Mindfulness provides the discipline for looking and contemplation. It is “seeing things as they are.”
Once you have purged most of your present physical and mental discomfort you are now prepared to enter mindfulness meditation.
In this exercise you do not do anything. You simply let the changes occur on their own accord. Such changes shall settle down after a while if you don’t interfere with them.
Do this controlled breathing at least five times, then resume normal breathing.
Become aware of the body and stay aware of it without interfering with its natural movements, such as, breathing. Do not resist anything.
Become aware of the mind and stay aware of it without interfering with its natural processes, such as, thoughts and feelings. Do not suppress anything.
Become aware of what your physical and mental senses present to you, such as, visual forms, sounds, smells, taste, touch, thoughts, emotions, and impulses. Do not strain to perceive them.
Let the body move in response to the natural impulses from the mind. Do not try to control the body movements. Let them unwind and settle down on their own accord.
Let the mind respond naturally to the stimuli present in the environment. Do not try to control the mental responses. Let them unwind and settle down on their own accord.
Let physical reactions, such as, twitches in muscles, minor pains and aches, sleepiness, etc., come and go. Don’t resist them. Experience the body thoroughly as a whole. Such reactions shall unwind and settle down on their own accord.
Let mental reactions, such as, embarrassment, guilt, anxiety, anger, fear, grief, apathy, and even sleep, come and go. Don’t suppress them. Experience the mind non-judgmentally as a whole. Such reactions shall unwind and settle down on their own accord.
If you find yourself mentally doing something else, or getting lost in thoughts, then simply recognize it, and continue. Let the attention roam freely.
Let the “pictures” of the current and past events come and go. Let the feelings, emotions and sensations play themselves out. Do not speculate on anything. Simply be aware.
Let the realizations present themselves without you making any effort.
Continue.
[Continue silently for the rest of the meditation period.]
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Here is an audio recording of instructions to get you started on the above.
Mental discomfort also distracts one from seeing things as they are. One should always maintain a mental posture that is comfortable.
One cannot address the mental discomfort by resisting, avoiding or suppressing it. One may address it properly only through free association. Please see The 3 Rules of Meditation.
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MINDFULNESS PREP 3: Allow the mind to settle down for meditation.
It is important to maintain the mental approach of free association with nothing resisted, avoided or suppressed.
No relief occurs when the mind is continually interfered with as by forcefully searching for answers.
Let the mind unwind and experience whatever comes up. Let the answers emerge by themselves.
Handle any upset by experiencing it fully and letting the emotions discharge. Do not hold back anything in your mind.
Handle any embarrassment the same way. Embarrasment is an upset with oneself.
If there are too many uncontrollable thoughts, start putting them down on a notepad as necessary. This will allow you to move on.
Physical discomfort distracts one from seeing things as they are. One should always maintain a physical posture that is comfortable.
Therefore, when we prepare for meditation we must adjust the sitting position such that we can maintain a comfortable posture for a long time. For some people the lotus position is very comfortable. For others, sitting on a chair may be more comfortable.
Physical discomfort is the first issue that should be addressed during meditation.
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MINDFULNESS PREP 2: Overcoming physical discomfort in meditation.
It is important to maintain a sitting position in meditation with spine upright.
You may sit either in a lotus position or on a chair. You may use support to keep your back upright.
Choose a sitting position that you can maintain comfortably for at least an hour. Some fidgeting to make the posture comfortable is okay.
Continual fidgeting, or trying to restrain oneself from fidgeting, is equally a distraction during meditation.
Your body should be stably grounded during meditation. If you are sitting on a chair make sure your feet are flat on the floor, and your arms are resting on your thighs. Adjust your posture as necessary to feel grounded.
As you are settling down in meditation start relaxing your body from neck all the way down to the toes. It is okay to adjust your position during meditation to make it more comfortable.
When any physical discomfort occurs during meditation, experience it fully. Do not resist, avoid or suppress it. Sooner or later you will realize the reason for the discomfort and be able to fix it.
Being established in mindfulness is a mental state of ‘seeing things as they are’. When you are established in mindfulness, you feel comfortable and confident at all times. That is the ideal situation.
You learn mindfulness in small steps. The key is to see things as they are. It does not matter whether your eyes are closed or open; whether you are sitting, standing or walking; whether you are engaged in some activity or not.
Sitting with eyes closed in mindfulness meditation is simply the beginning step.
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MINDFULNESS PREP 1: How to impart coaching instructions.
We find that those who have learned to meditate can sit in meditation for hours quite comfortably. Discomfort seems to arise when one is learning to meditate.
We start meditation with simple breathing exercises. But then we find it hard to meditate because it requires remembering all the instructions we have received.
All we need to know about meditation is ‘see things as they are.’ This is to be done effortlessly. But we get confused and engage in efforts, such as, trying to make the mind still.
It is better to start meditation with ‘see things as they are. Then provide pre-recorded coaching instructions to help the students prepare for deeper meditation.
Coaching instructions should be simple and called about 20 seconds apart. This gives the students enough time to digest and implement the instruction.
The students then get gradually established in meditation without feeling rushed or getting confused.
Coaching instructions are no longer needed as progress is made. The students start to meditate on their own.
