There are several great resources on the web that provide instruction on how to meditate.
Fundamentally, all meditation is comprised of four essential elements, as outlined in "The Relaxation Response", by Herbert Benson, M.D., and echoed in several of the other books I site on the "Books" page.
- A quiet environment -- the object here is to limit noise and other forms of distraction. Meditation is challenging enough with just the chatter that goes on inside our minds. To add to it by trying to practice in noisy or distracting surroundings just makes it tougher. By the same token though, one does not need to go into a sensory depravation chamber to practice meditation. Some sounds might be inevitable, especially if you are meditating outside in a garden setting, but regardless of what you might hear, simply acknowledge that sound happens in the present moment and try not to attach to the sound by allowing the mind to build a story around each and every sound that should arise. (In fact, Shinzen Young has an article on Meditation on Sound.)
- A comfortable position
-- striking a comfortable, balanced, and stable posture is good
practice. That is why most meditation consists of taking up a stable
sitting cross-legged position which provides a firm anchoring of the
body "halfway between heaven and earth". The body is more likely to
remain in this position without discomfort and with minimal effort for
long periods of time. Experiment with the various ways of crossing the
legs (as Patrick demonstrates in the video below) to decide which you
prefer. Chair-seated positions are also perfectly viable. Reclined or
prone positions however probably are not so good given how these
postures typically end in slumber.
- A passive attitude
-- meditation is challenging work, make no mistake. So, it is very
important to not be hard on yourself when things such as mind-wandering
happens. Simply take it in stride and return to your practice -- over
and over again. This is normal and you should never get down on
yourself thinking that "others can master this, so there must be
something wrong with me" that I can't do it. Quite the contrary. Is
is called "practice", not "perfection" for a reason. Be kind to
yourself, make the act of loving-kindness for yourself be a part of
your practice, while doing this heroic work, and persevere. And finally,
- A mental device -- this is something upon which the meditator focuses in order to calm the mind and shift it away from our normal, often random thought patterns. This can be something as simple as following, or even counting, the breath. It can be a mantra that one recites over and over, or something visual on which to focus. The mental device is that object to which one returns if the mind does happen (and it will) to wander.
My personal preference when it comes to meditation is that which is referred to as "Zazen", or simply said, "just sitting". So, here I offer a simple video that I consider the best in terms of basic instruction . . .
In addition to being a skilled yoga and meditation instructor, Patrick Reynolds, along with his dear friend Gwen Bell do a very amusing and thought-provoking weekly podcast called Zen Is Stupid (the title is most definitely "tongue in cheek", because to say their banter is anything but cheeky would be a total misrepresentation). Anyway, you can check out their fine work at the link provided. Sometimes mining the Zen-nuggets out of their discourse is challenging (dare I say, koan-like?) but they always have something to offer that amuses and enlightens.
A very thorough set of Zazen instructions can be found at the web site of the Zen Mountain Monastery. These instructions include more information on alternate sitting positions, as well as more detailed explanation of breath counting, and focus. I found these instructions to be very useful as well. There is also a link on their page to a pdf file version of the same instructions shown on the webpage.
There are several new web-based resources worth checking out. The links are
Withinsight Yoga Journal
One closing thought on instruction -- In the December 2008 issue of "Self Healing", Dr. Andrew Weil had this to say about meditation:
"I believe meditation is about practicing unattached observance, not cessation of thinking. Spontaneous thoughts can be likened to rabbits crossing your path during a peaceful stroll. The goal is to maintain calm, keeping your eyes focused on the path ahead instead of letting them follow a darting rabbit, not pretending that a rabbit never appeared. Regular meditation can foster this heightened focus - even in the face of a wild hare."
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