There are so many different ways to meditate. In my own journey of mindfulness, I have read and studied almost every technique imaginable. From Transcendental Meditation which is making a comeback to the thorough guidelines of my formal Buddhist training; to simply discovering my own path to mindfulness along the way. I am guilty as charged for dedicating a whole book to meditation including helpful hints and tips in my recent release,
The Responsive Universe.
Still, I have to digress; learning technique and skills is important. You need to have a foundation for which to build your practice on. Still, there is this continued misconception with meditation – about what it is and what it isn’t.
Simply said, meditation is…. It is that simple. We try to make it seem complicated and I find that the more complicated it gets the more trouble people have connecting to its quality of wellness. Taking it a step further, meditation is about mindfulness… nothing more, nothing less… it is about being present – keeping and continually redirecting your thoughts to what is happening right now; away from thoughts of fear and fantasy, past and future… What are you feeling right now? That is meditation… Did you have to refocus your thoughts a hundred times in 5 minutes? That is meditation…. Did the dog interrupt your session by chasing a fly across the room (happened to me yesterday) – that is meditation… Your stomach is growling and your foot just fell asleep? That is meditation…
You see, meditation just is…. Any attempt to meditate; any attempt to root your mind in the present is considered meditation. Even if you think you failed miserably at meditating it is still considered meditation. In this sense, you can’t lose!
You can meditate anywhere: walking the dog, riding a bike, sitting still and undisturbed. Meditation just is….
So, let your meditation flow – Stay diligent and do not stress about posture or your out breath; or all those thoughts that keep popping in your head. Every experience good or bad, positive or negative is considered part of the meditation. Meditation just is…
So, relax, breathe and just let it flow…
John C. Bader
www.responsiveuniverse.com
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