The Mind Spa Blog

 

Traditional meditation takes many forms and the techniques used are equally diverse.   In this post, I’m going to discuss the four elements required to perform simple, basic traditional meditation.

Traditional Meditation requires four elements: 

• A Peaceful Place
• A Comfortable Posture or Position
• A Point of Focus for your Attention
• An Open and Receptive Attitude

Let’s look at each of these individually, in order to better understand traditional meditation practice.

A Peaceful Place

Meditation traditionally requires a quiet, peaceful place.  After years of practice, it may be possible to find stillness in even the most cacophonous environment, but in the beginning, a quiet place will help you find inner calm.  A place with few distractions will help you to focus, so somewhere quiet in your house, with phones turned off or unplugged is best. 

A Comfortable Posture or Position

Finding a comfortable position to begin your meditation is vital.  Physical relaxation is core to finding mental stillness.  Find somewhere that you can lie or sit quietly and relax your muscles. 

Traditionally, of course, there are certain postures that have become associated with meditation.  Yoga, Buddhism and Islam influence these postures.  The most effective position is a seated one, with a straight spine; this allows the weight of the body to be even throughout the body.  Lying down is acceptable for beginners, but it is also the same position for sleep, and therefore, more likely to induce sleep than calm wakefulness.

Many people associate traditional meditation with the Lotus-Flower position.  This is where someone sits cross-legged, with their feet on their thighs.  This is very painful and perhaps even impossible for beginners, and not something that you should trouble yourself trying to achieve at first.

A Point of Focus for your Attention

Traditional meditation requires something to focus your attention upon.  In some traditional approaches, it may be a mantra  - a chant of special words.  In other traditional meditation practices, it might be your own breathing.   Most people chose to meditate with their eyes closed, which makes it easier to focus.

Making yourself aware of your breathing is one of the simplest ways to create a point of focus for beginners to meditation.  Meditation is not the time for deep thoughts, science has shown that brainwaves are at their most restful during times of absent thoughts of no importance.

An Open and Receptive Attitude

Like beginning anything, an open mind is important to commencing traditional meditation.  An open attitude requires a detachment from the distractions of your environment, the sounds of the room, the movement of your body, the thoughts that dart through your mind.  It’s very simple, don’t push and don’t resist, accept everything as it is and deny nothing.

Your thoughts will wander when you first try to maintain a passive state of mind, but through practice, you can learn not to criticise yourself, but to notice what has occurred and reposition your attention back to your point of focus.

-Ivor-

Ivor Murray is the Managing Director of Meditations Ltd