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.
Eventually, rather than stopping your thoughts, you get better and better at not getting LOST in your thoughts, and you are able to tap into another aspect of your consciousness beyond your thinking mind: the aware mind.
Most of us spend the majority of our daily lives caught up in our THINKING MIND rather than our aware mind, and our thinking mind is where we experience our stress, frustration and worry. The nature of the thinking mind is to chew on problems, create a lot of internal noise and fixate on the future or the past. Unfortunately, the present moment is never enough for the thinking mind, it is always searching for something better or different, which of course, is a recipe for unhappiness.
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.
With a regular daily practice of even just 10 or 20 minutes you will see many benefits. It will be easier to make healthier choices for yourself because of your increased self-awareness. Dealing with stress, worry, anxiety and depression will become much easier. Relationships can improve as you become kinder - to yourself and others. Sharper concentration and focus will improve your work-life. But best of all, you will be able to enjoy the precious moments of your life instead of wondering where they disappeared to while you were preoccupied with other things.
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.
Eventually, rather than stopping your thoughts, you get better and better at not getting LOST in your thoughts, and you are able to tap into another aspect of your consciousness beyond your thinking mind: the aware mind.
Most of us spend the majority of our daily lives caught up in our THINKING MIND rather than our aware mind, and our thinking mind is where we experience our stress, frustration and worry. The nature of the thinking mind is to chew on problems, create a lot of internal noise and fixate on the future or the past. Unfortunately, the present moment is never enough for the thinking mind, it is always searching for something better or different, which of course, is a recipe for unhappiness.
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.
With a regular daily practice of even just 10 or 20 minutes you will see many benefits. It will be easier to make healthier choices for yourself because of your increased self-awareness. Dealing with stress, worry, anxiety and depression will become much easier. Relationships can improve as you become kinder - to yourself and others. Sharper concentration and focus will improve your work-life. But best of all, you will be able to enjoy the precious moments of your life instead of wondering where they disappeared to while you were preoccupied with other things.
About the Author:
Sharee James is a yoga and meditation instructor, a naturopath and founder of Ashima Living. To learn more about how to calm your mind, watch her short video meditation or download her free e-guide "Stress-Less" here .
