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My first meditation ~ I let go of the fetters first
First meditation experiences are usually accompanied by a degree of expectation, concerns, doubts, and questions.
Most of all, we fear what we might discover while sitting in silence.
As with any new and unfamiliar field, we tend to hold on beliefs before we’ve even had a chance to try.
We make up our mind, formulating arbitrary ideas, which in themselves hold no real basis.
In the same way, beliefs influence the way we approach meditation, whether we’re open or suspicious.
Our attitude affects the experience itself.
To dispel misconceptions and allow a soft entry into practice, we’ll make sure we’re clear as to what we’re getting into.
If you’ve considered starting mindfulness practice, and you’re wondering whether or not it’s for you, remember we’re often the obstacle here.
Before we begin, we ask ourselves what keeps me from sitting with myself in meditation? Doesn’t work? Don’t know how? No time? Not for me?
My first meditation in the right frame of mind
I Doubt it works☹
In mind training we seek to cultivate a healthy skepticism, one that tries first and then makes-up its mind.
We approach our first meditation just like we would a first date.
If we begin meditation thinking we know what to expect, we’ll miss the chance to experience what meditation is all about.
Even if we resist passively, it will be difficult for us to sit.
Resistance is often the product of ignorance, if there’s no one to guide and establish understanding, we’ll enter practice holding bias.
Seated in meditation, we try to anchor ourselves to the breath, and we soon discover the power of the mind.
We meet our mental noise and find that staying with the breath is hard, awareness tends to wonder. It doesn’t work!
On the contrary, it’s just the opposite! This is a very important first discovery, our mind is filled with white noise.
What’s more, we don’t control its content nor the volume; that is, until we start practicing.
Question is, is it for me?
“If you’re afraid of your thoughts, you’re giving them power over you, because they seem so solid and real, so true.” E. Swanson, Y. Mingyur, D. Goleman
We may think that meditation is reserved to people with the special ability to sit still, but that isn’t true.
People hold reservations about meditation, like; Stillness isn’t for me, what would I do, I’m afraid what I might find, Can’t.
Rest assured, anyone can practice meditation, because we all yearn and need our quiet time.
Besides, what we find can only make us grow; self-confidence builds with experience.
Those who define themselves as having attention deficit disorders, ADD / ADHD, tend to believe that for them meditation is impossible.
Yet, in spite of the difficulties, with a little determination and patience, we can train the mind and develop concentration.
With regular work, we can bring ourselves to sustain attention and return to attention, we can learn to better self-regulate.
Plenty of “but” come up when we talk about meditation, but…
If you’re still afraid of what you might meet with our eyes closed, remember you’re safe.
Must have results now
Opening any meditation class, I remind practitioners that we don’t do magic and don’t do ready to go.
If we want results, we must persevere in practice.
We have grown accustomed to getting everything at our door, packed and ready for consumption.
Society owes that luxury to the age of technology, only when it comes to meditation the process works differently.
We cannot skip steps or cut corners, we must first train ourselves for concentration and from there move forward.
Over time we begin to feel a change in meditation and outside of it.
Expecting immediate results, trying to replicate such and such experience only impedes our progress.
Every meditation experience is unique in character and cannot be reproduced.
It depends not only on our physical conditions but also on our state of mind at the time of practice.
As previously stated, meditative experiences are also influenced by our degree of resistance or openness, there is no fixed formula.
Meditation practice does not offer quick and easy solutions.
Mind training is a long-term investment in the most valuable asset in our possession, our mind.
Just looking for an escape
“When meditating, we use our mental consciousness to calm and pacify the mind.” Khenchen Thrangu
Some regard meditation as a getaway, a quiet place where you take a break to rest in virtual reality, well wrong.
Although quieting the mind is one of the transformations of meditation, the goal isn’t escapism, but to develop resistance through coping.
Meditation is not a haven in which we continue to repress and silence thoughts and emotions.
The practice requires our courage and our willingness to peel away layers of protection.
First, one must realize that in escapism lays suffering and that it may be time to try another path.
What’s more one must be ready to stay the discomfort and face meeting emotions.
Those who have the uncontrollable habit of suppressing are likely to encounter physical resistance (pain, discomfort, stress), relax take a breath.
With each meditation we find that our monsters are only big in the closet, in the light they shrink back down.
We also come to appreciate that the stories we tell ourselves turn out in retrospect not as big of a deal after all.
When that happens we become curious.
In the right state of mind, still…
We encounter all kinds of blocks in meditation, mainly because we’re unaware of our state of mind and that inhibits progress.
If we dive-in meditation while in a frantic state of mind, because of present anger or craving, we’ll expect cascading thoughts.
To that we add the physical effort required in meditation, which turns out difficult, sitting still a long time is painful.
Pain in the body makes maintaining concentration hard.
Remember the golden rules?
Don’t go into the pool on a full stomach… before exercising have a light meal… these hold in mind training too.
Meditating hungry or on full stomach can also interfere with our practice, hunger leads to disquiet and satiety causes fatigue.
So, opt for a light snack over a full meal before you start meditating.
If we want to bring ourselves to an optimal place, we need to look at our lifestyle, consider what needs adjusting.
To foster change we need change.
I keep on postponing
“I’ve been thinking about meditation, I know that’s what I need, when I practice I feel wonderful but I don’t have time.”
One of the obstacles to meditation is procrastination, it expresses itself in difficulty maintaining a routine, and that’s a negative habit.
This won’t be stressed enough, if we want to enjoy the benefits of meditation practice, one practice a week isn’t enough.
Establishing your routine demands a degree of self-discipline.
Mind training requires repetition, rooted mental habits involve work, and the motivation that drives our practice has to come from within.
We have to take responsibility, just as we care about nutrition and take our daily vitamins, we’re in charge here.
Perseverance is the name of the game, after the first barriers to the practice have fallen, we have to stay consistent.
Only then can the fruit of the practice be available to us spontaneously in life as well.
Experience makes wise
First meditation ~ anchored in the breath 10 min
After we’ve checked that we’re in the right place, we’ve taken care of both our mental and physical barriers, it’s time.
Finally, we’re ready for our first meditative experience.
In Buddhist mind training, we begin with the practice of mindfulness, concentration training.
To do that we’ll need an object to focus on, a stable anchor, our breath.
We’ll begin by choosing a posture, we can opt to sit on the floor, on a chair or lying down.
No matter the position, make sure your body is comfortable while at the same time alert, no straining.
If stress is felt, gently rock from side to side until you find your center.
For a short moment, we’ll put aside the weight of the responsibilities we’ve been carrying around.
Close your eyes, mouth closed, chin slightly down, take a breath, inhale and exhale through the nose.
From here on seek to direct your full and undivided attention to your breathing.
Follow the in-breath on its way in through the nose, accompany the breath out as it leaves.
If you’ve noticed you’ve been mind-wandering, simply turn your attention back to the breath, follow the breath.
No judgment, no goals, just breathe and enjoyॐ
Our first meditation is the first step in the graduated path of mind training, one we take slowly and with confidence?
Nathalie Bizawi, founder of Wisdom & Mindfulness meditation center. Senior Meditation, Mindfulness and philosophy instructor, From Wingate Academic College. M.A in Education from TAU University, Tel Aviv.
Wisdom & Mindfulness meditation center in Tel Aviv.