MEDITATION TIP OF THE WEEK
…IS A SERIES OF SHORT, EASY TO REMEMBER, AND BASIC TIPS ON MEDITATION. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK, IS IT HELPFUL?
WAIT!!!! Before you read another word, here’s an update: I recently rewrote this post…while suffering from pain of a surgery and a recent minor injury. This post was intially written when I had a fever; just substitute pain for fever, and you’ll get the gist…. 😉
What is Meditation?
You’ve read about what meditation is, either here, on other sites, or in books. Maybe you’ve even practiced a form of meditation and have had great success with it. Or maybe you have a teacher who has introduced you to the more subtle and brilliant nature of your mind. If so, great! So you know what meditation is, right?
Do you ever find that even if you have an idea of what meditation is, sometimes your ideas box you in to a certain way of practicing, or a specific set of rituals around your meditation?
What I find happening is that after we’ve learned to meditate a little, we put it into a box and say, “That’s meditation.” This box keeps us safe, allowing us to meditate in a certain way, at a certain time, under certain circumstances.
Why Do You Meditate in a Box?
What happens to you when you become comfortable with something, whether it’s your primary relationship, your job, or your meditation practice? Do you start to take it for granted or put it into a neat little box where it can stay just as it is?
I think as humans, we begin to form ideas about how things should be, what they should look like, and how we should feel about them. We get the “nesting urge” and want to make our life cozy by wrapping it up into a neat little box.
Boxing things in isn’t really our fault. We’re used to creating safe boxes for ourselves, convenient definitions of what “is” and what “isn’t” in order that we can maintain some sense of control in our lives. In our meditation practice, we can begin to create ideas about what a “good” meditation practice is and what a “bad” one is. We begin to say, “Yes, this is meditation,” when we’re sitting on a cushion, and “No, that’s not meditation,” when we’re sitting in a dentist’s chair with a drill in our mouth. I know for me, this happened when I first began to meditate. I thought that I knew what a “good” practice was like and so I missed all of the other “bad” settings to practice in, like being sick, or angry, or sad.
But why should you put your meditation in a box? Is it really more comfortable that way? Do you really gain anything by not taking every moment as an opportunity to practice?
Meditate Out of the Box!
So, how do you meditate out of the box? There’s a beautiful poem by the 13th century Sufi poet, Rumi, which describes the art of dancing in life. It goes like this:
Dance when you’re broken open.
Dance when you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance when you’re perfectly free.
Struck, the dancer hears a tambourine inside her,
like a wave that crests into foam at the very top,
Begins.
Maybe you don’t hear that tambourine,
or the tree leaves clapping time.
Close the ears on your head,
that listen mostly to lies and cynical jokes.
There are other things to see, and hear.
Music. Dance.
A brilliant city inside your soul!
So, like Rumi’s poem, meditation should be about meditating when you’re broken, in the middle of fighting, and when you’re perfectly free!
When Should You Meditate?
Should you meditate when you’re sick, or angry, or distracted, or…in love? Absolutely, especially when you’re in love! (Ever notice how easy it is to ignore the “red flags,” or to miss the opportunities for clarification when you’re swept up in love???)
Life is full of opportunities to meditate, they’re called…now! Seriously, each moment allows you a unique opportunity to practice, moment-to-moment awareness. Each moment of distraction allows you to come back to the present and ask yourself, “Where is my attention right now?” If you wait until the “perfect time” to meditate, when you’ve got your cushion in order, or when the phone is turned off, then you’re missing thousands…millions of opportunities to practice. That’s what meditation out of the box is about!
For me, if I try to wait until this fever and lousy feeling go away, I’ve lost – at least – two days of good practice time. Instead, I can work on just watching whatever arises while sitting with my breathing. Not getting lost in distraction, just being here now, sick or not.
Taking all of the opportunities that life offers you to practice meditation is about meditating out of the box, it’s about getting out of your head about how you should meditate, and just getting down to working with your mind.
Is Meditation Really That Easy?
Is meditation really about just taking the time in the moment to practice? Well, yes and no. Yes, it is about taking the time in any moment to remember that the purpose of meditation is to arrive at at state of non-distraction. Is that easy? Well, no. We’re so used to being distracted that it takes time and formal practice to “sit” with whatever form of meditation we’re using. It requires that we take time away from our usual routines, setting aside time just for us, and practice meditation formally.
And how do we meditate? Glad that you asked. At the bottom of this post, you’ll find links to content, including two free ebooks, that you can download from this site that will help to support you in your meditation practice.
Just a bit of feedback?
Okay, I’ve done it. I’ve written a blog-post with a fever of…it’s 101.0 right now. Did I manage to pull it off, or was it a failure? I thought that I was holding it together pretty well, using my meditation practice as a way to stay focused. But, maybe I’m deluded by fever mind. Please let me know. I appreciate it.
This site has tons of tools for learning how to meditate and be compassionate.
I encourage you to look through the HUNDREDS of articles that I’ve written and especially check out my weekly meditation tips and other useful meditation materials provided for your health and well being. Please let me know if you’d like to discuss anything with me, have any questions or need clarification regarding anything that I’ve written about.
Other Great Meditation Resources and Information:
For More Information on How to Meditate
Please view the Related Stuff below for help getting started in your meditation practice! Also don’t forget to download my free e-book, Can Meditation Change the Way that You View Your World? and download the free e-book, How to Work with the Four Distractions to Meditation and get started learning how to deal with some of the major obstacles in meditation.
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