What Meditation IS (And What It Is Not!)

You might have heard that meditation is very good for you, and you would have heard right. You might even have tried to practice meditation, but gotten frustrated and given up after a few sessions. "What's the point?" you might have found yourself saying. "I can't stop my mind from thinking!"

What if I told you that the point of meditation is NOT to stop thinking? Would that information have changed the way you approached your practice? Would you have given it up so quickly?

There's a perception that when you meditate, the thoughts that are swirling in your head will naturally begin to settle, like silt in a pond. Eventually, you believe, your mind will become crystal clear, as if you could see to the very bottom of that pond and even watch the fish gently swaying their way through their little fishy lives.

If this is the way you think meditation is, then of course you're in for a rude awakening when you actually start your practice. The reason? You're a HUMAN BEING doing HUMAN BEING things. Our minds will swirl, thoughts will come up, a leg will get tingly, an ear will itch. These are all normal human being things, and we should not expect not to be human while we are meditating.

Then WHAT are we to expect will happen when we practice? The idea, point, and benefit of the practice is that we stop getting too involved in those thoughts. I like to use the metaphor of a train. Trains pass through stations, sometimes picking up passengers, sometimes dropping them off, and sometimes the people on the platform are watching the train go by for various reasons (not my train, waiting for a passenger, etc.)

There are two main viewpoints to think about here. You can be on the train, and you can be on the station platform. The train is the Train of Thought. Your thoughts carry you far along the track if you allow them. One moment you're thinking of your grocery list, and the next about your Uncle Bill's left knee. Your mind has been a passenger on the Train of Thought, passing through many stations (canned pumpkin on the grocery list to make some pumpkin ravioli, the can in the pantry is leftover from Thanksgiving, Uncle Bill dropped his buttered roll on his left leg at Thanksgiving, giving rise to his Left Knee Story.) Your mind is very far from where it started.

Contrast that viewpoint with a person on the platform. This person stands in one place (the present) and watches the Train of Thought go by, but doesn't get on the train. Maybe the Train pulls in to the station and you're tempted by the "All aboard!" call, but you remain on the platform and watch the Train pull away. THIS is where you find the benefits of the meditation practice. Staying on the platform and watching the trains go by is the (metaphorical) purpose of the practice.

What does this look like in real life? Without the metaphor? it's pretty simple, but please remember that "simple" is not the same as "easy." When we sit in meditation, we can choose a point of focus. Often it's the sound or sensation of the breath moving in and out, or perhaps a mantra or affirmation of some kind. We begin by focusing on that one thing (for this purpose, I'll use the Sanskrit mantra "So Hum," meaning "I am that," but it can be anything.) Inhale "So" exhale "Hum." As time goes on, perhaps only a few seconds, maybe a minute, a thought will begin to creep in. We are sitting on the station platform and here comes the Train of Thought! We have a choice to make. Do we climb on board, or watch the Train go by? Ideally, as our practice evolves we choose to stay on the platform all the time, and not get caught up in the clanging bells, sense of adventure, and "all aboard!" beckoning us along.

But especially in the beginning we WILL get on board that train sometimes. So what do we do when we find ourselves far from the platform where we started?

We get off the Train. We get back on the platform and we begin the process again. "So" on the inhale, "Hum" on the exhale. The Trains of Thought will rush through the station and every time they do, you can choose whether to climb aboard. If you find that you have, disembark. If you find that you have not, don't congratulate yourself, because that is simply another type of Train of Thought! So are Itchy Ear, Tingly Leg, What Time is It? and so many other possibilities.

Eventually, you will find that a few things happen. Fewer thoughts will come up. This is not to say that you aren't thinking. But there is space between the thoughts. Fewer trains are passing through the station on whose platform you sit. And the trains that do simply rush by, and you remain where you are.

How does this process help us in real life? Like, I know I'm supposed to meditate, but how does that make my life better? That is an excellent question. Remember how fewer trains go by, with longer spaces in between? In those spaces lies the very powerful ability to RESPOND instead of REACT. Reaction is without consideration, almost from instinct. This is rarely to our benefit in modern society, but hey, if you're being chased by a tiger, by all means react by running as fast as you can. Being able to respond instead, by understanding what is asked of us, weighing our choices (including whether or not to respond!) and then responding thoughtfully, can indeed be helpful! Maybe we won't regret as many of the things we said, or agreed to.

If you're convinced, and you want to start to practice, how do you do it? Choose a space, settle yourself comfortably, choose a point of focus (starting with "So Hum" is excellent!), set a timer for a couple of minutes, close your eyes, and begin. When you get on the Train of Thought, just get yourself down on the platform as soon as you notice. No drama, no fuss, no beating yourself up. When your timer goes off, get up and go about your day. Perhaps make a small commitment to a few minutes per day to begin, and when you feel like you'd like to add time, go ahead.

It's simple, but not always easy. Few things that are helpful are both simple and easy, but they can be very worthwhile. If you'd like some help in getting started, or have more questions than this post answers, don't hesitate to contact me! I'm happy to help however I can.