T H E S E C R E T O F S U C C E S S F U L M E D I T A T I O N-PART 2

T H E   S E C R E T   O F   S U C C E S S F U L
M E D I T A T I O N

PART 2
2. Find a quiet place and stay there, either in an asana or on a chair, important is to have your spine straight and the head on the same line with the spine.

Focus on your breath and keep this concentration steady, without any interruptions for as long as you can, refusing to let yourself be distracted by any thoughts or exterior events.

Perceive the air you inhale, the short break between inhalation and exhalation, the air you exhale, and the short following break - this time between inhalation and exhalation.

Do not intervene in the natural rhythm of the breath, let it flow by itself, and notice how it becomes more and more tranquil as your body and mind relax in meditation.

If you are beginners in the practice of mind focus, make the session last 5-10 minutes. Try to make the sessions daily and at the same time. After several weeks of practice, extend the time allocated to this issue to 15-20 minutes.

However, do not push things too much before their time. Meditation is not about forcing yourself, it is about being at peace with yourself and although it has certain connections to a kind of rigor, it has more to do with flexibility than rigidity.

CAUTION: It is also important that you realize that until you reach a certain degree of mastery in meditation, thoughts and emotions out of control will cross your meditation.

Do not be frustrated and do not pay much attention. Let them go through you, without allowing them to disturb your inner peace and focus. Do not fight them in an attempt of casting them away, but let them move through you.

Regardless of their apparent importance, do not hang up on them, and do not allow them to "flow" from one into another, distracting you in this manner.

Nonetheless, even when you realize you have been distracted, return to your meditation firmly, but gently. This gentleness is important, as your mind will never obey any "harsh" command, but will always go with the flow of a gentle direction.

Pay attention to your breath, be patient and avoid negative thinking. A wandering mind only proves an acute need for meditation, so that it finally calms down.

It is an indication of how little control you have over your mind at this point.

The key is the gratitude for that part of your consciousness that has signaled your distraction and that made it possible for you to return to your meditation.