Meditate To Gain Knowledge

Meditation has been a practice for thousands of years, with roots in Buddhism and other Eastern traditions. It is a way to gain knowledge and wisdom by observing the mind and its thoughts, and can be a path to self-discovery and transformation.

The practice of meditation involves focusing one's attention on a specific object, thought, or activity to increase awareness of the present moment. This can be done through mindfulness meditation, where one pays attention to the breath and notices when the mind wanders. It can also take the form of contemplation or reflection, where one thinks deeply about a particular topic or object.

Meditation has been shown to have numerous benefits, including reducing stress, improving focus, and increasing self-awareness. It can also help one understand their pain and reduce negative emotional reactions. By integrating meditation into one's life, one can gain knowledge about themselves and their place in the world, leading to a more harmonious and compassionate existence.

Mindfulness meditation

To get started with mindfulness meditation, all you need is a comfortable place to sit, a few minutes of free time, and a judgement-free mindset. Here are some simple steps to guide you through the process:

• Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit. You can sit on a chair or on the floor, ensuring that your head, neck, and back are straight but not stiff. It is recommended to wear comfortable and loose clothing to avoid distractions.
• Set a time limit, especially if you are a beginner. You can start with shorter meditation sessions of 5 to 10 minutes and gradually increase the duration.
• Become aware of your breath. Focus on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Observe the rising and falling of your belly or chest.
• Notice your thoughts. Allow your thoughts to come and go without judgement. Don't ignore or suppress them. Simply acknowledge them and use your breathing as an anchor to stay grounded.
• Give yourself a break. If you find yourself getting carried away by your thoughts, observe where your mind went without judgement, and gently bring your attention back to your breath. Be kind to yourself and remember that the practice of returning to the present moment is an essential part of mindfulness.
• Be consistent. While you can practice mindfulness meditation anywhere and for any amount of time, try to make it a regular part of your routine. Even a few minutes every day can make a difference.

By incorporating these steps into your mindfulness meditation practice, you will be able to cultivate a deeper sense of presence and awareness in your daily life.

Cultivating familiarity

Understanding the Process

Meditation is often associated with mindfulness, which involves focusing on one's breath and observing the wandering of the mind. This practice trains the mind to stay anchored in the present moment without judgment. It is a process of cultivating familiarity with one's thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations.

The Three Types of Knowledge

According to Buddhist teachings, there are three types of knowledge or wisdom that form the foundation of effective meditation: listening, contemplating, and meditating. Listening refers to acquiring knowledge by hearing teachings or reading about meditation practices. Contemplating involves reflecting on and internalizing what has been learned, applying it to oneself and one's life. Meditating is the direct experience of putting the teachings into practice, which goes beyond intellectual understanding.

Benefits of Cultivating Familiarity

By cultivating familiarity through meditation, one can gain a deeper understanding of oneself and one's place in the world. It helps to reduce negative habitual emotional reactions, increase self-awareness, and improve mental and physical health. Additionally, it enhances positive qualities such as patience, resilience, and the ability to focus.

Practical Tips

• Find a calm and quiet place to meditate, where you can sit comfortably and remain undisturbed.
• Start with short meditation sessions, such as 5 or 10 minutes, and gradually increase the duration.
• Focus on your breath—observe the sensation of inhaling and exhaling. When your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your breath.
• Be kind to yourself during meditation. Avoid judging yourself when your mind wanders. Simply acknowledge the thoughts and bring your attention back.
• Create a consistent meditation practice by setting reminders and removing distractions.

Reducing brain chatter

The constant chatter of the mind, often referred to as "monkey mind", can make it hard to slow down and enjoy the present. It can also negatively affect our mood, sleep, concentration, behaviour and ability to interact with others. The good news is that there are many ways to calm your mind and reduce mental chatter. Here are some techniques to help you tame your monkey mind:

Know that Your Monkey Mind Can Be Tamed

The first step is to recognise that it is possible to calm your monkey mind. Your thoughts do not rule you; you rule your thoughts.

Talk to Your Monkey Mind

When your monkey mind is in full swing, calm it down by having a conversation with it. Listen to what it is saying and address its concerns. Reassure your monkey mind that everything will be fine and come up with a contingency plan for any worries about the future. If it is voicing resentment over something that happened in the past, realise that you need to create an action plan for dealing with your past so that your monkey mind stops bringing it up. Sometimes your monkey mind just needs to be heard and will settle down once it feels it has been allowed to voice its concerns.

Establish a Journaling Practice

Set aside a window of time each day to address your monkey mind's concerns. Let your monkey mind know that you will give it a certain amount of time each morning to run amok, during which you will write down what you are thinking and feeling, and anything you are worried about. Once the time is up, let your monkey mind know that it has been heard for the day and refuse to pay attention to anything else it says until the next day's journaling session.

Meditate

Meditation is the most effective technique to calm your monkey mind. By meditating, you will be training your mind to become still and regaining power and control over your thoughts. If you create a daily meditation practice, you will become skilled at quieting your mind and silencing the monkey mind at will.

Practice the A-B-C Technique

Monkey mind is often caused by your thoughts disagreeing with what is going on. The A-B-C technique can help you deal with the disparity between what your monkey mind thinks should be happening and what is actually happening. Question the beliefs that your monkey mind is relying on to reach its conclusions. For example, ask yourself: "Are people really obligated to act at all times in the way in which I want them to act?" or "Is it realistic to believe that things must always go my way?". If you reject the beliefs that your monkey mind is relying on, it will have no choice but to quiet down.

Stop Assigning Meaning

Allow your senses to take in what is going on around you, and then stop. Skip the step where your monkey mind starts judging, critiquing and assigning meaning. Once you start doing this regularly, you will notice that you begin to see things more clearly and be able to see much more.

Recite a Mantra

Interrupt your monkey mind mid-sentence and distract it by reciting a mantra. When you recite a mantra, you draw in your scattered attention and focus it on a word, phrase or sound. Although you can recite your mantra silently, it is more effective to say it out loud so that you are also listening to the word, phrase or sound, engaging your sense of hearing.

Play a Game of Fives

When you hear the first monkey howl in your mind, bring your mind back to the present by pausing your train of thought and noticing five things in your environment. Fully experience the sight, sound or smell by pretending that it is the first time you have ever experienced it and adopting a sense of awe.

Engage Your Mind

Look for an activity that draws you in completely, so that all of your attention is placed on what you are doing and there is no attention left over to listen to the monkey mind.

Try Piko-Piko Breathing

Piko-Piko breathing is a basic practice of the ancient Hawaiian Huna philosophy. "Piko" means "navel" or "centre". The technique involves breathing in deeply and placing your attention on the crown of your head, then exhaling and centring your attention on your navel. Keep breathing in and out as you switch your attention from the crown of your head to your navel. The act of breathing deeply and centring your attention on one spot will help to calm your restless mind.

Focus on Slow and Deep Breaths

When you don't have a meditation cushion nearby, you can always practice one of the most essential parts of mindfulness and meditation: breath. Close your eyes or soften your gaze, then bring your awareness to the sensation of breath entering and leaving your body. When your mind wanders, release any judgments you have with your exhale, then slowly come back to focus. As our minds become agitated, our breath shallows and quickens, so by slowing down our breathing, we bring our body and mind back to equilibrium.

Play Music that Calms and Elevates You

Music can be a powerful tool to calm your mind and quiet mental chatter. Research has shown that certain kinds of music can improve mood, productivity and happiness, and that people can use music to manage stress, strengthen memory and ease pain. Examples of calming music include Vedic hymns, classical music, Gregorian chants, ambient sounds, electronic "chill" music and Buddhist hymns.

Engage in Vigorous, Rhythmic Exercise

Exercise is a great way to get you out of your thoughts and into your body. Exercises like jumping rope, swinging dumbbells and jumping jacks are effective even after just a few minutes. Physical activity releases mood-boosting hormones like endorphins, and it is a lot easier to indulge in your worries and anxieties when you are not doing anything else. By exercising, you move from a state of stagnant negativity to a positive and healthy movement.

Loving-kindness meditation

How to Practice Loving-Kindness Meditation:

Start by finding a quiet place where you can be comfortable, either seated or lying down. Close your eyes, relax your muscles, and take a few deep breaths.

Imagine yourself as physically and emotionally well, and at peace. Feel love for yourself, gratitude for all that you are, and acceptance of yourself just as you are. Breathe out tension and breathe in feelings of love.

Repeat three or four positive, reassuring phrases, such as:

> May I be healthy, peaceful, and strong

> May I give and receive appreciation today

Feel the warmth and self-compassion that these phrases evoke. If your attention drifts, gently bring it back to these feelings of loving-kindness.

Now, bring to mind someone close to you—a spouse, child, parent, or friend—and feel your love and gratitude for them. Hold that feeling. You may wish to repeat the reassuring phrases for this person.

Next, bring other important people from your life into your awareness, one by one, and envision them as well and at peace. Branch out to other friends, family members, neighbours, and acquaintances. You may even include groups of people around the world, or those with whom you are in conflict, to help reach a place of forgiveness.

When you feel your meditation is complete, open your eyes, but remember that you can return to these feelings of loving-kindness at any time by shifting your focus and taking a few deep breaths.

Benefits of Loving-Kindness Meditation:

Research suggests that loving-kindness meditation may be beneficial in the treatment of chronic pain and borderline personality disorder. It may also be useful in managing social anxiety, marital conflict, anger, and the strains of long-term caregiving.

Body scan meditation

How to Do a Body Scan Meditation:

• Posture: Begin by assuming a sitting or standing posture that allows you to be relaxed yet alert.
• Breath Awareness: Close or lower your eyes and focus on your breath without altering it in any way. Pay attention to each inhalation and exhalation, as well as the spaces in between.
• Energy Check-In: Before starting the practice, take note of your energy levels. Are you feeling energised, tired, or restless? This step is crucial because physical energy depletion is often caused by stress and tension.
• Tension Experiment: To illustrate the impact of tension, try an experiment: clench your fists and tense your body, tightening your arm and leg muscles while scrunching your eyes and jaw. Observe how this affects your breath and energy.
• Release and Soften: Now, relax and release the tension in your body. Open your fists, soften your forehead, and let go. Notice the difference in your breath and energy levels when you are in this relaxed state.
• Head and Face: Start by bringing your attention to the top of your head, creating a sense of spaciousness inside your head with each inhalation. Visualise your mind as a vast sky with passing clouds. With each exhalation, soften and release any tension in your head, particularly in areas like your forehead, eyes, and jawline.
• Neck and Shoulders: Move your attention down to the back of your neck and throat, softening the muscles in this area as well as your shoulders. This region often carries a lot of tension and the weight of responsibilities, so focus on softening and releasing with each exhale.
• Arms and Hands: Bring your attention to your arms and hands, softening and releasing any tightness or tension. You can wiggle your fingers and rotate your wrists for added effect, then rest your hands in a comfortable position. Notice the aliveness in your palms and fingertips, and soften any tightness in your fingers.
• Chest and Abdomen: Focus on the front of your body, feeling the spaciousness in your chest and abdomen with each inhalation. With each exhalation, soften and release any tension, meeting your body with kindness and care.
• Back: Shift your attention to your back, allowing your breath to fill the entire space. Exhale and lean into your back, as we often tend to be more forward-focused. If needed, gently wriggle your shoulders to release any remaining tension.
• Pelvic Region and Legs: Notice the support of the chair (if sitting) and any patterns of pressure in this region. Soften the muscles in your thighs and legs, all the way down to your feet. Wiggle your toes and connect with the aliveness in your feet, sensing the blood circulation and pulse.
• Full Body Awareness: Expand your awareness to your entire body, taking note of how your energy levels have shifted. Listen to what your body needs—it may be movement, stretching, hydration, or something else.

Frequently asked questions