The Practice...

Have you ever watched your mind? I mean really watched your mind???  If you have you no doubt found it a very active place. A non stop procession of  random unrelated thoughts, ideas, and stories run through your mind like a rolling river during heavy rains. No wonder life can seem so confusing. Right?

The mind never ever stops. But a lot of  folks probably don't pay a lot of attention to the mind. I suppose that's because the mind simply runs on auto pilot accumulating experiences and building stories based on ones life experiences. And when one considers all of the societal conditioning we all experience in life and add that to all the stories we tell ourselves (to support what we want to believe of course) it's reasonable to think perhaps reality is not what we've always believed it to be.

When one sits down to meditate (with right intentions) they do so to calm the mind while focusing on the breath and the present moment. After all the present moment is the only moment we have. The past is behind us and the future has not happened yet. But for most folks the lion's share of their time is spent thinking about the past and how they're going to make the future better. Yet, the only moment we can impact is the present one. That's the moment to focus on. And understand it as it really is.

Yeah, I know, it sounds simple. It isn't. It's work. And, it take practice. Lots of practice,.As everyone knows, pactice make perfect. Right? Or is there any such thing as perfect? I suppose perfect is a matter of perception. And each individual being's perception is their own.

Anyway it all starts with following the breath. Each inhalation and each exhalation. The breath should be easy and natural. Not forced in any way. Proper beathing is important and proper breathing is not chest brething. As you inhale draw the cool fresh breath into your abdomen (stomach), paying close attention to the breaths "feel" as it enters your nostrils and continue down and fills your abdomonal cavity. As you exale feel the warm moist breath as it leves your abdomen and crosses the tip of your nostrils. Focus on the breath. The easy natural rythmn of your breathing.

Thoughts and distractrions will begin to happen almost immediately. The mind is a very active place. It never stops "thinking". Unless you quiet it through a practice. Which is what mindfulness meditation can do for you. Over time and through practice. Te important thing is to practice and not get discouraged. I suggest starting with a 10 minute prctice session 5 days a week and gradually increase as you feel comfortable. And remember, don't get down on yourself. There really is no right or wrong way to meditate. If it focuses you on the present and helps you to experence reality and the moment as they really are it's all good!