More Science, More Meditation!
For those of you who would like to jump right in to reading a book that is exemplary in terms of bringing the meditative mind into science, I would highly recommend James Austin’s Zen and the Brain.
Forget About Yourself, Meditate for the Sake of Others!
While there are many reasons to practice meditation, one of the main reasons that I have found to practice meditation is to be less distracted and more present, to be more aware of what is going on within my mind and to be more aware of those around me. With an increased awareness of what goes on in my environment, there's also the potential to become more aware of what is happening to those around me and to attend to those who need my help or assistance. This "compassionate impulse" is a benefit that is not always found in discussions [...]
Part Four – Challenges (and Solutions) With Learning to Meditate
Challenge Number Four: Sleepiness! Oh my gosh, do I need to sleep! Why am I so sleepy? Was I meditating or sleeping? I don't know how many times I've said any or all of these things to myself while trying to meditate. I've started my session doing everything that I needed to; gotten myself a glass of water, made sure that the phone was out of reach, opened up some space in my calendar. Perfect! I sit down to start practicing, and the next thing I know, instead of realizing some great depth of my mind, I’m nodding off…or even [...]
Part Three – Challenges (and Solutions) With Learning to Meditate
Challenge Number Three: Emotions! In the previous two posts, we've discussed how to work with our thoughts and with sensations while we practice to meditate. Once we've gained some stability in working with our mind and with the thoughts and sensations that arise, we'll notice that they can come and go rapidly, and that given some space and distance, they'll disappear back into the landscape of the mind. But, what about emotions? Strong emotions can feel like tidal waves, washing over us, knocking us from any sense of stability that we may have around our meditation practice. I know that [...]
Part Two – Challenges (and Solutions) With Learning to Meditate
Meditation Challenge Number Two: Sensations! In the previous post, we looked at how to work with our thoughts when learning to meditate. This topic was identified as one of the four major challenges in learning to meditate. In this post, we'll move the discussion to how to work with the sensations that arise when we meditate. As we discussed previously, many people experience difficulties and challenges when first starting to meditate. Especially if the technique or method that is being used is based on observing the mind and its characteristics. Sensations are....Sensational! Many (or most?!) of our thoughts are based on [...]
Challenges (and Solutions) With Learning to Meditate
Challenges in Meditation? I think that it's fair to say that many people experience difficulties and challenges when first starting to meditate, especially if the technique or method that is being used is based on observing the thoughts, feelings and/or sensations. We need to know that there's nothing wrong with us if we find ourselves wanting to get up from our meditation practice and run away, get a cup of coffee, watch the TV...basically, do anything but meditate. What are the biggest challenges in learning to meditate and what are solutions to these challenges? In this four-part series, we’ll address [...]
When Do You Allow Thinking During Meditation?
When Do You Allow Thinking During Meditation? There are a lot of beliefs about meditation, including that one needs to be a monk or away from society, that one needs to chant a mantra or special phrase, or that one needs to hold one's hands in a particular shape, touching the thumb and middle finger. While these are aspects of particular meditation techniques, they aren’t necessary to meditate and to learn to work with the mind. Meditation, in its basic and most simply profound level, is a state of non-distraction. Distraction can be caused my many things, thoughts, emotions, different [...]