Meditation for Beginners
Meditation is an important part of my life. I am still pretty much a beginner. I meditate for about 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. I would like to meditate for longer but seem to have so many outer things that attract my attention ( like working on my websites) I can understand why people used to retreat from the world and meditate in a monastery. However this doesn't appeal to me and my meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy doesn't advocate retreating from the world.
To learn how to meditate there are various things that are important.
1. Quieten The Mind
The Goal of meditation is to go beyond the mind. Meditation cannot be done by thinking. On our path we meditate by concentrating on the spiritual heart.
2. Concentration
In whatever we do,we will be more successful if we can concentrate fully on the task in hand. This means being single pointed. When we meditate we need to switch off from everything else and put all our attention onto the meditation.
3. Place to Meditate
Find a Quiet Place and quiet time. I have a small corner of my room specially set aside for meditation. My shrine has a picture of Sri Chinmoy's transcendental photo and a few flowers. If you meditate in the same place every day it builds up a meditative atmosphere.
4. Aspiration
Aspiration to meditate. If we are hungry then we are eat. It is the same with meditation if we are dissatisfied with our worldly life and would like to discover the inner peace within ourselves then we will be motivated to meditate every day. This aspiration or inner cry is perhaps more important than learning many techniques.
5. Perseverance and Patience
In the beginning we cannot expect results overnight, each time we meditate we are adding to our capacity's even if we don't have great experiences then we need to persevere. If we practise sincerely we will progress.
6. Cultivate Happiness
It is important to bear in mind the goal of meditation is to uplift our consciousness and have a more positive outlook about life and about ourselves. When we meditate well we will have a positive outlook on life.
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