Meditations

For Qigong, T'ai Chi, and/or Mushin meditation training, contact Austin Martial Arts Academy.

First of all, I would like to clarify an often misunderstood idea of what meditation is about. Most people believe that meditation is meant to achieve total internal silence. This is not the case. The real purpose of meditation is simple unattached mindfulness. In other words, as you meditate, there will invariably be distractions. The idea is to notice the distractions for what they are, embrace them for what they are, then release your attachment to having to control them by returning gently to your breath. The internal silence that we all hear about is a wonderful secondary benefit that comes with time, and most often in small flashes that gradually get longer and more frequent as you practice your meditation. Notice that I wrote 'Practice Meditation.'

Meditation does not need to be complicated. As a matter of fact, the less complicated, the better for our purposes. It is an ancient exercise of focus, or complete lack thereof (depending on your perspective). You will find examples of meditation in any spiritual system in the world. . . from Christian prayer, to Buddhist or Hindu Chanting or contemplation, to Zen Koans, etc. HOWEVER, it need not be a spiritual endeavor; you can use meditation as a way to slow down, as a way to focus, a way to relax, a way to charge up, etc. The common thread followed by most meditation practice is YOUR BREATH.

Breathing Correctly

Have good posture. Begin by noticing any areas in your body that feel tense; take a breath and imagine each area relaxing, then move on. Next, notice your breath (remember posture and relaxed shoulders), allow your stomach to relax on the inhale (this causes the diaphragm to drop, opening up the lower lobes of your lungs), pause briefly at the 'top' of your breath, then release slowly; bring the stomach back in to push the diaphragm up and more carbon dioxide out. Your inhale and exhale should be approximately the same length. Many find that breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth is particularly helpful; however, this is not a requirement--do whichever is least distracting for now (eventually moving to' in though the nose and out through the mouth').

Single-pointed meditation (breath)

First, sit in a comfortable and stable position (sitting in a chair with good posture is fine, or if being on the floor is more comfortable, sit cross-legged, with proper posture). Next, pick a single focus (correct breathing[see above] is the best place to start) and continue to bring your focus fully on that single point (breath in this case). As you notice your mind beginning to wander off into grocery lists, your job, your nose itching, etc., simply notice that it is wandering, and then gently bring your focus back to your breath (and yes, you may scratch your nose - allowing the itch to continue can also be an interesting meditation). The key is to not beat yourself up if you get distracted--just return to your breath. That simple. Try this for just 1 minute and notice that it is easier said than done to stay completely focused without any distraction. This is normal. Remember, the point is not to stress yourself out by trying to get the 'perfect' meditation. . .rather, it is simply to retrain yourself to calmly refocus when you notice that you are distracted. The distractions will naturally fall away with continued practice.

Active meditation

This is basically an exercise in mindfulness of whatever task you are engaged in. One method is to verbalize (internally if in public, unless you don't mind people staring) each piece of action you are doing. Other methods simply involve allowing things to occur without interference--the meditation being non-attachment to distractions (such as sweating, hearing cars pass by, etc). You can also bring active meditation into you life by truly focusing on your work, making a purposeful effort to do your best, or by actively choosing to have a good day, even if it did not start well.

In other words, when gardening, notice gardening; when working, notice working, etc. Breathing correctly is always helpful (when breathing, notice breathing). A few examples of Active meditation:

Walking meditation

As you walk, say each piece of walking as you do it--as you lift your foot, say "lifting, lifting," then as you set your foot forward, say, "setting, setting," and so forth. As you get more practice, you will be able to maintain mindfulness of both feet, and even the swing of your arms--in increasing detail. Timing your breath with your pace brings out the full-potential of a Walking meditation.

Sweating meditation

(Please check with your doctor before exerting yourself or sweating more than you usually do). This is as simple as taking a warm bath and allowing yourself to sweat without wiping it off. Sounds simple, huh? It is, until you notice that those droplets of sweat itch and tickle as they trickle down your face, neck, back, etc. Allow the sweating and trickling to happen while you breathe correctly (see above). Become mindful of the feeling of your sweat pores opening up (usually noticed on your head first), then notice each drop that catches your attention. Resist the urge to wipe it off--allow the tickle to happen. With practice, you will be able to follow a droplet as it picks up more sweat as it travels towards the water, perhaps even noticing as it merges with the water. Being mindful of multiple droplets is fine as long as it is done with intention. This meditation will help you learn to sit with discomfort rather than getting attached to the annoyance.

Make sure to re-hydrate. Again, TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR FIRST!!!

Exercising meditation

Just like it sounds. When you are jogging, notice your jogging (and breath, of course). You may also choose to focus on the scenery--see all of the colors, notice the smells and sounds. If you are lifting weights (be careful and talk to your doctor first), focus on proper form and breath. You may also focus on each muscle group being worked (you must still focus on proper form and health).

***Remember, you can always practice proper breathing, and it will always have a beneficial effect, even if only subtle.
You can also always practice proper posture.***

A little more about the idea of getting distracted so easily in the beginning: Many, many people tell themselves that they just cannot seem to meditate. . that when they begin, they just have so much 'noise' that comes to the front of their minds. OK! THAT IS GOOD!! In order to get all of that 'noise' out, it has to pass through the doorway of our AWARENESS--in the beginning, this 'passing through is experienced as a distraction. What is actually happening is that by breathing slowly and correctly (see above), you are relaxing into the present moment, which makes it easier for all of your daily 'background noise' to come to the forefront. This will pass. It is a process for your brain to rewire itself to calm focus (literally--your brain has 'neuroplasticity,' which simply means it can physically rewire itself--throughout your life) . With continued practice, moving from 1 minute, to 3 minutes, to 5 minutes, and so on, you will find that the 'noise' gets more and more quiet, and that you are much less bothered by the occasional (or frequent) distractions.

In all forms of meditation that I will discuss here, an even tempo of breathing is essential. It may become shallow with practice, but in the beginning I stress a slow, comfortable inhale and exhale. Best to master the power of the breath before moving to other areas.

Living Meditation: A walk beyond the spirals of the mind

Ever notice that during stressful times you are more likely to fall into 'thought spirals?' These are those self-perpetuating cycles of thought that basically leave you feeling worse than when you began . . . And oddly enough, as painful as they are, you seem drawn to them (ie can't shut them up). Examples include: Sitting on the pity pot (feeling sorry for yourself), beating yourself up for mistakes, what if's, borrowing trouble, etc. They just seem to 'spiral' out of control, leaving you feeling empty and annoyed . . . Or worse. Read on for some tools to stop those spirals.

Using the GATE as a guide, begin to pay attention to when you are caught up in a spiral. . . Start by just honestly acknowledging it (genuine awareness). Just see it for what it is, without judging yourself (another spiral). If you do get caught in judging yourself, then as soon as you realize that you are in another spiral, just acknowledge it and pick up where you left off: just noticing . . .and breathing (see above).

Next, after you have calmly identified the spiral, INTENTIONALLY shift your focus to the letter 'P,' which now stands for either 'Productive' or 'Pleasant.' Notice which of those words pops up for you first. Then do something (other than nothing) that fits your new focus (either productive or pleasant). When you get distracted, notice it and restart this active meditation. If 'productive,' comes up, pick something small that you can accomplish in the short term that will give you a sense of accomplishment. If the word 'Pleasant' comes up for you, then find something (other than nothing) that you can do that is pleasant. Maybe it is getting a massage, perhaps listening to your favorite CD and dancing around the house, or watching the sunset, etc. The important thing is for it to be pleasing for you.

Notice that I have not encouraged you to develop a 100% constant awareness of every emotion you ever feel-that would burn most of us out. Rather, I encourage to you notice the spirals as you happen to . . . certainly challenge yourself to notice them sooner and more often, but do NOT turn this into another task to be done that adds to your stress. When you happen to notice the thought spirals, see them, acknowledge them, then do something on purpose to counteract the spiral (P for pleasant or productive). Because our minds are such amazing gadgets, we are able to actually rewire ourselves to respond to certain mindsets (like thought spirals) in new, more effective ways. Like anything else, this requires practice. The more you practice the shift from spirals to productive/pleasant action, the more your brain 'remembers' to perform the 'new' action rather than staying stuck in the paradoxical non-action 'action' of spirals.

If you find that this is easier said than done, then WELCOME TO HUMANITY, FRIEND! We are all here to support you. So call a friend, a family member, a trusted mentor or guide and ask for help. This can wind up being both a pleasant and productive action. No matter what, do not give up. Try this 'living meditation' for a week, and see if you don't notice a difference.

Please stop back at this page often. I have many more exercises and discussions on meditation to put on this page. Also look for the GATE newsletter articles on meditation.

For more about the neuroscience of meditation, please read an excellent article in the 2006 edition of Psychology Today