Meditation can sound so easy and yet so confusing at times. What do I do while I’m sitting here. Do I try to force my brain to go quiet? Do I repeat a mantra? Do I watch my breath? Do I control my breath? Do I control my mind? Or do I simply let my mind run wild like a caffeinated child on a sugar high with a handful of puppies while I fight my physical urges to move and just say ‘Fuck it?’
Surprisingly it can actually be all of those things. It starts by simply observing where you are at that very moment. Taking the time and space to become fully present of who and what you are, observing that for a while and then letting it all go.
It takes time to settle in when you meditate so embrace that.
Once we can let go of our connection to the ego life becomes so much easier and peaceful but getting there is a long hard road to walk. That’s why you can never let yourself get frustrated in meditation, or your yoga practice, because you are simply being you and you can’t be anything else. So accept that and smile.
After going through the initial observation and surrendering to it then the real work begins. As in your yoga practice you are only trying to teach the mind that you are in control and that you are not the mind. So what you do is simply try your best to focus on one thing. That thing can be whatever you like, choose from any of the ideas I mentioned above but once you choose one stick with it.
The mind will want to run away from that focus, that idea, but it’s your job now to wrangle it back in like a wild horse. Show it who’s boss. As soon as you realise that the mind has left you and is doing it’s own thing just acknowledge it, let go of whatever it is that it’s trying to think about and come back to your original goal.
That’s really all we are trying to do. Even if you have to do it 1000 times every five minutes that’s ok. Your mind has been running free your whole life so don’t expect miracles. Just embrace where you are and keep up the fight.
And you can meditate anywhere and anytime. It’s all about simply trying to focus. All you need to do is stop just for a moment, internalise your focus and breath. That’s it. So take a moment now, sit up straight, close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths and then carry on with your day. See the subtle difference this simple exercise can make.
