Meditation is an incredible tool to help you feel calmer, happier, and more grounded BUT maybe you haven't given it a good go because you think it's really hard or requires an epic amount of mental willpower? Or, like a lot of people, perhaps you are under the mistaken impression that you are supposed to stop your thoughts when you meditate. So you try it once or twice, and find that not only can you not stop your thoughts, but it seems like your mind is as crazy as a bunch of monkeys on speed!
Trying to stop your thoughts is a recipe for failure. Meditation is actually quite easy. Though there are countless meditation techniques out there (for example breath awareness, mantra repetition, noticing the sensations in your body, or gazing at a candle or a mandala), none of them require you to try to stop your thoughts. Basically there are just 2 steps to most types of meditation practices.
Firstly, focusing your attention on the object of your concentration, and secondly, when your mind wanders (which it will OVER and OVER again) simply notice and bring it back to your object of concentration. Rinse and repeat.
With practice, instead of squelching your thoughts, you begin to hone your ability to not to get LOST in your thoughts or passively dragged along by the stream of your mindand you start to tap into a different aspect of the mind: awareness.
Throughout the day, we are mostly caught up in our THINKING MIND rather than our aware mind, and this is why we experience stress, frustration and worry. The thinking mind habitually gnaws on problems, makes a lot of noise and drama and likes to dwell on the future or the past. Sadly, the present moment is never good enough for the thinking mind, it is constantly on the lookout for something better or different, which leads to dissatisfaction.
Conversely, the aware mind, is not bound to the past or the future, but the experience of here and now. This leads to surrender, satisfaction and peace because it seeks nothing, it simply experiences the moment as it is. Regular meditation practice develops your mind's ability to slip into the state of awareness more easily, and gradually, this awareness starts to affect your everyday life in positive ways.
The benefits of meditation become more pronounced with regular practice, at least 10 to 20 minutes per day. So many areas of your life can change for the better: increased focus is a boon to your work life, increased compassion improves relationships and the new ability to be more self-aware means you can make healthier, more conscious choices for yourself. Your resilience and ability to cope with stress, anxiety or depression becomes stronger. And most importantly, being able to live in the present moment means you can truly enjoy all that your life has to offer.
Trying to stop your thoughts is a recipe for failure. Meditation is actually quite easy. Though there are countless meditation techniques out there (for example breath awareness, mantra repetition, noticing the sensations in your body, or gazing at a candle or a mandala), none of them require you to try to stop your thoughts. Basically there are just 2 steps to most types of meditation practices.
Firstly, focusing your attention on the object of your concentration, and secondly, when your mind wanders (which it will OVER and OVER again) simply notice and bring it back to your object of concentration. Rinse and repeat.
With practice, instead of squelching your thoughts, you begin to hone your ability to not to get LOST in your thoughts or passively dragged along by the stream of your mindand you start to tap into a different aspect of the mind: awareness.
Throughout the day, we are mostly caught up in our THINKING MIND rather than our aware mind, and this is why we experience stress, frustration and worry. The thinking mind habitually gnaws on problems, makes a lot of noise and drama and likes to dwell on the future or the past. Sadly, the present moment is never good enough for the thinking mind, it is constantly on the lookout for something better or different, which leads to dissatisfaction.
Conversely, the aware mind, is not bound to the past or the future, but the experience of here and now. This leads to surrender, satisfaction and peace because it seeks nothing, it simply experiences the moment as it is. Regular meditation practice develops your mind's ability to slip into the state of awareness more easily, and gradually, this awareness starts to affect your everyday life in positive ways.
The benefits of meditation become more pronounced with regular practice, at least 10 to 20 minutes per day. So many areas of your life can change for the better: increased focus is a boon to your work life, increased compassion improves relationships and the new ability to be more self-aware means you can make healthier, more conscious choices for yourself. Your resilience and ability to cope with stress, anxiety or depression becomes stronger. And most importantly, being able to live in the present moment means you can truly enjoy all that your life has to offer.
About the Author:
Sharee James is a yoga and meditation teacher, a naturopath and founder of Ashima Living. To learn more about how to calm your mind, watch her quick video meditation or grab her free e-guide "Stress-Less" here .
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