Basic Guidelines for Meditation Practice

You can find a meditation group at Tom's website, www.blissis.org.

Here are a few guidelines which you may find useful as you embark on an exploration or regular practice of meditation. Most bookstores and libraries have many books which discuss all the different ways to approach meditation. The World Wide On-Line Meditation Center also has excellent instructions in meditation practice. Pay them a visit!

CONSISTENCY. Most people find that developing a consistent, daily practice is the best way to reap the benefits of meditation. Even if you can only practice for a short period, doing it everyday will be very beneficial. Try to find a regular time each day at a quiet place. Meditating at the same time and same place each day helps to reinforce the practice and minimize distractions.

EXPECTATIONS. It is usually best not to have expectations during your practice. Don’t expect that you will quickly develop a calm, silent mind with blissful physical or psychological feelings. Don’t expect that meditation will “solve” life’s problems. Meditation is sometimes difficult. Difficulties can arise when we have expectations about practice or when we’re resisting or denying some aspect of ourselves. When we let go of these things and accept and cherish ourselves as we are, our practice flows joyfully, like watching a beautiful slow sunrise. Just like learning a musical instrument, the key is balanced and consistent practice.

AWARENESS. When difficulties or pleasant feelings arise during meditation, simply watch them carefully. Don’t hold onto them. Don’t push them away. Just observe and experience them fully with calm, careful attention. Let them come and go like clouds in the sky or bubbles in a stream. Learn from them. Why is this or that arising in my mind? This will help you to clearly see things as they are, and to accept them.

ACCEPTANCE. Acceptance does not mean resignation or fatalism. Not at all! When we can accept the world just as it is, and let go of expectations, we begin to know that we’re a part of everything. Everything is a part of us! Our happiness and suffering becomes entwined with everyone else’s. With this realization, we will naturally want to express compassion and caring for all beings. We will gradually want to, and act to create a better world as best we know how. This is the magic of meditation and clear, calm awareness.

POSTURE. For most people, posture is an important part of a successful meditation practice. Whether you sit on a chair or cushion doesn’t really matter. Try to keep the back straight and erect, but not stiff or tense. Keep the chin tucked in a little bit and don’t let the head slump back or forward. It seems to be the nature of our minds to wander, so try not to become frustrated when it does. The wandering mind is an empty phenomenon, like clouds that appear and disappear in a vast blue sky. Maintaining good posture is perhaps the best way to keep the mind focused and attentive during meditation.

BASIC PRACTICE. One of the most basic types of meditation is simply to be aware of the breath and posture. When the mind wanders, gently return to the breath and to the posture. If you find yourself getting sleepy, it may be because you’re slumping. Try to breathe in a relaxed fashion. Let the belly relax and feel the breath come and go from the lungs at it’s own pace. Another type of practice is to focus on a particular phrase (mantra), image (mandala), feeling, etc. Some people prefer a free floating meditation where they don’t focus on any particular thing, but just rest in gentle awareness of whatever arises. Some people have a more mental, intellectual meditation style while other people focus more on devotion to God/Great Spirit or on feelings of love and joy. As your practice progresses, you’ll discover how to listen to your quiet inner voice; it will gently guide you to the best type of practice suited for your nature and personality.

MEDITATION GROUPS. Most people discover that their meditation practice really blooms when they practice with a group that they like. Just doing meditation alone means that you won’t get feedback, inspiration and ideas from other people who are practicing. If you can’t find a group that you like, try forming one of your own! Maybe there are other people who are in tune with your style of practice. An important part of being with a meditation group is to build harmony and goodwill for everyone. This is the best way to keep a group together, growing and joyful.

CURIOSITY. Be curious about your practice! Why do I want to meditate? How is my practice progressing? What aspect of my practice needs more attention? Try to really look deeply at whatever issues arise in your meditation. If a difficult issue often arises, see if there are ways to have it resolved. If you can’t resolve the issue right away, that’s OK. When it arises, just observe it arising and fading away. Shining the light of clear, calm and compassionate awareness on our minds gives us a lightness and freedom that will flow into all parts of our lives. This is the beginning of transformation. Read about and explore different kinds of meditation practice and find the ones that work for you. Explore keeping a journal of your meditation practice and review it once in a while to see how developing clear, calm awareness slowly transforms your inner world.

BALANCE. Meditation is all about balance. If you begin to practice, be aware if you become too lazy or too eager. Sometimes it takes awhile to find this balance. Continue with your practice and balance will arise naturally. You’ll know just how much meditation is best for you.

WHERE TO MEDITATE? Everywhere! At stoplights. While driving. Washing dishes. Shaving. While taking a shower. Hiking through the woods or walking down a city street. When talking to friends or loved ones. When falling asleep. Meditation is not just about being in a quiet room sitting silently. As your practice develops, find ways to bring the peace and awareness of meditation into other activities. Meditation is not separate from everyday life, but is a way to bring us closer to life and joy in each moment. Each moment of calm, clear awareness makes everything fresh. Then we’re ready to face the challenges of life while expressing our true nature which is deep, compassionate and wise.

HEALTH. Good physical health is important for meditation. A light diet with sufficient rest and exercise makes practice much easier. Regular stretching to keep the limbs loose and toned also helps in developing good meditation posture. Also be aware of certain TV programs, movies, music, conversations or other things which can overstimulate the mind and encourage desires, aversions and cravings. There’s nothing really “wrong” with these things, they just tend to make meditation more difficult.

SLEEP. I teach many meditation classes and one of the most common complaints I hear is about sleepiness during meditation. Sleepiness was a big problem in my practice for about the first 6 years. Everytime I sat it was struggle just to keep from dozing off and tipping over. I was working a stressful job and had lots of outside commitments, so I scrimped on sleep. A few years ago I did an experiement to see if getting a little more sleep would help, and the results were very dramatic. A little extra sleep each night eliminated most sleepiness from my meditation, and made the practice much more enjoyable. It also made me realize I was committing myself to too many activities and I had to learn how to say "No" and take care of myself. This may not work for everyone, but if sleepiness during meditation is a problem, get a little extra sleep for 2 weeks or so and see if it helps. The Buddha taught the "Middle Way" which means to be in harmony with the world and not struggle against the natural flow of things, including our body's need for rest. Biologically (by evolution) humans were designed to get about 8-9 hours sleep each night.

DIFFERENT RELIGIONS. Meditation can be beautifully integrated with whatever religion you’re in tune with. Meditation itself is not a religious practice. It can, however, help anyone to deepen their faith and commitment to whatever religion they belong to. Almost all religions have some kind of meditative, contemplative or mystic tradition. Explore these roots within your own religion. You may be surprised and pleased by what you discover! These discoveries may lead you toward a meditation practice which most deeply nourishes your heart and spirit.

RETREATS. As your practice develops and grows, you may want to look into going on some kind of meditation retreat to explore silence more deeply. Churches, synagogues and Buddhist groups in your area may offer retreats.

FAMILY. Explore ways to integrate meditation with your family. This is sometimes not easy, but with some patience and creativity, it can be done. You can set aside a regular quiet time or a special place where anyone in the family can go and collect themselves and become calm. Whenever the phone rings, it can be made a time for everyone in the family to stop and practice conscious breathing for a few rings. The phone or doorbell can be a call to mindfulness. There are many influences in our society which tend to keep our minds always active and busy. Explore ways to reduce these influences in the family environment. We’re taught from a young age that unless we’re “doing” something we’re wasting time. Meditation is a way to slow down, look deeply, and discover what we can do to create calmness and happiness for ourselves, our family and the world.

PURPOSE. One teacher said that the purpose of spiritual practice is to dissolve the notion that there is anything wrong with you to be fixed by spiritual practice.