What is Meditation and How to Meditate

July 4, 2006 by Vishal | No Comments

Meditation is an art of detaching our consciousness from our thoughts and learning to start living in the present moment. If you closely observe your mind, you’ll notice that majority of the time our consciousness is occupied with our thoughts and not in present moment. Take your typical day. While having bath, you are thinking of how you are going to deliver that seminar; while having breakfast, you are thinking about how you are going to ask your boss for a raise; and so on… Most of the time, your mind is always in the past or in the future. It’s never in the present moment. Meditation is learning to live in the present moment so that whatever task you are taking, your attention is completely on it - whether it’s having food or writing notes or simply watching the sunset.

Although it’s not necessary that you sit down to meditate, it is necessary that you sit aside some time daily, free from distractions and worries, to train your mind. You may ask that can’t you just carry on your daily tasks by focusing your attention completely on them? Try doing so. It requires a huge effort to keep your consciousness in the present moment. We are so accustomed to living with our thoughts that without setting aside some time and intentionally training our mind, it becomes next to impossible to keep our attention in the present moment. It’s like rehearsing before your first stage show. Do you think you can perform just by reading the script and without any rehearsing?

One of the best and simplest ways to meditate is to watch your breath. You simply keep your attention on your breath. Just watch how the breath goes in and fills your lungs and how it leaves your body. When you begin, your mind may start wandering after 2-3 cycles of breath. Don’t worry and don’t force your mind. It’s completely natural and a part of your meditation experience. Just lovingly bring your attention back to your breath. Start with 10 minutes and gradually expand it to 30 minutes.

Other ways to meditate may include: repeating a mantra or a word, focusing on a flame or object, being with nature. Try various methods and choose the one that you feel most comfortable with and love doing. My favorite technique to still my mind is to be with nature. If I don’t get time to be with nature, I just slip on my headphones and listen to nature sounds.

Watching is meditation. What you watch is irrelevant.
You can watch the trees, you can watch the river,
you can watch the clouds, you can watch children playing around.
Watching is meditation.
What you watch is not the point: the object is not the point.
The quality of observation, the quality of being aware and alert –
that’s what meditation is.
Whatsoever you do with awareness is meditation.

- Osho

Posted in Meditation