How Deep Is Your Meditation?

Meditation is a journey that is unique to each individual, and while there is no race to reach the various stages, it is helpful to be aware of the different phases one might experience. The first stage of meditation is often about establishing a practice and keeping your attention on the breath. This is not an easy task as the untrained mind tends to wander. As you progress, you will learn to recognise and overcome distractions, developing continuous attention to the meditation object.

The next stages involve subduing the negative mind and increasing mindfulness. You will learn to let go of judgments, perceptions, and concerns, and focus on the present moment. This will help you gain awareness of your mental patterns and psychological makeup, allowing you to transform the way you think and act.

As you advance further, you will develop unwavering commitment and presence, both during your formal practice and in your daily life. Your mind will settle with little effort, and you will be able to engage in the world with honesty, kindness, and humour.

While there may be setbacks and challenges along the way, remember that meditation is a natural process of inner-discovery. Keep faith and focus on maintaining a daily practice, and you are bound to succeed.

Present-Moment Awareness

Benefits of Present-Moment Awareness

How to Practice Present-Moment Awareness

To practice present-moment awareness, find a quiet and comfortable space where you can be free from distractions. Set an intention for your meditation session, such as letting go of stressors or focusing on a specific object. Relax your body and mind by taking slow, deep breaths, and bring your attention to your breath. Observe the sensation of air passing at the tip of your nose or the expansion of your belly. It is normal for your mind to wander, so gently bring your attention back to your breath each time you notice your thoughts drifting.

Incorporating Present-Moment Awareness into Daily Life

In addition to formal meditation practices, present-moment awareness can be incorporated into daily activities such as working, playing with children, or spending intimate moments with a partner. It involves paying attention to your senses and fully engaging with your present experience, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. This can include noticing your surroundings, such as the sights, sounds, and sensations around you, and being mindful of your thoughts and emotions without judgment.

Mind-wandering

Why Our Minds Wander

How to Deal with Mind-Wandering

The goal of meditation is not to achieve a perfectly clear mind, but to recognize when your mind is wandering and gently bring it back to the present moment. This is a skill that can be developed through practice.

• Be gentle with yourself: Don't get frustrated or angry with yourself when you notice your mind wandering. Simply acknowledge it and gently bring your attention back to the present moment.
• Don't try to control your breath: Let it breathe naturally, and simply observe the sensations of each inhalation and exhalation.
• Focus on your body: Bring your awareness to the physical sensations in your body, such as the feeling of the floor beneath you or the contact between your feet and the ground.
• Be kind to your wandering mind: Instead of trying to suppress or control your thoughts, cultivate a sense of patience and curiosity towards them.
• Practice regularly: Consistency is key. Set aside a regular time each day, even if it's just a few minutes, to practice meditation.
• Try active meditation: If you find it challenging to clear your mind, try an active meditation practice that gives your mind a task to focus on, such as visualizing a word or focusing on your breath.
• Incorporate mindfulness into your daily life: Mindfulness is not just a formal meditation practice, but a way of being present in your daily activities.

Forgetting

One way to address forgetting in meditation is to develop mindfulness. Mindfulness involves being familiar with the object of meditation and continuously holding onto it, preventing distractions. It can be helpful to have a clear intention and understanding of the reasons for meditating, as this can provide motivation and perspective. Additionally, paying attention to one's posture and breath can help to refocus and recall the instructions for meditation.

Another approach to dealing with forgetting in meditation is to allow things to arise into consciousness rather than suppressing them. This may include acknowledging and accepting negative emotions, memories, or thoughts that emerge during meditation. By doing so, one can let go of desires and attachments, leading to a sense of peace and clarity. It is important to be patient and open to suffering, as this can facilitate the process of cessation, where desires and fears are recognised as impermanent and unsatisfactory.

Furthermore, it is essential to be consistent in one's meditation practice. Daily practice can help to reinforce the instructions and techniques, making it easier to recall them when the mind starts to wander. With time and dedication, meditation can become a habit, and moments of mindfulness can be incorporated throughout the day.

Gross Distraction

During gross distraction, you are rapidly switching between focusing on the breath and some other thought or sensation. The breath is still a subject of alternating attention, but it is no longer at the forefront of your mind. This can be a challenging stage to navigate, as it requires you to develop continuous introspective awareness and reduce the movement of attention between the breath and the distraction.

To overcome gross distraction, it is important to recognize when a subtle distraction has the potential to become a gross distraction. At this point, you should tighten your attention on the meditation object. This can be achieved through various techniques such as "connecting" and "checking in." The “connecting” technique involves making comparisons and associations using your observations, such as whether the exhalation or inhalation is longer and how they change over time. "Checking in" involves training yourself to periodically monitor for changes in the quality of your attention, rather than relying on that awareness to occur spontaneously.

It is also important to remember that distractions during meditation are common and can even be beneficial. They provide a valuable window into your mind's behaviors and offer insights into how you handle distractions in other areas of your life. Instead of resisting distractions or beating yourself up for them, practice non-resistance by simply being with your distractedness and bringing your attention back to the present with self-compassion.

Subtle Distraction

Distractions are a common occurrence during meditation. In fact, how you handle distractions is one of the most important parts of the practice. The goal of meditation is not to have a blank mind at all times. Instead, it is to achieve uninterrupted mindfulness.

When you first begin to meditate, you may be sitting in silence with just your thoughts for the first time. This can be a scary moment if you are not comfortable with silence. It is normal for disturbing thoughts, emotions, and memories to come up during meditation—you are detoxing emotionally. Think of it as a physical detox, where you eliminate toxins and cleanse your cells. When you begin a meditation practice, you are cleansing the subtle body (the mind, intellect, and the ego).

• Keep a journal by your meditation chair and jot down thoughts that come up.
• Tell the thoughts to go away for now and promise yourself that you will address them later.
• Embrace the thought or emotion and see where it takes you, if you feel safe.
• If deep emotions persist, seek out the help of a counselor or psychotherapist, who can help you sort them out.
• Don't resist distractions. Instead, practice non-resistance by simply being with your distractedness and bringing your attention back to the present with self-compassion.
• Be mindful of the moment when you become aware that you have been distracted. You are essentially moving from an unconscious behavior, such as daydreaming, into a conscious behavior. This moment can be a reflection of—and practice for—the rest of your life.
• Treat distractions as an educational experience. Examine how you treat yourself and how your mind works in moments of distraction and in moments of noticing.
• Reframe distractions as "just a thought."
• Remember that distractions are natural and that they come and go.

Frequently asked questions