A Meditation Practice for Beginners

One of the most challenging aspects of meditating is dealing with our thoughts.
For this meditative practice, our goal is not to eliminate our thoughts. Heck, if we were capable of doing that we wouldn't NEED to meditate. Instead, we're going to practice allowing for our thoughts. The "work" will be to keep our awareness on the thoughts that arise without getting carried away by them...and by that I mean, not giving any energy to them.

So, when a thought arises that might ordinarily cause us to feel anger, anxiety, sadness, etc., the practice will be not to engage in that thought. We won't argue with it, or feed it with new ideas. We won't try to chase it away or shut it up. The practice for this meditation will be to simply allow the thought to be there until it isn't anymore. And to do the same thing with the next thought that arises, and the next.

HOW TO TREAT OUR THOUGHTS WHILE MEDITATING
It can be very much like the television or radio being on in the background, for the white noise it creates for us. We know it's on, but we aren't giving it any of our real attention. We don't give any mind to it because we're really doing something else. Even when we catch the sound of that commercial we just hate, we'll either grab the remote to change the station, or do our best to ignore it until its over.

For those who might actually start a whole mind story about how bad the commercial is, what you think of it, and what you think of the people who made it...try another analogy on for size.

Let's say you are watching cars go by on the street in front of you. You may notice what color each car is, but you give absolutely no mind energy into changing the colors of the cars. You don't care what color each car is, and even if you did you have absolutely no power to change them...so you don't try. Please tell me you don't try. lol
You just let the cars go by, right? You like that color? You enjoy it. Don't like that color? You just let it go by. Let that be how you treat your thoughts as they go by the street of your mind while you are in meditation.

And just like those commercials or those ugly cars, the thoughts that threaten to distract us during meditation will pass. When we don't give our energy to them, they just drift off to wherever they came from.

So remember, you do not have to chew on every thought that arises. You will have plenty of opportunities to gnaw on them later. Just not during your chosen meditation time. They are relegated to "white noise" and ugly cars as long as you are sitting in this practice.

WHAT DO YOU DO INSTEAD OF PAYING ATTENTION TO THOSE THOUGHTS?
One way I've found to be very effective is to bring your awareness to your breath as you allow for the thought that has come up.

Here's an example:
You are sitting comfortably. Your eyes are closed, and you are breathing quietly. It won't be long before some thought shows up.
"My shoulders kind of hurt".
"The dog is whining at the door".
"Why did I say that when I was talking with my boss yesterday?"

Bring your awareness immediately to your breath. Pay attention to how the air feels coming in through your nose..the coolness. And what it feels like filling your lungs; then, the warmth of the air as it goes out again through your nose.

You begin this practice the moment a thought has come up in your mind. You choose not to respond to the thought with another thought first. You just take your awareness to your breath. I don't care if you only get one good breath in before you go let the dog out, just take that one breath. Next time, take two.

An important part of this practice is not to argue with the thought. Not to replace one thought with another...but if you do...as soon as you realize you have, take your awareness to your breath.

As soon as you find yourself grumbling that you got carried away by that last thought, take your awareness to your breath. Breathe the way described above until the next thought makes its way through.

If you realize you've been chewing on a thought for what sees like 5 minutes, allow that to be what it is, and without judgment if you can, take your awareness to your breath. Breathe consciously this way way until the next thought arises.

No matter what the thought, whether it is an initial thought, the thought you fed that one, or the judgmental thought about getting carried away by a thought...whenever you awaken from that place, promise to drive your awareness to your breath for at least one good, fully focused breath. And the next time, two.

And there is your practice. Remember, you'll have the entire rest of the day to get carried away by and with your thoughts; and to judge them. So, just give yourself this 2-5 minute time off from that insanity. And then 10 minutes. Soon 20 minutes will feel like a beautifully blissful 5.

So here you go. Ask yourself before you begin...what would it look like if I simply watched my thoughts, and didn't get carried away by them during my meditation? And then, try answering it. How would that look? Then sit comfortably, close your eyes, breathe softly, and begin.