The Practice of Meditation

with practical strategies to implement today

May 07, 2023

Meditation is not how it is portrayed: it is not about sitting cross legged in a sheet for hours at a time, though it can be. Meditation is about the process, about our internal dialogue. The practice of meditation is a development of self-intimacy, of mapping our inner landscape. Meditation is not necessarily sedentary, either. We can be in nature, do dishes, dance in the living room meditatively. Meditation is simply attunement to our consciousness, so provided we are staying with our Selves through the process, that thing can be meditative.

As we are engaging in seemingly mundane tasks with focused intention, we are meditating in the same way that practiced gurus do. In meditation, it can feel like there are incessant interruptions in your attention. When the brain has been used to a certain pace, slowing down can be a trigger for the brain to speed up. A focusing tool to counteract this impulse is to fixate your attention on only one thing. The most accessible focal point is the breath, simply noticing your inhale and noticing your exhale. Start tracking the internal pathway of your breath, where your breath travels and feel your body change with every breath. In communing with our breath we are able to connect with our Body, our constant companion.

Jon Kabat Zin, a meditation academic, states, "where you go, there you are". Our relationship with our Bodies is integral to a Whole-istic identity because our Bodies are the sacred container to our Being. Listed below are ideas on developing an embodied relationship with your Self. How you connect with your Body will change through time, seasons of life and as we grow.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Starting at your toes, clench your muscles for 5 full seconds before releasing, allowing a wave of relaxation to wash over you. Continue this process throughout your whole body, all the way to your face.

Visualization

Visualize a safe place within your body, notice the details, the sights, the smells, the sounds. Connect to it all. Allow this experience to wash over your whole body.

A Meditation Hack

It is particularly powerful to be led through meditations in your own voice. Jot down a few notes or find free meditation scripts online, bringing your focus to your breath as you record yourself reciting the a script with Zen nature sounds in the background for ambience. Our bodies respond to our own voice more, just as hearing your name across the room has you look up. Speak slowly, softly and ensure background noise is limited. Save as a voice memo on your phone so you can access anytime.

Meditation is not a complex science, nor is it a practice reserved for the hyperspiritual. Meditation is simply communing with the Self, visiting our wonderfully complex inner world in a practice of non-judgment. Meditation is an exercise and like any exercise, it does get easier over time. In the beginning, the brain is accustomed to a certain pace of busyness so the stillness of meditation can activate our brain to go into hyperdrive.

For individuals struggling with anxiety, meditation can activate an anxiety response with the hyperactive brain activity, instead of helping, as it should. Meditation is very helpful for anxiety because it focuses on our breath, offers stillness and develops self-trust. The instinctual anxiety response simply needs to be circumvented at first. This looks different for everyone, but experimenting with what works for you is a good place to start.

Ensure you have the support you need and grounding exercises practiced in these experiments. Notice if you are able to sink deeper into meditation by closing your eyes and shutting out distractions or if closing your eyes triggers flashbacks or hyperactive rumination. If the latter, simply soften your gaze to the floor instead of closing your eyes. This is still meditation.

General Mindfulness

What do you notice in the silence? Where do you go in silence?

Mindful Eating

Nonjudgmentally notice what the texture looks like, how it feels in the hand, what it smells like, how it feels to bite into it

The practice of meditation is just that, a practice. Be kind to yourself as you embark on this meditative journey. Meditation requires practice to build up stamina, so forcing yourself to meditate for an hour straight in the beginning may not be helpful because you will be white knuckling the experience. Instead, start small. It is much more effective to develop a meditation strategy that starts slow, develops confidence and creates routine. Set aside 2 minutes, then 5 minutes, then 7 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 12 minutes, then 15 minutes.

As you develop relationship with your meditation practice, each fragment of time becomes easier. Intrusive thoughts, particularly for people struggling with anxiety, can hinder a meditative practice. Start by writing down the thoughts that enter your mind in meditation. Keep a notebook nearby and as to-do lists, fears or grocery items appear in your minds eye, simply write them down and offer these thoughts a home on the page. This is not meant to be a long-term solution, as you practice meditation, you will get to the place where these thoughts will float by like clouds. But this is anxious thought harm reduction, we first need to offer these thoughts space before separating ourselves from them.

Focus

Find a grounding object, a place to look, a calming photo, listening to music to take in all that it is. Carry an object like a shell or a rock that you can grab in moments of distress to notice how it feels in your hand and to remind you that the world can hold you

Senses

Plant your feet, seat, and back, then use an ice cube or hot tea to focus on the sensation of the object in your hand, any smells that are coming up and the feeling of it in your mouth

Body scan gratitude below:

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The westernization of mediation characterizes it as a luxury of the upper class, those with infinite time to spare, with elaborate altars and a crystal collection to ward off every type of negative energy. But meditation is for everyone. Meditation is a direct line to our inner experience, it puts us in touch with our authenticity and facilitates more intuitive choices because we are in touch with our Self. Meditation can feel selfish or fruitless; on the outside, it looks like you’re sitting for a period of time, breathing and that’s it. That’s it but there’s so much more. Meditation is not selfish in the same way showering is not selfish, it is maintaining inner hygiene, cleansing the natural buildup of unwanted gunk.

Meditation is a necessary investment into your relationship with yourself. We develop relationships with others by spending time with them, and meditation is the same idea to develop your relationship with yourself. While it may feel pointless to “do” meditation, its effects are nonetheless impactful. People still exercise even though they may not see results that day. We still drink water, even though we may not see the direct benefits.

Not every meditation session will be groundbreaking, in the same way not every therapy session will be earth shattering or every visit to the gym will be momentous. Mantras are helpful anchors to return to when the mind wanders. Mantras return us to the centre of our intention for pursuing meditation. By focusing on a mantra, it takes up the cognitive space that would otherwise be infiltrated by anxious rumination.

Mantras

I am safe
I am loved
I can be here
I am with my breath
So Hum (I am that)
Ra ma da sa sa say so hum (I connect with the energy of the sun, of the moon, of the earth, to infinity, to the universe universe, I am interwoven, I am that)

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