Meditation

During a recent trip to Japan; I partook in a meditation class in Kyoto at the Shunkoin Temple. I was leaving my mind open to meditation and went into the class with no expectations, besides learning more about meditation and how to practice meditation properly. I had always heard of the benefits of meditation but had not looked into meditation or actually tried meditating. On this journey I am on, I figured why not now give it a try and see what it does for my body, mind and spirit.

I am fair warning you; I am by no means an expert in the field of meditation and this is purely the knowledge I learned in my class. If you already have a strong meditation background, maybe something in this post will help you further your process and practice of meditation. To those new to meditation, please do more research on meditation for yourself and use my experience to help you in any aspect.

Rev. Takafumi Kawakami was extremely knowledgeable and did not just speak on how you should meditate or where and what duration; but spoke about doing what is right for you and your body, finding your own where, when and how long. He spoke in depth on anatomy and physiology and from research what meditation has done for the body, regarding the benefits to our emotional and physical well being. His passion in meditation and for those finding mindfulness, was abundant and was well educated for teaching others. 

Lotus or half lotus position was his featured posture. You can sit in a position that is most comfortable for you; but lotus and half lotus have been found to reduce pressure points and allow you to focus better on your meditation. Straighten your back and lift your head to the sky; be sure to not be tense (easier said than done sometimes). Position your hands with the left hand on bottom, palm facing upward and the right hand palm facing upwards resting on top the left. The thumbs would then rest in the middle of the right palm touching at each end of the thumbs. You can switch whichever hand is on bottom or top. If that position is not comfortable for you, you may also rest your hands palms down on your thighs. Next is choosing the most comfortable position for your head. You can tip your head forward with your chin ever so slightly tucked with your eyes looking down along the line of your nose; or, which I feel is more relaxing, keeping your head straight in line with your back and tilt your eyes down. Be sure to not have your eyes completely closed or wide open, for it promotes slumber and excitement, respectively. Relax your shoulders down and hold your elbows out at your sides in a relaxing open position, not clenched to your sides, to allow air to circulate. If you should realize, that you are not able to relax sitting on the ground in your meditation seat; try a cushion underneath your bottom with your legs resting on the ground, tipping your pelvis. The other option is to sit in a chair, feet planted flat with a straight back.

Breathing. Settle into your meditation seat and relax. Begin focusing on your breathing. Take a breath in through your nose, focusing on the air moving into your nasal passages, down your throat, through your vocal cords, into your lungs, expanding your chest and filling the tiniest air sacs throughout your lungs. Let your body passively exhale, focusing on the air leaving the lungs, passing through the vocal cords, up your throat and out through your nose. As you begin focusing on your breathing, you may notice the distracting thoughts forcing their way to the surface, but as you continue to focus on your breathing; those distracting thoughts will dissipate and you will be left relaxing and focusing on just your breathing. You may notice that the distracting thoughts will creep their way back into your mind; stop and re-focus on your breathing and let those thoughts dissipate yet again.

Your first meditation session may not be perfect, but through repetition and practice, each session will become better and better. In the meditation class I attended, we did a series of meditation sessions. Both sessions were 15 minutes in duration. My first session was by no means perfect. The distracting thoughts were all very present in my mind, for what seemed like eternity. As I focused more on my breathing the thoughts slowly disappeared and I was in a moment of pure calm and focused breathing. After the first session, we discussed what happened to us. What were the distractions that you could not focus away from – pain from your meditation seat, other noises from others, or could you not clear your mind. The answers to the first questions were easy; adjust your meditation seat, have the other classmates not make as many noises, and not to mention, when your are meditating by yourself the others will not be present to distract. The last though required much more insight and practice in learning to filter out those thoughts while meditating and that would come with practice.  

The second session, I immediately fell into focus and was finding the distracting thoughts dissipating quickly. My mind cleared and what was left was sitting on my cushion, every so slightly looking down, at the intersection of the white wall and tatami mat. Before I knew it, Rev. Kawakami was striking the bell and our 15 minute session had concluded. My mind felt refreshed, calmed and peaceful. I can give these descriptions to how I felt, but they will lack the true, indescribable feeling that I felt throughout my body, not just my mind. 

Since returning from Japan, I have been using meditation as a daily practice, or an every other day practice depending on how busy the week is. I have noticed an increase in my focus on my workouts and not to mention an increase in clarity of my mind to accomplish tasks and perform tasks. I believe this is just the start of an improved focus and determination in my training and workouts. I hope that you can find some inspiration and use meditation in your daily practice. It may take more than a couple sessions to start feeling the improvement or clarity and inner peace. Keep practicing and happy meditation.