What does it mean to “sit” in meditation? Primarily it means to have a sitting practice. Developing one includes establishing a regular time, a special place, and a quiet surround. For some of us those conditions are hard to come by, and we have to make do with less. Even under the best of circumstances establishing a practice can be a challenge. It is much like training to become a long distance runner; when the body becomes habituated, not only is the routine easy, sitting down on the cushion is like coming home.
Here are some suggestions: Make it your intention to meditate daily, and try not to blame yourself when you miss a day, a week, or even several months. Self-blame will make it less likely that you will return. Figure out what time of day is best for your particular body, and then keep to it until the body itself expects to meditate at that moment. I found the key to establishing a practice when I learned to move from my early morning bed, with a quick stop in the bathroom, directly to the cushion.
You also need to choose an object to meditate on. Since meditation is a means of exploring who you are and how you perceive the world, it makes sense to focus on your mind/body process. To do this choose one of your six senses; hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, feelings in the body, or thoughts in the mind—after all it’s through your senses that you know yourself and the world.
If you make hearing the object of your meditation, place your attention at your two ears, close your eyes, and listen with awareness. More informally, I enjoy meditating on sound in crowded restaurants. What is initially loud noise can become a symphony. I recall a time in one restaurant when I heard a conversation to my left arise and subside while laughter on my right pierced the flow. In front came the rattle of dishes as a waitress cleared a table, and behind it all was the happy hum of people enjoying themselves.
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5/22/2007
The Psychotherapist's Corner
A meditation-inspired psychotherapy offers people a way of understanding their problems as well as a way of healing them... This full day retreat offers an opportunity to engage in learning mindfulness psychotherapy.
"The approach to working with others that I advocate is one in which spontaneity and humanness is extended to others."
---Chogyam Trungpa Rimposhe
Confusion, though uncomfortable, is a healthy state of mind. That's because it creates a great need for calm and clarity.
Psychotherapists can teach depressed people to become aware of their internal talk. This leads to the insight that thoughts are simply thoughts - nothing more. It also teaches that the person is bigger than his or her thoughts or the depression that comes with them. The result is a greater capacity to cope.
Meditation is a method for moving beyond the isolating tendency of the thinking mind.
Whether in a psychotherapy office or sitting on a cushion, we are practicing awareness. In the psychotherapy office our awareness is trained on the past and on the future. In meditation it is trained on the experience of awareness itself.
Narcissism is a double-edged sword; individuals suffering from narcissism either idealize or devalue themselves and others. Buddhist psychology blunts both sides of this sword by declaring that there is no solid and lasting self. Meditative exercises allow individuals to personally discover that they are ever changing, impermanent, and in the flow of life.
Meditation increases the psychotherapist's capacity for single pointed awareness. Relating in this way to a person who comes for help is an act of deep caring. It heals.
Strange how people come into our offices feeling guilty for trouble that is well beyond human control.
Letting go is a skill that can be taught.
"The approach to working with others that I advocate is one in which spontaneity and humanness is extended to others."
---Chogyam Trungpa Rimposhe
Confusion, though uncomfortable, is a healthy state of mind. That's because it creates a great need for calm and clarity.
Psychotherapists can teach depressed people to become aware of their internal talk. This leads to the insight that thoughts are simply thoughts - nothing more. It also teaches that the person is bigger than his or her thoughts or the depression that comes with them. The result is a greater capacity to cope.
Meditation is a method for moving beyond the isolating tendency of the thinking mind.
Whether in a psychotherapy office or sitting on a cushion, we are practicing awareness. In the psychotherapy office our awareness is trained on the past and on the future. In meditation it is trained on the experience of awareness itself.
Narcissism is a double-edged sword; individuals suffering from narcissism either idealize or devalue themselves and others. Buddhist psychology blunts both sides of this sword by declaring that there is no solid and lasting self. Meditative exercises allow individuals to personally discover that they are ever changing, impermanent, and in the flow of life.
Meditation increases the psychotherapist's capacity for single pointed awareness. Relating in this way to a person who comes for help is an act of deep caring. It heals.
Strange how people come into our offices feeling guilty for trouble that is well beyond human control.
Letting go is a skill that can be taught.
