Remember that time when you were totally lost in the moment: drifting to the tune of your favourite song, looking far into the melancholic colours of an evening sky, or crawling through the words of an enchanting book? There are countless such moments in life that are akin to meditation. The magic of such moments is that they happen naturally, effortlessly, and spontaneously.
Meditation is the process of creating such an experience consciously. That’s possible only if we bring in the same naturalness and effortlessness into the process of meditation. Here are some simple tips to easy your way into a meditation practice.
- Start with the conviction that there is nothing to “do” in meditation
Meditation happens to us and happens by itself. In Heartfulness Meditation, Yogic Transmission takes us into the state of meditation. We just need to allow it to happen. Tell yourself that you are completely open to whatever the process brings. This will automatically create openness and softness, preparing yourself for meditation.
- Establish a resting space for mind
Gently bring your mind to the area of the heart and know that it is home. Remind yourself that this beautiful silent space in the heart is the best place to be, for it is the source of life, love and light. The safe and loving place that your mind can always come back to, whenever it happens to stray. Thus, the essence of life in the heart automatically becomes the object of meditation.
- Let the meditation carry you around
What exactly does that mean? When you watch a beautiful movie or read an interesting book or listen to a entrancing music, you are deeply absorbed in it, you are completely submitted to it, and you let it create an experience for you. A seamless experience of thoughts, emotions and feelings. You simply let the scenes pass on from one to the next, patiently waiting for the whole story to unravel. So it is in meditation, think of yourself as sitting at the center of the heart, fully relaxed and carefree, keenly watching whatever is going on within you.
At some point, you will feel like the meditation is over, just like you know when a song or a story comes to an end.
- Assimilate the effect of meditation
That’s all. It is now time for you to figure out what meditation has done to you. You simply observe how you feel at this point. Maybe a sense of calmness or stillness or lightness or something you can’t name or define. Whatever it may be, keep looking at it (not literally!) until you feel like it’s fully assimilated into the whole of you.
Meditation is like floating on water. Any attempts to stay afloat disrupts the balance, buoyancy and stability. Effortlessness is key to floating, as it is with meditation. Approach it with a gentle, natural and relaxed manner. Heartfulness will do the magic for you.
–By Sreejith Periyadath
