But what if you could literally 'change your mind'? What if you could make your brain bigger, healthier, and more resilient? You can!
Articles are appearing everywhere in the mainstream, popular press these days about brain research demonstrating the positive effects of meditation. Yep. Those monks are on to something. Those hippies had it right all along. We YOGIS are doing more than twisting our bodies into pretzel shapes!
Just Google Brain Research and Meditation and you'll find enough reading to keep you (and your brain) busy all day. Here's one article I like because it has pictures, charts, graphs, and easy-to-digest information for the layperson: https://blog.bufferapp.com/how-meditation-affects-your-brain
I often hear people say, "I can't meditate; I just can't clear my mind. My thoughts won't go away." Well, of course your thoughts won't go away -- your brain is doing its brain job -- thinking! Just because you sit down and say, "I'm going to meditate now" doesn't mean the usual jumble of words, thoughts, images, and feelings will automatically cease. They won't. Don't expect them to. That was the first big lesson I learned from my meditation teacher. He advised me to "watch your thoughts like clouds passing in the sky". Acknowledge the thought but don't follow it -- that is don't add a story to it.
I might be sitting in meditation and suddenly I am consumed with the thought that I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. It's the most important thought in the world! I have to decide how short to cut it and bangs or no bangs and should I buy that expensive shampoo.... Instead, when the thought "haircut" comes up, I acknowledge, "thinking about haircut" and then let it go....like a puffy cloud on a blue sky with no story attached. I might spend the whole 20-30 minute meditation period just watching the thoughts come and practice watching them go. Over time this gets easier and the brain starts to get bored with my lack of interest in what it is parading in front of me and finally quiets. And by "finally" I don't necessarily mean in one session...I mean over weeks or months of practice. But over time that settled mind state comes more easily.
Another way to keep thoughts at bay is to focus on a mantra or image or to count your breaths. Counting breaths never worked for me, but it's magic for some. You simply count each breath from 1 to 10 and start over. If at some point you realize you are thinking as you count, you stop, and start the count over again at 1. Better for me has been to repeat a mantra. I was given a Sanskrit mantra by my meditation teacher and I repeat it when I first sit down to meditate to give my mind something to do instead of thinking about that haircut. "Om Shanti, Shanti Shanti" is a favorite for some -- it means "Om (the sound of God or the Universe), peace, peace, peace." If you prefer to keep eyes open you can gaze at a burning candle or a spot on the wall...anything to keep your mind focused.
In our Yoga Basics class on Wednesday at Yoga Circle, Elizabeth explained and demonstrated how asana and pranayama prepare us for meditation. Our asana practice (the poses) help open our bodies to the breath and help us begin to focus our minds by finding the alignment in a pose. Pranayama (breath work) helps us use the breath to slow our physiological responses to our surroundings, employing specific breathing patterns to either animate or calm our emotional and physical landscape. Generally, to sit for meditation, we need to "calm down" from our busy lives, so slow deep breaths with longer exhales will help.
And how to sit? I've tried sitting on a zafu (those round meditation cushions) and I just can't do it without getting very, very uncomfortable (at least not yet.) One of the best things my meditation teacher told me was that in his tradition there is no benefit in discomfort. The most important thing is to keep a straight spine and an open heart area. So sit up straight. A straight-backed chair will do. I sit in an upholstered chair in my living room that is fairly straight with a pillow at my back, feet on the floor, hands relaxed in my lap. Easy. No stress or strain or legs falling asleep. If I get uncomfortable, I shift a bit, find comfort again and go right back to the breath, mantra, vision, or whatever.
I'm going to stop now, because I'm no expert, but these are the very rudimentary beginner things I've learned. My "Monkey Mind" still swings from branch to branch; I fidget more or less depending on the day; I get bored or impatient. Yet, I'm motivated by wanting all of the benefits mentioned in that article I linked to. Who wouldn't be?
Well...gotta go. Time to meditate!©
Namaste, donnajurene
Photo Credit: Hongqu Zhang@rf123.com
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