Author: Randeep Singh / go to all articles on Yoga Concepts
No discussion on health & wellness
ever end, without mentioning meditation.
It has become a kind of fad
in the fitness / wellness industry.
You will find meditation groups
active everywhere.
But is meditating that easy? Do we really
understand meditation? Let us take this
meditation challenge and share our understanding
of meditation out of our experiences if any. Also share your views on how to meditate the right way.
I would guide you through various steps on how to meditate, or put your mind in a meditative state. These steps can function as a preparatory practice for getting into higher stages of meditation. The very first requirement of loosing the mind into meditation is to loose the awareness of the body. The weight of the body is proportional to the awareness of the body the mind has.
The more the mind remains aware of the body, the more it will remain tied to it, and keep feeling its weight. Secondly, the sense of having a body is akin to the sense of ego or a separate existence, thus, the mind can never be set free of its existence till this awareness of the body remains. Such a mind cannot slide into the state of meditation.
There are certain techniques, or ways of thinking the mind can be put into, to release the mind of the awareness of the body.
A tense mind can never enter meditative state, the tension of the mind is expressed through the tension in the body via the nervous system. Begin by sitting in any meditative posture, Padmasana if comfortable, if not comfortable in Padmasana do not struggle to sit in it as this will keep the mind at unease, blocking all attempts at meditation.
Try Sukhasana, or the easy pose, as most of us who are not used to regular Yoga practice can sit in this posture by default, due to the presence of required flexibility in the body on its own. The spine must be held erect, hands on the knees with palms facing up and gaze must be kept directed straight in front at the eye level.
Try not to blink and slowly defocus the sight in front of you, this means that you are seeing a sight but not focusing on any part of it. The mind will feel empty for a while. After you have been able to maintain this state of defocused mind for a while, and when you feel like going within yourself, the eyelids will begin to feel heavy on their own, slowly close your eyes.
Begin to disconnect yourself from the external world. Imagine your head is being pulled in different directions by multiple ropes tied on to it. Image a scissor in your hand and cut these ropes one by one till the head feels free of all the external pull and feels as if it is floating free in the air.
Begin to generate the feeling of nothingness within the mind: you are nothing, your body is nothing, you are attached or connected to nothing, the mind is nothing. This will draw upon the concentration power of your mind to execute. Understand one thing, do not do all this like an effort, the mind must slip into all these states as you will release it from everything that is holding it to the external world. In case this feels like an effort, you are doing it the wrong way.
Begin practicing up to this step. Share your experiences on this meditation challenge Come back to this space for with me on mail:
randeep@shahzadpurfarmyoga.com
Visit this space again for further steps on intensifying the practice.
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