Meditation is perceived as one of the most difficult of yogic achievements. Often, we think we are doing it wrong or not making progress, or feel lost. Meditation is all about watching the mind, its patterns, tendencies, grooves, and biases, samskaras and vasanas in yoga terms. You don't necessarily need to do anything.
When you're ready you get a mantra and let your mind focus, rest, hear it's vibrations, it's sound. Each time the mind is distracted, you may get pulled away for a while but then your mind willremember your mantra and gently bring it back to that resting place. Sometimes the mind will get caught in a "vortex" of emotion, or a "ditch" of rumination, but slowly with determination and guidance we begin to see the distraction as just that a distraction that draws the mind out of focus. Practice bringing the mind back. It's not always easy, but over time progress is made, perceptible or not. Meditation doesn't have to be about an end goal. The journey, the practice is enough. Sitting down day after day to try again. Letting each practice bring what it will, be as it is. Each day we take in so much - food, thought, emotion, and more. If we never let it digest, never assimilate or remove what we've eaten all day every day, then we get indigestion, cannot sleep, or find the stress builds to an unmanageable state. Take time each day, maybe 5 minutes to start to sit and begin to rest the mind. Taking in and letting go, restoring and releasing, nourishing and cleansing the mind as only meditation can do. Don't let judgement stand between you and your meditation. Know that even a restless mind will benefit from a short period of rest, not dreaming, or sleeping, or imagining, but watching. There is no need to try and change your mind, or transform who you are. Let it be enough to get to know yourself. To rest in the present moment of what is, and not conversation of what you think might be or might have been. Rest in the knowledge that it is now and that is enough.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHi, I'm Andrea. This is my yoga blog. Archives
June 2016
|