EsoExo: Its about meditating and mostly for those somewhat new to meditation
These sentences are intended for those who may begin to meditate and for those who may have thoughts of renewing their practice.
Many of those who have meditated agree that both breath and alertness is important. There are those who believe both are important to life. Awareness of breath and and of breathing is useful to those who practice meditation. Remember to breath for a while. The quality of your breathing is worth consideration.
Focus and the Improvement of focus has been the aim of many who practice meditation and is an aim of mine. It seems up to each to decide what is worthy of their focus. Many have said that breath counting be a useful practice and a way to improve one's ability to concentrate. Your ability to keep to the subject, to keep to the topic, and to stick to the issue may improve with your practice of meditation. Some have made breath following or breath counting an major part of their long term practice.
I am narrowing the breadth of our view of meditation here with the aim of making our view both more comprehensible and more productive. Evens so, we can remember that meditation has, and has had, a broad range of differing goals, means, aims, and ways. Let me add here that I am not a teacher of meditation nor even an active practitioner of meditation. I have practiced meditation, found it useful, studied it a bit. It still has a place in my life.On with my introductory words:
If I were to renew my practice right now, I might think "in" as I breath in and "out" as I breathe out. However, I could consider making some little decisions and moves first. I could make a time and place in which to meditate which pleases me. Some long time meditater might say that one may learn to meditate usefully and with satisfaction at any time and in any place. I believe that meditater is pointing toward a reality.
However, I suspect that a good beginning for many beginners and for me, is probably best to aim to practice regularly in a place which feels comfortable and is fairly free of distraction. I am helped to good practice by knowing when and where I will do it. I have found that I could practice well on a quiet beach where the waves wetted my feet. But remembering that here in my home high in the Andes. I might better remember to practice if I determined to practice right after my morning physical exercise. When I am regular with my excise, meditating right after it could work well for me. As I like my meditation time to be quite and free from interruption, practicing just before going to bed could work well.
Getting ready, willing, and able to practice may become a good practice in its self. I would like to sit up-right in, or on, a comfortable chair where I can maintain a good posture. Can that be difficult to arrange.I would aim to be awake, and alert in that chair. I would aim to attend to that which I am doing. I would like to feel mentally energetic as I avoid force and strain. I want to begin by paying attention to what I do and think. Maybe I should try letting this be a bit more simple.
I would like to have a timer. O prefer to meditate with my eyes closed. I use a timer so that I do not meditate too long or do break off my practice too soon.
These details are not rules and are not for every one or for every case. There are those who can meditate for two hours and then stop their practice at their predetermined time without outside help. They may not have been able to do that as beginners.
Without the use of a timer I may stop a practice thinking I have meditated for an hour, to discover that I have only practice for ten minutes. At another time I may stop a practice to check a clock believing that I had meditated for half an hour, to find that I had meditate for an hour and a half! So, when I could, I have set a timer to sound at a time I had predetermined.
If I were to begin a practice session right now, I would probably set a timer for about ten minutes. I feel I could meditate for that amount of time Without peeking to check the timer. When one has not meditated for some time, 20 minutes can see a long time. I seem to remember having completed 20 minutes of practice, judging that during that time had maintained close focus for only 3 or 4 continuous minutes and that I had done very well to have done so. I may have come to realize that now practice is bad when intentions are good. Practice itself can be the purpose. Sometimes I don't get my head all the way around that, but I do know that the words come close to the reality.
I have meditated walking, sitting on a rock, and while lying on my back in the floor, but find that sitting on a chair and maintaining good posture is usually best for me. Buddhist often call their contemplation or meditation time, sitting. They often do their sitting in a group. We can do ours as we will.
I am remembering some very pleasant walking meditation. Walking practice can be rewarding and pleasant, but may seem very different from sitting. Sitting is not completely free from possible distraction, walking can be quite distracting. (Still attending to the distractions can be the focus of the practice.) The quiet of the beach including the sounds of the water can be a positive factor while walking with bare feet washed by wavelets of an early evening. The flat damp sand can be a help, but just putting on foot in front of another can be distracting, but can also become an important part of a practice. I think that I began by counting my steps as I attended to it 1,22,3,4 and 1,2,3,4 and 1. 2. 3. 4.
I may be distracting us a bit now. Let me focus on you. I will suggest a little homework for you You won't get into trouble if you fail to complete it. If you do complete it you will probably do so before I complete mine.
Ready to Practice:
Sit where you are less likely to be disturbed. Have a way to time your practice. Have a clock on the wall or on a table where you can see it, or a watch on your wrist is fine. You can open your eyes to see if you have meditated an hour too long. Aim for a ten minute practice and determine to complete it. Each moment of your practice is important. Attend to them. Sit where you can check the time without getting up.
You are about to practice meditation with determination.
Do this; sit well. Close your eyes and take a few comfortably deep breaths. Note breathing in. Note breathing out. Let yourself begin some more regular breathing. Slow and a bit deeper than usual is OK. Notice breathing in and breathing out. Attend to your inhalations and exhalations. Now, breath in and out, that's one. Breathe in and breathe out, that's two. Breathe in then out, that's 3, Now, breathe in and out; that's 4, and completes this round. Continue completing rounds of four until this practice until ten minutes have past and this practice is complete. You could have counted rounds of four to see how many of them there are in a ten minute practice. You have attended to what you were doing and maybe to how you were feeling. No need to watch yourself attending.
Hey, if you really completed the above, congratulations! You have practiced meditation.
Did you sit with a straight spine? Did you have pain to avoid? Did you move around a bit to avoid discomfort? If pain becomes truly disturbing you can start repeating rounds of "Good Posture; no pain."
Check the clock. You may not have completed what you set out to do. This is not just a bit of bad humor. An important part of most practice is to faithfully complete that which you have set out to do.
Do try not to stop too soon. It's not a crime to check a time piece to see how you are doing. You are the boss, commander, and beneficiary of your practice. When you have completed a practice, take some time to consider how you feel. You deserve congratulations for each and every practice you complete. Congratulate yourself.
When you feel bad,truly bad after a session, it may have been a practice truly bad for you. I may be best not to repeat that same practice again soon. Take some time to consider it; you may note parts to keep, change, or not to visit again before a couple of years pass. It's good to have a congenial practice or three around to take the place of one dropped or just for a good change. When you do begin a new practice it is good to decide/determine how long you will try it before considering another change. You may find it best to stick with a new practice for around six or seven sessions before making a change.
As you counted your rounds in your original practice experience, when was your breath warm and when cool? How did it feel? How did the air feel moving through your nose. Weird? Good? Did you breathe out by way of nose or mouth? How did the air feel moving into your lungs? Did you keep counting? Did you finish your ten minutes?
Review your experience, think about it. If you felt good enough about it, you could determine to keep at it for, say, three times a week for three weeks. Then you could decide where to go from there. It is good to explore a variety of practices. It may be best to stick with each for a number of weeks before deciding what to do next and perhaps how to do it. When experiences feel great, you can stick with them for awhile and perhaps return to them year after year.
Congratulations for beginning to explore meditation! Why not congratulate yourself for that which you have begun to learn about yourself and your meditation. You might find that you can rake a sort of mental picture of your experience, so that you can compare it to other doings.
You can learn more about meditation and the practice of it online, in books, in a group, with a coach, and in other meditation posts on this blog. You can learn a great deal from observing your own practice.
I believe that completing that which you intend to do is a valuable part of your practice. Do not intend too much, but to complete that which you in tend to.
When all or part feels bad for you it may very well be bad for you, It is probably bad for you at the time. At some other it may not be so bad for you, or maybe become just right. When feels good for you it probably is good for you just now.
Search this blog for other posts on meditation practice. You can also find another meditation blog which is good for you. It may be good for us too, please tell us about it. Check out the "comments" section just below. Start by clicking on "comments" or on "no comments."
Thank you for the visit. Please stay for a while and come back soon.
rcs