Meditation for the uninitiated

Bruce Willis (Photo by Gage Skidmore)

Don't have a shaved head?  Not a problem.  Have a shaved head, but only did it to look cool like Bruce Willis?  Not a problem.  In

fact, little to nothing's a problem with MSN Living's "Meditation 101."

The article begins with the words "I feel idiotic repeating a mantra."  Rich Pierson, cofounder of "a meditation company" called Headspace, has just the answer for that.  He explains that all it takes to get into the meditation groove is to focus upon steadying the breath.

What does this mean exactly?  Pierson advises:  "Close your eyes and count your slow inhalations and exhalations silently up to 10, then repeat."  If you happen to notice that there's a whole lot of "noise" in your head, Pierson's got an answer for that too:  "The trick is to stop judging yourself for it… [Simply] go back to your breathing, and start counting again."

Now although you may have always imagined yourself levitating in some Himalayan cave, Andy Puddicombe ("a joke-cracking former Buddhist monk") asserts that "you can meditate anywhere, under almost any circumstances."  If a distraction occurs, focus all your attention on it for a short while until the mind gets bored.  It should then be relatively easy to return to your rhythmic breathing.

Last but not least, if meditation makes you sleepy, you probably needed a nap anyway.  Puddicombe explains that meditation will "heighten awareness of any sensation or feeling" that's already present.

Resources

http://living.msn.com/life-inspired/time-to-bloom/slideshow?cp-documentid=251270247#1

Copyright May 20, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved