Inside Yoga 118 (20/10/14)

Meditation can look like a very difficult technique to learn, it can feel elusive, distant or awkward; in many ways the practice can be difficult in terms of staying still for a long period of time, but the technique itself   can be straightforward.

Meditation does not have to feel complicated and esoteric; here is a simple image and technique which can be used as a meditative practice.

Meditation can be simplified – it is simply about paying attention, watching something (an object) and staying with it. Easy said than done, but that is all.

In most cases the meditation involves watching the breath, and perhaps counting the breath, either way, we are simply paying attention to our breathing and perhaps adding length and depth to it.

One image I like to use when explaining meditation is this: picture yourself by a stream or river – you see a stick floating by and you watch it, you keep your eyes on it to see where it goes and you know you must keep your eyes on it, otherwise you risk losing track and sight of the stick.

Once the stick is beyond view, floated away beyond the horizon, you follow another stick, and so forth, then the next and the next. But if you do lose sight of the stick, you are not too worried you look for another stick floating by and watch this.

It is a relaxing time, where you don’t have another thought or activity, simply watching sticks float by.

This is the same approach to watching our breath when meditating. We watch a breath and stay with it, until it has finished – same as the stick disappearing from view, and then we follow the next breath. If we lose track of a breath – a thought distracts us – we pick up the next breath, and this process keeps on going.

All we are doing is watching our breath out of curiosity; and relaxing as we watch. Try it out.

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