Meditation Techniques For the Restless Mind
Do you find your mind wandering whenever you sit down and start meditating? Meditation is an activity you learn over time, and you’re not the first person to complain about the sheer difficulty of fully concentrating on the activity. That being said, here are meditation techniques to ease your worrying mind.
1. Focus on the object.
It is but natural to feel your mind wander off in different mindless thoughts as you try to meditate. When this happens, breathe more deeply and focus on the object of your meditation. Just as you sing with all your heart and give your all when you are passionate about something, meditation is about giving your all to the activity—relish the sensation as it floods through your body.
2. Maintain a proper posture.
When you are distracted, you tend to move about or shift in your seat. Don’t allow your posture to get the better of you. Connect with your yoga mat; put your hand in the proper place; and, pay attention to your body movement.
Meditation Techniques For the Restless Mind
3. Intention
Buddhists will often dedicate any merit accrued in their practice to the benefit of all beings. In other schools of meditation, it’s common to set an intention for your meditation practice. That intention could be something personal, a wish for another person, or a hope for the world. Having an intention can be a powerful motivator to keep bringing your mind back again and again. It can also be helpful to have a visual reminder of your intention in your meditation space, such as a photo or other meaningful object. Spending a moment looking at the object at the beginning and end of your practice can be quite powerful. (More here)
4. Satisfy your curiosity.
Getting distracted is way easier than intently focusing on your meditation. Aside from following the first step (focusing on the object), you can also use these distractions to your advantage. Ask yourself: what do you feel whenever you feel mentally absent during the meditation? You can use these issues to gather more insights and eventually be better at meditation.
5. Think positively.
Sounds like a no-brainer, right? And yet, pretty much everyone becomes a victim to debilitating and crippling negativity. Live in the present moment positively as you meditate; hold on to a positive mantra, instead of worrying too much about the future or the past.
