what is meditation and how does someone do it?
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*reposting my response from a previous question about meditation:*
I’ve been meditating daily since 2000. Lots of people hear about meditation and enlightenment and believe there’s some way to gain a permanently blissful state. Lots of books about Buddhism explain that enlightenment is not something to be achieved, but to be pursued. As humans, there’s no way to achieve a mental state where nothing bothers you and you’re permanently happy.
What meditation can achieve is to simply clear your mind temporarily. Think of a cup that you use each day and maybe rinse out, but never fully clean. That’s sort of what your mind is like without meditation. Going to sleep resets your brain, but doesn’t fully clear out all of your emotions, thoughts, and worries. Meditation assists you by helping reset and relax your mind during the day. Instead of simply emptying out the drinking cup, you’re carefully washing and cleaning it.
Your body has 10 million sensors in it, 8 million of which are in your eyes. The second you close your eyes, your brain gets to go on vacation because all it no longer has to process 80% of the information your body is receiving. There’s a saying that the human body cannot be in an agitated state when the breath is regulated. If you’re breathing slowly, deliberately, consciously, your body relaxes and you can’t be upset.
The combination of shutting your eyes and focusing on slow, deliberate breathing allows your body to slow down, and clears out your mind. This is the act of meditation. It isn’t a permanent state, it’s temporary, but this mental and physical “reset” allows you to reframe and re-approach your existence.
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” – Thich Nhat Hang
Meditation can help you, immediately, in this moment. Will it change the way you think and feel forever? No, but it can relax you at the moments when you need it.
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