Meditation: A Guide For Everyone

By David Loker

Meditation is one of the great eastern practices that has started to take hold in western culture.  In fact, people all over the world are benefiting from it, both in mind and body.  So, why isn’t everyone meditating?  It could be that not everyone knows of all the amazing benefits like increased relaxation, and decreased levels of anxiety and depression. Here, I give you a run down of only some of the many benefits of meditation, and a set of instructions for starting your own meditation practice.

I’ve split this article into two main sections.  First, I’ll talk about the benefits of meditation.  After that, I’ll talk about how you can start your own meditation practice.  If you don’t know of the many benefits of meditation, I would recommend you read through the next section.  It will help to motivate you to stick with your practice.  If you already know the benefits of meditation, feel free to skip forward.

BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

There have been many studies performed on meditation in the last decade trying to understand its effects, as well as how it manages to help us so much, both in mind and body.

Research into meditation has demonstrated that meditating for a short time increases alpha waves, which makes us feel more relaxed, while simultaneously decreasing our feelings of anxiety and depression.  Alpha waves flow through cells in the brain’s cortex, where we process sensory information.  These waves help suppress irrelevant or distracting sensory information, allowing us to focus.  The more alpha waves we have, the better we focus.

In his book, “What Is Meditation?”, Rob Nairn refers to meditation as a state of “bare attention.” He explains, “It is a highly alert and skillful state of mind because it requires one to remain psychologically present and ‘with’ whatever happens in and around one without adding to or subtracting from it in any way.”

Meditation has many health benefits.  Interestingly, an increased ability to focus allows those who suffer from chronic pain to ease their pain by choosing not  to focus on it.  It can also help with various other health problems, including: anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, HIV/AIDS and cancer.  It can also enhance the body’s immune system, making us less likely to get sick.

Studies have also shown that meditation can help to reverse heart disease.  In the journal Stroke, 60 african/americans suffering from a hardening of the arteries were asked to meditated for 6-9 months.  Those who meditated showed a notable decrease in the thickness of their artery walls.  Those who didn’t meditate showed an increase  in thickness.  The conclusions were quite dramatic.  Meditation offers a potential 11% decrease in risk of a having a heart attack, and 8-15% decrease in risk of having a stroke.

Meditation benefits our minds as well.  It teaches us to better control our thoughts.  This gives us the ability to quiet those nagging negative thoughts we may have from time to time.

A 2007 study suggests that frequent meditation leads to longer attention spans.

A 2008 study found that meditators had stronger levels in areas of the brain tied to empathy.

Through meditation, we gain better concentration, spontaneity and creativity, happiness and peace of mind.  As an actor, I experienced the effects of meditation on creativity first hand in my acting classes. Whenever we wanted to use our creative impulses, we would meditate first.  It seemed odd to me at first, but the results were amazing.  All of my creative juices came flooding to the service once my mind was cleared of clutter.

Finally, meditation can help us to discover our purpose in life.  By turning our attention inwards, and focusing purely on our own being for long periods of time, meditation can help us gain a new perspective at life, unhindered by our own egoistic perspective.  If you want to ask the very philosophical question, “Who am I?,” I can think of no better way than through meditation.  This is precisely how I found within myself my passion in life and what I feel is my true purpose.

Enough, though, about the many benefits of meditation.  There are many other websites that describe meditation and how it can help you.  Let’s start learning how to do it.

Starting meditation

Let me begin by saying that there is no one way to meditate.  As preparation for the process, begin by letting go of any expectations you may have.  For the first few times, just sit comfortably on the ground, on a pillow, or in a chair, and attempt to quiet your mind.  You will probably have many thoughts swirling through your head; about the laundry, dinner, money, the kids, school, the weekend, etc.  Don’t struggle and fight against your thoughts.  They are perfectly natural.  As they pass through your mind, notice them, accept them, and then gently bring your focus and attention back.  I will give you a more detailed explanation in a moment.  The longer you keep up with your meditation (not in one sitting, but over the course of your life), the longer you can quiet your thoughts, calm your mind, and focus.

I’m going to anticipate some questions now and attempt to answer them.  Feel free to comment below if you have other questions.

What should I feel like after I’ve meditated?

Probably you want to know if you’re “doing it right”.  I felt the same way when I began.  I wondered if I was sitting correctly, or breathing correctly, or focusing on the right thing.  In the end, none of that mattered.  If you feel better after meditating, you’re probably doing it right.

Is it hard?

It really isn’t, as long as you don’t have any expectations going in.  Don’t expect to sit in perfect serenity your first time through.  It’s perfectly fine if you don’t.  Meditation is for you, and for you alone.  It is unique to you.  Let it be whatever it is, just for you.

When you first start meditating, you may struggle to silence all the inner chatter you have going on in your mind from one moment to the next.  We all experience this struggle, as I know I did.  You are not alone.  The trick is not to fight against it, but just to accept it as part of who you are now, and that you are simply going through a personal transformation.  With time, you will  learn to calm your mind.  There is nothing you need to do to meditate better.  There is no need to try and speed things up.  If you meditate every day, that is enough (even if it’s only for 10 minutes).

What position should my body be in for meditation?

You can meditate in many ways.  You can sit on the floor, on a cushion, or in a chair.  You can lie down, or stand up, or even walk around!   Some monks actually meditate while walking.  Place yourself in absolutely any position you want that is most comfortable for you.  Myself, I sit on a 6″ buckwheat zafu meditation cushion because my lower back is not very strong.

As a side note: I don’t recommend meditating while driving. ;)

How should I breathe during meditation?

Breathe normally.  If you can, breathe using your diaphragm, which means air will reach the very bottom of your lungs.  This is known as diaphragmatic breathing.  It is a great tool for singers, like myself and Maya.  To know if you’re breathing like this, your stomach should push out, and then sink back in.  You are free to breathe however you like, though diaphragmatic breathing in and of itself is very relaxing and healing.  It may seem uncomfortable at first, but as your diaphragm increases in strength (it’s a muscle), it will become easier.  Those who practice yoga will be very familiar with this form of breathing.  Also, if you want to see it in practice, and have access to a small child :-), children breathe this way naturally.  Especially babies.

You can practice breathing using your diaphragm by laying on the ground, placing your hand(s) over your stomach, and trying to push your hand up by breathing deep into your belly.  That will give you a sense for what it feels like, and you can then shift your position as you see fit and try to mimic it.  Either way, don’t fret if you can’t sustain it while meditating.  Everything will happen in its own time.

Oh, and if you yawn during meditation, don’t worry.  It’s perfectly natural.  When we do a lot of deep breathing, and enter a relaxed state, the body yawns naturally.  Don’t fight it or think poorly of your ability to focus.

Should I close my eyes, or keep them open?

Whichever you choose.  Keep in mind that the practice does not involve actually falling asleep.  You are trying to remain alert and keep your focus and attention.  If you are sleeping, you are doing neither (and you might fall over, unless you’re lying down).  You can’t keep your eyes completely open, usually, because of dust and whatnot, and our eyes naturally get dry.  You will need to blink, at the very least.  I keep my eyes closed, because it helps me to focus on what’s happening inside my body.

What do I do with my hands?

There are different beliefs here, and I can’t say that any of them is better than another.  If you hold to certain beliefs, then holding specific shapes with your hands, or placing them in different positions, will have different effects.  I recommend you search around at the various possibilities, if you’re interested.

The basic approach is to place your forearms or the backs of your hands over your knees (if you’re sitting on the floor), palms up, thumb and wring-finger touching.  Another popular position is to sit with your hands in your lap, making an oval shape.  The back of my right hand sits in the palm of my left, fingers over fingers, and my two thumbs gently touch each other, forming the oval.

Truthfully, I believe that any position will do.  Place your hands on your knees if you like.  I like to have my hands facing up, because it makes me aware of my palms, which is an interesting feeling since they normally face down.  I have tried many different placements, and it has never affected the outcome of my meditation.

Where should I meditate?

Great question!  I’m so glad you asked!

Pick somewhere quiet where you won’t be disturbed.  Meditation requires prolonged focus, and if your attention is constantly being dragged elsewhere, it will be difficult to carry out until you have more experience.  With time, your focus will reach a point where you can meditate anywhere.

When should I practice?

Most books and experts suggest meditating in the morning, when our mind is fully alert.  It will help you to focus, and you’ll be less likely to become sleepy.  If it doesn’t fit your schedule to practice in the morning, then do it in the evening.  Meditating has too many benefits to avoid it just because you can’t do it at the “ideal” time.

I have almost no time in the mornings, usually, so I meditate in the evenings.  I find this really helps me to relax, and then later I am primed and ready to fall asleep almost instantly.

ALMOST THERE

Now that you’ve figured out how your body wants you to sit, and what feels natural to you for your meditation, I will outline the basic steps to get you going.  I’m assuming you already have a time and a place you’re going to meditate that’s quiet, where you won’t be disturbed.

1. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes, depending on how long you want to meditate for.  I don’t recommend longer than 15 minutes for your first few times.  The timer will keep you from being distracted and worrying about the passage of time.  During meditation, I often forget how much time has passed. Try and have a timer that beeps gently.  During meditation, I am much more sensitive to sound, and you may be as well.
2. Start your timer, and then get comfortable.
3. Begin by focusing on your breath.  Become aware of how it moves smoothly in and out of your body.  Focus on it, and the points where it switches from inhale to exhale.  Imagine that your breath is moving in and out of a building, its door opening in both directions and never really closing.
4. You will notice thoughts pop into your head now and again, perhaps quite often at first.  Your mind has a certain ebb and flow to it.  Accept it, and accept yourself.  Your mind and body both know what they’re doing.  Acknowledge the thought(s), and then bring your focus back to your breath.
5. If you like, you may count your breath.  Start by counting every inhale and exhale as one count, separately.  Try and get to ten.  If your mind wanders off, start counting back at one after you’ve focused back on your breath.  When you get to ten, start again at one.
6. Once you’ve gotten to ten a few times, try to count each inhale and exhale together as just one count.  Again, try to get to ten as I described in step 5.
7. If you get to ten many times during step 6, try to focus purely on your breath and your body, and stop counting.  Do not worry if this seems impossible.  It takes time, and you will definitely get there.

That’s it!  The more often you meditate, the more quickly you will notice its benefits.  You will notice that after a short time, you can easily get to step 7.  You’ll also notice that you get through the steps faster, as you learn to focus.  You might then expand your practice by focusing on a word or mantra of some sort.  Anything you find inspirational or motivational is a great mantra to use.  Repeat the mantra silently in your head for the duration of your practice.

The hardest part of meditation is sticking with it.  Many people get discouraged because they feel they “can’t do it.” To those feeling discouraged, I simply recommend you let go of your expectations.  Without those expectations, no-one is judging your meditation.  It is only for yourself and your own benefit.  If you stick to it for few months, you will get there, I guarantee it.

There is one other downside to meditation that is purely psychological.  Meditation puts us face to face with ourselves, with nowhere to hide.  Most people would rather fix things than accept them.  I wish for each of you to accept and love yourself as you are, but I know this can be difficult.  If you are having troubles with this aspect of meditation, I would recommend you read about self-acceptance, either through books or other online articles you can find.  You also have the option of seeking help from qualified professionals.  Nothing bad can come from learning to love and accept yourself!

I wish you all great health, and best of luck with your new meditation practice!

P.S.: For those who wish to learn more about meditation, I recommend the following books:  “What Is Meditation?”, by Rob Nairn, and “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind”, by Shunryu Suzuki.