This IS the Meditation
I LOVE the rain!!!
I grew up in Vancouver B.C. where it rained a TON. When it rains 7+ months of the year, you learn to just live with it. Schools don't close their playing fields, drivers don't suddenly become grannies behind the wheel, and having a "bad hair day" isn't really a big deal because your skin is amazing- not a bad tradeoff.
I now live in Southern California where rain, when it happens, is a gift from the gods. This past week we've been showered with gifts and most Californians are very grateful for all the wet stuff falling from the sky.
I LOVE the sound of rain! My son and I often fall asleep together with the canned rain sound that we have been listening to his entire life. It hangs from his headboard in the form of "Lamby."
Yesterday morning, during my 5:00 am meditation, the rain was louder than I'd heard in a long time. As I sat, trying to clear my thoughts and settle my mind, I kept finding myself distracted by the rain pounding on my living room roof. It sounded as though water was falling on the floor of my 1920's Spanish living room. I kept opening my eyes, getting up to check. I was convinced buckets would be necessary, never mind a new roof. However, everything was fine - no leaks, no interior water, no buckets necessary.
After settling back onto my meditation cushion, it hit me: "Just listen to the rain" ... THIS IS the meditation!
As I let go of my expectations of what was "supposed" to be happening, I could easily fall into the moment of what WAS happening. This is the core of meditation. Simply noticing our thoughts and letting them pass like waves lapping at the shore. It's the moment we recognize that our mind has wandered off into its to-do list, plans for the day or judging the day that has just passed. It's this second of awareness, and then bringing our mind back to the present moment- THAT is the meditation.
I love the analogy of training a puppy: we pick it up and place it on the paper to pee and it runs away. We lovingly pick the puppy up, put it back, and again it runs away, maybe even pees on the carpet. We don't grab the puppy by its scruff and force it to sit. Instead, we keep at it until the puppy learns. The difference is that the puppy learns much faster than our minds do. The point of meditation isn't to finally settle the mind for good; it's the continual "bringing it back" to the present moment that is the meditation. With practice, the time "on the pee mat" becomes longer.
We all know the benefits of meditation and that it is no longer ONLY for yogis, monks or those with a spiritual practice. ANYONE can meditate!
Here are just a few of the benefits that meditation can offer:
relieves pain, aids faster healing, extinguishes inflammation
slows aging, increases libido, extends lifespan
manages stress, depression and anxiety
benefits sleep, deep relaxation, decreases muscle tension
supports heart, nervous system, immune system, endocrine system health and MORE
helps with PMS, fertility & pregnancy
helps beat addiction, promotes emotional health & enhances self-awareness
There are a number of different ways to meditate so that anyone, regardless of beliefs, personality or lifestyle, can benefit. Some require deeper experience, but basically, meditation is available to everyone and anyone.
The 7 most common “styles” of meditation in a nutshell are:
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION- Mindfulness is a form of meditation that urges you to just be in the moment.
LOVING KINDNESS MEDITATION- The loving- kindness meditation goal is to cultivate a feeling of love and kindness towards everyone, EVEN a persons enemies or greatest stressors.
BODY SCAN or PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION- This meditation encourages you to scan your body for any areas of tension. The goal is to simply notice where you’re holding or blocking energy and send your breath, visualizing the tension releases.
BREATH AWARENESS MEDITATION- Breath awareness is a type of mindful meditation that encourages mindful breathing.
KUNDALINI YOGA- Kundalini yoga is a physically active form of meditation that blends movements with deep breathing and mantras.
ZEN MEDITATION- Zen Meditation is a form of meditation that can be part of Buddhist practice. Many Zen practitioners study under a teacher because this kind of meditation involves specific steps and postures.
TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION- Transcendental Meditation is a spiritual form of meditation where practitioners remain seated and breathe slowly. The goal is to transcend or rise above the person's current state of being.
Here are a few steps to get your MEDITATION PRACTICE rolling:
What to do: Choose a consistent time in your day when you won't be disturbed. Early morning (as part of your routine) or during evening wind-down work well. Start slow and keep it simple.
Why You Want To: Meditation helps clear your mind and digest experiences. In silence, you process thoughts and gain new perspectives. You access inner freedom and a broader outlook that reduces daily stress. Your body benefits too - improving immune function and cellular rejuvenation through the subtle vibratory field created during practice.
How to Start:
Set an alert on your phone to remind you to meditate
Start with just one minute, using your phone's timer
Sit with a straight spine on a chair edge or cushion
Close your eyes or soften your gaze downward
Relax and let your awareness expand
Allow everything to be as it is
Add one minute each time you practice, aiming eventually for 20+ minutes. Remember: even two minutes of meditation is better than none.
When first learning to meditate, I suggest starting with "mindful meditation". As you become familiar with it, you can explore other practices.
While learning from a book isn't ideal, the best instruction I've received in years of meditation training is to "relax and pay attention". Pay attention to your attention itself. Let go. Be aware. As you let go, your awareness shifts inward. Presence has both levity and gravity. Allow yourself to be pulled into the natural gravity of deep presence and wholeness.
It's helpful to repeat a mantra - a word, sound, prayer, or short phrase. "RELAX" works well, or any word that resonates with inner peace: effortless, compassion, love, one, calm, or gentle.
Let's try that together for one minute.
Do you feel more relaxed? If not, be gentle with yourself - it's called a practice for a reason. If meditation makes you anxious, return to the "relax" instruction. Allow your breath to breathe you.
During meditation, you make subtle micro-choices while in a deeply relaxed state: Should I scratch that itch? Can I relax more? Should I stop daydreaming? Should I stop early to send that email?
You'll start seeing thoughts and emotions from a distance as they come and go. After a minute, silently think your mantra in the same effortless way thoughts come. For me, the rain became my mantra - my point of focus. When other thoughts arise (which is natural), gently return to your mantra.
Remember: don't TRY to meditate or force anything. Relax into effortlessness and let the mantra arise naturally. "Trying" diminishes meditation's benefits.
By choosing to relax and pay attention repeatedly, you create positive change. The result? Expanded consciousness, upgraded awareness, more brain cells, increased sensitivity and creativity. Meanwhile, your body experiences deep rest and healing.
Tips for Sitting in Silence
• If you resist meditation, start with a one-minute deep breathing practice.
• If you want to begin meditating, start with one minute. Bring 100% of your awareness to a one-minute practice. Try one minute before sleep and one minute during your morning routine.
• Sit in the same place at the same time each day. Very early morning or before bed is the best time for most people. Bring in ritual.
• Use an audio recording, if desired, for instruction. ( headspace, glo.com, calm, insight timer, the breathing app).
• Set the timer on your phone.
• When the timer goes off, stop—even if you want to keep going. Potent, regular practice is better than sporadic, longer practice.
• Gradually increase the length of practice. Don’t set yourself up for failure by making your sit time too long. Work your way up, first to five minutes, then gradually to ten. Increase by five-minute increments until you’re happy with your results. While thirty minutes twice a day works great for many serious meditators, remember the practice needs to work for you right now in your life. Use kaizen to make meditation an effortless daily routine, building your meditation muscle consistently.
• If you used to meditate and you’ve strayed, try restarting with five, ten, or fifteen minutes— whichever you can commit to daily during this phase of your life.
Here are a few signs that your MEDITATION is working:
“Am I doing it right?” This is the most common question from beginners and experienced meditators alike. One way to know is how you feel after, not during, your practice.
• You notice more detail, including the sky and the trees.
• You don’t feel as rushed.
• You may feel calm and at ease.
• You experience more gratitude and less fear.
• Your field of compassion expands and empathy deepens.
• Your attention is less self-absorbed.
• Your perspective is widening.
• You are becoming more open-minded.
• You listen deeply.
• You experience clarity.
• You are happier, positive, and uplifted.
• When you feel stressed or out of balance you stop, drop and sit.
When this practice becomes part of who we are, the benefits are endless. Ask someone with an established practice what they've gained and watch them light up. Meditation teacher Craig Hamilton says: "I've learned to free fall backward, unknowing and without fear, through my day-to-day life."
"To know the self, we must go beyond the mind," teaches Eastern mysticism. After meditation, we see our thoughts and emotions more clearly. We can choose to engage with them or let them go. We can intentionally direct our mind toward life-enhancing thoughts, or get swept into old patterns that keep us stuck.
Now, choose a time when you'll be undisturbed. This might mean carving out time in your schedule, waking earlier, adjusting bedtimes, or asking for support from those you live with. Set up a quiet, comfortable space. Commit to your chosen time and give it a whirl.
“If you think that you don’t have time to meditate, it actually means that you don’t have time to NOT meditate!!!”