Meditation and the work of the awareness of the present moment are current and regular themes in everyday life. Evolution allows us to look a little bit more into ourselves and quickly understand that we need to take good care of ourselves in the first place, so that we can love our surroundings in a healthy way. To live fully in the only moment that exists is an opening for the transformation of the mind. Ancient or modern, there are numerous meditative techniques that allow us to observe thoughts and create mental discipline. However, and despite being a simple practice, it is also one of the most challenging, as it only takes a few moments of inaction for the mind to begin to wander. As such, let me share some teachings of a regular meditation practice:
Comfortable posture.
This is the first step towards a good meditation practice. More than looking for a perfect posture, the important thing here is to feel comfortable, without ever forgetting the verticality of the back. A good option is to imagine an invisible thread that pulls the top of the head to the ceiling.
Intention on the practice.
After choosing a comfortable posture, it is important to reflect on the motivation and purpose of the meditation practice. This is important so that we can help the mind to function with the right motives. This training is equally important for any activity in our life.
Focus on your breathing.
One way to maintain concentration is to focus on a movement that we cannot control. Breathing is a constant and natural movement in our body. In addition to this, we can focus attention on a specific point of the body, be it in the area of the nostrils or in the chest, in order to feel the fluctuations of the breath. By focusing on our breathing, we will always have a place to return to when we become aware that we are losing our thoughts.
“Who am I?”
We live our lives surrounded by diverse realities, characters, expectations and dysfunctional beliefs which are mostly created by ourselves. It becomes necessary to “burst certain bubbles” in order to reconnect with the Inner Self. We can imagine ourselves as a lake that is always in motion. With the water full of turbulence and waves, we cannot see what is beyond that. You have to stop and think about the question “Who am I?”. It is through this starting point that we can find tranquility and, as a natural consequence, dysfunctional beliefs dissipate and self realization arises.
Over time it becomes clear that thoughts are in fact like waves, that they go and come by themselves, and that they do not define us as human beings. Let us spend a few minutes of our day in meditation, as these will be the most important minutes for a healthy mind.
