Are you interested in meditation but don't find it easy to sit? There are many other ways to bring meditation into your life - so read on for more ideas.
Any aspect of daily life can be used as a meditation practice. But to illustrate this more clearly I will focus on hand craft in this article. Most of us will likely have seen some kind of hand craft in practice. I am thinking of everyday crafts like knitting, sewing, baking, wood crafts, basket making, calligraphy, card making, pottery, candle making, painting, drawing, gardening, lace making, model making... While the list is endless the principles are the same.
While working with our hands is is useful to note what is happening in our heads? Without any deliberate effort our thoughts generally become foucssed on the task at hand. As we work our mind is following and checking our work - 'are we doing it right?' 'is it turning out the way we want it to?' and so on. When our mind is busy with one task it allows other thoughts to settle for a while - it's not that they are gone away - it is just they are less obvious when one activity becomes the main focus.
When people start to learn meditation they generally find it far from peaceful. When they sit and close their eyes the most frequent comment is 'there is so much activity going on in my head!' That is to be expected. The skill is to learn how to go around this seemingly huge mountain, rather than trying to climb over it. Hand crafts, if they interest you, are one possible route towards a meditation practice.
Try working at your favoutite craft and keeping your attention focussed on whatever you are doing. In other words do one thing only. Leave the radio and television off as you work. Experiment with doing one thing at a time and giving your attention completely to what you are doing. Notice what happens.
In the ancient tradition of Yoga there were 8 steps known as the '8 limbs.' The latter steps covered meditation. However before allowing a student to begin meditation, the teacher would give them practices to help them develop concentration as a preparatory step. Using our hands is an easy assessible activity for most people, and can be used as one way to develop our capacity to concentrate. Your mind will wander... when it does, ever so gently, return your attention to the task at hand. Try this over and over, and over again. It will take many repetitions to learn to concentrate with ease, just as it does when learning any new skill.
I look forward to your feedback on how this goes for you and welcome questions and comments in confidence to info@psyche.ie
Go to www.psyche.ie to learn more about me and my work or call me on 353-86-8545407 - talk to you soon.
