There is no meditative state to attain.
This is something that took me a while to understand,
Because,
You know,
Whenever you do a practice,
Any sort of practice,
You're trying to get somewhere or do something or accomplish some goal.
But the thing is with meditation,
Meditation is different because the goal is to sort of stop doing something,
Particularly with mindfulness meditation.
We're not trying to get anywhere or be anywhere or really do anything.
It's really the act of not doing something that's occurring.
We start our practice traditionally by drawing our attention to the sensations of the breath,
Entering and leaving the nose.
But from there we can extend our attention to our thoughts and mental phenomena,
To physical sensations and indeed into every aspect of waking life.
But you notice it's just a direction of attention.
We're not attempting to change or reach or do anything.
So if you find yourself meditating and wondering why you're not there yet,
Why you don't feel a certain feeling or why you're like not in this sort of state of trance,
I would suggest that a little bit of a perception change is needed.
A little bit of a goal change is needed.
It's easy to step into meditation and go,
Okay,
I'm going to get there,
I'm going to bliss out,
I'm going to relax out,
I'm going to attain something.
Maybe depending on the sort of practice you're doing.
But if you're embracing a mindfulness approach,
There is no state to attain.
You're already there.
This is it.
It's just about observing that clearly as it is for what it is.
So I invite you to now take a seat and draw your attention to the sensations of your breath at your nose.
And for the next minute,
If your mind wanders,
Gently bring it back.
This includes any thoughts of desires for a particular state or a question of why don't I feel a certain way.
Those too are just thoughts to acknowledge.
Let go of so that you can gently return your focus back to the breath at the nose.
Let's begin.
So there you go.
You just meditated.
However you were feeling is how you were feeling.
And that is the meditation.
There's a saying that I want to leave you with.
It goes that you can only have the meditation you're having.
You can only have the meditation you're having.
What that means is that sometimes you're going to feel very peaceful.
Other times you're going to feel agitated.
Other times you might feel bored or sleepy or sad.
That's okay.
We're not trying to end those thoughts.
It's like looking at the ocean and trying to stop the waves with our brain.
That's not the point.
The point is to observe the waves,
To hear them,
To see them as they are.
So as with waves will be our thoughts,
Our mind frame,
Our moods,
All of the mental phenomena.
Really observe them for what they are as they are.
And don't try and change them.
And then you will be in the meditative state.
You're already there.
Happy meditating.
