There is a whole generation of people who don’t know how to sit in silence. This is for them.
My very first meditation teacher in 1980 was Marty, a Flower Essence practitioner.
She said, “You can sit for 5 minutes. Anyone can sit for 5 minutes to start.”
She would take me out in the desert outside of Las Vegas, NV, to gather herbs. We’d drive over a Mountain Pass and take a right on a dirt road leading to Lovell Canyon. Back then, you’d see wild Mustangs roaming around. The air was pure and sweet with sage. Getting out early was a must if you didn’t want fried skin. Marty introduced me to the grandfather plants and how to ask permission of them before gathering their leaves. We were looking for Ephedra that day and came across a giant shrub. The herb is used for allergies around here and we needed some.
She said, “In order to get in touch with the plant, you need to learn how to meditate.”
So that’s what I did. I began with sitting for 5 minutes. Instructions at the end of this article.
About a decade later while on a Vipassana (silent) retreat in Joshua Tree, California, in the 1990’s, Jack Kornfield, the respected Vipassana meditation teacher said, “If you are looking for peace in the mind, good luck. Learn to look at the mind peacefully.”
Another instruction he gave back then, “If you have a lot of neurosis and expect meditation to fix you, you will become a neurotic meditator.”
As one teacher recently said, “Meditation is not for stress reduction. It is for attaining enlightenment.”
But, it registered with me, though, that when we meditate regularly the cumulative effect is inner peace which reduces stress. We all want that.
Sitting in silence gives us an opportunity to witness the mind and cultivate a strong backbone, if you will, to observe and not react to life here on planet earth. As we STOP every distraction and sit in silence an opportunity to connect with Spirit (or something greater than ourselves) arises spontaneously. We have a taste of inner peace and tranquility beyond the mind’s constant chatter.
There are a variety of techniques for meditating and I have practiced many. I’d like to share with you what got me started, all the way back in 1980 with Marty.
Instruction:
Let’s begin by finding a spot where you can close the door, turn off the phone and computer. Light some incense. As my Guru would later say, “Incense creates a harmonious atmosphere.”
It is best to sit in the same exact place every day. If you cannot sit on the floor on a pure wool blanket, meditation bench or zafu (cushion) then sit in a chair, put your wool blanket on it for support, but sit up straight. Rest your hands, palms up, on the thighs.
Direct the mind to the breath. Focus attention on the inhale, the slight expansion of the nostrils as you take in a slow stream of oxygen. Notice the warmed breath on the exhale coming out of the nostrils. You may complete three or four breaths before the mind wanders into some fantasy, daydream or To-Do list. Before you know it your 5 minutes are up. Do it again tomorrow and the next day and the next. By the end of the week, you’ll see how much headspace is taken up by repetitive patterns of the same old story you keep telling yourself. The same fantasies, daydreams and lists. When you become aware of those thoughts, gently bring your attention back to the inhale, the exhale. Begin again.
This is the first lesson – how unaware we are of our thought patterns and that they are patterns. Focusing on the breath gives the mind something to do in the present moment.
Our mind is constantly planning the future or reviewing the past which is basically a continuing cycle. The characters in our “stories” may change and meditation gives you a chance to notice it is the same story, same pattern.
Set up the intention to meditate for 5 minutes every day. Set up the posture of meditation with the Body. Focus the Mind on the breath. Light incense to invite Spirit in as you watch the smoke rise.
Five minutes is a great place to start. Do it. Then the following week as the body “settles” into the routine, sit for 10 minutes.
Continuing Series. More to come.