Mind over matter

There is no one way to meditate - do whatever works for you 

As part of my resolution to try something new every time I go on vacation, I signed up for a guided meditation class last week. I have dabbled with yoga in my time, have done my share of breathing exercises, but somehow I have never really got around to meditating in earnest. 

It began well, with the mandatory inhales and exhales and many chants of ‘Om’, all of which I am familiar with. But as the instructions got more and more complicated (“put the backs of your hands together, place them on your chest, and move your thumbs in a clockwise motion”) my mind, instead of being cleansed of all thought, began to focus on all the aches and pains that my body was experiencing, almost as if in protest against the indignities it was being subjected to. 

My legs were twitching in discomfort at being pinned down in lotus position for ages. My back was protesting against being held upright on a hard floor for such a long period of time. And my neck developed a crick in a matter of minutes as I tried to hold one ambitious pose after another. 

I tried hard to get into the spirit of things, but in about half an hour I had to concede to myself that this was not going to work. I was too focused on my physical discomfort to transcend to a place of spiritual calm. 

So, did this mean that meditation was not for the likes of me? Was I one of those people who can never rid their minds of extraneous thought no matter how hard they try? Was I doomed to go through life without experiencing the beatific calm that comes from a mind cleanse?

Well, yes and no. 

I have come to the conclusion that formal mediation - as in the yoga tradition - is not for me. But that doesn’t mean that I can never achieve meditative calm. I just arrive at that end through different means. 

To me, meditation is not sitting cross-legged in a darkened room, intoning ‘Om’ and breathing deeply. But there are some simple, everyday activities that fulfil the task of meditation for me. 

Taking a long walk in a beautiful park at the end of the working day, listening to bird song, brings with it a calm that lulls my mind into a zen-like state. Sitting in a sun-dappled corner of my living room and losing myself in a book has the same effect. Lying on a beach, watching the waves splash endlessly against the shoreline, can wash away my everyday cares. Peeling and cutting vegetables or just stirring a curry in the kitchen is a meditative act for me. 

The truth is that meditation can take many different forms for different people. For a new mother, just concentrating on her baby’s gurgle of laughter, can make the rest of the world fall away. For devout people, spending time in prayer can be a meditative experience. Some do their meditation in the bath, letting their minds go blank as they immerse themselves in soap suds. 

There is no one way to meditate. And there are no good or bad ways to meditate. It’s just a question of working out what works for you. And then, making it work for you.