Why We Meditate

A meditation with reflections on why we meditate.

Transcript

So sit in a comfortable position.

Feel your body settle into the sitting.

Take a deep breath in and let it out slowly but firmly.

Feeling your belly contract.

Let your shoulders drop.

Breathe in,

Let your body expand,

Your belly rising.

And then breathe out all the way.

Let your belly contract.

As you breathe out,

Feel your lower ribs come into your body towards your spine.

Take a few deep breaths just like this.

Now,

Let your breath take its natural rhythm.

Feel your face relax.

Feel the muscles in your arms and legs let go.

There's no need to hold on to anything.

And take a moment to send your mind through your body and see if there's a place of tension.

If you find one,

Take a moment and breathe into that place.

Maybe it's your leg or hand or your shoulders.

See if you can send your breath into it and let that place relax just a little bit more.

Sometimes discomfort doesn't go away when we want it to.

We can notice it.

We can breathe into it.

We can accept it.

And we can allow our minds to go elsewhere.

Even if just for a moment.

Breathe in.

Straighten your back a little.

Drop your chin to your chest.

Almost as if your head is being pulled up by a string all the way at the crown of your head.

Settle into your position.

And let's take one more deep breath.

Breathe in through your nose if you can.

Feel your belly expand.

And then out through your mouth.

Let everything relax.

And receive.

As you settle into an attitude of receiving,

You might notice your breath coming in and out of your nostrils.

You might notice the tingling on your face.

Maybe in your scalp.

The sensation of your body pushing down onto the cushion.

And the cushion pushing back up to meet you.

See if you can steer your attention to the breath for one whole breath.

Notice the breath beginning,

Coming into your body,

And then subsiding.

And then see if you can start again.

And keep your attention on one whole breath.

It's not always easy to keep our attention on a whole breath.

Sometimes we can,

Sometimes we can't.

Either way it's okay.

But if you notice your mind wander,

See if you can gently bring it back.

Notice.

.

.

So why do we meditate?

When we focus on our breath,

It creates an opportunity to notice our thoughts and emotions,

To receive them,

Instead of instantly becoming entangled or absorbed by them.

Of course,

Even when we meditate,

We easily become entangled in a thought or a feeling.

But with practice,

We become better able to notice it.

We notice it,

The thought or the feeling,

And we can inquire.

There's a thought.

I was gone for a minute in that thought or with that feeling.

What is that thought about?

How is it changing?

How much is it sweeping me into itself?

How long has it been here?

And where did it come from?

Is it me?

Focusing on the breath and noticing when a thought or feeling takes us away.

And gently,

Carefully,

Bringing our mind back to the breath.

We're just noticing,

Not judging,

Not wishing we were different.

Just noticing and bringing the mind back to the breath.

We're just noticing.

We're just noticing.

At some point,

We might notice that a thought that had completely absorbed us is no longer around.

Or maybe it's around,

But it has faded in the intensity.

Or perhaps we can't even remember what it was.

What was that thought?

It came.

Maybe it absorbed us or became entangled in it.

But now it's gone.

And we notice that.

We recognize that this thought was not us.

Our awareness is still here.

The thought came.

It went like a breath.

Noticing a thought provides us some space in which we can make choices.

We can choose if and how to react.

The noticed thought no longer controls our behavior.

It's a thought.

Like any phenomena,

It has a life cycle.

It comes.

Sometimes it stays a while.

And it goes.

And the more we notice,

The more we understand an essence,

An awareness in each of us that is distinct from this thought or that emotion.

We can have thoughts and emotions.

We can experience them.

But we are not them.

There is awareness,

A consciousness that simply can receive.

Breathe in and receive.

Notice a thought or an emotion.

Or maybe the absence of one.

And breathe out.

When we focus on the breath at the tip of our nose or in the belly rising and falling,

We're more likely to notice the thoughts as they arise.

This is the practice.

We notice that we are no longer paying attention to our breath.

That we've become entangled in a conversation,

A plan,

An idea,

A memory,

A regret,

Maybe a fantasy.

When we lose touch with the breath and become entangled in a thought or a feeling,

We don't need to judge it.

We're exactly where we should be.

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

Noticing,

Aware.

And then aware again.

One breath at a time.

We are practicing.

We meditate.

We meditate because when we notice,

When we open up a little space,

A bit more opportunity to choose whether and how to react,

We become more free than we were before.

We become a little less likely to get entangled in a particular thought or feeling or an opinion.

More notice.

We're able to see ourselves as we get entangled.

We become more awake to ourselves in the world.

We have more freedom.

We become less needy,

Less hateful,

And less delusional.

Simply by focusing on the breath and noticing.

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

Just one breath at a time.

And as we continue our practice,

We might notice more awareness in our daily life.

We might notice less entanglement,

Less unconscious reactivity,

And greater freedom.

We begin to welcome our thoughts or emotions,

To accept them,

To allow them.

We understand that we can't stop them.

Just like a tree can't stop a leaf from sprouting.

But a single leaf is not the tree.

The tree does not need to tremble each time a leaf opens,

Quivers,

Or falls.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Notice the breath.

Focus on the breath.

And when your attention wanders,

Notice a thought or a feeling and inquire.

How intense is it?

How is it now?

Is it me?

Maybe on this day of practice,

You recognize a little bit more that you are not this thought or that feeling.

As we mature in our practice with greater freedom,

We also feel more present.

We become less involved in what is past and beyond our control.

And what is future and may never happen.

We gain a deeper understanding that we are here now.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

Present.

Namaste.

Reviews

This is one of my few “ go to “ meditative guidances that resonates simply and wholey with me Nicolas.
I have just absorbed myself in your “Take Refuge in this Moment “ recording in which you have again “ hit the spot”!!
Do you think you could re-record this “why do we meditate “ with a louder volume please?
It is such a valuable message for us all but when I switch from the one to the other it is extremely difficult to hear.
Please consider my request as I think I am not the only person who would love to hear it in greater volume
Yours in thanks and sincerety
Bulla

Other worldly. Namaste 🙏

A really good meditation but just a tad too quiet. Thank you. 🙏

Wonderful guidance

Calming measured engaging I found it so simple to follow this meditation and understand how our thoughts drift off but we must gently lead them back. I've got a lot of choices and decisions to make at the moment so I needed this help. I so enjoy your meditations Nicholas! Thank you.

I am reminded of the beauty and importance of practice. Thank you.

Very good practice

Excellent review of basic concepts.

Very gentle. Just what I needed. Namaste.

More a traditional meditation than asking or answering the question why one meditates

Beautifully insightful. Thank you

This was valuble to me. It helped me gain some insight on done things.

Excelent! I only missed a bell at the end...