Many people misunderstand the purpose of meditation. It is not merely a self-help technique to help you relax, reduce stress, or increase your focus. All of those things happen naturally as a by-product, but it is not the primary purpose. Mediation is one of the most ancient spiritual practices known. Back then, meditation was used to quiet the mind so that yogi’s could connect with the true essence of their being; the source from which we all came. Yoga after all means union (with all that is), and along before it because an exercise routine, it's purpose was to prepare the body of long periods of sitting meditation. By watching the egoic mind through meditation, it quiets down, and you are connecting with the awareness behind the thoughts. This is what consciousness really is.
Today’s world is full of loud noises, bright lights, stresses and over stimulation. Our intellect is constantly being used to analyze, critique, and judge the world around us. When we’re in this state of constant thinking mind, our awareness/consciousness weakens, and we become unconscious of what’s right in front of us. We don’t see the world as it is, but rather through the lens of our thoughts, ideas, judgements and beliefs. If feel a certain way in reaction to the world around you, it is because of this lens. Society and culture creates similar glasses for us to all put on, but even within these bounds, there is great variance in how people perceive the world.
In terms of improving our overall health through diet, stress reduction and healthy habits, it is very difficult to do this without raising your consciousness. I cannot stress this enough. You have to be aware of your old pattern as it’s happening in order to have an opportunity to choose differently in any given moment. Otherwise you are left with brute force/will power fighting against and suppressing your habits and egoic desires, and that can only last so long. Not to mention, even those who eat perfectly are unable to heal because they've yet to deal with the root cause of all root causes.
So that is the gist of why meditation is so important. When we’re able to think, speak and act from a more conscious place, our potential is limitless. God/Universe is limitless. It heals all without our understanding required. All we need to do is get out of its way and let it in. All the spiritual teachings, guru’s and scriptures in the world won’t do that for you. Only your own direct experience through silence and inner work can.
Before we get into the details of the basic practice, I will say that meditation takes time and patience. Many people get frustrated with the practice because they feel like it’s a waste of time or it’s "not working", so they give up. But just by the act of sitting quietly, you are already awakening and increasing your consciousness. You don’t have to worry about doing it wrong or right. Just do it, and trust and know that you are taking a huge leap towards who you really are. So.. here is your basic meditation guide and how to get started:
Find a room that you can dedicate to your meditation practice. It should be the most calming, peaceful place in your home. If you’d like, you can also do this outdoors somewhere, but it’s best to have a consistent place for your regular practice, and then sit elsewhere when you’re called to it.
The intention you bring to the practice is very important. Know that this is one of the most powerful spiritual practices known to man, and it has profound effects if you approach it with reverence. It’s best to set up a small altar in front of where you meditate, but it’s not necessary. This does not have to be a religious worship thing, but just something that will put your mind in a different state and remind you of the great unknown. The altar can have a picture or statue of something that reminds you of the divine, a candle/lighter, flowers (real or fake), an incense bowl, and your incense sticks. If it’s too much to light the candle and incense each time, that’s okay. Just start off with something that reminds you of what you’re there to do and it will be enough.
For starting out, you can choose any comfortable position. This can be lying on your bed, sitting straight in a chair, or sitting cross legged on a cushion (zafu). The idea is to sit in a comfortable position while still remaining alert. You don’t want to fall asleep. But if you do, that’s okay too.
This ideal position would be on a meditation cushion (zafu) that itself sits on top of a wider square cushion called a zabuton. You want to sit cross legged with your spine straight and your chin straight (not pointing up or down). You can imagine the top of your head being pulled up gently by a string throughout the meditation for optimal posture. You can also imagine your head, neck, and all of your vertebrae being stacked on top of one another and being supported by your hips. You want to find the balance between the position being supportive, but at the same time active. It is not a passive thing where we’re used to slouching into our chair or couch which creates blockages in our body.
In terms of duration, start very slow. 5 minutes. Consistency and quality is more important than duration. Stay there until you feel you can do the practice as described below well. This may take weeks to months. Only then should you increase slowly.
For the meditation technique, there are numerous techniques (body scans, visualizations, mantras, breathwork, doing nothing, etc). The most basic is to simply focus on your breath without trying to control it. It will naturally slow down and be deeper. Your belly will naturally rise on the in-breath and fall on the out-breath. Let all of this happen naturally. Your only task is to notice. Be the watcher.
In terms of your thoughts, they will come. You will not be able to stop them, and you should not try to. When thoughts come up, just notice them as if you’re watching images flicker by on a movie screen. As best as you can, try to become the awareness that is watching the thoughts, rather than get lost in the thoughts and identify with them. If you get lost in a thought stream, this is okay. Just notice that without judgment and gently return your focus back to your breathing.
If there are sounds that come up during your meditation, just watch them. Pay attention to them without naming them or trying to say to yourself “that’s a car going by”. It’s just a noise/music. All music is allowed. Even if there is a loud sound that you feel is disruptive to your meditation session, that is only your judgment of that sound that is creating the stress. Just allow and notice anything and everything that comes up.
That is all you’re doing during the meditation. This is the most basic practice. It is simple, but not easy. But the point is you cannot do this wrongly. That is the ego mind itself trying to judge and sabotage your efforts. Why? Because that’s what the ego mind does. It judges. It’s also very clever and self-preserving, always thinking about survival. It knows that the practice itself done consistently is going to be its own undoing, so it comes with reasons why it’s a waste of time or not working, etc.
What I mean by ego mind is your conditioned self. Your pattern. It is the “I” that most of us identify with. But it is not our true self. It is like a program. It’s very automatic. That’s why when you try to stop the thoughts, you realize you cannot. They just keep going. Then at some point you realize during the practice, that’s not even me. So who are you? That’s what meditation is all about.
By doing this practice over and over again, you are training this awareness muscle. You are getting used to creating separation between yourself and the thoughts. Now when you go out into the real world, you may notice you’re able to catch yourself in the moment. You may have a personal value that says, I would not like to judge people anymore. Well that’s easier said than done as you know, because we were raised in a culture full of judgment. But now as you meditate, you can catch yourself in the moment.. as it’s happening. What you do from there doesn’t matter. All that is required is that you notice it as it’s happening. Nothing else. That pattern has now been seen. You’ve shined a light on a dark shadow that previously went unnoticed. You will then be able to do this over and over throughout your days, and sooner or later that aspect of your unconscious pattern will lose its power and you will be able to choose differently.
You will eventually see that all moments in your mundane day to day are an opportunity to meditate. When you are showering, but aware of your movements as you tend to your body. When you’re doing the dishes, be with the dishes and give your entire being to doing it well. If you close a door or pick up a cup or eat your food, do everything mindfully. With your newfound awareness. See how things change. Your stress will naturally reduce. Why? Because you are no longer judging the thing that previously triggered you. It’s just another happening in your awareness field. It will take time, so give it lots of time.
In terms of apps, you can use guided meditations using apps like Headspace. They are wonderful to start out. But perhaps alternate between a guided session, and the silent session as I’ve described. An app that I enjoy using is called Insight Timer. It has all of the guided meditations and other features, but I use it for their simple timer feature to keep track of my meditation time. A timer is all you need. You can even set it up with 3 bells to mark the start, and 2 bells to close the session.
Aside from your actual daily practice of sitting meditation, know that your entire life is meant to be meditative. It is not just something to you do and get done and then go back to your usual autopilot mode. Eventually, the practice will creep into your day to day, and that’s when you understand and experience the “fruits” of your labor. You become the watcher of everything that’s happening, without judgment. Just like you practiced when you were sitting. Just observe.
That’s all for now! Enjoy and feel free to ask questions.
About the Author
Firoze Mehta is a Nutrition Therapist Master and Certified Hippocrates Health Educator®. Whatever the health condition or goal, Firoze helps others to learn the truth about nutrition and health while providing the guidance and support of a personal coach. If you're interested in learning more about Firoze and what he offers, click here.