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Meditation: How To Meditate Without Even Trying
"How to Meditate Without Even
Trying"
By
Marie-Pier Charron
I remember when I started trying to meditate. I would sit down,
close my eyes, and try to be really calm (my definition of
meditation at the time). That was hard: my head would burst with
ideas, thoughts, solutions, problems… I would become agitated,
and stopped generally after ten long minutes, if not less. It's
during my short “meditations” that I felt less… meditative.
I knew there was something for me to explore that was beyond the
physical world. I knew I would unleash my potential, by “going
within”. And sitting meditation, as I knew it, was the #1
technique that would lead me there. Yet, I just couldn't do it…
I was inadequate.
No, I wasn't - and neither are you, if you are experiencing a
similar situation. It's your definition of meditation that may
be inadequate.
The idea behind meditation is not to sit on a chair, and close
our eyes. Or to sit in lotus, and watch the leaves change
colors. You can do all this if you feel a call to do so, but
whatever technique you choose is just as relevant as the type of
fork you eat your meals with. Forks, meditations, cars, are just
tools that help us accomplish a specific task…
Meditation, we could say, is an “altered state of
consciousness”. We do not see things as we normally do; we feel
connected to something bigger than our everyday selves; we feel
“wider” than usual. In a few words, we are so immersed in
ourselves that we can transcend our own limitations. Now, the
question is: what do you need to feel that way?
For some people, it's gardening; for others, it's laying down
comfortably and listening to music (it doesn't even need to be
New Age…). I personally know someone who meditates by playing
card games on her computer. After a few minutes of calculating
her moves and keeping score, she loses touch with the cards, and
she “takes off”.
Why don't we value such activities as much as those that involve
candles, cushions, and incense? They may be simple, or silly,
but their impact often is important, profound. Even more, they
are easy and effortless. No need to be disciplined we are
naturally attracted to them.
In some ways, maybe that's why we don't always see their true
magnitude. They are too accessible and natural. Mustn't we pay a
high price or work hard to get anything of value? If it's easy,
it's not worth much… or so we were told.
For some people, meditating the conventional way (sitting down
and all) does not contribute to expanding their horizon. It may
look like they are meditating when they are doing it, but in
reality they are thinking about their problems, analyzing this
and that…they are relaxing, yes, but meditating, no.
They would probably have the deep experience they are looking
for much more easily by being active, by doing things just like
those mentioned before (repetitive tasks, especially, are very
effective in that regard). Of course, before washing the dishes,
or doing some gardening, we don't really think “I'm going to
meditate”. But when we become aware of the higher potential
these activities hold for us, we can utilize them consciously
with that clear intention in mind.
Still, the point of this article is that we do not even need a
clear intention to meditate. In fact, when we want something too
much, we often become our first obstacle in the process
especially when it comes to meditation. You cannot work hard to
attain something that is all about lightness, openness, and
receptivity. You cannot push yourself to open up. You can only
create favorable circumstances and those can be anything, as
we have seen, since it is just a matter of which tool works best
for you.
So if your mind is constantly active, or extremely creative, and
your energy is so high you cannot sit down and close your eyes,
do not categorize yourself as unspiritual or “unmeditative”. You
may not be able to sit for hours in uncomfortable positions like
Tibetan monks do, but you too can accomplish things that they
would not even dream of doing. Sure, you would benefit greatly
from slowing down your thoughts and relaxing; but developing
strategies that suit you as you are now would probably serve you
even better. What could be the best way to meditate for you?
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About the Author:
Marie-Pier Charron, life coach, is founder of Implosions, and
editor of a monthly newsletter filled with practical tips and
powerful self-growth strategies. To get your own free
subscription, visit her at
http://www.implosions.net
More Meditation Resources:
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