“The joy you get from outer space is minimal than the joy you get from the cultivation of your mind”- Buddha
I’ve always felt the need for a solid meditation practice, especially with My Vata mind—constantly swirling, full of air, and moving faster than the wind. It was the mental benefits of yoga that initially drew me in, and I thought meditation would naturally come easy. I could reach a state of awareness during my yoga practice, but when it came to sitting still in meditation, I struggled. I could only manage 5-10 minutes before feeling restless, unable to stay in one place.
The real turning point came when I visited the Tushita Monastery in Dharamshala. I participated in a guided meditation led by monks, and later, a two-day course where a female monk taught us how to meditate. Those two days were truly eye-opening. During meditation, they walked us through the importance of posture and ways to manage a wandering mind. I learned that meditation has three simple stages: Relax, Release, and Return.I did later a 10-day introduction to Buddhism course and which was a complete eye-opener and also helped me with inculcation a habit of meditation in my everyday life.
What I realized is that when a problem arises in our lives, the mind goes round and round, instead of finding solutions, creating a pattern of overthinking. Meditation helps us deal with these disturbing emotions skillfully by showing us the true purpose of life. The Samatha meditation, which is a meditation of focus and developing attention, has the object of meditation as Breath and Mind.
So, What do we need for meditation?
We need to figure out the place for meditation. It should be the same place you meditate every day, and you can use rituals like candles or sticks to prepare for meditation.
Now the sitting posture matters a lot, if you can sit down then support yourself with pillows and you can also lean towards the wall otherwise, sit in the chair for your meditation
Check your spine to be in a neutral position and your hips slightly elevated from the ground.
Meditation tools can vary—some days, a mantra works better for me, while on other days, I’m more focused on my breath. I’ve also found that meditations focused on selfless intentions, like love and peace, resonate deeply with me and help me connect.
Stages of Meditation:
The stages of Relax, Release, and Return ground me:
Relax: Bringing myself back to awareness.
Release: Letting go of any distractions.
Return: Gently refocusing on the breath or mantra.
Of course, there are common obstacles to meditation:
Laziness
Forgetfulness
Dullness and Distraction
Non-application
Over-application
What works for me:
What works for me is faith in the practice and doing it every day. It’s like brushing your teeth or eating a meal—meditation is food for the mind, and it needs to be done daily. I like to do it in the morning or evening, but you can choose a time that works for you.
Also what I have realized is we can always start small and it makes a difference. So, in the start, a 5-10 minutes of meditation is a great place to start in the beginning and then you can increase the time slowly. Choose quality over quantity. You can do multiple short meditations too.
Lastly, give your meditation the right direction by dedicating it to the benefit of all sentient beings.
Join me in Classes and Retreats where I can take to a deep level of meditation and help you build a practice that you can take home.
If you ever wish to go to Tushita Monestory, here is the link to the website:
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