Affirmations & Meditation

Meditation can be a bit confusing for beginners as they try to put too much effort mastering a new technique, they learned in a book. The paradox is that meditation, to be effective, should require no effort at all and involve the mind at a bare minimum.

Here are very simple guidelines to start meditating. They were given to me by a Zen master, while I was confused with meditation techniques and visualization. These guidelines are so simple and helpful that they will help you start a meditation program that you will keep for life.

Here are these simple guidelines as they were shared with me :

• Know that mediation should be a pleasurable experience. People overcomplicate things and make things harder than they are. Mediation, must be a simple and gradual process to become a habit.
• Think of meditation as an opportunity to live in the present moment, whatever happens in your life.
• The only right way to meditate is to live and enjoy the experience as it is.
  Never fight with your mind, do not try to control your thoughts but let them come and accept them, they are part of your experience.
• Don’t force yourself to meditate for a certain amount of time. Living in the present moment transcends all notions of time. Meditate as long as the experience is enjoyable. It can be 5 minutes, 30 minutes or two hours. When you feel that your mediation requires efforts, stop your practice.
• Accept whatever happens during your meditation practice as it is. Do not try to analyze or judge your meditation experience.
• Never force your breathing neither your body during your meditation practice.
• Practice everyday, whatever your schedule. It can be three minutes, 5 minutes or ten minutes. Remember that it’s an opportunity to experience the present moment. Most people tend to think that you should meditate 30 minutes or more, to get benefits. This is totally wrong and a nonsense. As the benefits of meditations are in the habit of experiencing the present moment.
  When you take the habit to live in the now, you are relieved from stress, your health condition improve and you feel happier.

Here is the simple meditation technique, I was given in 3 steps:

Step one
Sit comfortably wherever you want. The key is to be comfortable. If you can’t sit for any reason, lay down. While you are seated, keep your back straight. You can even sit with your back on a wall to help you stay straight. Your goal here is to feel comfortable. Do not try to adopt a specific position if you can’t stand it.

Step two
Close your eyes and stay this way while observing your breath. DO NOT MAKE ANY EFFORT. If thoughts come your way, just accept them, if you hear external noises, accept them as part of your experience. Just accept whatever happen as it is. NEVER FIGHT ANYTHING, live with it.

When you concentrate on your breathing you harmonize your mind and your body, and it accelerates the present moment consciousness. If you prefer you can repeat a word that you like over and over. However, choose a word whose meaning is pleasurable for you. Do not force the repeating of your word or mantra, let it come naturally.

Step three
Continue your meditation as long as it is pleasurable. If you need to stop your meditation as you are interrupted by external reasons. Acknowledge it and observe this as an experience. Never judge your meditation practice as good or bad, but as it is: another experience.

Meditation has proven to be a very powerful practice to diminish stress and favors many health benefits. However, meditation as anything else will provide benefits when it’s practiced regularly. And to make meditation a regular habit, you have to incorporate it in your daily schedule.

Here is one of the best video I’ve seen on meditation for beginers

{ 2 comments }