Meditation: Don't Think Too Hard

Meditation is one of those weird things where you have to try to not try. It is simply doing nothing other than existing and it is maybe one of the hardest things people do (or don’t do) on a day to day basis.

For whatever reason, we as humans do not like to be left alone to our thoughts. Which I find odd because we are always with ourselves.

There is a quote I think about a ton which is, “Wherever you go; there you are.” You can travel all across the world to get away from your problems, but you are still there and those problems have a tendency to come with you.

Meditation is not the solution to all of your problems. However, it is a tool that can help you begin to solve and master your mind.

There are many different types of meditation and I recommend you try a bunch of them and see what works best for you. I know a lot of people that use prayer as their meditation practice. I am not super well versed in this, so I will not speak to it. If that is something you want to try I recommend you reach out to someone who knows!

My 2 favorite types are coming into presence guided meditation and breathing exercises followed by a body meditation.

One complaint that is almost universal when people start to meditate is that they can’t stop thinking while theyre doing it. They think about not thinking. Get worried that they are thinking when they arent supposed to be. Then, all of their regular everyday worries pop into their head, and get even more frustrated that they are thinking.

Its a vicious cycle.

Heres the trick. Don’t think about it too hard. Release your expectations of what you think meditation is supposed to be, and just be alone with your breath and your thoughts for a while.

Something I learned from Tara Brach is that when you have a thought come int your head, you should welcome it with open arms. Greet that thought as if it were a friend. Embrace what that thought is trying to tell you or to say. And then let it go.

Easier said then done I know, but try it. The more you do it the better you get at it.

The story behind this practice is the story of the Buddha and the Demon God Mara. The Demon God would terrorize Buddah’s village from time to time. One day, Mara attacked the village, and instead of the Budddah acting in kind; he invited Mara to tea. Offered him a seat at his table and a cushion for his seat. The buddha poured two cups of tea and then took his own seat at the table.

Mara stayed for a while, but eventually left with the Buddah free of mind and undisturbed.

The story goes to show that “bad” thoughts will enter our mind. Our response should not be to fight them. Fighting them is what gives them strength. Acknowledging them and sitting with them and eventually letting them go will leave you with a clear and free mind.

My current daily practice is a slightly more aggressive approach. I personally, have a rather difficult time with having too many thoughts enter my headspace all at once. It is hard to sit with each one with the time I have allotted for my practice.

So… I have been doing the Wim Hof breathing method. This is something I have been doing on and off for over 10 years. I was doing it only twice per week, however, for the last 5 weeks I have been doing it daily and feel much better!

Here is a video describing how the breathing works from the master himself! WATCH HERE

Give these a try and let me know how they go!

Warning: Do not do any form of these, but especially the Wim Hof Method in or around water. Make sure you are in a comfortable space.

Yours in strength,

Nate

‍