Jan 25, 2013
Seeking an awesome meditation experience, yet cursed with “Monkey Mind“?
Well, don’t worry. You are not alone. Many people hope for a great meditation experience and still find meditation difficult because of the many thoughts that rush through their mind as soon as they attempt to sit completely still to meditate.
This is known among Buddhist and meditation practitioners as having “Monkey Mind,” referring to the way in which monkeys tend to jump around from tree to tree constantly. However, there are techniques that you can practice to calm your mind’s monkeys. Here are six tips to get you going.
Tip 1. Avoid Procrastination
When we meditate, we often find our minds filled with an endless to-do list of projects and chores that we have put off. These unfinished duties make it difficult for our mind to comprehend sitting and doing nothing when there is work to be done.
By avoiding procrastination and completing each task on our list in a timely and efficient manner, we remove this battle within so that our minds can focus on relaxation and stillness.
Tip 2. Focus on your Less Dominant Senses
One way to minimize or stop the voices in your head while meditating is to focus on your less dominant senses. Let your conscious mind focus on items such as your breathing and sense of touch, and avoid using your eyes and hearing for a while. These senses often interrupt our ability to focus inwardly and detract from the meditation experience.
Here are a few basic sense stimulator ideas that you can do just before attempting to meditate.
- Aromatics– Before you meditate light a candle, incense, or simply brew a fragrant cup of tea and place it nearby so that you can smell the item and focus on the many layers that comprise its scent. Caution: Make sure the scent you use is not irritant to your senses, or it will only become an interference.
- Ambience– Choose a location that is warm, yet provides a gentle breeze in which to perform your meditation. Doing so will heighten your skin’s response sending sensations to the brain. Caution: Comfort is vital here. Don’t choose a place where you might develop a chill or become overheated, as it may interfere with your ability to absorb your surroundings.
- Flavor – Place a piece of chocolate or peppermint in your mouth and close your eyes. Focus on the flavors that your mouth is experiencing as you work to clear your mind of all other interruptions. Allow your body and mind to communicate with one another on each of these sensory stimuli.
Allow your body and mind to communicate with one another on each of these sensory stimuli As your cognitive mind focuses on these less used senses, let it gradually transition between them, noticing your body’s responses to each sensory interaction. By doing so, you will become more in tune with your body as a whole and your connection to the outside world as a physical being.
Tip 3. Incorporate Physical Activity
If you find it difficult to sit in one place, either due to physical constraints or because as soon as you sit down all you want to do is fall asleep, try adding physical activity to your meditation experience routine.
This does not mean that you should meditate while aggressively working out, although many long distance runners use meditation as they run to harness their inner strength and breathing controls. What this means is either before, during, or after your meditation session, do some light stretching such as yoga, or gentle walking. These activities not only loosen the joints, and relax the muscles, but they also increase circulation and blood flow feeding the body and brain with vital nutrients. Here are a couple of ideas to try:
- Yoga– Perform a gentle Sun Salutation yoga routine immediately before you begin meditating. Doing this type of yoga releases negative energy from the body and generates positive energy, creating a peaceful starting point from which your meditation session can begin.
- Walking– Meditate as you take a long walk or walk on a treadmill. To minimize external interference use a headset to flood your hearing with peaceful sounds, either of nature or musical. Wear sunglasses if you will be walking outside to minimize squinting and eye discomfort, but keep your focus on the music, your breathing, and the sensations that your body is feeling. The idea is to focus on keeping your pulse rate down, and your breathing at a slow, steady pace while walking at a gingerly pace. You may be surprised at just how far you can walk this way.
Exercise is a complete body experience, which when combined with meditation, increases the benefits to both the mind and body.
Tip 4. Choose an Appropriate Environment
In order to allow your mind and body to sink into a meditative state fully, you must first feel safe in your surroundings. Create a space within your home that is dedicated to meditation. This space should be someplace where you feel both comfortable and safe. It should be looked at as your safe haven retreat. Avoid introducing negative or highly energetic items or interactions into this space such as:
- Televisions
- Work Equipment
- Computers
- Arguments
These types of items take away from the positive energy that you hope to generate in this space in order to meditate to your fullest. Instead, they add static and negative energy that will battle for your attention as you attempt to calm your mind.
Tip 5. Get Back to Nature
Meditation is something that can be done anywhere. Great meditation experiences may come when communing with nature. Find a place such as a quiet, isolated beach, or secluded stream or mountain top to spread out a comfortable blanket or yoga mat, and let your body reconnect with nature through your senses.
Let the sound of the water or wind through the trees guide your mind to that peaceful inner being with which you want to reconnect. Feel the warmth of the sun on your face and limbs as your mind cleanses itself bringing you back to center.
- Tip 6. Isolate Yourself
Meditation needs to be performed without multiple interruptions such as children vying for your attention, solicitors knocking at the front door, or neighbors being loud outside. Choose a location where you can completely isolate yourself from these interruptions so that you can focus entirely on yourself and within.
Meditation is a way to focus inwardly with your complete attention. With everyday life always pulling us in one direction or another, it is often difficult to focus solely on ourselves. Isolating yourself to meditate provides you with the ability to give yourself the undivided attention that your inner being craves.
Author’s bio: Szymon Pelechowicz
Szymon is the founder of Love Meditating, a meditation-yoga blog dedicated to provide honest advice and information. He aspires to help his readers achieve inner peace and tranquility, sharing personal tips learned through both years of experience and thorough research. Szymon is also a contributor at BookMeditationRetreats.com.