Why do we Meditate?
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007Meditation is a training – just like Asana or Pranayama – which is why we “practice” Yoga, or “practice” Pranayama (or practice the piano).
We also “practice” meditation.
I’ve said many times about how after we’ve practiced Yoga for awhile we become more aware of our bodies and how we move and sit and perform normal tasks. We begin to “catch” ourselves when we tighten or lift our shoulders when we become stressed so we can intentionally lower and relax them before we experience back/shoulder/neck pain. Or we “catch” ourselves walking or standing in such a way that our back or neck might get strained. It is when we become aware of these things we can mentally adjust our bodies and over time these “habits” will be changed.
When we practice meditation regularly we become more aware of our thoughts and emotions and we might start to “catch” ourselves when we have a conditioned emotional response which is based on something other than what we are currently experiencing – or even if our response is directly related to what is happening, if the emotion is very strong it can color our judgment and limit our ability to think clearly and respond appropriately. We might miss an opportunity to respond in a constructive way rather than just lashing out, or going inward and hiding based on emotions.
Meditation can help us learn about ourselves so we can recognize patterns we might want to change (before they cause emotional or mental pain) – so we can step-back, take a breath and continue in a more balanced way.
That is a key point to “mindfullness” meditation – to learn about ourselves. To spend some “inner” time with ourselves.
Some of us have said that sometimes when we practice Yoga asanas or Pranayama we feel that our thoughts recede and we feel almost meditative. That is a wonderful feeling – we are going with “the flow” as it is sometimes called. And that quietness of mind we feel is an aspect of our Yoga practice – the focus we talk about. But that really isn’t meditation, any more than correct breath, and controlling the breath (ujjai breathing) while practicing Asana is Pranayama. Pranayama practice is a separate unique practice, as is meditation.
Meditation will usually be anything but a quiet mind – or a relaxed body. Our minds might be going a mile a minute, our bodies might twitch or itch or ache, and that is to be expected. That might be our experience for the first 5 years, or 5 days or 5 minutes, then we might calm down for the next 5 seconds or 5 minutes or 5 years – who knows. But all of the experience is meditation.
Whatever we experience, if we are sitting in meditation, is meditation and our experiences will be unique, just as our bodies are unique so our Yoga asana practice will be unique. Remember what I always say — there is no perfect body, so there is no perfect Yoga asana — which in the same respect means every Asana when practiced mindfully and focusing on those few alignment points (protecting knees and back) is a perfect Asana. So also — every Meditation practice is a perfect practice. It will be related to who we our, our own personal history, and that is the person we will get to know through meditation – and the person we will start to understand with love and compassion.
And just like in Yoga, sometimes things get more challenging (or painful!) before they get better – and even then, everything may be going smoothly, you’ll feel you are really getting somewhere (just like asana practice) when suddenly you experience discomfort again – you’ve reach another “big change” plateau, and once you are past this, you will again level off for awhile…