Greetings, dear readers. For this issue, I thought I'd share with you a practice that's been very valuable to me and one that I think is an invaluable tool for most anyone to use in their daily life.
This practice is by no stretch American or even Western, though it has been and continues to be adopted more in western countries with each passing year. It comes to us from a nation (India) which for millennia has served as a physical bridge between the East and West, so it's appropriate - perhaps even poetic - that it's come to also serve as a sort of spiritual bridge between the cultures. I'm speaking about the practice of meditation.
WHAT IS MEDITATION?
Many of you might already be familiar, but for those not, meditation - that is, formal meditation - is basically a practice used to focus one's attention and calm the mind. Wikipedia sums it up nicely as "a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, 'discursive thinking,' achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditation process itself." There are a handful of approaches I'm aware of for this, but more often than not, the process is performed whilst sitting upright in a tailor's posture (aka, "Indian style") with eyes closed. What you do from there varies depending on the style of meditation, examples being Transcendental (TM), Yoga Nidra, Tai Chi, and mindfulness, to name a few. Some have you recite a mantra, while others have you remain silent and focus on sounds, smells, and feelings observed in the moment, and others still which involve deep breathing and repeating sounds in a certain note or key. What works best often varies from one person to the next, so if this is something you wish to try, I recommend sampling a few different forms to determine which best resonates with you. For this column today, I'll break down what's involved in my own personal go-to: mindfulness meditation.
HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
For this practice, start by positioning yourself on the floor and sitting upright on a pillow or cushion with your legs crossed (tailor's posture), your back and neck straight. Your legs should hang off the front of the pillow and onto the floor, and your arms and hands should rest comfortably at your side or in your lap. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, then return to normal breathing, turning your focus to your breath. Pay special attention to where you feel your breath most distinctly. At some point, you will likely notice thoughts arise. When they do, note that you are not creating them, but that they are instead arising on their own. Allow them to be, judgment free, and return your attention to the breath. Continue this practice of noticing any thoughts that appear, resisting the urge to judge, and then returning your focus to your breath for as long as you are comfortable. A good period to start with is 10 minutes, and you can extend your subsequent sessions to however long you'd like. When you reach the point of where you're ready to stop, open your eyes. Notice how you feel. You should find yourself particularly relaxed and a bit more serene than before you started. Congratulations! You just found one of the healthiest outlets for stress and an excellent facilitator of greater mental health. And as with most pursuits, the more you practice, the better you'll get at it and the greater the benefit.
With that, I wish you all serenity, peace, and happy meditating! Until next time, namaste.
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