Perhaps you have tried meditation and come away disappointed - you were expecting to feel calm, happy and focused, and instead got into an internal battle against your unruly mind! Rest assured, you are not alone. Meditation is an incredible tool to help you feel calmer, happier and more centered but many novices are under the mistaken impression that they have to try to stop their thoughts - and sadly give up when they realize they are unable to do this.
There are thousands of meditation techniques out there, from body scanning to breath awareness to candle gazing to mantra repetition. And while seemingly different on the surface, they all actually have two common similarities (and trying to stop your thoughts is not one of them!)
First, we focus on an object of concentration such as our breath or body sensations for example. Usually, quite quickly, the mind will get distracted by thoughts. All we have to do once we notice we are distracted, is calmly bring the mind back to the meditation object. We do this over and over again - that is why it is called meditation practice.
Over time, rather than stopping your thoughts, you start to develop the ability not to get LOST in your thoughts, not to be dragged away by the stream of your mind and you start to tap in to this whole other aspect of your consciousness: your AWARE MIND.
Throughout the day, we are mostly caught up in our THINKING MIND rather than our aware mind, and this is why we experience stress, frustration and worry. The thinking mind habitually gnaws on problems, makes a lot of noise and drama and likes to dwell on the future or the past. Sadly, the present moment is never good enough for the thinking mind, it is constantly on the lookout for something better or different, which leads to dissatisfaction.
By cultivating the aware mind, it is possible to experience surrender and peace in the moment because it is not preoccupied with the past or the future, it simply experiences the here and now. It is naturally calm and free from drama, negativity, mental stories. Because it seeks nothing, it is satisfied and accepting. With practice, the ability to tap into the aware mind becomes stronger and it gradually starts to change your experience of life for the better.
The benefits of meditation become more pronounced with regular practice, at least 10 to 20 minutes per day. So many areas of your life can change for the better: increased focus is a boon to your work life, increased compassion improves relationships and the new ability to be more self-aware means you can make healthier, more conscious choices for yourself. Your resilience and ability to cope with stress, anxiety or depression becomes stronger. And most importantly, being able to live in the present moment means you can truly enjoy all that your life has to offer.
There are thousands of meditation techniques out there, from body scanning to breath awareness to candle gazing to mantra repetition. And while seemingly different on the surface, they all actually have two common similarities (and trying to stop your thoughts is not one of them!)
First, we focus on an object of concentration such as our breath or body sensations for example. Usually, quite quickly, the mind will get distracted by thoughts. All we have to do once we notice we are distracted, is calmly bring the mind back to the meditation object. We do this over and over again - that is why it is called meditation practice.
Over time, rather than stopping your thoughts, you start to develop the ability not to get LOST in your thoughts, not to be dragged away by the stream of your mind and you start to tap in to this whole other aspect of your consciousness: your AWARE MIND.
Throughout the day, we are mostly caught up in our THINKING MIND rather than our aware mind, and this is why we experience stress, frustration and worry. The thinking mind habitually gnaws on problems, makes a lot of noise and drama and likes to dwell on the future or the past. Sadly, the present moment is never good enough for the thinking mind, it is constantly on the lookout for something better or different, which leads to dissatisfaction.
By cultivating the aware mind, it is possible to experience surrender and peace in the moment because it is not preoccupied with the past or the future, it simply experiences the here and now. It is naturally calm and free from drama, negativity, mental stories. Because it seeks nothing, it is satisfied and accepting. With practice, the ability to tap into the aware mind becomes stronger and it gradually starts to change your experience of life for the better.
The benefits of meditation become more pronounced with regular practice, at least 10 to 20 minutes per day. So many areas of your life can change for the better: increased focus is a boon to your work life, increased compassion improves relationships and the new ability to be more self-aware means you can make healthier, more conscious choices for yourself. Your resilience and ability to cope with stress, anxiety or depression becomes stronger. And most importantly, being able to live in the present moment means you can truly enjoy all that your life has to offer.
About the Author:
Sharee James is a yoga and meditation teacher, a naturopath and founder of Ashima Living. To learn more about how to calm your mind, watch her short video How To Meditate or download her free e-guide "Stress-Less" here .
No comments:
Post a Comment