The 3 Musts For Any Meditation

What is meditation? Is it about keeping your mind clear off any thoughts that come to you?

Is it about finding inner peace and tranquility so that you would never be bothered by anything in life. Or is it simply the mumbo-jumbo that is taught in the scriptures of our ancient tenets?

Today, we are not going to scientifically argue as to what is right or what is wrong. All we try to do as always is to just try and identify how it benefits us and how we can make the best of meditation and maybe if possible find the scientific self to it as well!

The Scientific definition

The Free Dictionary defines meditation as a practice of concentrated focus on a sound/object/aspect/creature/habit or anything at all. Basically, it just means a unified focus. The Hindu scriptures or the definitions of meditation is when we focus on nothing and let the mind go completely free.

Of the two, I would honestly feel that a unified focus on one aspect would be a lot easier than to focus on nothing. I am sure there are people who do that as well, but we will come back to them in a bit. But if you are very very keen to know – here you go:

Why meditation?

Ok, so why do we need to meditate?

The current day doctors say that we need to meditate because that helps us to reduce stress, tension, anxiety and a whole lot of other medically defined factors frankly of which I have never been able to make sense of.

But this is something which will make a little bit of sense to me.

“The Thing about meditation is: You become more and more you.“ 

-David Lynch

Now that is an interesting perspective. It is about knowing more about ourselves. So then possibly there is a way that I might really like meditation.

Come on, think about it, our lives do revolve around ourselves and we get to know more about why we do what we, doesn’t that sound a bit interesting?

What can meditation do to you?

Ask not what a country can do to you but ask what you can do to the country. Does this statement sound familiar.

Well, don’t worry, I am not going to ask you what you can do for meditation. But I do want to ask a question.

Why do you want to consider meditation?

If you are not writing an answer for this as a comment below, please write to yourself – what are the reasons for you to pick meditation?

Why do you want to meditate?

And we are not looking for answers like 

– Cos my wife says so

– My boss says it will cool my temper and reduce my BP

– I might be able to concentrate better for my studies

– I want to feel good about myself.

Well, these are my reasons, you can’t write them now ;). I kid of course!

But really, what are your reasons to choose meditation? Trust me, I am not going to bore you with all the scientific rationales as to why you should meditate and what energy is focused where and what not.

I am more interested about you. I am more interested about the question why?

So, why is it that you want to consider meditation?

How to do it?

Now that you have all the reasons, the next question is

Are you really convinced? If the answer is no, then please do not start it, it is going to be a waste of time.

If you want to start something new, the answer can never be – cos my friend is doing it or my doctor says so. The answer has to be more compelling, and that answer needs to convince only you.

Trust me, I will be convinced with as simple a reason as – It makes me feel calm. I really will be.

But are you? And that is the question. If the answer is yes, then you are on to a great journey and here is the why, how and when!

Must 1 – WHY?

Well, we have established your reasons and why you want to do it and I am hoping that you are really convinced as to why you want to meditate.

We shall try and add more reasons to it.

I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of people when I go to the gym and naturally I have this constant behaviour of irritating people with this one question as to why they do it? – Why do they work out? Well I am naturally the curious kind and would love to know that. The answers I have gotten are

– I want to look good

– I want to impress someone 

– I want to get six packs and be like Hugh Jackman! 

– I want to get into my skin tight jeans. 

And sometimes the noble answers like – To be healthy, to improve my stamina and some other nice answers.

I think it is wonderful to see that so many people are taking the gym so seriously. Our body is our temple and to know that we maintain it with such devotion is a matter of pride indeed. Kudos to that, really!

I do go to the gym quite regularly and I certainly can appreciate that.

 Well, we do so much for our bodies don’t we – eat healthy, exercise regularly and read so many articles about it. That’s cos we use it very regularly.

Then how about our mind? – On a regular day, our mind goes through so much of stress, the deadlines, meetings, exams, peer pressure, financial hurdles and what not. My god! There seriously is a huge list of it!

What do we do to keep our mind in a pristine condition? How do we maintain its health, how do we exercise it regularly?

Do we let nature take its own course. If we leave the gym for a year, you know what happens, those bulky thighs, the fat tummies and those loose pants. Gosh! What about the mind? Maybe meditation is a way out?

Trust me, I am not here to over sell meditation. I care more about the result that the path you choose to achieve it. I am only here to debate whether meditation is an option for us and how best it can suit us!

Must 2 – HOW?

Now that we have addressed the WHY and we are all excited to start, we need to know how right? If it is just thought and nothing else, then there is no point for us to be writing this article.

Let us now look at how we can meditate.

The books or the temples say that we should play holy music, close our eyes, think of god, let there be scented candles and so on.

But let us not worry about that right now. You know that we are trying to address the larger question.

The purpose of meditation is to bring you at peace, it is to bring you into balance and keep you at the best state of your mind. The soothing music, the scented candles help but I am sure meditation is a lot more than that.

– Fixate your mind on what makes you happy, what you are thankful for.

– Don’t even think of the problems. We all have our challenges but this is your time and you want to exercise your mind. Think of what brings you at peace

– Think of passions, think of your dreams. Close your eyes and imagine how it feels to achieve that dream, think of what you will do after achieving these dreams. Think of how you will feel once you achieve them.

– Think of love, think of beauty, think of butterflies and what not. Think of your favorite song, the emotions which drive you and make you a man/woman. Think of life the way you want it to be

– Find a quiet place, may it be a park or a temple or even the middle of a busy street. I really don’t care. But know that it is more about you than anything else.

Must 3 – WHEN?

Do it for 2 mins a day, start either early in the morning or late at night or after lunch. I don’t care, but start somewhere. Slowly increase the time and the quality of your emotions. The whole point of this exercise is to breathe into your inner senses and identify who you really are and what you stand for.

It is not the stress or the deadline or the stupid manager shouting at you who defines what you are. It is who you does that. The rest is incidental.

Start with 2 minutes, do it in spurts. I know it is hard to start something for the first time, but come on – 2 minutes is very practical. You can definitely do it.

And then maintain the daily log – improve on it. Do it as 2 minute spurt or do it as a 15 minute stretch but we are looking at atleast 15 minutes of meditation in a day. Do it 3 times or 6 times or 1 time a day, but do it anyway.

Please do not tell me that you don’t have 15 minutes for yourself. This is your life, if you don’t have time for yourself, then what else do you have time for?

So.. What say? Do you want to pick up meditation? Or maybe any other word you want to use for it. But it is the time for yourself we are looking at and that’s all we request you – not for us but for your own sake.

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