Meditation, at its most basic, is a practice in which we practice directing our attention at something and keeping it there. Attention is the quality that perceives through the senses, including physical, emotional, and mental experiences. Attention, which we can think of as part of the autonomic nervous system, is like the breath in that it can be consciously directed and functions by itself unconsciously all the time.

When attention is doing what we choose, we call that focus, concentration, mindfulness, or the strange term “paying attention.” When attention is acting by itself, it generally gravitates toward whatever stimulus is most compelling, either the strongest pleasure happening at the moment, or the strongest pain. What we call “distraction” is just a way of saying that attention, while not under conscious direction, turned toward some other stimulation than whatever I am trying to focus on.

Meditation begins with exploration of this simple dynamic of focused and distracted, or conscious and unconscious, attention. We try to keep the attention from “wandering” to other stimuli by giving it a home base, or an “anchor,” like the breath or sense of the physical body.

The main challenge is that emotionally-charged thought, especially the very compelling stories of “me,” including “what happened to me,” “what will happen to me,” “what’s happening between me and other people,” and “what all of this means for who I am,” is more stimulating than the body or breath. Our task is to get more interested in what’s happening here and now for ourselves than in our stories of the past, future, and other people. (They’ll come later, don’t worry.)

Let your meditation be relaxed, rooted in the felt sense of your body in whatever posture you’re in, and try not to try too hard. Focus builds when we’re relaxed, not when we’re straining. Sit either on a cushion on the floor cross-legged, or kneeling over a cushion or bench, or in a chair. Lying down and standing are also classical postures for meditation. The most important thing is to be comfortable enough to stay still, allowing the restless energies that we carry around our busy lives to slowly settle into a more easeful, settled state.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t feel peaceful or settled right away. We’ve been practicing distraction and restlessness for our whole lives, unconsciously. It takes a while to grow new habits. Think of stillness and focus as slow-growing plants in a garden. We not only need to tend the seedlings carefully and be patient while they grow, but also know that it takes a garden several seasons before the soil is rich and fertile.

Warm wishes as you set out!

Meditation instructions for beginners (3.7.17)

Meditation: Another for beginners…
(Recorded on 1.31.17 at Insight Meditation Satsang, Berkeley, CA)

Meditation: Samādhi – Stilling the body, stilling the mind
(Recorded on 5.30.17 at Insight Meditation Satsang, Berkeley, CA)