We can pretty good at this through meditation and then we are out engaging in the world, we can do the same thing. We don’t get carried away into fear, anxiety, or depression because we were triggered by something.
We can just say, “Oh, I see you, fear thought.” And even if we begin to start feeling fear, or it triggers new fear thoughts, we can still stay in that position of the observer, unattached.
There are even more ways to meditate. Pranayama (breath practices) can be meditations, chanting mantras can also be meditations. There are countless mantras and pranayama to choose from so there is really something for everyone. It’s worth trying all sorts of ways to meditate to figure out what resonates with you in the most compelling way.
What’s the best way to start? I highly recommend using guided meditation when starting out. I like the apps, Headspace and Calm, but the best is to go to a class with a good meditation teacher.
A good local meditation teacher may be hard to find so it’s ok to start with the guidance on Headspace or Calm.
They also have little illustrated videos before their meditations that help explain the concepts really well. (I’m not paid by Headspace. They don’t have a clue who I am) Another solid choice is to find your local Kundalini Yoga studio and take a Kundalini Yoga class. Built into every KY class, there is always meditation, and most likely it will involve chanting.
Every savasana has gong or crystal bowls too. Kundalini Yoga provides access to the most diverse array of meditations.
If you’re on your own without class or an app, a quick trick is press your index fingers into your thumbs and feel your pulse, then add a mantra, mentally vibrating it repeatedly to the beat of your pulse.
I use “Sat Nam” which comes from the Kundalini Yoga lineage and means “true spirit” or “true name”, calling to mind your highest self and your true purpose. The focus on the pulse gives a focal point, guiding yourself away from crazy thoughts, and the mantra elevates your focus to what’s really important, letting “not good enough” thoughts drop away.
What should you expect from meditation?
First of all, we don’t go into a meditation with any goals or expectations of a particular end result. That just sets us up for failure. If we don’t come out of meditation feeling a body buzz, calm, and refreshed, we may think, “Dammit that was a waste of time!” and then never try meditating again.
New meditators can expect that it will be challenging to not get carried away in their thoughts, and an effort to keep coming back to their focal point. It truly is a practice and the more we practice, the easier this gets.
Remind yourself that this practice is also improving your cognitive function, your focus, creativity, and grit. It’s best to start out with shorter times (5 min) and work up to longer (20 min). Knowing that it’s only 5 minutes improves the level of engagement. Beginners can think, “I can give it my full attention for 5 minutes. That’s not too bad.”
Some other effects of meditation aside from body buzz, calm, and refreshed, are seeing colors, lights, and shapes, feeling the whole body pulse, feeling a sense of deep knowing and connectedness, and having helpful revelations or ideas. All of these things are just “sparkles at the bottom of the rainbow” as my teacher calls them. They’re pretty and nice, but not the main point.
When should you meditate?
Morning is best because it sets up a clean slate for the day. Meditation can help us process and remove a lot of subconscious garbage that is hindering our productivity and authenticity.
It’s such a fabulous way to start the day because it helps quiet that loud voice running down the list of all the hundreds of things we should do. We can walk away from meditation knowing the one or two most important things we should do. If mid day or at night is the only time you have to meditate, that’s great too.
A mid-day meditation can give you the rejuvenation needed to make the second half of the day meaningful. A night meditation will most definitely help with sleep. Quiet places without distraction are best places to meditate, but if you can’t find one, at least turn off your phone. You don’t want to hear buzzes of notifications.
The parked car is one of my go-to meditation places when I need a boost, some centering, or I just need to fit in my meditation and I know there’ll be no other time. If you’re sitting in your living room on a meditation pillow with a candle lit, but there’s someone using a jackhammer outside, don’t let that ruin your mediation session.
Any sound, even the ones that are generally perceived as the “worst”, can become your focal point for meditation.
Using this example of the jackhammer, get really curious about the sound, and bring all your awareness to it. Hear every nuance and beat to it. Hear it as if you’ve never heard it before and it’s fascinating. I know it sounds strange, but truly, you will find that after 5 minutes of all your focus on it, your mind will be more still. You will be in meditation.
