Learning to Meditate
A power tool for your wellbeing toolkit
Meditation is often referred to as a practice to concentrate the mind. It is an ancient practice that is becoming more and more popular as people strive to deal more effectively with demands of modern living on health and for some, perhaps raising their physical and cognitive performance to the next level.
As a teacher of yoga and breathwork, meditation is often the area that most people have a keen and curious interest in, but many will not persevere with the practice and dedicate the time required to transform this practice into one of the most powerful tools you will have in your wellbeing toolkit. Let’s investigate the reasons behind that, but first, let’s expand on this notion of meditation.
The etymology of the word meditation finds its roots in the act of contemplation and the continuous directing of the mind onto an object or subject. I like to think of it as training of the mind, to put us back in the driver’s seat of our life. The mind, if allowed to, will run the show and take over your world and often your health, keeping you up all night and driving up the likelihood of serious stress related illness. With a few simple practices you can learn to tame and calm the agitation of the mind and begin to observe the mind and the thoughts we constantly experience, without being drawn into them, reacting to them or becoming them. Meditation allows us to develop con-centration (to bring to centre) and provides us with the ability to focus the mind and see life with true, unveiled clarity. The perfect way to move directly into the present moment, where stress and anxiety can cease to exist.
Why then do people find it so hard to meditate and therefore give up on the idea before the benefits begin to really take shape?
The main reason is that people tend to sit down and expect that it will just happen and when it doesn’t the frustration builds, and it then gets filed away in the ‘too hard basket’. One of the biggest restricting factors is often that people will seek to completely empty the mind, this form of meditation can occur in the deep spiritual realms of objectless samadhis, but it is not a realistic focus for those starting a mediative practice. In fact, attempting to still the mind will undoubtedly create the conditions for sending it into a frenzy!
Instead, just follow the system. There is a systematic process to achieve a state of meditation and there are different methods that can be implemented depending on what the intention is. For example, whether your intention is to achieve spiritual states with a focus on the raising of Kundalini, or simply being able to manage the mind to ensure less stress and an optimal night’s sleep.
So, what is this system? The yogi’s of course have the answer. Yoga is a scientific system and method. Practitioner’s move through the Eight Limbs of Yoga on their way to achieving spiritual ecstasy and freedom. Starting with establishing moral discipline (Yamas), and then our personal observances (Niyamas), this relates almost to a guide of moral conduct. From here we prepare the body. By preparing the body through postures (Asana) and learning breathing techniques (Pranayama) to balance the energy in the body, the yogi begins to withdraw the senses from external stimuli (Pratyahara) and learn the skill of concentration (Dharana). Once this sustained concentration is mastered, states of deep meditation and absorption (Dhyana) can be achieved. This can lead to spiritual ecstasy (Samadhi).
But what does all this mean and how can everyone access the benefits of this practice without alluding to spiritual ecstasy? For many people the desire to meditate comes from a place of wanting to improve their current level of physical, mental and emotional health by working on the fundamentals that are preventing them from getting quality sleep, having positive thoughts, changing behaviours, or moving them away from challenging levels of anxiety.
Learning to meditate will naturally give you insight into your inner world and the more that you practice and the deeper you go, these spiritual aspects will usually develop as a natural progression. But where should we begin?
With the breath of course. In line with the Eight Limbs of Yoga, we must first be able to sit comfortably for a period of time, so a regular yoga practice does help, but of course you can meditate lying down or sitting in a chair when first learning, so it is completely accessible to all. It is from this position of stillness that we can then turn our attention to the breath. For those who struggle to arrive at stillness in the physical body, there are also many avenues to explore including walking/moving meditations, so don’t be dissuaded by the notion of being still. The key is to avoid your body distracting you, so you can more easily turn your attention inward to the breath.
The breath is the bridge to the nervous system, and it provides the ultimate way to successfully calm and centre the mind, by bringing it into balance with heightened luminosity. The breath is the first responder to changes in the internal and external environment, sending messages to the body-brain that the individual is safe or unsafe. The breath functions as part of the autonomic nervous system but cleverly allows us to tap into it and change it to support wellbeing and our state of being.
By engaging with specific breathwork practices the body can be released of physical, mental, and emotional agitation. It is essential that we first pacify the breath and from there draw the attention inwards and naturally begin to focus the mind. However, if we calm the breath too much, or over-activate the nervous system, we can become too ‘sleepy’ or too distracted to meditate. It is important to seek balance and create in yogic terms a ‘sattvic’ mind with a luminous quality (unless of course your intention is to fall asleep). It is worthy at this point to note that may people may struggle to regulate the breath due to some dysfunctional breathing patterns that have developed over-time. It would be worth investigating this further and provide yourself with a greater likelihood of success once you have become a greater master of your breathing. Read more about this in my previous blog, Optimise Your Breath and Optimise your health.
For some students of meditation, simply watching the breath could be just as difficult to master as watching the thoughts, so it is important to learn specific breathwork techniques that will release agitation and then balance the mind to achieve optimal conditions to cultivate stillness. All practices are safe for healthy individuals, but please consult your health care practitioner if you have any underlying health challenges before you commence any new practice.
I am a massive advocate of cleansing exercises such as Breath of Fire to transform cleanse and shift the energy prior to starting your practice. I would suggest taking instruction on this initially, to establish the fundamentals of this method and take into consideration the contraindications. Breath of Fire is not suitable during pregnancy, menstruation or if you suffer from high blood pressure, have heart issues or are generally unwell.
Breath of Fire or Kapalabhati, (which is translated as shining skull) is a kriya or cleansing practice that activates and energises the nervous system. The emphasis of this breath is on the forceful exhale and a passive inhale. The method involves drawing the abdominals back towards the spine to create a fast exhale through the nose (practice through the mouth when first learning the technique as this is easier). The abdominals create a pendulum type motion, forcing the breath out and then recoiling passively on the inhale. This is then repeated. Initially we begin slowly and gradually increase speed and number of repetitions over time.
Once the energy is moved by the cleansing Breath of Fire, implement some simple diaphragmatic breathing practices, making sure you do not over-breathe. Breathe slowly into the lower ribs and exhale by contracting the lower abdominals and drawing the belly button back towards the spine. Allow the ribs to hug the spine on completion of the exhale. A simple 4:4 ratio (4 counts in and 4 counts out) is a good starting point.
Then add alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) to balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Breathing in through the left nostril whilst you block the right nostril and breathing out the right nostril, whilst you block the left, breathe in the right and then breathe out the left to complete one round. Alternate nostril breathing is an excellent breath used to concentrate the mind and create a more amicable state to bring the mind to calm and centred one-pointed focus and thus the experience of meditation.
Practice Summary
1. Find a comfortable seat (it is important to be comfortable).
2. Perform at least 2 minutes of Breath of Fire (or split into two sets of 1 minute).
3. Sit with eyes closed and notice the shift in energy.
4. 3-5 minutes of light diaphragmatic breathing, focusing on bringing the breath into the lower lungs, slowly and through the nose.
5. Sit and breathe normally with eyes closed and just notice the release in the body and the subtle calming of the mind.
6. 3-5 minutes of alternate nostril breathing (one round is the equivalent of breathing in the left nostril whilst blocking the right and breathing out the right nostril whilst blocking the left, then breathing in right and out the left).
6. Release the breath and sit with eyes closed. Draw the eyes gently up to the mid-brain and hold the focus here. Keep encouraging the focus back each time your mind wanders.
A regular meditation practice is a power tool in your wellbeing toolbox. Not only will it provide clarity and improve concentration and cognitive functioning but will create a calming state of presence to decrease feelings of stress and anxiety. Meditation provides us with training for the mind, so we can draw it back into balance. Often in life we tend to react instinctively to life challenges, but with a more regular meditation practice you can learn to better respond, creating a welcomed pause between stimulus and response.
Combining a breathwork and meditation practice holds the key to becoming more sensitive to the physiological and emotional processes occurring below our conscious awareness and helps us to retrain our neurological pathways in response to stress, anxiety and in time, build up our resiliency muscle.
Remember to be patient and stay focused on the practice rather than a desired outcome. These methods are tried and tested and will add a new element to your overall health and wellbeing.
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