The Truth About Real Meditation
What exactly is real meditation and why does it matter? For many people meditation is about trying to sit quietly for a few moments so that you can have some peace of mind. This is usually achieved by using a meditation technique that guides you into a meditative state.
A lot of people mistakenly think that the technique they use for their meditations be it a mantra, a guided visualization, or applying mindfulness means they are meditating. Any technique you use to enter a meditative state is not meditation. It’s simply a vehicle to help you get there.
Real meditation is not about mastering a technique. It’s about letting go of control. It’s about completely letting go of the need to be or do anything at all – even thinking. The more that you can let go of the mind the deeper you can enter into meditation.
When you are using a technique like focusing on a mantra, your breath, or anything at all then you are doing a form of concentration. This helps you to give the mind something to do so that eventually, it quietens down enough for meditation to happen.
The mind doesn’t tend to give up its right to always be thinking very easily. That’s why you need to use a meditation technique to lull it into a state of letting go. If you don’t, that’s when you find that your entire meditation experience is more like a wrestling match with the mind.
You don’t always need a meditation technique to quiet the mind. Sometimes, it happens naturally like when you are physically exhausted, or you are doing something mundane like brushing your teeth, or your feeling at peace with the world for no reason at all.
What Are Real Meditation Experiences?
In moments like those and many others the mind can spontaneously stop thinking and when that happens you naturally relax into a meditative state. When you enter into a real meditative state you become immersed in an expanded state of consciousness.
Just this simple act of letting go of the mind so that you can drop into a meditative state is enough to bring about real change in your life. I think of it like this, when you disappear in your head you fall into your own being.
Just by resting in your being and letting go of being in control of anything, even the experience you are having is enough to refresh and rejuvenate you. It releases new sources of energy in you that transform the way your life looks and feels – instantly.
It brings you back to a state of innocence and freshness that makes you feel like a child again filled with wonder in your eyes and awe in your heart. The key though is that this is not something that you can make happen. Real meditation takes place only when the mind is ready to let go of being in control.
This is what frustrates so many people about meditation. They find it hard to let go of the mind and the mind doesn’t help because it causes you to wriggle and make a great deal of noise in your head. All of which is designed to turn you off meditating.
Meditation is the enemy to the mind because it is not needed. That’s why it’s helpful to use the mind by applying a meditation technique because it gives it something to do so it doesn’t throw a tantrum. Think of the mind as a spoilt child that is used to getting its own way.
True Meditation Techniques Explained
Just about anything can be used as a meditation technique as long as it results in the mind letting go so that you can fall into a meditative state. A meditative state is one where your brain waves start to slow down and your brain starts to experience whole brain synchronization. This is when the magic of meditation happens.
It’s far easier to meditate if you understand that meditation is something beyond the mind. It belongs to the non-physical world in which the possibilities are infinite. It has a silence and a stillness to it that brings about such a deep sense of peace and bliss that every cell of your body comes alive with joy.
That’s why it’s important to be playful towards your meditation. If you take it seriously then your mind will turn it into an ego game which will hold you back from real meditation. The more playful you are about it the more your meditations will grow in leaps and bounds.
Just enjoy sitting silently without having any expectations of what will happen. Use whatever meditation techniques you are drawn to and have fun with it. At the very least you get to take time out from your hectic life. At the most, you may lose yourself completely and end up in bliss.
Michael Atma
Meditation Dojo Blog
Email: hello@meditationdojo.com
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