be and return whenever needed. Such as observing breath at the abdomen.
Concentrate on rising and falling of belly. When, breath in rise the belly and breath out belly will fall. Keep your firm attention to be aware of the phenomena of rising and falling. It is essentially a meditation. It’s very simple but the trick is that mind is distracted very often.
5. Monkey mind
Every now and then mind runs everywhere nor can remain with a thought for long. It wonders far and wide and difficult to understand. It is a normal mental state. It would not be easy to settle it in immediately because we have been conditioning it with so many things, culture, fame, name, religion, and identities. In such cases, do not fight with the mind complaining nor try to ignore it by pushing or dragging it to pay attention to the breath. Do not judge nor resist it but aware of it.
So, the trick is that it is not to work hard but clear. When you sat in meditation and your mind drifts away on the mundane affaires, recognise that state and observe it closely. Acknowledging of it and consciously aware that mind is distracted from intended object to something different. Mindfully bring your attention back to object of meditation. Congratulate yourself, well done that I am back. Learn to appreciate such a small success.
Allow energy which is in our head our thoughts our thinking and breathing. When, you find that your mind is distracted, you just comeback to breath. Breathing in and breathing out. There will be days when you meditate you forget to follow your breath at all. That is totally acceptable and wonderful that you reorganise that.
Remember that in meditation there is no right or wrong. It is just aware and sitting. It is just being like water which often gets cloudy or foggy. It is not a big deal. It is going to change.
6. Clear lake
Then, when we allow them, it will settle. All the dusts sink to the bottom of glass and the water became clear again. With the meditation the cloudiness of our thoughts and defilements gradually settled. We have cleared mind again. Mind settled and relaxed with the breath. Body follows with it. As both relaxed, awareness becomes clear like stilled clear water in a lake allowing you to see beautiful nature under the water.
So, this is the basics for the meditation. Make it enjoyable fun. Don’t make it tough. We’ve been tough enough already in our life. Meditation is fun allow it to bring beauty true happiness and enjoy your life.
May you be well !!!