Meditation

I was asked about meditation and I thought I would explain how I meditate. I'm not an authority on meditation or on anything really.  I would like to show that you don't have to be a monk to receive the benefits of meditation.

You can really choose any reason to meditate. I see it as a tool to help us accomplish whatever it is we want to accomplish. It's like prayer or exercise; as long as you do it properly you can benefit from it.

My reasons for meditation
I meditate to practise concentration and to calm me so I can revert to my natural state of being. meditation is a good time to deal with thoughts you avoid in daily life. It's like you are an unfinished puzzle and mediation lets the pieces fall into place. The pieces of the puzzle can be disturbed through the way we live life so, living a good life is just as important as practising meditation. Meditation helps me live the way I aspire to live.

How: A (Very) Basic Meditation Guide

Sit down. Have a strait back. I like to sit on a pillow in the half lotus posture. Beginner meditation should be from 5-30 minutes, I like 15 minutes.

Give a set amount of time for meditation. Make sure you have the time and don't convince yourself to stop early if you have started mediating.

This is your time to heal and learn. If you feel this is selfish you can dedicate the other 1425 minutes of your day to helping others.


Pick something to focus on: breath, a small statue, your hart beating, a glass of water. I use breath. Try to pick something that moves or is bright with lost of detail. I do not recommend fire/light because it may contribute to cataracts.

While focusing on the object you will loose concentration.

Realize you have lost concentration. Look at what took your concentration. What does that thing tell you about yourself?

Let go of that thought no matter how important it seems at the moment.

Return to the object of concentration. This is your home, you can always comeback to this when you need to (even when you're not meditating).

That is it.

There are many different types of meditation. If this interests you study it. There are hundreds of sites online.

Here is one of the first videos I watched that help me start meditating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4gTXjg1g1s