Meditation is an effortless daily practice and its purpose is to release all the unnecessary clutter in your mind. Hence, to outline any specific instructions for meditation would be unfair to it. All the techniques are really just a guide to get you started. Once you are on the journey of self discovery, your consciousness evolves itself to unfold the steps necessary for your growth. Start meditation at the earliest and build the practice gradually, day by day. If I had to narrow down a few helpful ways to get you started in meditation, these are the key points:
1. Karma of Discipline
One must possess the discipline to pursue a spiritual journey. In the beginning, everyone is excited to start something new, but after the “honeymoon period” is over, we start to feel that we are just sitting idle with our eyes closed. Suddenly, we start to think countless thoughts and devise extensive to-do lists in our mind. The challenge is to transcend these thoughts of boredom and continue with the meditation practice. We are constantly in a state of doing. So when we finally try to sit and do ‘nothing,’ it becomes increasingly difficult to do so. It is necessary to shift gears though, and discover your silence. This will be your first step toward becoming a “human being” instead of a “human-doing.”
2. Karma of Faith
You must have faith that you have started your spiritual journey with a purpose and meaningfully. If you are forced by someone to attend meditation classes, then there, most likely, won’t be any seeds of transformation. True faith comes from within and cannot be forced. Ask yourself the reasons why you decided to start meditation. Did someone influence it, or is it rooted in true inspiration? In the end, faith and an open mind will turn everything around for you on your meditation journey. Faith doesn’t mean accepting everything blindly. It means to stay focused with an intention that our soul has a divine plan and it is always conspiring for a greater good.
3. Karma of Surrendering
Every spiritual place should hang a sign in the entryway that reads: “Leave your shoes and ego here.” On the way out, take your shoes but you can still leave your ego there. As we attain more “knowledge,” we build huge walls made of ego around us. The “I know everything” attitude keeps us away from the ocean of love and wisdom around us.
There needs to be emptiness inside us for true beauty to flourish. Socrates said, “I am the wisest because I know that I don’t know.” Remaining a student throughout life is the key to self-realization. Make it a practice to leave your ego behind and accept yourself and others with an open mind and heart.
4. Karma of Having a Guru
Guru is a Sanskrit word that literally means “the one who takes away darkness and shows light.” A guru becomes very important in learning meditation. A guru nurtures and nourishes your soul with the right guidance. A guru knows your capabilities and therefore will never feed you more than your capacity. The true guru is never self-proclaimed. He will appear when you are ready to surrender. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Here’s a quick formula to find your guru: If a sleeping person says, “I am sleeping,” that means that the person is lying. The same holds true for a guru. If somebody tells you, “I am the Guru,” you’ll need to move on!
5. Karma of Satsang
Sat means truth and sang means company. Satsang is an ancient Indian practice where people gather to discuss the truth of life. On your meditation journey, make sure to associate often with people who share the same passion as you. If the satsang happens in presence of a master, it is ideal. Otherwise, schedule satsangs every month to discuss and share the experiences of your meditation journey with other spiritual seekers. Interaction with spiritually minded people and staying away from toxic, negative people can shine a lot of light in your path.
Here’s a daily meditation practice that can help you to shift your monkey-mind to a monk-mind:
- Sit relaxed in a cross-legged posture or on a chair.
- Keep your back straight and palms open.
- Take a few deep breaths effortlessly.
- Continue it for a good 5-7 minutes.
- Gently bring your awareness to your heart.
- Forget the rest of your body and only feel the presence of the heart.
- Take a moment to be grateful for all your relationships and blessings in life.
- Now, while keeping the entire awareness on the heart, ask yourself: “Where does my happiness come from?”
- Don’t try to find a perfect answer to the question. There is no right answer. Just meditate on the question and be open to any answer you receive.
- Keep your awareness on your breath and heart. Be in silence for a few moments before you come out of meditation.
Do this meditation daily before you fall asleep or after you wake up in the morning. Twenty to twenty-five minutes of this meditation practice will help you to connect with your source of happiness. Remember, the right source is you. Everything else is just a temporary state of pleasure.
Chandresh Bhardwaj is the founder of the self-realization center – Break The Norms Movement, and has launched Uncensored Spirituality Foundation. Bhardwaj is one of the youngest inspirational new age teachers and the seventh generation spiritual guide pursuing initiatives in the eastern science of healing and transformation. He conducts public talks and workshops.He is a published writer and promotes spiritual dialogue in meditation, repressed emotions, and Tantra. www.cbmeditates.com
