Michael Steinke – Studio Manager

Meditation is a practice. As it is with all things practiced, by our participation in the act itself we deepen our understanding and experience. Simultaneously the practice becomes more graceful and fluid. With each moment in practice we integrate into our lives physical and energetic awareness combined with state of mind, discovered within the practice. When we practice we do something again and again–not in a boring, bland, or repetitive fashion, we do it with enthusiasm and with openness to learn something new. Practice in general is not to be looked at as a goal to be reached or accomplished. It is an act we chose to participate in. We build a solid foundation for practice by equipping ourselves with the intention of developing awareness and understanding while deepening our connection to the act, action, or intention being practiced.

There are more varieties and variations of meditation than names available to label them. One style of meditation does not fit everyone and may not fit one person 100% of the time. It is beneficial to vary your approach or technique to your practice. This helps keep your practice fresh and increases the tools you have available. As you develop your practice you may begin to combine techniques or styles to custom fit a practice unique to you.

I will share an approach to meditative practice I enjoy. This technique is versatile in that it can be practiced as the primary intention or incorporated into countless practices. This practice is referred to as Mindfulness Meditation. Just as the name implies, it is about being mindful and not to be mistaken with being full of mind. To incorporate this technique into your practice find your calm comfortable meditation posture, relax your body and mind. You may choose to breath in a relaxed/non-focused fashion or with intention. As you continue to relax and calm your body be aware of sensations present within and of the thoughts that arise in your mind. The intention is not to focus on the thoughts or feelings that arise but, simply to observe them. Think of your conscience awareness as a third party observer. As you view your mind and body you are not invested in the sensations or mental flashes that occur. You are a witness. There is no need to label anything that arises, no necessity for proclamations of good or bad, productive or wasteful, positive or negative. Observe what comes and let it go. Do not let yourself be sidetracked or distracted. Inevitably this will happen; as it does and you realize it, let that go too. If you feel you have gotten lost you may revive your focus with reminders such as “I am breathing in”, “I am breathing out”, “I am an observer”, or “I am a witness”. This will help bring you back to center within that third party perspective. Commonly in meditation practice we are instructed to clear our minds, this can quickly become a troubling task. The more we try to clear the mind of its clutter the more we observe and the more frustrated we become. Thoughts continue to arise, often the same thoughts. This causes more tension and distracting thoughts, upsets us further and creates the opposite effect of our original intention, which is to clear and relax the mind. With the mindfulness approach we give ourselves permission to acknowledge when something arises and, in doing so we give ourselves the freedom to remain in our relaxed state and allowing the distraction to pass us by.

Staying on the path of practice…
It is important not to get discouraged or upset with yourself when you lose focus and become distracted. Distraction will happen and with more frequency in the early development of practice. Observe the variation of your mood and emotions before and after practice. Do not place emphasis or expectation on the outcome of your meditation. Remember it is a practice, it is an experience and not an object to be obtained. Don’t let time be an excuse, five to ten minutes of meditation practice a day can bring positive effects to your life. Introduce new practice techniques to your meditation. Enjoy your practice.