Hey guys,
Jason here.
So now that we understand what meditation actually is,
Let's kind of talk about how to sit specifically.
And I want to make this as simple as possible because people make the posture part of meditation way,
Way more complicated than it actually needs to be.
You don't need to sit cross-legged.
You don't need to sit in the lotus position,
And you don't really need a meditation cushion,
Any special clothing,
Incense,
Candles,
Or basically a room that looks like a temple.
All of those things,
I mean,
Sure they can be nice,
But none of them are actually necessary.
You can meditate sitting in a normal chair.
So the main thing is that your body should be comfortable enough that the pain isn't dominating the entire practice,
But upright enough that you don't immediately fall asleep,
Right?
So I mean sit toward the front of the chair if it feels comfortable and let both feet rest on the floor and place your hands on your thighs or just rest them loosely on your lap wherever it feels comfortable.
Allow the back to be reasonably straight,
But don't try to force it,
Right?
You're not sitting for actual military attention or anything like that.
So then imagine that the top of your head is gently lifting upward while the rest of your body kind of settles downward and let your shoulders drop.
Unclench your jaw and relax your hands.
You can close your eyes or you can keep them slightly open and look downward.
Some people become sleepy when they close their eyes and other people become distracted when their eyes are open.
So try both and basically see what works for you.
There's no prize for doing this in any particular way.
So now,
Posture does matter,
But not because there's one magical posture that unlocks enlightenment,
Right?
Posture does affect the mind.
So if you collapse completely into the chair,
The mind may become dull.
And if you hold yourself,
I guess,
Too rigidly,
The mind may become extremely tense.
So we're basically looking for something in the middle.
You know,
Alert,
But relaxed.
Present,
But not straining.
So,
Once you're sitting,
Give yourself a few seconds to arrive.
I mean,
Most of us sit down physically,
But mentally we're still running around,
Right?
We're thinking about,
You know,
What happened before the meditation,
What we need to do afterward,
And whether we're already doing the meditation correctly.
So just pause.
Feel the weight of your body against the chair and feel your feet actually touching the floor.
And then notice you're here,
Right?
And then begin following the breath the way we discussed in our first lesson.
And the next practical part is deciding basically how long to sit.
So for a beginner,
I would recommend five minutes or less.
Now,
It may not really sound like much,
But five minutes every day is better than 45 minutes once,
Followed by two weeks of then doing absolutely nothing,
Right?
I mean,
People get excited at the beginning.
They decide they're going to wake up at four in the morning,
You know,
Meditate for two hours,
Completely transform their diet,
Stop using their phone and become enlightened by the weekend.
Yeah.
And then obviously the whole thing falls apart,
Right?
Small enough that you can actually continue.
That's what you want to do.
You want to start really small,
Right?
Just enough that you can continue and choose a time that fits your real life.
You know,
Mornings work really well because the mind hasn't been filled with the day.
But I mean,
If mornings are chaotic and you have kids,
Meditate in the afternoon,
The evening,
Or even a little bit later in the night.
The best time is that you will actually do it,
Right?
It can help to connect meditation to something you already do every day.
So,
I mean,
You might meditate after brushing your teeth,
After making a coffee,
After dropping off the kids.
Or even before going to bed.
And that kind of gives the mind this clear signal,
Right?
When this happens,
I sit.
So use a time that you're not constantly wondering about how long it's been.
So like I said,
Set it for five minutes.
Choose,
I guess,
A gentle sound if possible,
And then place the phone somewhere where you won't touch it.
And I mean that,
Where you won't touch it,
Hear it,
Vibrate,
Anything like that.
Now,
You may feel tempted to check a timer and,
You know,
Notice that temptation,
Right?
Notice the temptation and then remain seated.
That urge to check is actually a part of the process.
You may also suddenly remember something incredibly important that you believe must be handled immediately.
I mean,
Unless the house is on fire,
It can probably wait five minutes.
So the mind is used to controlling where your attention goes.
When you sit even briefly,
It may produce all kinds of reasons to get up.
Things like your nose will itch,
Your leg will cramp,
You'll remember an email,
You'll wonder whether meditation is even worth doing.
And I mean,
You don't have to fight those experiences.
Just notice them,
Right?
You can adjust your posture if you are genuinely uncomfortable.
Meditation is not about torturing yourself,
Right?
But before moving,
You know,
Pause for a moment.
And then notice the urge to move.
Sometimes you realize that the discomfort changes on its own.
And then again other times you'll decide to move slowly and consciously.
I mean,
Either way,
You're learning instead of reacting automatically.
And for this lesson,
Your practice is real simple.
So choose a place,
Choose a time,
Sit for five minutes,
Try to return to the same place and the same time each day for one week.
Don't judge the practice by how calm you feel.
Judge it by whether you actually sat down.
So the first discipline of meditation is not mastering the mind.
It's simply returning to the seat.
Thanks for listening.
Namaste.
