Meditating can be challenging, especially in the initial stages. To become good at meditation, there are a number of elements that are important to keep in mind including – the importance of a good posture, your mindset, your meditative space and how to deal with the various impediments that you experience while meditating.
Mindset
WILL POWER: The singular most important, by far the most significant quality that a meditator must have is willpower, the resolve to not give up in the face of challenges
Om Swami – Spiritual Monk, Author – If Truth Be Told / A Million Thoughts
Posture
According to Patanjali, it is only after perfecting one’s posture that one advances on the path of yoga.
By perfecting I mean to reach a state where you can sit unmoving in one posture for as long as you want without experiencing pain or numbness in your body. Your body is bound to experience a certain tiredness but without the aches.
Mastering correct posture is one of the most difficult aspects of meditation.
In the earlier stages, you experience aches and pains in different parts of your body. You can overcome some of those by doing yoga or stretching regularly, but for the most part, the only way to get past this hurdle is by persisting with your meditation.
Correct posture is about perfect stillness of the body.
Stillness of the body fuels stillness of the mind and in turn stillness of the mind helps you be more still physically.
Om Swami – Spiritual Monk, Author – If Truth Be Told / A Million Thoughts
Be comfortable A posture should be such that you can forget your body.
Osho – Spiritual Teacher – Meditation: The 1st & Last Freedom / The Book of Secrets
Meditative Place
Good posture is a non-negotiable requirement, Equally important is a conducive environment.
A sincere meditator, the one who is in for the long haul, should carefully select a place for meditation.
Om Swami – Spiritual Monk, Author – If Truth Be Told / A Million Thoughts
You should find a place which enhances meditation.
Go to nature, to the mountains, to the trees, to the rivers where tao is still flowing, vibrating, pulsating, streaming all around. Trees are in constant meditation.
If it is possible, have a special room for meditation in your house. Just a small corner will do, but especially for meditation. Why especially for meditation? Because every kind of act creates its own vibration. If you simply meditate in that place, that place becomes meditative.
Osho – Spiritual Teacher – Meditation: The 1st & Last Freedom / The Book of Secrets
Impediments to Meditation
Answering back to the voice in your head
: This is the story of most people when they try to meditate. The moment you answer back to your mind and begin communicating with it, the voice in the head wins.Restlessness: When you experience restlessness, and as it builds up, during your meditation, you may feel the uncontrollable urge to move, shift, talk, or even end your session
.The interesting thing is that the mind does not become restless on its own during meditation. It is only when you try too hard to concentrate or force your mind to think a certain way (rather than gently guiding it), that the mind becomes restless.. Dullness: A meditation that lacks lucidity is as good as sleeping. Laziness during meditation can take the form of dullness of the mind or lethargy of the body. If your mind experiences dullness or sluggishness, the clarity of the object of meditation disappears
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Om Swami – Spiritual Monk, Author – If Truth Be Told / A Million Thoughts
Other concepts on Meditation & Mindfulness
What is meditation?
Meditation means different things for different people. For some, it is a technique, while for others meditation is a way of life. Is it a return to your true nature, a focus on your inner rather than your outward world, a way to relax and gain peace or the ability to sit and do nothing at all. What’s your answer?
Meditation Techniques
There are a wide range of different meditation techniques – being a silent observer, focusing on your breath, zen, dynamic meditations and the list goes on. There is no correct or preferred method, you need to find the technique that works the best for you.
Letting Go
We often place much greater importance to things, than they really deserve. By practicing the art of letting go, we gain a great degree of freedom from thoughts, emotions and things that prevent us from realizing our true selves.
The Now
Our minds are constantly racing between an unchangeable past and an imaginary future. In the process, we ignore the only real thing there is – The Now. All our fears, anxieties, worries, stress and other forms of negativity all stem from an inability of our minds to remain present in the current moment.