Learning to Meditate

Meditation has always been tough for me. It's so hard to quieten the mind! I'd start with deep breathing and then get distracted. Thought followed thought and yet another... Till I'd realize with a start that all I'd been doing all this while was ruminating, worrying, problem-solving, questioning the way of things and so on... Nary a sign of inner peace. Meditation has gone right out of the window.

However, I didn’t give up. Spiritual enlightenment has been a life-long lure. The Buddha had something to do with it, when I was eight years old. Yup, eight! All it took was one chapter on Buddhism in the history textbook. The desire sharpened after reading about self-actualization in psychology textbooks in college. 

After that, whenever I'd see an article or a video on how to meditate I'd follow it diligently. Some would say that meditation is just being aware of your breathing... (tried that and you know how that turned out!). 

Others would say, meditation is just mindfulness—being aware of your thoughts and letting them be [translation: not reacting to them :P], while gently bringing your focus back to your breathing. Tried that too but I rarely do things in half measure and soon I was concentrating with such ferocity that my thoughts were getting a headache! :D I could feel them straining to flee my gentle mindfulness. :P

I guess all these experiments must have trained my brain over time. I took a little bit of this and a little bit of that and figured out a method that works for me. There is of course guided meditation but if I just want to relax my brain for five minutes, then this is what I do. Why five minutes? The lower you keep expectations, the easier it is to meet them, and often surpass them. And it is fairly simple, so here goes:

I put on any meditation that I find lulling though not something that puts me to sleep (though I’ve done that too :P). YouTube is filled with meditation music to heal, to reduce anxiety, to remove negative energy or to invite positive energy, etc.

I lie down (this works for me). You can sit, stand, do headstands or whatever you like where you are comfortable. I spend a few moments just listening to the background sounds: birds chirping, the fan whirring, etc. I let my mind get used to these sounds. I also extend my senses to feel textures, see the darkness behind my eyes, and so on.

Then I take a deep breath, let it out. Then I do this again. And a third time. The third time when I exhale, I allow the breath to move down from my body, collecting the weight of my body and depositing it on the surface I'm resting on: a bed, chair, etc. (If you do it on your fourth or fifth time, no one's keeping count. :P)

Now I focus my attention towards my feet, directing energy—self love and strength (or whatever you want to feel) towards my feet and ankles. (I don't stop breathing :P, but now I breathe normally). After a few beats, I move to my calves and knees, doing the same. In this fashion, I move this energy up my body till I reach the crown of my head. 

The way you move up your body to focus energy on is up to you. The time you spend on each segment is also up to your comfort level and availability of time. Also, thoughts will flow in and out. (There’s no stopping thoughts!) Sometimes you'll find yourself following them, more so at the beginning of the meditation. When you become aware that your attention has drifted, don't beat yourself up. :D Accept the thought but don’t engage with it. Just get back to breathing and directing energy.

Now, once I reach the crown of my head, I focus my awareness and energies there for a few beats. Then I extend this awareness and energies a foot over my crown and spend time there. Then I incrementally extend this awareness and energy upward, by the length of a person, of a room, of a floor, the height of trees, tall buildings, to the kite that flies overhead, to the moon, sun and the stars...

(You can also extend this energy and awareness from the crown of your head or allow it to envelop you and expand it all around you). I generally find that once my energies reach this zenith of the stars, I feel as if I'm floating in space, as if my being has expanded into a zone of bliss and peace. I don't reach this zone every time. But when I do reach it, it's the best! :) 

However, whether you reach this zone or not, whether thoughts intrude or not, just this process of sending awareness and energy towards yourself, bit by bit, helps in that journey of self-love, self-belief and self-actualization. :) 

And yes, you can train your brain in the present to change your future. If you want science to back it up, do read or listen to psychology professor, Lisa Feldman Barrett's excellent interview Your Brain Doesn't Work the Way You Think It Does :)

 Happy meditating!

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