Meditation for everyone
“We try so hard to be happy that we end up missing the most important parts of our lives and destroying the very peace that we were seeking”
Meditation is a skill like learning to ride a bike or drive a car. It takes time, discipline and making mistakes before you feel you've mastered the skill.
In todays world, with the ever growing social media pressures and every day to day pressures, meditation and learning to still the mind is becomming very difficult.
If you are new to meditation then I have lots of blogs and a meditation programme on my instagram account that will help you find the right practice for you.
If you’ve tried meditation before then you may have noticed that when you take the time out to meditate you will have lots of internal thoughts and distractions, such as the never-ending to do list, wanting to check your phone for messages or emails or simply wanting to check on social media, can all make meditation feel impossible.
These internal distractions along with all of the external distractions…noises from outside like cars and people talking, or if you're inside it could be the noise from the central heating or a television in the background can make it all seem overwhelming.
Sometimes we fall in to a mindset where it looks easy so it should be easy! However, most skills require hours of practice and it is exactly the same with learning meditation. But do not fear, with practice you’ll be able to tune out of internal thoughts and background noises and distractions and be on your way to finding some stillness within.
Meditation and learning how to be silent and sit still while awake, is one skill that takes considerable discipline, however you can learn to tackle these obstacles with practice and focus. My top tip for dealing with distractions is a practice called naming. Simply naming each distraction as it enters your mind. Let’s say you hear the constant noise of a lawnmower in the distance outside, simply say to yourself “lawnmower” and get back to focussing on your breath, or back to the meditation that you are practicing. When you are struggling with internal distractions of the mind such as to do lists or phone checking distractions simply name the thought whenever you realise that your mind has become distracted, name the distraction…over and over again - this may be all the time at first!
Every time you hear a distraction or become aware of a thought, name it, re-focus, and carry on. Do this over and over again and soon you’ll find that you can very easily re-focus and eventually you may not even become distracted in the first place.
I hope you’ve found this helpful and remember that sometimes meditation is difficult and sometimes you are going to struggle however, when you begin to meditate you will soon realise how important it is to pay attention, perhaps you will even begin to gain greater insight and clarity about who you are and what is important to you.
Here is a lovely poem about just that…Happy meditating.
FOUND - By Frederick Buechner
Maybe it’s all utterly meaningless.
Maybe it’s all unutterably meaningful.
If you want to know which,
pay attention to
what it means to be truly human
in a world that half the time
we’re in love with
and half the time
scares the hell out of us…
The unexpected sound of your name on somebody’s lips.
The good dream.
The strange coincidence.
The moment that brings tears to your eyes.
The person who brings life to your life.
Even the smallest events hold the greatest clues
Why not give the naming technique a go the next time you sit to meditate, it may help you to refocus and enjoy a deeper meditation.
I would highly recommend reading this poem after meditation when your mind is clear and your body is calm.
Love Jen x