What Meditation Is

Meditation is a state of relaxed attention. It is a natural state characterized by production of alpha waves in the brain, and similar to states you have already experienced, such as:

• when you have felt relaxed and aware looking at a campfire
• when you have sat and watched a beautiful sunset or sunrise
• any time when you have found yourself simply enjoying the present moment, without worrying about the future or rehearsing things from the past.

Benefits of Meditation

Meditation is naturally healing and calming to body and mind. During times of meditation, we lower our heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. We allow the body and mind to rest and heal. We also learn to be present to what is going on without getting lost in it or disturbed by it.

How Do I Meditate?

There are many ways of meditating. Perhaps best and simplest is breath awareness meditation. To do breath meditation, simply:

• Find a quiet place to sit.
• Give yourself a moment to catch up with whatever you have been doing and thinking about. The best results occur when you are not trying to accomplish anything and not in a hurry.
• Allow your attention to drop to your abdomen as it gently expands and contracts with each breath. Feel each breath all the way in, and all the way out.
• Let a gentle, Buddha-like half-smile come to your face to relax your body and your mind.
• To help keep your attention focused, try counting breaths to 10, and then starting again at 1. (If you lose count, simply go back to 1. That’s okay: you’re not trying to accomplish anything, remember?) Or, label each inbreath and outbreath ("in," "out,").
• Meditation is practicing kindness to yourself. So when distracting thoughts bring you away from the breath, know this is natural. Notice these thoughts with gentle, loving attention, and when you are ready, let go of them and return to the breath.
• Continue for a comfortable period of time.
• Emerge from your meditation gently. Once, again, don’t be in a rush.

  What is the Most Important Thing About How I Meditate?

  Meditate in such a way that you can feel light, calm, and happy. Enjoy it!

  Where Can I Learn More?

  See Books by Thomas Bien and other resources.