Getting Back on Track

Why Establish a Daily Sitting Practice?

Are you feeling sluggish, having a sense of incompleteness or dissatisfaction in your life? Through the regular practice of meditation, you can reduce confusion and develop inner clarity and calm. The result is the ability to become more fully present with each moment of daily life and develop a compassionate understanding of how we relate to others and ourselves.

How to Establish a Daily Sitting Practice

Before you sit:

As with all things, start where you are. You have everything you need right now. First, decide to sit every day, (this may sound easy, in fact it often proves to be one of the most difficult aspects to adhere to). Next, plan the time, place and duration for your sitting meditation.

Choosing a time to sit:

Morning is often best because the mind is calmer than it is later in the day. However, the best time is the time you can commit to on a regular basis. If one longer sit isn't possible, try two shorter ones.

Choosing a space:

There is no perfect place. If possible, dedicate a space exclusively to your daily sitting. Choose a relatively quiet space where you can leave your cushion (or chair) so that it is always there for you to return to. You may want to create an altar with a candle, inspiring photograph or statue. These are not necessary, but they can be beneficial if they motivate you.

Choosing the duration of each sitting:

Sit for as long as you are comfortable, plus an extra 5 minutes. This is a general guide, not a rule. Even fifteen or twenty minutes will seem an eternity in the beginning, but that impression will change with time. If you sit each day, you will experience noticeable benefits, (e.g. less reactivity, more calm) and be able to increase your sitting time. See our "Yoga Exercises for Meditation" handout, these exercises will strengthen your back and loosen your limbs enabling you to sit longer and in more comfort.

Every time you sit

Set your posture:

Alertness is one of the two essential ingredients in every meditation. Sit on a chair, cushion, or kneeling bench as straight and tall as possible. (Diagrams below)

Lotus Position - sitting on a cushion

Half-Lotus or Java Position - sitting on a cushion

Sitting in a chair or Kneeling Bench

In the beginning, sitting against a wall can help you learn what a straight back feels like. Around this straight back position, let the rest of your skeleton and muscles hang freely. Bring your attention into the back of your body - back straight, vertebra on top of vertebra all the way up into the neck - chin tucked in a tiny bit, helping to keep the back straight - straight but not rigid, allowing energy to circulate. Let hands rest comfortably in your lap with the left hand (palm upwards) rest gently in the right hand so that the thumbs gently touch to form a circle.

Gently let your eyes lower and your gaze soften so that you are looking at a space some two - three feet on the ground in front of you. In the beginning you may find it easier to close the eyes altogether. Bring your attention inward and gently lay your focus onto your breath.

Relax deeply:

Openness is the second essential ingredient in every meditation. Once you feel your spine is erect, let everything else relax, hang loose and soften. Breathing in through the nose, loosen the face, neck, hands, and stomach area. You may consider starting with the scalp and move your attention slowly downward, methodically relaxing and softening each part of the body. Please don't skip this step of relaxing and letting go! If you need something more focused you can concentrate on the chakra areas and slowly move downward in a similar way. (See diagram)

Consciously releasing body tension will help you open-up to whatever arises during your meditation.

Choose an object of meditation:

Once you've established this alert and open posture, you are ready to decide where you'll place your attention. Useful objects for beginners are:

• The breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils
• The rise and fall of the chest as you breathe
• Body sensations as you sit and breathe

Whatever object you select, stay with it for at least ten breaths. Even with this effort, your mind will insist on going to its usual places. Make note of this when it happens, and gently lead your attention back to your chosen object of meditation. Your intention and persistence are the key ingredients for cultivating awareness, not the number of times your mind wanders. As often as you need to, check yourself…"Alert and erect"? "Relaxed and open"? - And begin again.

The Classical Objects of Meditation

The four objects of meditation that the Buddha outlined in the Satipatthana Sutta are called the four foundations of mindfulness or the four frameworks for cultivating mindfulness. They are:

• Mindfulness of the body (starting with the breath)
• Mindfulness of feeling (there are 3 - pleasant, unpleasant and neutral)
• Mindfulness of mental objects (thoughts and emotions
• Mindfulness of all Dharmas (all phenomena) starting with the five hindrances and seven factors of enlightenment and preceding to all the senses and thought experiences that make up human life.

N.B. If you are interested in learning more about the four foundations of mindfulness, read "Breath by Breath" by Larry Rosenberg

Concentration and Mindfulness:

It will be important as you practise to recognise and balance the qualities of concentration and mindfulness. Concentration is the ability to gather your attention into one place. Mindfulness is pure moment-by-moment noticing. Without some concentration, mindfulness is difficult to sustain. Without mindfulness, concentration bears no fruit. In meditation practice, both are developed gradually.

Common Issues for Meditators

Monkey Mind:

At first, you may be surprised at how active and uncontrolled your mind is. Don't worry - you are discovering the truth about your current state of mind. Accept it and "sit with" whatever comes up. Don't try to change it by force, use patience. Sit up, relax and gently bring your attention back again and again to the object of your meditation.

It is common to mistake thinking for meditating. It takes practice to distinguish pleasant, dreamy thoughts from having your attention connected to the changing experience of this moment. Staying focused on the body and breath is a good way to stay grounded in the present.
The Classic Five Hindrances to Practice are:

• Grasping: wanting more (or something different) from what is present right now
• Aversion: fear, anger, any form of pushing away
• Restlessness: jumpy energy, agitation
• Sloth or torpor: sleepy, sinking states of mind and body
• Doubt: a mind trap that says, "It's no use, this will never work, maybe there's an easier way".

Meditators experience all these states. During sitting practice, if you notice one of the hindrances arising, it is useful to name it silently to yourself, e.g. "grasping, grasping" or "sleepy, sleepy." If it is too strong, try not to pull away from the difficult energy, but bring all your attention to it. Let yourself experience it fully through the sensations in your body, neither getting lost in it or pushing it away. Watch what happens without expectations, when it dissipates, return to the primary focus of your meditation. In essence, examine the hindrance to death - when you clearly see the suffering created by grasping and aversion, you will naturally start to let go.

Sustaining Practice

Here are just a few hints for sustaining your meditation practice:

• Sit everyday, even if its for a short period - try to sit a couple of times during the day, establish contact between your body and breath
• Remember, everyone wants to be happy, just like you
• Practice regularly with a group or a friend
• Visit a place outside - part of your garden - a place of beauty - sit quietly and absorb the moment-by-moment experience. This is life.
• Sign-up for a retreat: one-day, a weekend, or longer - experience will deepen your practice
• If you miss a day, a week, a month, simply start again
• If you need guidance, ask for help from an experienced meditator or teacher or contact me at GarriWiest@aol.com
• You are travelling a path that has led to clarity and peace for many people over thousands of years. May their efforts support you and inspire you.