Starting A Meditation Practice: Part 4 (The Finale!)
Okay. So you’ve decided you want to sit for a session and you’ve done the “prep work” (look at Part 2 for more details on this).
You have a comfortable chair/couch/spot on the floor picked out, your phone is off or on airplane mode, you have a 10 minute timer set, and hell, maybe you even have a candle lit.
Now what happens?
Settle into the chair/couch/spot on the floor you selected.
Breathe normally - do not try to control the rhythm. Whatever comes naturally in that moment.
Bring your attention to your breath. I would recommend picking something fairly specific - the sensation of air passing through a particular part of your nose, the sound of your breath moving, your belly rising and falling, etc. Identify that focal point.
When your mind wanders away, note it, bring it back to your focal point.
Repeat this process for the allotted time.
That’s it.
A few notes/caveats:
The process I just described is fit for a first time meditator or someone who has a 30 year Zen practice - don’t overcomplicate it.
When you first start your practice you will discover that you have the attention span of a goldfish (don’t worry).
On that note, be easy on yourself - you’ve had years of unlimited access to devices that train your brain to be scattered and crave novel stimulation. Attempting to wrangle it is no easy task.
Be still. Resist the urge to scratch, itch, fidget, readjust your position.
Remove all judgment both during and after - you will have sessions where you feel like a total mess. Your mind will go from what you’re having for lunch, to your boss, to a video of a squirrel water skiing, to a memory from 3rd grade. Doesn’t matter - the session is always a success regardless of how scrambled your brain felt.
If your day allows it, try not to immediately grab your phone when your timer goes off. Do your best to bring the mindfulness you just cultivated with you as you cruise through the rest of your day.
Remember that the “rewards” of meditation appear in a multitude of ways but are often difficult to quantify. Do not try to assess “progress” or “improvement” - if you are able to accumulate enough practice, you will KNOW the benefits.
My hope is that this post (and the eight prior) sparked some excitement in developing a meditation practice. The benefits are far-reaching, occur at a DEEP level of your psyche, and I truly believe are life-altering in the most positive way.
The challenge, like many worthwhile things in life, is dedicating the time for it, protecting that time, and maintaining the self-discipline needed to establish consistency.
Good luck and if you’re ever lacking the motivation to practice, remember that your entire life experience is generated from WITHIN.