Why Should I Meditate?
Guest post from Bethany Eanes
A lot of yogis (and people in general) question whether they really should meditate? Is it just a catch phrase? Does any body really do it right? And, if they do, what do they gain from it?
The truth is, for at least 5,000 years, people have known meditation holds the key to a unique power within us. Eckart Tolle, in one of the leading spiritual books of our time, The Power of Now, explains that power beautifully. He says the philosopher Renee Descartes falsely put forward the idea: “I think, therefore I am.” Tolle believes it is 100 percent possible (and actually, even necessary) to know you are a living, feeling soul even if you are not thinking. Thinking is an act we do as humans; it is ego-driven. There is a greater sense of being that comes from non-thinking, from simply experiencing, and from allowing our true purpose to come forth organically.
Have you ever had one of those moments where, despite days of looking for a specific answer, the right word or thought only came to you in a dream? Or when you were completely engulfed in another task? How did this happen if you weren’t actively thinking?
Tolle explains that the human brain is a great filter. It is excellent at sorting through many scenarios and categorizing things. This comes from thousands of years of evolution and the need to survive; quickly assessing a situation to determine if it is dangerous or not is key. In Dean Buonomano’s new book Brain Bugs, the author shows how our human survival instinct made us great at recognizing patterns, distinguishing enemies from friends and finding food but not so good at higher level thinking and reasoning.
So, if the brain isn’t designed to create, then why do we have so many creative souls out there?
The answer here, according to Tolle and many other yogic philosophers, is because we are, in fact, souls not brains. We have another part of our being that is connected to a different source, something other-worldly, that allows us to be creative, to be expressive, to achieve great things in math and science and art. We all have this power, but most of us are too bogged down in the day-to-day thinking brain to tap into it.
More often than not, our thoughts serve to weigh us down and hold us back rather than forward our purpose. We spend much of the day rethinking things we’ve already experienced or thought of or playing out future scenarios that may or may not occur. We expend energy by allowing our brain and thinking mind to take over. In doing so, we lose connection with the source.
Enter meditation.
Meditation allows us to take the time to shut off the brain. It is a time when we reconnect with our highest selves and highest purpose. We stop allowing the parody of life to play through our minds like a movie. We bring our focus to one thing only. Perhaps that thing is the present moment, perhaps it is a candle flame, perhaps it is the ocean’s waves or the voice of a meditation guide. Whatever it is, we stay fully present by telling the brain, “Give it a rest!” By meditating, we not only connect with the Divine in ourselves and in the world, we make space for new, creative thoughts to come through.
The first time you meditate, you likely will not experience any of that (you may, which would be great!). Instead, you will likely struggle with attempting to shut off the mind for perhaps the first time in your life. To help yourself, find a great meditation instructor, use a guide to begin with, and follow the steps to lead yourself into meditation:
- Go to a place dedicated to meditating where there are no other distractions
- Begin with simple breathing exercises. Becoming aware of the breath is the fastest way to get yourself present.
- Practice yoga asanas for 10 minutes to an hour to get your body relaxed and clear away any blockages or stale energy
- Sit in the “natural” posture. This isn’t a straight spine as many believe. The spine has four natural curves. Getting them to line up properly will leave you in a position where you have no tension in the body. If you need practice, seek a meditation teacher to help you out here.
- Begin with a simple mantra meditation to keep your breath and mind focused
- Only after you have become fully immersed in the one-pointedness of your meditation can you start to let go of the mantra and relax into your bliss
- Give thanks! To your teacher, your God and yourself, you did it!
