Day Momo (Des Moments) August 1st-15th
I meditated yesterday. And I felt different. I felt good.
I joined a meditation group recently that meditates for 30 minutes, and discusses meditation and the benefits it has on our lives.
I am a firm believer we are happiest when we are present. True presence does not identify with the past. It also is not obsessing with attainment of or reaching into the future. It’s being completely, and utterly aware of the now. Ask yourself, what at this very moment, is lacking? Presence can bring us genuine happiness.
Meditation helps us realize this, and get into this state. Notice I did not say find. It is already within us and available to us every moment. Meditation is a practice to help us look inside, and to feel this presence that is already within us.
What is meditation? My meditation instructor put it perfectly – meditation is simply “training our attention.” If we can train, master, and harness our attention, we can transform and transcend our lives. We can create real change.
Why is training our attention so important? Our minds are like super computers. Thoughts pop in and out of our mind every split second. It is said that the average person has 70,000 thoughts per day! Think about it (no pun intended).
What do I mean by training our attention? It’s being the observer of our mind. Consciously, placing our attention on the present moment, and consciously having no thought. If thoughts come into our head (as they always will), we recognize it, and let them go and refocus our attention to the present moment.
How does meditation help us do this? It helps us create the gap between thoughts. It creates inner stillness. It’s a practice, an exercise. Just like the exercising of our muscles. The more we meditate, the more we will become the observers of our minds. We will become clear, and as a result, in accomplish and do more with our lives. And be much less stressed.
Tips for meditation:
- Start Small – Try to meditate for just 5 minutes a couple of days per week, then gradually increase your meditation sessions.
- Get comfortable – Sit in a chair comfortably, but upright, the idea is to be aware during meditation. Not to snooze.
- If you can find an environment with nature around – the ocean, woods, a park, etc. will help you connect with nature and become present more easily.
- Silence and no distractions. With the silence around you, you will find the stillness within you.
- Focus on your breathing and your inner body. Really feel and focus the muscles in our body as you sit and breathe.
- If thoughts come into your mind, don’t fight it. Just accept it, observe it, and let it go. Then focus your attention back into your body or the nature around you.
Get clear. Get present. Enjoy the illumination of your state of being.
The Time Is Now.
-Joseph Metcalfe
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