I had only a faint conceptual understanding of meditation when I began to practice years back. I would read yoga and new age texts and attempt sitting with closed eyes and crossed legs, searching for mental stillness - only to find that my mind was a mental chatter box! I would think about running errands, think about my work, think about something a friend said, think about something I should have done. I felt defeated by distracting thoughts, and the world of peace and tranquility that meditation promised felt worlds away.
Somewhere in my daily meditation practice, I observed a strange occurrence. I had found a pause, a hesitation between the mental chatter, almost like a comma in a sentence. I began to look for the pause each time I would sit and meditate. I would look for it when I was going about my daily business. Each time I found the pause I would breath deeper and carry it out for longer stretches of time, until the comma in the sentence became a period, and the period extended into an ellipses.
The art of meditation is finding the space between the thoughts and cultivating a suspension of the mind. In this beautiful state of mental emptiness, the real power begins. A mind wiped clean of incessant thoughts gives an opportunity to instill a new consciousness and awaken to the fullest potential. Once our minds become a blank canvas, it can develop into a beautiful masterpiece created by our connection to the cosmos. Here, we can enjoy the fruits of our practice. Our world may appear more vivid, deliberate, and harmonious.
Exercise: Mental Housekeeping
Like all art forms, meditation requires practice and perfection. Here is an exercise that can help you build a peaceful mind.
1) Sit quietly and comfortably in a chair or on the floor in a simple cross legged position. It is important to feel comfortable in your posture, so be sure to find a posture that you can maintain for a period of time. Make certain that your backs is straight, your shoulders are relaxed, and the top of your head is facing the heavens.
2) Begin to notice your natural breathing. Feel the breath flow in and out of the lunges. Begin to take in longer and deeper inhalations and exhalations. Focusing on the breath is a basic meditation technique that allows you to relax and bring your attention inward. It is difficult for the body to perform deep breaths and for the mind to become very active at the same time.
3) Notice the content of the mind. Notice any thoughts, but in a compassionate and non-judgmental way. Imagine your mind as a beautiful special room in your life. With each breath you take, imagine a breeze blowing out the thoughts in your head. Have them fly out opened windows and dissolve as they leave your mental home. Begin to feel lighter and lighter in your mind with each breath. After several breaths your mental room becomes clean and clear. Now, fill it with protective radiant light. The light can be rainbow colored, white, or any vibrant color you imagine. Fill your mental body with this protective layer until all you feel is the warmth and love of the color(s).
4) You may now begin to sit in peace, relaxing in this new joy. Sit this way for five, ten, twenty, or thirty minutes. If new thoughts enter your mind or you become distracted, invite the vibrant color you imagined to sweep through your mental home and carry the thought out the window.
5) Bring yourself our of meditation very gently. Place a gentle smile on your face. The smile is a way of sealing your practice and inviting closure, sort of like a bow after a martial arts practice. Practice a mental housekeeping as often as desired, and at least once a day.
Helina Metaferia is a holistic practitioner and visual artist and teaches a Meditation Intensive class through a company she founded called The Meta Experience. Visit www.themetaexperience.com and click on The Love MySelf Program for more information.
Very nice meditation, will definitely try this one! I often struggle with the mental noise, and use the words "in" and "out" during breathing to help me focus, but the breeze analogy is worth a try. Thanks!
ReplyDelete