Simple meditation is nothing more than the process of sitting with a willingness to just breathe and focus on the present moment. When I first started my personal meditation practice in 1991, meditation wasn’t nearly as widely known and practiced as it is today. After 20+ years of practicing and 15+ years of teaching and leading others I have seen how popular meditation and yoga have become – to the point it’s all gotten kind of complicated. Lately I have been feeling led to return to the most simple form of meditation as I introduce clients and new students to the practice.
Some people who have never experienced this simple practice might wonder, “What’s the point? Why meditate?”
Fortunately, recent scientific studies have proven that basic mindfulness meditation over 8 weeks of steady practice changes the brain in amazing ways. The list of benefits and reasons to meditate is long. But the over-arching reason to meditate is to find harmony within oneself. Harmony with emotions and thoughts. A greater sense of acceptance. And from there meditation practice regularly helps us to harmonize with others, with the circumstances of life.
Simple meditation requires very little except a time commitment of 20 minutes/day, a comfortable, quiet place to sit upright and maybe a timer when you’re first starting out. With a comfortable, upright seated position simply close your eyes and accept the sounds you may hear around you. Bring your mind’s awareness to sensations in your body and try to relax and allow your body to sink into your seat. Then, focus on the sensation of breath naturally coming into the body and leaving the body. You can expect the first 10-12 minutes to sometimes feel a little uneasy but stick with it knowing that taking this time for simple meditation is like feathering a nest internally that will eventually be a very soft and easy home within your mind and heart that you can drop into.