Meditation part
1
Here’s a little experiment
for you to try. Be brutally honest and if need be take brief notes during the
day. Work out where your daily thoughts are predominantly focused – are they
in the past, present or future? A lot of us will be surprised to know that we
are either moving away from the past or moving towards an optimistic yet
slightly uncertain future. Very few are in the present or fully aware of how to
achieve this.
The funny thing
is we have always been and will always be in the present – we can only ever be
in the present – the past has gone and the future is always out of reach. Like
the classic pub bar inscription in a lovely little hotel in the Lake District – “free drinks tomorrow”. So now we are
aware of the problem, it is not our body that scurries between realms in time
as only Dr. Who can do that; it is our mind. I am not saying we cannot remember
the past as some of these memories are what created the person we now are. I am
also not saying avoid the future as it is essential we have a roadmap and a
clear idea of where we are going. The important thing to remember is that NOW
is what is and will always be important. Are the actions of now congruent with
those visions of the future? Have you learnt from the past as reflected by
things you now do or no longer do in the present?
To get the head
right and firmly grounded in the present is not impossible but does take some
work. Probably the best method for this is meditation: the ancient art of
ceasing to act like a headless chicken for a while. Here I will briefly discuss
one form of basic meditation that has worked for me and many others. I was lucky
enough to live quite close to the London Buddhist Centre and would recommend
anyone check them out for more information.
The mindfulness
of breathing is a meditation based on internally counting the breath cycle whilst
letting the mind relax. The counting can be viewed as markers that regulate the
activity of the mind during the meditation. In a comfortable position, take a
slow breath in, then exhale and count “1” to yourself after each breath cycle.
Repeat this with the aim of reaching 10 and then returning to 1 for a brief 10
minute session. Your ability or inability to get to 10 without interruption or
losing count will indicate your mental activity level and show you just how
beneficial mental “time out” can be (or is that “time in?” – you decide).
Surprisingly, many people report hardly ever getting to 10 for the first few
sessions so do not let this put you off – simply view it as a journey of
learning and self discovery.
The second stage
of the mindfulness is to anticipate and count just before you inhale. This
requires a slight change in focus and awareness. Ensure the breathing is normal
and if the mind wanders always come back to the counting. Eventually the
counting is dropped so you can experience a deeper level of relaxation and the
final stages along with some of the potential hindrances and ways of overcoming
them will be discussed in part 2 next week.
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