Written by I so Appreciate meditation. (And chocolate). Meditation has become an important part of my life and I practice it every day. Sometimes for a short period and sometimes for a longer session. The process helps me move out of my head and into my heart, live more in the NOW moment, reduce or eliminate stress, keep my vibrational frequency at a higher level and really enjoy life to the fullest. I could go on and on but for now let me encourage you to meditate regularly.
If meditation is not a part of your daily practice you may be one of the many who believe that a monastic setting is needed, or that the adoption of a Buddhist philosophy is “a must.” You may then begin to think about sitting in the lotus position for 20 silent minutes. Suddenly meditation seems like a stressful endeavor…. Not to be attempted, right?
Perhaps, if you do not yet meditate, (then this post is for you) it is time to abandon your old concept and take a fresh look at the practice.
There is a kind of meditation you can do wherever or whenever; during the commercial breaks of Big Bang, while waiting for an appointment or the bus, or during a short walk. You don’t need to sit in a certain position, breathe in a special way, close your eyes, or “do” any other mystical things with this kind of meditation. (Although there is nothing wrong with any of those things.)
This simple form of meditation, a place to begin, just asks that you to focus your attention on one single image or thought at a time. It is called Mindfulness.
Many of you do “meditate” but just didn’t know to label it as meditation. Whenever your primary focus is on someone you love, a beautiful sunset, your breath, or a delicious chocolate……. and you focus and feel the appreciation, you are meditating. This focused attention on a single element can train your brain to function at it’s maximum.
Our brains don’t function at the maximum potential when we try to balance thoughts of past, present, future, our job, bills to be paid and the baseball playoffs all at once. When the outside world constantly presses for our attention, we end up scattered, stressed, unfocused and ineffective! That does not feel good!!
So let us try this: make a contract with yourself. Every day for a week try, at least once during the day, where ever you are, whatever you’re doing, set your mind to focus on just one single thing for a short period of time. Keep it short and simple. Intentionally set all else aside. Chose something that makes you feel good. For instance, it could be the cup of tea or coffee you are drinking, the beauty of a rose, the taste of a piece of chocolate, the fragrance of the air after a rain. Try to keep the focus on that one thing for this brief moment while engaging all of your senses. Bring to mind how it looks, feels, tastes, smells, sounds……….. Hold it in your mind with attention and great appreciation and love. Try moving the focus from your head to your heart. Shift from “thinking” about the “one thing” to your feelings about it. Here is where your senses come into play. Don’t over think the process. Let your feelings flow. If you wander a bit simply refocus for a moment. Breathe, Focus, Feel, and enjoy the Appreciation of the mindful moment.
It may take a bit of practice but in training the brain to focus on one single item, even if for just a few short minutes, we can reprogram it to function a new way. Neural pathways are set that can refocus our attention. This mediates our stress response and give us an emotional relief, especially from stress, almost instantaneously.
It really is quite easy! Simply enjoying your cup of coffee or tea in a mindful manner this morning can be enough to say you ‘meditated.’
Try it and share how it went. Enjoy the high vibration of Appreciation. For a scientific report see this article that appeared in the Scientific American.
In grateful Appreciation,
Don
“God is delighted to watch your soul enlarge.” Meister Eckhart (1260-1329)
This may be the simple, practical advise that I need to get started. I have repeatedly tried to meditate, but I never seem to keep my mind focused on any one thing. I easily begin to wander with many thoughts.