Some Simple Guidelines for Learning to Practice

Meditation

Those who are new to Yoga and Buddhism usually can be

quite sincere in their interest and the effort that

they are willing to put forth in order to make these

things part of their life.

But once they are faced with the prospect of sitting

down for meditation practice, they can experience some

anxiety, apprehension or discomfort at the prospect.

The process of being alone in such a way and sitting

still like this for an extended period of time can be,

as many who have practiced this for some time know,

quite challenging.

Too many times we are being asked to do too much too

soon and that may make things more difficult for us.

We may even feel intimidated by our surroundings or

the teachers approach and attitude to us.

We may not "feel" like doing it at the time we have

been directed to or as mentioned above, not feel

comfortable with the environment that we are being

asked to practice in.

The simple guidelines below may be of some assistance

to those who wish to attempt to bring meditation into

their lives.

Before you practice

-Take a bath or shower before you practice.

You will feel more comfortable with your body and

sitting if you do this.

- Put on some loose, comfortable, fresh and

clean clothing. Color can and should be simple,

perhaps all white, or all black, or a mixture of the

two.

- Find a place that is quiet and comfortable.

It should be free of insects. A fan may make the

practice more comfortable though this is not a

necessity. It should not be stuffy or humid in or at

the practice area. It can be a place of darkness.

During the practice

-Sit yourself in a posture that is

comfortable, steady and therapeutic. You need to

experiment with various postures and leg

configurations and once you find one that is best for

you, stick with it. Do not think that you have to sit

cross -legged in the lotus posture.

- You can make the posture more comfortable by

using folded towels or blankets and placing them below

the feet or underneath the knees or buttocks.

- Sit in the posture and feel it. As you start

to become used to it and feel a degree or familiarity

or comfort with it, slowly close your eyes.

- Get used to the posture and having your eyes

closed and then start to bring your attention to your breathing. Breath through the nose only.  As you become

 comfortable with the breathing, you can gradually start to make the inhalation and exhalation equal. Do not

 make the breath deep, just equal.  Sit for as long as you can. If you start to feel physically uncomfortable or too

 distracted mentally, stop your practice for the day.

After the practice

- Engage yourself in something quiet after

practicing, such as reflection, reading, note - taking

or writing. Do not run to turn on the radio or

television, play on the computer or to the

refrigerator for food.

- If you had difficulties with your practice

for the day, such as with the posture or being too

distracted mentally, do not think of it as failure or

that you can not practice meditation. Just put aside

the day's experience, see what you can learn or gain

from it, and plan for the next days practice session.

Sitting meditation practice is something that anyone

can try and do.

Unfortunately, people tend to expect too much from the practice, give up too quickly, think they are not doing it

 correctly or fail to see the things they are experiencing and what they are getting out of practicing.

The idea is to get into the habit of a sitting quietly

and watching the breath, and with the experience of

this, changes and progress start to come.

©2004 John C. Kimbrough

(John lives and teaches in Bangkok, Thailand. He can

be reached at johnckimbrough@yahoo.com)