5 Ways to Make Meditation Less Mysterious

A few weeks ago, I went to a concert of traditional Indian chanting music by the wonderful performer Krishna Das. "Let's start with a few oms," Das casually began, referring to the sound said to underlie all energy, which people often use to start a meditation. Suddenly, this crowd of several hundred slouchers bolted upright. "I didn't say, 'Sit up straight,'" Das laughed. "You can say om while relaxing."

To me, this moment perfectly captured the rituals and rigamarole we have unnecessarily placed around the practice of meditation, which I believe makes some people apprehensive to do it. Would-be meditators who approach me invariably focus more on the ceremony than the mental centering: Do you have to wear special clothing? Are there specific words to chant? Does it demand a set amount of time? Require a special cushion on the floor? I always answer, "no." Although some traditions do impose certain requirements on their practitioners, most of us are better off avoiding the preparation and props of a Broadway production.

I consider myself something of a meditation proselytizer, in that I want everyone to experience its delicious benefits (even as I confess that my record for daily attendance isn't perfect). At its core, meditation is nothing more than the opportunity to enter the space between the thinker and the thought, which lets us to know that we are more than our mental meanderings. There's an incredible magic to going beyond our limited minds and experiencing what spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle brilliantly calls the power of now. The process is not only calming -- it's transformational.

I believe that any inward focus -- done wherever, whenever and however you like -- that gives you a glimpse of this is a great meditation. In that spirit, here are five tips for taking the mystery out of meditation -- helpful, I hope, for anyone who hasn't tried it before, or who wants to do it more.

Meryl Davids Landau is the author of the spiritual women's novel Downward Dog, Upward Fog, which was recommended by the Yoga Journal, YogaDork and Elephant Journal blogs. ForeWord Reviews calls the novel "an inspirational gem that will appeal to introspective, evolving women." Read excerpts at www.DownwardDogUpwardFog.com. Meryl also writes for O: the Oprah Magazine, Whole Living, Reader's Digest and other national magazines,

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Comments

[Ed and Deb Shapiro]

10:27 AM on 03/21/2012

Hey Meryl - luvluv your pure heart & clear understanding of meditation-
Always enjoy our chanting friend KD -he is in our book & in our hearts!
Appreciate your blogs!
Ed

[Meryl Davids Landau]

01:02 PM on 03/22/2012

Thank you so much, Ed! Since I love your heart and your blogs, too, I very much appreciation your comment.

Since you adore KD, you might also enjoy my new blog on my kirtan experience with him on Elephant Journal:
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/03/five-things-i-learned-from-chanting-with-krishna-das--meryl-davids-landau/

Meryl

[french queen13]

09:34 PM on 03/18/2012

Nice collection of ideas. It's such a contrast to the one Buddhist-run meditation class I attended a few years ago - right off-putting that was, it was very much focussed on ritual, and leapt (after one week!) into telling people about how one should never judge others, loving kindness, etc etc. Made me feel more argumentative than anything else, and didn't teach anything useful about the physical practice of meditation. These few slides are much more to the point, especially if one doesn't incline to the philosophies (and trappings) of Buddhism or Hinduism.

I don't think of it as meditation, but I have a time every morning (weather permitting!) in a park during my morning commute that serves much the same purpose. It's just sitting, or standing if it's raining, remembering what happened across the veil the night before. Works for me ... :)

[PrunellaC]

05:28 PM on 03/16/2012

A book that I found very helpful for "de-mystifying" meditation is Zen Training by Sekida. He does a fantastic job of explaining the physiological changes that take place via posture, breathing, etc.

[beckola]

09:34 AM on 03/20/2012

Thanks, that book sounds like something I could use.

[PrunellaC]

12:04 PM on 03/20/2012

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Training-Philosophy-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1590302834/

This is a newer edition than the one I have but I'd still recommend it.

[FSMbaby]

07:41 PM on 03/15/2012

Good article & comments. I've always wondered if I was doing it right. I never had any amazing mind-blowing experience so I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. Now I'm thinking I may be expecting too much. I do feel more relaxed afterward. Maybe I should consider that a success.

[Meryl Davids Landau]

03:33 PM on 03/15/2012

Thanks, all, for weighing in! I'm glad my post resonated. My goal is to make meditation, and any spiritual practice, feel totally accessible to everyone, because they are. I, too, love the way Priscilla's teacher put it--good or "bad" (although I don't judge any meditation as bad), just do it.

[rtanguis]

07:29 PM on 03/15/2012

I hope you are successful with reaching your goal. The jndividual and the world could benefit from more spiritual practice. If I may suggest a book instrumental in a beginning for me, if still available, to your readers it is "A Gradual Awakening" (sorry I've forgotten the author). Also Alan Watts's "The Wisdom Of Insecurity" is wonderfully written though not a guide on meditation.
Meditation has proved a double edged sword in my experience. To be aware fully meant being open to that which I had previously managed to deny. In time of turmoil when practice is illusive compassion for one's self is needed most.

[Open Circles]

11:31 AM on 03/15/2012

Thanks for sharing this perspective. Priscilla Warner's comment below pretty much summarizes what I've been able to figure out.... "Good meditation is okay, bad meditation is okay," he taught us. "Just do your best." Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, a young Tibetan monk. As an example, there are times when I have a long commute when I'm not the one driving. When possible, I put on my headphones, tune into some "meditation" music and get into my personal space for 10 minutes. Works great!

[care4ub0y]

11:02 AM on 03/15/2012

THANK YOU, you took the mystery out of meditation, which was a great obstacle to me. Your explanation gave me a much better understanding!

[LIKEWHAT]

07:11 AM on 03/15/2012

Is this comment seen on facebook to all of my "friends"?

[stilllearning2b]

05:29 AM on 03/15/2012

Thank you for these tips. I am in the early days of a 28 day meditation challenge to tame my own monkey mind,my cutesy name for it.
http://lessonsfromtheendofamarriage.com

[cbrown4115]

08:43 AM on 03/15/2012

My friend Jeff described his meditation practice by reporting, "My monkey mind is throwing poo at me." I had to laugh... we have all been there, haven't we?

[PrunellaC]

05:30 PM on 03/16/2012

All the time ;^)

[Miss Havisham]

10:10 AM on 03/15/2012

"Monkey mind" is a long-standing description commonly used in all meditation contexts. Sorry you can't take credit for your "cutesy name."

[acrossthewalls]

03:20 PM on 03/14/2012

Very cool! I think of it as my daily watering (despite my innate ability to kill plants). I'm also starting a blog about my practice, both as an accountability agent to taking care of myself and a pulling back of the 'mystery' that seems to accompany mainstream opinion about it.

[villlager]

11:11 AM on 03/14/2012

good article. I meditate every morning for 15- 20 minutes. great way to start my day.
I don't understand why people would have a problem with the word meditation. I'm
also into kirtan, which is described in the first paragraph but KD is not my favorite
chant artist. I prefer Wah or Jai Uttal. they have much better voices.. Ihave
seen all of them more than once.

[Priscilla Warner]

09:15 AM on 03/14/2012

Thank you for this terrific post, Meryl. So many people are intimidated by the idea of beginning a meditation practice. I've been meditating for three years, and I "plop down anywhere" as you've suggested we do here.

The first person who taught me meditation, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, a young Tibetan monk, had the most wonderful, open-minded approach. "Good meditation is okay, bad meditation is okay," he taught us. "Just do your best."

My best is different on different days. Sometimes I meditate in a classic sitting position; more often I park my car in between appointments and meditate in a parking spot somewhere. Often I lie in bed at the end of a busy day, put my hands on my belly, and feel my breath moving in and out of me.

Of course chanting to my Krishna Das CDs always works too!