Meditation in Amsterdam - How to stop thinking during meditation
When practicing meditation in Amsterdam a question that often arises is how to stop thinking during the meditation practice.
After all many people start to understand that the thinking mind is one of the biggest obstacles to inner peace and reaching (and keeping) better states of mind. Meditation when described as "stilling the mind" then is the opposite of thinking, and as long as you're on the cushion, thinking is the enemy.
This kind of preconception creates, in the mind of the meditator an idea of what is expected, as he or she sets out to learn this new skill.
It is also the biggest reason why people quit so early. This is because the thinking mind is as powerful as an ocean. It carries a momentum and behind, its a force of nature that cannot be "told" what to do. If you sit to meditate under the impression that you will make your thinking stop you're in for a huge surprise.
Usually what will happen is that for the very first time you will become aware of your incessant thinking and image making. What follows is the conclusion that meditation is all but impossible, disappointment and abandoning the practice.
However I did read an analogy the other day which serves as a great frame to continue meditating even when this happens. Think of the idea of bringing you attention time and again back to the meditation object as training a muscle.
In meditation as in physical training, there's no point in doing something against zero resistance. It is that resistance and the repeated efforts that build strength. It is normal in meditation to have thoughts rushing in, it is normal to lose track of what we're doing and end up thinking about laundry for minutes at a time.
When starting out meditation seems all but pointless and it can be some time before we tap onto what we're supposed to be doing in the first place.
Setting the right expectations can make all the difference between a session that feels good and one that doesn't. The only meditation that fails is the one we don't do.
There's another element about the idea of stopping the mind during meditation that can also be quite damaging. It is the idea of using force of will and push things to go the way we want. We soon learn that this not only does not work but it creates an opposing resistance, which results in feelings of failure, disappointment and even anger.
When meditating we are dancing with the mind, not fighting with it. Think of it as a partner that is spontaneous and with which we need to learn to dance. Nobody thinks of punching their dancing partner and forcing them around the dance floor. It would defeat the entire purpose. It must be approached with finesse and intelligence or it has already failed.
As in Judo, which stands for the "gentle way" the force of the opponent us used, not resisted or opposed. We do not want to suppress or react, we want to observe, accept and gently guide time and again. This attitude will make the difference on whether our meditation skills progress or not, but it will also start to permeate the way we approach all situations in life, which is why we're doing this whole thing to begin with.
Namaste
Pablo Bran
www.meditationamsterdam.com
After all many people start to understand that the thinking mind is one of the biggest obstacles to inner peace and reaching (and keeping) better states of mind. Meditation when described as "stilling the mind" then is the opposite of thinking, and as long as you're on the cushion, thinking is the enemy.
This kind of preconception creates, in the mind of the meditator an idea of what is expected, as he or she sets out to learn this new skill.
It is also the biggest reason why people quit so early. This is because the thinking mind is as powerful as an ocean. It carries a momentum and behind, its a force of nature that cannot be "told" what to do. If you sit to meditate under the impression that you will make your thinking stop you're in for a huge surprise.
Usually what will happen is that for the very first time you will become aware of your incessant thinking and image making. What follows is the conclusion that meditation is all but impossible, disappointment and abandoning the practice.
However I did read an analogy the other day which serves as a great frame to continue meditating even when this happens. Think of the idea of bringing you attention time and again back to the meditation object as training a muscle.
In meditation as in physical training, there's no point in doing something against zero resistance. It is that resistance and the repeated efforts that build strength. It is normal in meditation to have thoughts rushing in, it is normal to lose track of what we're doing and end up thinking about laundry for minutes at a time.
When starting out meditation seems all but pointless and it can be some time before we tap onto what we're supposed to be doing in the first place.
Setting the right expectations can make all the difference between a session that feels good and one that doesn't. The only meditation that fails is the one we don't do.
There's another element about the idea of stopping the mind during meditation that can also be quite damaging. It is the idea of using force of will and push things to go the way we want. We soon learn that this not only does not work but it creates an opposing resistance, which results in feelings of failure, disappointment and even anger.
When meditating we are dancing with the mind, not fighting with it. Think of it as a partner that is spontaneous and with which we need to learn to dance. Nobody thinks of punching their dancing partner and forcing them around the dance floor. It would defeat the entire purpose. It must be approached with finesse and intelligence or it has already failed.
As in Judo, which stands for the "gentle way" the force of the opponent us used, not resisted or opposed. We do not want to suppress or react, we want to observe, accept and gently guide time and again. This attitude will make the difference on whether our meditation skills progress or not, but it will also start to permeate the way we approach all situations in life, which is why we're doing this whole thing to begin with.
Namaste
Pablo Bran
www.meditationamsterdam.com
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