Meditation is defined as a contemplative practice that involves training attention and awareness to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. It is used across various spiritual and religious traditions to quiet, focus, and transform the mind, cultivating self-awareness and mindfulness. Meditation can involve focused techniques, such as concentrating on the breath or mantras, or open monitoring methods like mindfulness, where one observes thoughts and emotions without judgment.
In the context of yoga, meditation is the seventh limb, known as “Dhyana”, and is integral to achieving a state of inner stillness and union with the divine. It supports the calming, or quieting of the mind, enhancing self-awareness, and promoting emotional stability and mental clarity
Meditation is not just about emptying the mind but about observing thoughts and returning to a chosen focus, such as the breath, to deepen awareness and inner peace.
If you ask most people if they have a meditation practice, they will more than likely say, “no”. Why is that?? Most people will say that it is a challenge to sit still for a length of time, and it is even more difficult to make the mind go “blank”. Mind go blank…
The more I learn about the practice of meditation, the more I realize that the objective is not to make the mind go “blank”, or even sitting for a lengthy amount of time. It just is not. When you practice there may be times when the mind does in fact go “blank”, perhaps envisioning a white screen – like the movies. However, if you sit and you do not experience a completely blank space behind the eyes at any time, you will still be meditating.
As part of a personal practice, I meditate in the morning, before my feet hit the floor and I start my day. Sitting in “easy pose”, still in the bed with the room completely dark – minus the sunrise. (Many will say this time is ideal, as the mind is open and ready) It may be in the form of a prayer, (from a prayer book that was given to me by a favorite relative), chanting AUM for a few minutes, (softly or loudly), repeating an affirmation or mantra for the day over and over, (Lately, my go-to has been – “I am connected”), or sitting in gratitude for all that I wish for myself and family, and for all that I have. (Good health, strength, courage, clarity, peace, etc.) During this time, my mind does not ever go “blank”, but I have been practicing for it not to “race” from one thought to another with lightning speed. It definitely took time to learn and focus on – it is truly a gradual process. It is a time for me to place “one domino” in front of the next, (each domino representing a thought, or task to complete), until a line starts to form, with the goal being to have all of them set, one behind the next, to tip over, and fall one by one. The day may not always fall in line, and every domino may not fall the way I planned it, but there is definitely more focus and a greater possibility of it doing so – with proper set up. (minus the miscellaneous of things that are not healthy thoughts, or useless ones that always get in the mind-mix)
If you are looking to start a meditation practice – congratulations!! The more you practice, the more chances you have to connect with yourself, to focus on the things that really matter, to set aside that which does not, and to really know and understand the difference between the two. Be kind to yourself as you practice, and for what may surface in the process. There is no right and wrong, therefore no way you can mess up. (Thoughts & feelings that you may have surpressed) Be curious – with the process and with various forms of meditation. Remember – Daydreaming during the day is in fact a form of meditation. Trust the process. It will find you and you will find it.
