Deconstructing Meditation
Sometimes, when faced with complex questions like who am I and what do I want, I panic. I do not always know the answers to that. I am a multifaceted individual, who is always changing in the present moment. But on days where those questions overwhelm me, I know it’s time to start looking inward.
How?
With meditation.
With mindful meditation, we remind our weary souls to slow down in this fast pace, overstimulated world. As Osho once said, “Meditation is nothing but a device to make you aware of your real self — which is not created by you, which need not be by you, which [you] already are.”
Meditation comes in so many different forms. Yes, it can be sitting still and focusing on your breath, slowing your mind down. But it can also be an emotional catharsis by excessively moving your body… I guess what I’m trying to say is that meditation can and should be everything we do. There is no one way to meditate. There is no right or wrong answer, as long as you are present and mindful with your being, you are meditating.
Well, what does that mean?
Meditation requires that we slow down, and to teach yourself to do that, you need to focus on one thing. It might be difficult because of all of the thoughts just continuously flowing through. Do not dismiss them. Do not ignore them. And do not silence them. Listen. Observe, be an active observer. How? Most people suggest following your breath. It helps slow you down. So, when you breathe in, notice how your body moves, how your chest moves, and how you make space for the air. When you breathe out, again notice your body movements and changes. Keep doing so until your mind focuses only on that.
In the beginning, when I first started meditating, I had people tell me: don’t sit with your legs crossed, or don’t lie down you’ll fall asleep. Obviously, they were just trying to guide me. But some days, while meditating, I find it surprisingly easier to be present with my body when I lie down. Other days, I notice that I need to sit upright, with my body so stiff to ease myself into breathing. My point is, however you may choose to sit during meditation, do so with the conscious decision that you want to be present with yourself and your body’s needs. There will be times where unplanned thoughts come through your mind, especially when you’re trying to clear them. Do not push it out, do not ignore it, and do not fret. Observe it. Allow it to flow through uninterrupted, and carry on.
But really mediation is so much more than that. Meditation can and should be everything we do. We should be in a continuously mindful state, where we can observe ourselves, our stream of thoughts, and our surroundings. Meditation can be used for so many things, like re-grounding ourselves, opening up chakras, re-inventing ourselves, maybe even re-discovering ourselves. It’s like meditation is a framework for deconstructing everything we were once taught from society, and rediscovering our be-ing.
The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same. We are all one people, but we live as if divided. We are all connected, and everything is connected. — The Guru, from Avatar: The Last Airbender
It is a terrifying yet intriguing notion to use meditation daily to get re-acquainted with yourself. As Jade puts it so perfectly: “There are answers in the stillness. you can figure so much out and find your limitless potential when you sit in the silence and tap into the unmanifested.” So stop protecting, stop proving, hiding, and defending yourself, and just be. And meditation teaches you exactly that.
Over the next few articles, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite meditation techniques that have helped me over the years, hopefully, they’ll help you too.
