Top Ten Tips for Meditation

By R.Pettinger

Meditation can simplify our lives and help us live in the eternal now. When we enter into real meditation we experience a real sense of peace and joy. To gain access to this inner reality meditation is necessary. These are some tips to help improve our meditation.

1. Proper Breathing. If we can carefully regulate our breathing this will be a great aid to our meditation. When we slow down and become conscious of our breathing, the mind naturally slows down and it is easier to control our thoughts. When we meditate our breath should be so gentle that if someone placed a feather by our mouth it would barely move.

2. Stop Thoughts entering. This is often easier said than done. However it is the essence of meditation. If we can learn to stop our mind from pursuing endless thought then we will be able to enter into real mediation; real meditation is inner silence. Sri Chinmoy says the essence of meditation is

“When we meditate we empty our minds and then fill our minds with something divine.” (1)

3. Mantra. The use of mantra can be of great help in quietening the relentless noise of the mind. A mantra is a sacred word or phrase repeated many times. By repeating a mantra we calm the mind and also make it one pointed. After chanting a mantra meditation will be easier.

4. Meditation Shrine. If we can create a sacred space for meditation we will gain added inspiration. A meditation shrine can be a small corner of a room we keep only for meditation. Over time we will find this space builds up a meditative consciousness helpful to our meditation.

5. Regularity. Like many other activities the more we practise meditation the better we will become. If we meditate sincerely everyday then we will find that our capacity to meditate increases. If our meditation is sporadic, progress is much more difficult.

6. Spiritual Heart. If we struggle to calm the mind and stop the unceasing flow of thoughts we can try meditating on the spiritual heart. We should try to feel our whole sense of awareness is leaving the mind and entering the heart. If we are able to meditate in the heart we will identify with the expansive and divine qualities the spiritual heart embodies.

7. Concentration. To meditate well we need to master the art of concentration. In essence concentration involves focusing on only one thing at a time. If we can be one pointed and not get distracted, then our meditation will become very powerful.

8. Inspiration. Meditation should be viewed as a lifelong process of self – discovery. It is important to try and maintain our enthusiasm and inspiration for meditation. We can do this by associating with other like minded people who also meditate. If we can find a real spiritual teacher this will also give us significant inspiration to meditate.

9. Never Give Up! Sometimes we meditate well but sometimes we feel meditation is most difficult. However it is important that we should not become discouraged just because of an unsuccessful meditation. Often we may be making progress, even if it is not always immediately obvious.

10. Intensity. Meditation doesn’t just mean sitting down quietly for 10mins. If we have real eagerness to experience the inner rewards of meditation, we will give it all our focus. When we feel this burning aspiration, our technique of meditation becomes less important. Instead our soul will come to the fore and our meditation will become spontaneous.

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