Introduction To Meditation - Part 4 - The Changing Landscape

This is part 4 of my series geared for people who are curious about meditation, but it's really for everyone. In this session, I talk about how different it was to study meditation 54 years ago when I first started. Join me. Music by Chris Collins. #57

Transcript

Welcome,

And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.

Today I'm doing Part 4 in my series for people who are curious about meditation,

But it can be for anyone.

Today I'm going to talk about how learning meditation today is much different than it was when I started 54 years ago.

There's a changing landscape in meditation,

But before I get into that,

I think we should connect with our breath and settle in.

Make sure you're someplace where you won't be disturbed,

And make sure your devices are silenced.

I've said it before,

This is your time.

Make the most of it,

And set yourself up for success.

Also remember that it doesn't have to be a special room or spot that you use every time.

You can use any empty room,

A front porch,

A back porch,

Even a car.

And the more you practice,

The more you'll realize that where doesn't really matter either.

And as you breathe,

Take note of the little pause that's there between the inhale and the exhale.

Notice that we don't go instantly from inhale to exhale,

But there's that natural little pause at the end,

Right at the end of the inhale and at the end of the exhale.

Just breathe and notice that little pause as you breathe.

Now relax your neck and shoulders.

Maybe roll your neck around in a circle to help loosen it up.

Shrug your shoulders and let them drop.

Relax your arms and your hands.

Let go of any tension in your chest and belly,

And feel yourself getting heavier with each breath.

Relax your legs and your feet,

And just notice any place in your body where you may be holding tension.

And as you begin to relax,

Let's focus even more on our breath.

Our breath is like a river as it flows in and it flows out.

Just inhale slowly and then gently exhale.

Notice your breath as it flows in.

Notice where you feel it in your body,

A cool sensation in your nose,

Or the movement of your chest and belly as the breath flows out and in.

Just continue to breathe at your normal pace.

Don't force anything.

Thoughts are a part of us.

They're a constant part of our world,

But you needn't concern yourself with them when we meditate.

Just continue to follow your breath and listen to my voice,

Breathing in and breathing out,

One breath at a time.

Listen to my voice as I talk to you about how learning meditation,

What it was like in olden times.

When I first decided to study meditation,

It was 1970 and I was 20 years old.

As you may know,

I was greatly moved by the book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse,

And I had read that the first time when I was 14.

I've read it many times since.

But in 1969,

The Beatles went to India to study Transcendental Meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

The Maharishi had created Transcendental Meditation,

Which involves repeating a specific mantra for about 15 minutes twice a day.

And because the Beatles were the Beatles,

TM,

As it was called,

Was talked about in the newspaper.

And it was really the first time that meditation had been talked about in the press.

So in any event,

I decided to study meditation in 1970.

And at that time,

There wasn't anything like Amazon or Barnes and Noble,

If you can imagine that.

So I had to go to the library.

And if you can imagine the look on the old librarian's face when I asked her about books on meditation and Hinduism.

They didn't have a lot of books,

But I read all the ones they had.

And it was here that I learned about the Hindu Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita,

Both of which I read.

And in my search of second-hand bookstores,

I found other books,

Probably originally purchased by some poor curious soul like myself.

I got several books on Raja Yoga,

And they were full of Hatha Yoga and other exercises that were geared towards control of the mind and the body.

One book on Raja Yoga was focused on mind and body control.

There were exercises where I would sit and focus on the ticking of my watch,

And then over time,

Gradually move it further and further away.

After much practice,

I got so I could focus and I could hear my watch tick from 12 feet away.

And all the while,

You're breathing in and breathing out,

One breath at a time.

There were many breathing exercises like diaphragmatic breathing and alternate nostril breathing as well as others.

And I practiced religiously in my meditation room,

Wearing my meditation robe and burning my meditation incense.

And it's hard for me not to laugh at myself now,

Because I was so rigid about it,

Straight back,

Tongue touching the roof of my mouth,

Legs crossed,

Fingers touching in an OK sign,

The whole thing.

But these books also detailed things that I would never do,

Like cutting the frenulum under the tongue so that you could close off your throat more thoroughly in a trance,

Or wading into a pond and drawing water into your rectum to help cleanse yourself.

I was gung-ho,

But only to a point.

So as you can imagine,

I had to go through each book and learn what I thought might be helpful or beneficial.

And as I said,

I practiced religiously,

And I practiced the concentration exercises of Raja Yoga for years.

But what it might be hard for you to understand is that I practiced alone.

There were no apps or programs because we didn't have computers or tablets or cell phones.

We didn't have the internet.

We didn't have a way to watch someone demonstrate breathing exercises or poses or anything else.

You were on your own.

And if you were very lucky,

You might find a few people who were interested and would want to practice together.

So to me,

Having a worldwide community like Insight Timer is just amazing because you have teachers you can listen to.

You have people who you can ask questions of.

You can attend live sessions and participate with a teacher in real time.

That's simply amazing.

Now as we come to a close,

Open your eyes and come back into the room,

Being aware of each and every breath.

Be aware of the birds in the trees and the flowers in the yard and the needs of all of those around you.

All of us are blessed to be a part of this meditation community.

Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel how good it is to be alive.

Feel how good it feels to be in this moment.

And this moment is the only moment we can be sure of.

It's the only moment that matters.

Remember,

I've always said forever is now.

The past is unchangeable and the future doesn't exist except in our minds.

This here now,

This is all you can be sure of.

And that's why I always say we are breathing in and breathing out just one breath at a time.

Take time to get in touch with your breath throughout your day so you can fully appreciate your life and all that you have.

I really hope that this has been a beneficial and calming session and hopefully educational too.

And I want to thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your day to join me in this practice.

If you're interested,

Please join us in our group here on Insight Timer,

Meditation with Michael.

We'd love to have you.

Till next time.

Reviews

This was very helpful and comforting. Thank you so much teacher

Thank you for sharing your meditation journey, Michael. It brought memories, and actually a thought that I have also started my search for peace early, also read 'Siddartha' as my first book about the East. But, growing up in communist Poland, there weren't many things available either. My first booklet on yoga consisted of only 10, some very complex, yoga stances. And then there was a long gap till I would find some books, still- some of them calling for unusual, drastic stuff.
We are so lucky to have this app- and your infectious, energetic sharing, Michael, you are so true in this!
So looking forward to your first Live today! 🙏🏽🌼💚
April 15, 2024