Many times the practice of meditation is associated with relaxation or with leave blank mind. Sometimes it is also thought that it is related to some religion or spiritual path such as the buddhism.
However, it is increasingly used by people of all cultural, spiritual and religious backgrounds as a way of self-knowledge.
That is why in the West and especially in currents of the transpersonal and humanistic psychology Like Gestalt therapy, it is applied as a tool to become more self-aware. Mindfulness has also facilitated access to meditation, allowing it to expand and reach many people who are looking for themselves or need to find a way to be present.
We can affirm that it is not necessary to be a Buddhist or belong to any spiritual or religious path to meditate. Neither is it a relaxation technique or a "blank mind" technique. The habit of our mind is to be agitated, in motion. Our mind goes from one thought to another, from one sensation to another, with noise, dispersion. Sometimes you can get "engrossed" in some thought and lose track of where you are or what you are doing..
There are many ways to meditate. Some from Buddhism and others, created by teachers and authors who drink from ancient or modernized sources.
The meaning of meditation is to be able to observe the nature of the mind while being present in the here and now.
We must try to understand our mental processes and our conscience to be able to "own" our own mental functioning. When we meditate we do not leave our "mind blank" but we constantly observe the phenomena that appear without being attached..
For a long time we have been identified with the mind. If we cannot observe it with a clean, unconditional attention, it is it that dominates us. It is she who directs us. This is the philosophy of the practice of vipassana meditation which literally means "See clearly".
"It is a way to develop the true way of seeing things as they are, not as they appear or as one thinks they are. It is the way to distance ourselves while looking at things dispassionately. Seeing is not influenced by internal or external conditioning, such as emotions, systematic thinking, intellectual knowledge or personal experience. ”(“ Vipassana and Gestalt Meditation. Dhiravamsa. Mandala editions).
Stand for a moment, be silent. Sit in a comfortable position, sitting, with your back straight, shoulders relaxed. Close your eyes, breathe. Make sure you are present in the here and now. Take some time to be quietly aware of your breathing. Observe what happens in your mind. Become a witness for a few minutes, a spectator of what happens ... What do you observe?
Maybe nothing at the moment, but ... how long does this "nothing" last? Immediately the mind begins to produce thoughts. You will see that visual perceptions can arise in black space (colors, post-images, lights ...). The mind will continue to travel and generate stimuli that capture your attention.
Continue in the place of the "observer", breathe, so you anchor because the temptation to "go" with these productions is high. If you can remain witnessing, contemplating, you will be able to distinguish better. Maybe they appear now bodily sensations (some pain, cramping, tingling, temperature changes). Breathe, don't get attached to these sensations and stay watching.
May now appear thoughts, check how these arise automatically. They resemble inner voices but without sound, in the form of words. Stay tuned, like a spectator, and begin to distinguish the production of your mind.
You will see that sometimes they are reminder phrases of something you have to do ("I have to go at 2:00 pm for bread before it closes"). Even disapproving of something you did ("I shouldn't have told my friends I wasn't going to that dinner with them"). Also fantasies of the consequences that this can produce ("I'll stay alone").
If you get stop the "automatic chain" of thoughts, You will see that it is almost always a movement of the mind towards the past or towards the future. It is almost like a spring, an internal mechanism that takes you out of the present, of the now. Breathe, keep observing, present, reinforce that internal witness as something solid ... Now take three deep breaths and slowly move the fingers of your hands, open your eyes, how do you feel??
The practice of vipassana meditation teaches us to reinforce the observer. In this way we will learn to reinforce our reactions in daily life. We will increase our ability to control impulsivity, the reactivity that so often guides our way of being, of relating to ourselves..
Thus it becomes a therapeutic tool, that helps us to grow. It helps us to be masters of ourselves. We strengthen our ability to respond to situations from awareness and serenity.
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