Meditation - A Reminder

      

By Barbara Berger

Barbara Berger   Here’s a little reminder for you, just in case you forgot – meditation is one of the most important tools available to us. It can help us slow down and relax, wake up to the nature of mind and consciousness, and be in the present in this now moment. Which, by the way, is the only place we ever actually are. So if you’re having trouble making time for a few minutes of meditation each day, let me remind you why you might want to prioritize meditating a little more in your life.    First of all, when we examine the nature of consciousness and the way our minds work, we all discover that thoughts arise and disappear. They just do. It’s not something we are doing. Thoughts just come and go. And as we begin to look inward, at what is going on in our minds, we are often shocked and dismayed to discover just how fast all this is going on—and how unconscious we mostly are in terms of understanding this. Thoughts just arise and disappear all the time – and our minds are just churning and churning. When we discover this, our first reaction usually is something like but “it’s a zoo in there!” And yes, it is a zoo in there! We each have our own private zoo! And if we keep watching what we’re doing, we begin to realize that we actually spend very little time in the present moment! No. We spend most of our time being everywhere else in our minds, thinking about this and worrying about that, but we’re almost never present here and now. And when we’re not conscious of the present moment, it really means we’re not conscious at all! We’re just lost in our stories.  So we miss reality, the present moment in all its glory that is happening now.    And this is where meditation comes in. Because quite simply, in its most basic form, meditation is about being aware and coming back to this moment. That’s what meditation is. Meditation is about being aware now. Meditation is about being present now. That’s what meditation is. Meditation is sitting quietly, doing nothing and watching. Being awake. Being aware. Watching your mind run off and then bringing yourself back to this moment. That’s about it. That’s meditation. It couldn’t be simpler and it couldn’t be more difficult. Meditation is probably the easiest and the hardest thing in the world to do. Which you probably already know if you have tried to sit quietly for 10 minutes and be present in this now moment. It’s almost impossible to do, isn’t it? The minute you sit down, your mind goes galloping off! So it takes effort and self-discipline to sit down and keep bringing yourself back to this moment. To stay awake and keep coming back to now, to reality.    Which is why I highly recommend it.    I also recommend starting small (rather than starting big and giving up after a few days) and keeping at it. Make it a regular practice. Start with 5 or 10 minutes a day. Then move on to 15 when that feels comfortable.    But what’s the point, you ask?    Why should I do this? Why should I waste my precious time sitting quietly doing nothing when there is so much to do, so much to accomplish and achieve?    And all I can reply is yes dear, there goes the mind again. Busy making plans and pulling us off in another direction and constantly telling us that being present in this moment is not that important! Which brings up the whole question of what this whole thing called life is all about. Because really, what is it all about? This constant chase for happiness somewhere out there in the future if we just can perform well enough. Which is really such a cruel way to live our lives. Because we never allow ourselves to experience the absolute bliss, the absolute joy, of being totally present right now—without any thought of accomplishing anything or becoming anything or going anywhere or doing anything at all. And then we die! It’s really so cruel!    So yes, meditate!    Give yourself the gift! Allow it to happen.    Be here now. Do it for you!    Savor this moment.    And start by just focusing on your breathing.    Focusing on the breathing is probably the most basic of all meditation techniques. You just sit down, get comfortable and then watch your breathing. That’s all there is to it. And yes, it sounds easy, but it’s difficult to do.    So what happens?    What happens is that you sit and you make the conscious decision to follow your breath. You watch yourself breathe in and breathe out. Why the breath? Because the breath is something we all have and something that is always happening automatically, right here, right now.    So you sit and try to follow your breath. After a minute or two, you discover you are off in some story, absorbed by some fascinating topic like what you forgot to buy at the supermarket or what you saw on TV last night. And when you discover this, you just go back to your breath. You watch your breath again. You breathe and you watch it again. The breath going in and out. You watch what is happening in this moment. Breathing, sitting, this moment. And then you discover you’re off again. Lost in another thought. Rehashing what your girlfriend said on the phone today or what your boss said. And then, when you realize what you’re doing, you go back to the breath again. Nice and easy. No unkindness here. Don’t criticize yourself for being distracted. Don’t judge yourself harshly because you find your mind wandering. This is what the mind does, this is what everyone’s mind does. Only most of us don’t discover this or really realize how distracted we are until we sit down and try to meditate. Then we discover how much our minds wander and how distracted we are. And we see that we are seldom really present and aware of this moment. So just realize that when you actually begin to see this (when you actually begin to see how distracted you are), it means you are beginning to wake up. Because just this awareness of what your mind is doing is a sign that you are more present than ever before. You are actually present enough to see that your mind wandered off again! (So bravo!)          And this is what meditating on the breath is about. Sitting and being present and seeing what your mind does. And well that’s it. Sounds simple doesn’t it?    Well try it and see!   _____     About Barbara Berger American-born Barbara Berger is the best-selling author of “The Road to Power – Fast Food for the Soul” (published in 30 languages), “Are You Happy Now? 10 Ways to Live a Happy Life” (published in 21 languages), “The Awakening Human Being – A Guide to the Power of Mind”, and "Find and Follow Your Inner Compass".  Barbara’s latest books include “Healthy Models for Relationships – the Basic Principles Behind Good Relationships With Your Partner, Family, Parents, Children, Friends, Colleagues and All the Other People in Your Life” and her autobiography entitled “My Road to Power – Sex, Trauma & Higher Consciousness”.  Barbara lives in Copenhagen, Denmark and works as coach and therapist, helping people around the globe come into alignment with their own true power. For more about Barbara see her Web site: http://www.beamteam.com   ** Below are titles & links to the beautiful work from Barbara. She is a long time contributor and my dear friend:**   mysticlivingtoday.com – articles by Barbara Berger   The Ultimate Self-Empowerment Tool – Your Inner Compass http://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2087    The Key to Happiness; Understanding the Way the Mind Works http://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2113   Who would you be if you didn’t know your age? http://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2147   The Power of Right Seeing http://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2177   Review of Barbara Berger’s book Find and Follow Your Inner Compass by Riki Frahmann http://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2184   Are You Here Now? Are You Happy Now? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2247   Discovering Who You Really Are https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2284   Getting in Touch with Your Heart https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2299   Follow Your Passion & Accept the Consequences https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2324   The Power of the Joyful Giver https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2359   You have nothing to deal with but your own thoughts https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2374   Radio show http://www.blogtalkradio.com/starzcast/2018/09/26/natalie-interviews-barbara-berger--author-on-self-empowerment   Peace Is Your Nature https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2398   The Power of Contemplating Love https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2423   How Can We Serve? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2452   The Importance of Mind Management https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2472   Focus on the Real – A Way of Dealing with Worry and Catastrophic Thinking https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2499   Nothing External Can Disturb Us https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2527   Just Let Everything Be! https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2548   The Gift of Crisis https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2563   The Power of Asking for Help https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2592&fbclid=IwAR1ZK91thdusdkQTdqu0fHXgarR7Ghv7rmAjR6NypUUfLh2wv1ozLLi-HjU   What does it mean to be psychologically mature? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2625   The Meaning of Life https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2644   The Power of Praise & Blessing https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2682   Our Unalienable Rights https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2712   Meeting the Family & Keeping Your Peace of Mind https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2737   Healthy Boundaries – the Secret of Good Relationships https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2758   Healthy Parenting https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2777   Wanting What You Have https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2801   NOW IS THE TIME TO THINK POSITIVE https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2813   A Scientific Prayer to Lift Your Consciousness https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2828   Healthy Self Talk about the Body https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2850   Time Are Changing Aren’t They? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2881   Are You Following Your Inner Compass? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2904   What Happens When We Don't Listen to Our Inner Compass? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2920   Your Right to Be You https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2961   Doing the Right Thing https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2992   Seeing Behind Impermanence https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3026   Opening Your Heart – A Prayer for the New Year https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3051   Welcome to the World of Starbrow and His Amazing Spiritual Adventures https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3050   Use This Simple, Effective Right Reaction Exercise to Tackle Stressful Moments   https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3084   No Healing Without Feeling https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3102   Happiness Is an Inside Job https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3131   The Power of Joy and Laughter https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3158   Watch Out for Black and White Thinking! https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3173   The Power of Eating Less https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3217   Good Ways to Say No and Set Limits https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3242   Higher Consciousness and the Power of Nature https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3259   Gratitude for the Gift of Life https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3284   Do Not Be Bluffed by Your Body https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3297   What Is Spiritual Bypass? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3329   The Intention of Oneness https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3358   The Importance of Having a Daily Program https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3381   What Is Preventing You From Being Happy? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3417   Happiness Now https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3428   Staying Sane in Insane Times https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3462   The Power of the Choice-Maker https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3477   Understanding and Using Mental Technology https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3503   Cleaning Up Our Act About Money https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3516   No Comparisons (A Meditation or Contemplation) https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3538   Being Your Own Best Friend https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3573   The Power of Release https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3603 Meeting the Family & Keeping Your Peace of Mind https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3636   Freedom for Ukraine! https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3653   LET US JOIN TOGETHER FOR 10 MINUTES HEALING MEDITATION EVERY DAY https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3675   Finding the Gandhi Within https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3706   Are You Sure You’re Really Feeling Anger? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3741   The Healing Power of Talk Therapy https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3768   Healthy Models for Relationships https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3780   Say No to Negative Thinking https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3799   How My Karma Became My Dharma https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=3831