Breathing is a classic focus for meditation, for several reasons. For one thing, breathing is sensuous, rhythmic, and always with us, as long as we are alive. Also, breath is a gift to us from the larger universe; it comes inside our body, into our lungs, into our blood, then into every cell. Breath is an intimate exchange with the entire cosmos in which we live and move and have our being.
In paying close attention to a breath, we perceive all this directly. Our breath is intrinsically full of grace. There are hundreds of ways to pay attention to breath. You can be aware of its rhythm, of how it expands and contracts, of how it weaves from outside of the body to being drawn inside. You can visualize the breath, being aware of the tip of your nose, the quiet sounds of your breathing, the soft feeling in your throat, the pause at the end of the inhalation, and so on. You can focus through your sense of touch, movement, hearing, smell, or vision. You can use breath to withdraw from the world or to engage with it. When you meditate with the breath, allow your eyes to be open or closed, and whatever happens spontaneously you will learn to rest in the presence of breath, and your eyes will tend to close by themselves, but do not force them shut.
If you take this gentle approach, even the simple act of closing the eyes can feel exquisite. Your thoughts will drift off and then return to your focus. This is natural. Just keep coming back to your chosen pleasure. Keep in mind that you can sit anywhere and in any position that you find comfortable. Over time you will develop more and more sensory awareness of what breath is. And as you do so, it will become more and more engaging. Eliminate the phrase "trying to concentrate on my breath" from your vocabulary, and replace it with "I am developing an interest in breath." Use your senses to welcome each inhalation. As you become more aware of your breath, extraordinary realms of sensation begin to open up.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
How to find a Meditation Instructor
If you would like to play tennis but do not know how, what do you do? To start with, you can watch other people play, maybe buy a book or two, and then head out to the court yourself and start practicing. But once you have mastered the basics, you may want to take a class or get some personal instruction to help you refine your stroke or eliminate the mistakes you have picked up along the way.
The same holds true for meditation. Sure you can practice the exercises that you have learned for weeks, months, or even years and reap the benefits without additional instruction. But at a certain point, you may encounter difficulties you do not know how to handle by yourself, or you may start having spiritual experiences that give you glimpses of a greater reality and stimulate your appetite for further exploration. In order to continue to move forward and refine your meditation practice, you need to find yourself a good teacher.
Before choosing the right kind of teacher, you need to know exactly what kind of teacher you want. Most meditation instructors have a particular spiritual affiliation such as yogis or Zen Buddhists or Christian contemplatives, for example. In addition, the instruction they offer includes a particular orientation toward the spiritual journey as well as particular teachings and terminology. It should not be any problem if that is what you are looking for. But if you want your instruction straight, without any spirituality, you may have a more difficult time finding a suitable teacher.
Some yoga teachers offer basic meditation instructions with a minimum of Sanskrit words, and they may even know the territory well enough to help you if you get stuck. Nowadays, more and more adult education programs, community colleges, and local churches are offering generic meditation or stress-reduction classes. However, you may want to look over the instructors’ credentials before you enroll because he or she may be no further along in practice than you are.
You might want to check out the Vipassana tradition of Buddhism, also known as insight meditation. Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of the bestseller “Wherever You Go There You Are”, a long-time teacher of Vipassana, and also the founder of the mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, has developed a program that offers rigorous training to prospective instructors of basic mindfulness practices.
The same holds true for meditation. Sure you can practice the exercises that you have learned for weeks, months, or even years and reap the benefits without additional instruction. But at a certain point, you may encounter difficulties you do not know how to handle by yourself, or you may start having spiritual experiences that give you glimpses of a greater reality and stimulate your appetite for further exploration. In order to continue to move forward and refine your meditation practice, you need to find yourself a good teacher.
Before choosing the right kind of teacher, you need to know exactly what kind of teacher you want. Most meditation instructors have a particular spiritual affiliation such as yogis or Zen Buddhists or Christian contemplatives, for example. In addition, the instruction they offer includes a particular orientation toward the spiritual journey as well as particular teachings and terminology. It should not be any problem if that is what you are looking for. But if you want your instruction straight, without any spirituality, you may have a more difficult time finding a suitable teacher.
Some yoga teachers offer basic meditation instructions with a minimum of Sanskrit words, and they may even know the territory well enough to help you if you get stuck. Nowadays, more and more adult education programs, community colleges, and local churches are offering generic meditation or stress-reduction classes. However, you may want to look over the instructors’ credentials before you enroll because he or she may be no further along in practice than you are.
You might want to check out the Vipassana tradition of Buddhism, also known as insight meditation. Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of the bestseller “Wherever You Go There You Are”, a long-time teacher of Vipassana, and also the founder of the mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, has developed a program that offers rigorous training to prospective instructors of basic mindfulness practices.
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