Meditation: Experiencing Existence
I like to think I’m a pretty nice guy. I’m level headed, I don’t overreact, and for what it’s worth I think I make pretty good decisions for a 25 year old. You’re probably wondering why I’m singing my own praises here. Well, that’s because I wasn’t always this way. I used to have an incredible temper. The most insignificant things would send me sailing over the edge. I would go from calm, to irritated, to enraged in about a minute. It got me in unnecessary trouble and yet for my entire life, I never knew it was a problem until I started meditating.
Meditation, by its official definition, is the focusing of one’s mind with the intention to relax or for spiritual purposes. For me, meditation started as a way to focus my mind enough to develop my psychic and mediumistic abilities. It later became a great form of anger management. Do you see where I’m going with this? You don’t have to be a psychic, or a monk, or a devout spiritualist to benefit from meditation. Sure, it’s great for all those people, but really it’s good for everyone. It calms the mind; it’s a relief from whatever bothers you. However, it isn’t a magic spell to make all your problems evaporate; it only helps you think calmly and objectively about your life and the world around you so you can make better decisions.
By now you should be wondering how to meditate. If not, I suggest you start considering it and read on because I’m about to tell you how to do it in 3 very simple steps.
- Sit upright in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Close your eyes and relax your entire body from your toes to the top of your head.
- Take three deep breaths. Count to 4 when you inhale. Count to 4 when you exhale. Keep breathing like this and you’ll fall into a rhythm.
- Clear your mind and focus only on your breathing for the next 5-10 minutes. No thoughts; just exist.
That’s it! These steps aren’t complicated they’re just hard. Clearing your mind and not thinking is something that can take an entire lifetime to perfect. Don’t be discouraged if you can only do it for a few seconds at a time. With daily practice it will get easier.
For me, at its core meditation is my time to be. It feels incredible to just exist as you are with no thoughts or outside forces defining you. Imagine a space where there are no social constructs or personal histories to tell you who you are; that’s where I go when I meditate. I’m in my purest state; it’s a state of pure peace. It’s my time to connect with the divine and get in touch with my soul. Perhaps meditation is so intrinsically spiritual because when we do, we are honoring our divinely created existence as well as experiencing it.