Learn How to Meditate

In most schools and systems of meditation you’ll learn to meditate by concentrating on the most fundamental component of life…breathing. And whether the system is focused on contentment or mindfulness, or whether it is focused on developing and harnessing inner power, breath control and awareness is stage one.Deep abdominal breathing is practiced by countless schools of meditation. It is the simple practice of breathing not into the upper chest as we do when short of breath or exercising, but deep and low, so that the lower abdomen oscillates in harmony with our breath. This is because our natural forgotten state of breathing from childhood was abdominal breathing, and it’s the source of limitless energy and growth.

If you watch a sleeping child breathe, you’ll notice their chest doesn’t expand and contract the way an adult’s would. Their lower abdomen however does expand and contract with each breath. Eastern philosophers speculate that this derives from our fetal energy source, the umbilical chord. Nevertheless, for those practiced in deep abdominal breathing, that same childlike energy and passion for life is present, and we can all relearn this vital skill.

But besides this consequent benefit of deep breathing and meditation, deep breathing is also a valuable tool for reuniting with present reality as you learn to meditate. Breathing is dynamic and constantly changing, just as life is in constant flux. When we allow ourselves to be mindful of our breath, we are drawn back to the present, and so are one step closer to the beauty and truth of life.

Breathing meditation should not be forced and unnatural. It should be regular, slow, and deep…within reason. Our backs should be straight and hands and feet in a comfortable position, whether standing, seated in a chair, or reclining on the floor. Our breath should sink deep down into our lower abdomen, and should slowly flow back out. And our minds should be there, be there with the breath, its movement in and out.

Should your mind begin to wander, be aware of that too. Don’t force your mind back to your breath; simply watch your thought without judgment. You’ll see yourself in truth, and that awareness will generally cause the thought trail to cease. Once you find silence again naturally, watch your breath again. And in this breathing, you will learn to meditate. In fact, breathing itself in this manner is an act of meditation.

Before we learn how to meditate, we must first clarify what we mean by the term meditation. Many people attach the term meditation to an image of an ascetic mystic sitting quietly and transcending the base experiences of modern day life. Not even a sharp noise or dangerous situation can shake him from his concentrated state. Others think of a catholic monk serenely walking through a monastery while contemplating the deep spiritual truths of his faith. And while there is a place for both of these in the broad usage of the term, they do not accurately depict what meditation really is.Meditation, as I understand it, is pure experience, uninhibited by selfish impulses or desires. Experience that is fresh, immediate, and fleeting. This view is contrary to what many sell as meditation, as this state of experience cannot be achieved through effort. As such, there is nothing to learn, parse, just a great many things to unlearn. Take a look around you.

If you’re alone, examine the room you’re in or look out a window. If you’re in a public place, look at the faces of those around you. Most of us, when we ‘see’ things, we see them as we knew them. We know what a tree is, a dog is, our mother is. We don’t observe these things as they are in the moment, but as a familiar object or thing, one that is understood and needn’t be experienced beyond that.

In this habitual categorizing and familiarity with things lies the stain of past experience, and the reason meditation is so important. Our lives have become unconscious strings of associated experiences and thoughts. We no longer ‘see’ the tree, because it’s a tree. We no longer ‘see’ our girlfriend, because we know her. As such, our present experience is the overlap of dead thoughts and ideas.

For most people, this state of living feels normal, and they can’t fathom a way of life that doesn’t come from selfish judgments and perceptions. For those of us who realize the inherent selfishness in not appreciating the beauty in our immediate experience, and who realize there is a truth and beauty to life far beyond our current level of experience, then meditation is for us.

Meditation is merely a return to reality, not escape from it. When you eat your breakfast, do you taste it? Or do you think about the day ahead, or an argument with family, or do you read the morning paper? Did you taste every bite? Did you take notice of the colors of each part of your breakfast, the smells, the sound of each bite? This is meditation. This is being in the present. You needn’t run from experience. You needn’t tune out sounds and sites, or concentrate furiously on not thinking.

You should be aware. You should listen. You should feel. You should see. There are many kinds of ‘meditation’, all aiming to reconnect the lost spirit with reality. But most of them include self-control and effort. These methods augment our ego. They are manifestations of desire, as they are goals we are trying to achieve. This is contrary to what meditation is, which is fundamentally selfless. It is not about you, it is about true experience of the now.

So now that we have an idea of what meditation is, let’s begin. There are many kinds of meditation, and I’ll elaborate on some of them in following posts. But for this week let’s start with the most basic. Choose one meal of the day, every day, and eat it. Don’t devour it while thinking of other things or watching tv. Eat it. Be there. Be in that moment with the activity itself. Watch yourself as you eat. See the truth in your movements, the food, and the experience of eating. Don’t judge it. Accept it. You are one action closer to happiness, and we’ll take steps further together as you learn how to meditate.