It is very common for students of meditation to come out of a session and think the “activity” is over. So as soon as they get up off their cushion, they go about their day separating their everyday life from meditation.
And yet the goal of meditation is to learn how one’s whole life can become a meditation. In this way, the “practice” merges with your everyday life. In meditation, there is a calmness and stillness, and this is the ultimate goal in everyday life as well.
The trick in meditation is to learn how to settle the mind. One should have the intention to carry this state throughout the rest of the day and return to it if the state becomes lost. This is accomplished through consistent practice.
It is common for the mind to be active during meditation. It does not mean you “can’t meditate.” Thinking happens ALL THE TIME. What’s important is that we don’t let thoughts drag us away. When this happens, we become distracted. We have the ability to be aware, to be conscious. This is the mindfulness and centeredness we are aiming for with meditation practice. Think of this practice as building a habit of bringing a state of calmness whether on or off the cushion.
People often ask how to connect to guidance. And they believe the key is to go into meditation with a question in mind. However, the first step is to simply calm the mind. Once you reach a state of stillness, the intuition drops in naturally.
Consider what happens in everyday life as well as meditation when we allow our center to weaken. We start to lean on others, or in meditation, we slouch or lean against a wall. In everyday life, we look to the outside world for support, answers, or guidance. In meditation, we lean over and also tend to fall into a state of worry or rambling thoughts. Our energy falls into a state of disharmony and weakens.
Practicing an attitude of self-support, self-reliance and dignity in meditation can train you to carry over this same attitude into your daily life.
By simply keeping the body straight and alert, not leaning over, you are setting up an energy field of self-reliance, self-respect and self-control. And amazingly, this puts you in a state of calmness.
There is no doubt that you have had times in your life when you have felt down about yourself. Think about that state of being and what body posture correlates with that state. If you were in acting class and needed to pretend to be someone who is discouraged, what would you do with your body posture? The head hangs low, the body slouches, and you might even lean onto a wall.
To effectively correct the energy, sit or stand straight and tall and feel into a posture of dignity. This allows you to enter into a physical attitude of centeredness. Once you are physically set, the mental often follows. The idea is to sit with composure and allow the mind to be open and receptive. This practice time in meditation starts to become second nature in everyday life. And this state of being allows wisdom and insights to come at all times.
Realize that worries and fears as well as troubling thoughts often come when you lack composure.
But when the mind is calm, it can see and feel and know things with very little effort. You slip into a natural intuitiveness.
Try meditating with no intention. As you practice this, and simply observe the mind releasing thoughts as they arise, you will see that the thoughts do not stay for very long. As you choose not to attach to thoughts, they will float by and your calm and steady nature will grow. With time, you will see the thoughts come and go and then as you play with this even more, you can see what happens when you attach to a thought for a while and how you start to feel. And then compare it to when you say “not right now” to a thought and choose to stay empty. Notice what happens in these two scenarios and then report back.
If you enjoyed this article on achieving calmness and would like to access a more calm state, check out the Discover Your Energy 28 Day Meditation Journey! This program is designed to help you access your own energy, awaken your gifts, open your energy and connect you to higher frequencies.
Lots of love,
Mandy G.
