Meditation Is Something We Can All Achieve Whether We Think We Can Or Not
Meditation is a way for you to relax your mind and body so that your stresses can slip away and you can remain calm and healthy. Meditation is a state of tranquility which can be achieved in silence or in noisy situations.
To Think, or Not To Think
No matter what you try to do, your mind will never ever go blank in the beginning stages of learning to meditate. So, don’t sweat it, you’re fine; it’s normal for lots of thoughts to rush in. This is part of the training process.
Just like with anything else, you can’t expect to learn to do it perfectly (the way you hear about it) your first time out. (If it DOES happen, then great, you are one of very few.) You have to go through the messy thought process of getting to that point where your mind is still and calm.
It’s not easy, especially when you are a busy person with lots going on in your life, or if you have young kids. Your mind will always try to be elsewhere. And that’s OK!
You can still slip into a meditative trance even when you focus your thoughts on one single thought. You don’t have to let your mind go completely blank. Think of it like daydreaming. When you daydream, you are in a meditative trance.
In The Beginning
You will start your meditation sessions with your thoughts coming through your head, not being able to settle them. Eventually, with some practice, you can taper those thoughts down to much fewer and be able to focus on those. Then, you will have only one thought through your mind at a time; and focus will be on that one thought. And then, it happens, finally, you are able to calm your mind to the point where it is blank. This is the point where you have reached the deep meditative state that you heard about that you thought you could never achieve.
You’ve gotten to the silent calm point, so what’s next?
Silence, Calm, & Answers
You now know you have a place to go, in your mind, to meditate on whatever it is that bothers you. You know you can calm your mind enough to get to that trance point where you can figure out the answers to your problems. It is in this state, you can maintain a peace within yourself.
Eventually, you will move past needing to take time away to gain this state and you will be able to do this in a crowded room, or around screaming toddlers. I know, it doesn’t sound at all possible, but it is.
Meditation is mostly about allowing your mind and body to come together to a calm, peaceful place where you rid yourself of stresses. This can be achieved whenever, and wherever you are. You don’t always have to go off to a secluded quiet space to meditate.
Yes, in the beginning, it is easier to be somewhere alone and quiet, hence why that is the recommendation. But, with practice, you will learn to slip into that peaceful state (like daydreaming), where you can relax even in the most tense of circumstances.
Deep Meditation
Deep meditation, the type where you are looking for answers, and to reach your inner soul, will require you to be alone most times. It is very difficult to stay in that trance of deep meditation when you are distracted by disruptive situations and people.
Even when trying for a deep meditation, your thoughts will drift for some time, until you master the control of keeping the thoughts away and only focusing on what you wish to have answered.
Control over keeping thoughts away, is not actually control; it is more like lack thereof. You lose control over your thoughts, hence why they end up free. It is in trying to control your thoughts that you keep them in the forefront of your mind not allowing them to subside. So, control over your thoughts is to let go of your thoughts.
Confused? Good. Meditate on that thought, and see what comes to you. You might be pleasantly surprised. Many thoughts will come, and they will be contradictory. And then, the thought will come, the answer which you seek, and it will make sense. You have now hit a deeper meditative level.
Practice Makes Perfect
Practice often, because the more you do, the better you will become. And the better you become, the more peaceful and less stressed out you will be. Not only that but you will be a heck of a lot more focused with a clearer mind; solutions to problems will come to you quicker and easier.
Don’t give up just because your mind wanders. It’s natural, and normal. Keep with it, and you will work past it. You can do it; you just have to practice.