The Process of Meditation
Meditation is the natural state of inner serenity, of communion with the whole, and of Bliss. It is our true nature, our natural state! And meditation is the journey back to that inner Peace.
Nowadays many people are awakening to the need of bringing meditation into their lives, the levels of noise and agitation in their daily life became so strong, that solutions must be found. Here begins a long journey back to the Self. Whosoever begins to meditate, Realizes that it is difficult to maintain regularity, it is difficult to meditate for more than 20 or 30 minutes, and they just can’t understand why, and invariably they give up the practice, or keep the practice very superficial, bringing a just few benefits in to their lives. Patanjali, when he structured the Yogic Path, he began by the observance of Yama (ethical principles - non-violence, truth, integrity, restraint, and generosity) and Niyama (the practice of purity, contentment, self-purification, Self-knowledge, Devotion and Surrender to the Divine), then, after this being practiced, he moved to the practice of asanas, pranayamas, then pratyahara, and after this came Dharana (concentration) Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (Merging in to infinity).
This doesn’t mean that we can not go straight away to the practice of concentration and meditation, it means, that all these steps will have to happen before meditation is possible. It should be clear that meditation is something that will happen, when all conditions are suitable, which means that meditation is not something you do, is something that unfolds by itself. Till then we just practice concentration. Serenity, peace, love, harmony, equanimity, joy, is our natural state, the path is the removal of all that is disturbing peace, namely: the mistaken notion of who you are, the identification with the lower nature, the negative habit patterns, the endless desires and attachments, etc.. Starting a meditation practice is the beginning of a great journey of profound transformation, that will completely transform your physical, energetic, emotional, and mental existence.
Or at least what you know it. Here begins the problem, we want our lives to be better, we want to have better relationships, we want our lives to be more meaningful, we want to be happy, but we do not want change. Anything but that. We think we are always correct and justified, that the problem lies in others, and that we have been unlucky in life, we feel like victims of a cosmic conspiracy ... Everything but accepting the idea that we need to change, we do not know Who we really are, we are not aware of our actions and their impact on the world around us, and that life as we know it, as we have lived it, is the result of our posture, and that it is here that change begins, and this is the beginning of the meditation process. Equip yourself with love, with compassion, with courage, with boldness, and prepare yourself for an epic, for your inner conquest, for the conquest of your Peace, the conquest of your Self, regaining your lost awareness of who you are. When you sit for meditation with total awareness about what you are really doing, then the process of the expansion consciousness accelerates, and within, you begin to see the anxieties, the repressed suppressed emotions, the pain, anger, hatred and jealousy, all sorts of physical, energetic, emotional and mental impurities, beginning to manifest themselves, and you just need to remain quiet, without reacting.
For that you are given a meditation technique, and any technique will do, you should always practice the technique, it doesn’t matter what you are experiencing inside, if it’s pleasant or unpleasant, it doesn’t matter. And when you realize you are distracted, bring your concentration back to the technique; this is a exercise you have to do in beginning. Then it will become natural. Often you will want to get up, but keep still, and you will see a deep agony rising from within you, it’s just another part of the inner misconceptions, release it, let it go. After a long process of releasing all the accumulated misconceptions, the inner serenity will begin to assert itself, and the then begins the actual journey, the journey back to the Essence, the recovery of Our Cosmic Consciousness, The Merging in to Infinity.
At the beginning it is important that you seek those who can help you, who have gone through this process; they will help you on the long run. After awakening your intuition, your inner guidance, then you can continue alone peacefully, with all the help from within. There is no other way f learning than by practice. Theory without practice is useless; and practice without theory will give you the real theory in the long run. Knowing about the subject without practice, or without a regular practice is useless, it doesn’t help anything. Give yourself an opportunity by regular meditation practice. Dive deep within your Self, Know Your Self, cultivate Serenity, Find Love, allow your Self and be happy.