The following are answers to some of the questions we are most frequently asked by those who are interested in or just beginning to practice meditation.

What is meditation?

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, so there are countless variations and definitions of the practice. Most forms of meditation offer relaxation, primarily through a quieting of the mind, and create a “pause” from the fast pace of our lives to allow our mind and body to “catch up,” rebalance, and rebalance. to focus.

Some styles of meditation are based on total silence, some employ the repetition of specific words or “mantras”, some offer guided imagery and/or affirmations, some focus on specific energy centers or “chakras”, some use sounds and music specific, some have very ancient roots, rituals and religious traditions. And there are many more varieties and combinations. Some meditations focus primarily on relaxation and the well-documented health benefits associated with it. Other meditations go beyond relaxation to help us reconnect with the deeper clarity, power, peace, and wholeness within us.

What is the best meditation for me?

It is hard to imagine any of the wide variety of meditations that No be beneficial Of these various types of meditations, the “best” type is simply the one that you find the most beneficial… the type that best suits you. So experiment… and trust your feelings and instincts.

It is also worth noting that even though we start meditation for one reason (relief of stress, better concentration and focus, deeper rest, etc.), we will soon discover other, deeper benefits (inner peace and balance, increased sense of identity and purpose). . , physical and emotional healing, etc.).

How often should I meditate?

Meditation shouldn’t be or feel like a “must,” even though, needless to say, you willpower you have to take time to do it. [Also see next question.] Once a week is a good start. If you can meditate more often, so much the better.

Doing a short morning meditation can be extremely beneficial as it sets the right tone for your day. The morning is a very powerful time, and even spending 5-10 minutes in meditation can establish an internal balance that will help you throughout the day. The morning is also an ideal time to align yourself and your energy with your intentions, your power, and the “higher” support for what you wish to create that day.

Likewise, a brief meditation in the evening, or at the end of your workday, helps you rebalance yourself from the rigors of the day. Throughout the day, these demands (work, school, family responsibilities, etc.) can gradually throw us off balance and take us off our “center.” A brief meditation helps you regain this balance and refocus. It also gives your mind, body, and emotions a healthy interval for much-needed rest.

How do I know if I am meditating correctly?

The first rule of meditation, at least the meditation we teach, is: You can’t do it wrong.

Meditation must first of all return you to you. and you can’t experience you (or your process) incorrectly. In fact, trying to “get it right”… striving – is really the only obstacle to meditation. So when you find yourself “working on it” or struggling… that’s your cue to pause, breathe again for a moment, and let go of this urge.

Meditation helps us to “release”: release our stress and heaviness, release our mental “chat”, release our physical and emotional tension, release our fears and judgments. Understand that deliverance is not something we “do.” Tenure it’s something we do. Tenure it takes effort. Release occurs naturally when come on of our tenure – when cease Strive. (In fact, one of the very powerful long-term benefits of meditation is that we will integrate this art of “releasing” into our daily lives…so that we end up “rising” with less stress, less heaviness, less emotional tension, and less afraid as we go through our days.)

And as a follow-up to the question above, if doing your daily or weekly meditation starts to feel like a “must,” chances are you’ve let your meditation become “work.” You’ve strayed into that “get it right” mode. Meditation should not be hard or heavy. And it’s not something you need to worry about “perfecting”. Meditation must be, above all, his time of peace and lightness: a time when you have permission to rest, and a space where you feel safe to release and open up.

Indeed, if you’ve had a stressful day, it may take some time to relax into this meditative state. So have a little patience with this. But again, the lighter you are and the less you “work” at this, the sooner and easier this feeling of balance and peace will come.

Does meditation “work” right away?

Yeah… and not. Each meditation is almost certain to provide immediate relaxation and relief from stress, fatigue, and emotional tension. However, in any given meditation, your experience can range from profound and wonderful (in terms of the depth of nourishment, clarity, release, and healing you encounter) to simply calming and balancing. And while one day your meditation may be incredibly vivid, the next day it may be a bit of a struggle. So get ready for this.

This “range of experience” is difficult to explain, except to say that meditation is an extremely “organic” process. Because it aligns you with your own “higher” energy and knowledge, it will provide you with what you need and are ready for at any given time. And this will vary.

A key factor in this variation is that, over time, meditation heals and empowers at deeper and higher levels, so there will be peaks and plateaus (…but in reality you are always moving forward). In this sense, meditation works subtly, but very powerfully with regular and long-term practice.

Beyond this, understand that “expectation” can be a hindrance to meditation. When we are “seeking” a particular experience or result, we tend to “shut down” our energy. Waiting, like trying, occupies the mind and can take us away from the experience we really need. Again, it is often best to be patient and “open up” to the energy of your meditation.

Sometimes I find that I get stuck in my thoughts during meditation. So what?

You should expect this up to a point; even more so if you are new to meditation or if you are particularly stressed at the time. Don’t let it worry you. Part of the normal process of meditation is to allow your thoughts to “run out.” your mind is a thought instrument; this is not a defect. Even if you were a “master” in meditation, if you use your mind, your mind willpower You need time to “chill out.” The less you worry about this process (the worry is actually the mind “at work”), the sooner your mind will rest and get out of the way.

Focusing lightly on your breath is a natural mechanism to “get away” from your thoughts, hence the emphasis on “breathing” in most meditation practices. (“Focusing” on our breath, in meditation practice, also helps us return to our natural, healthy body/energy rhythms.) If thoughts intrude at any time, relax and refocus on your breathing. If you can, try to treat these thoughts as separate from you. Seeing them as clouds moving freely across the sky is a very effective image. Don’t get attached to them. Just breathe and let your thoughts gently move their way. [Also see next question.]

I feel like my mind keeps interfering with my meditation, especially when I am worried about something. What I can do?

Again, this difficulty will lessen as you meditate more. Our minds are constantly “on” so it may take a while before we start to feel some “separation” from this constant stream of our thoughts. But this will come. Again, the key is to be patient and No fighting with your mind and your thoughts.

If a thought or concern weighs heavily on your mind when you begin a meditation, allow this meditation not to be an opportunity to “escape” or “turn off” this thought, but to lighten up around. In other words, use the meditation simply to release some of the heaviness: worry, fear, pressure, or perfectionism that surrounds this particular “issue.” By doing this, you restore balance to your mind and release more of your “knowing” to understand and address the issue more effectively.

And just to clarify… our minds and our meditation should not be at odds. Meditation should support every faculty and force within us. And our mind is a great force. By relaxing our thoughts through meditation, we are not so much “getting our minds out of the way” as we are giving our minds much-needed time to rest and recuperate. Yes, freeing ourselves from our “head chatter” certainly plays a key role in our meditation, as this “noise” can distract us from our deeper, more focused awareness. But doing so also gives the mind a chance to settle so that it can more fully integrate the information we’ve collected and take advantage of it. additional information that we may not “consciously” know we have collected.

And again, by helping to relieve the heaviness and worry of our thoughts, which burden and limit our mind, meditation helps us and our mind to see more clearly and creatively. In fact, meditation, at least most forms of meditation, incorporate techniques that help to “connect” the mind with our other faculties for knowing: the knowledge of our physical and emotional bodies, the knowledge of our hearts, the knowledge of our superior. be. And this “integration” of knowledge will be very powerful in our lives.

Sometimes I fall asleep soon after starting to meditate.

This is not rare. As mentioned above, meditation is designed to connect you with what you need right now. And, given our stressful lifestyles, sometimes what we need most for our balance, clarity, and strength is sleep.

Having said this, if you meditate lying down (on your bed, sofa, floor), you are very likely to fall asleep. You should be comfortable when you meditate, but the most recommended posture is to sit in a chair with your back (reasonably) straight and upright (to keep your spine straight) and both feet flat on the floor. Some prefer to sit on the ground, as they feel a more “scary” connection to the earth; this is fine too. As for sitting “Lotus” style, if it’s comfortable for you, go for it; but it is not mandatory.

Copyright 2010 Planetwide Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. For more frequently asked questions about meditation, visit http://www.Meditations2Go.com/meditation/faqs/.