Some people have told me that they haven’t tried meditation because they don’t think they can calm their minds enough to be free from thought. I don’t know what it’s like to be in their heads but I have managed to learn how to settle my incredibly active mind and stop my thoughts altogether, at least for short periods of time. Additionally, what I usually say when I’m talking to other people about this is that meditation doesn’t have to involve abstaining from thinking. Mindfulness meditation involves watching whatever thoughts appear without judging, labeling, resisting, or becoming overwhelmed by them. In this post, I’ll describe how I typically meditate, although this isn’t set in stone. If this method works well for you, cool. Either way, you can try out different things until you find a method that you like.
Start by sitting upright on the edge of a couch, bed, or chair. This keeps you more alert than laying down or sitting with some type of back support. Close your eyes and take slow, controlled breaths. Focus on each breath as it comes in and goes out; notice how your body moves and changes as you do this. After a few minutes, you’ll find it easier to breath even more slowly and more deeply. Keep as much attention on your breath and your body as you can. If you notice some thoughts coming in, simply observe them without trying to hurry them along, change them, get rid of them, or get lost in them. When you can, shift your focus back to your breath and your body. You might think that you’ve failed at this point but, by noticing that you’re thinking and then returning your attention to the present moment, you have succeeded at mindfulness meditation. Continue this as long as you like and, when you’re through, take a minute to enjoy how you feel as you look around the room before resuming your regular activities.
With regular practice, you will likely see major positive changes in your life from mindfulness meditation. It will also become easier to meditate over time as well and you may find yourself doing it while you’re waiting in line, traveling by bus or plane, relaxing in bed at night, etc. This might also help you get to the point that you can go without thought for brief periods of time. Finally, there are a number of guided meditations that you can check out if you like. Sometimes I use this guided meditation from Alan Watts if I’m particularly stressed or having a lot of trouble focusing; no matter how I’m feeling at the start, it always makes me feel much better by the end. I hope all of this makes sense and, if you try mindfulness meditation, I hope it adds much value to your life.