Hisham Sarwar
It is a common belief among people that the whole purpose of meditation is to just sit and try to stop the mind. And this is something when they actually try, arouses a fight in their mind, a fight which they lose. Frustrated at the results, they give up and throw away the idea of meditating ever again.
Do you experience the same issue?
You must understand that calming your mind is more about paying attention to your breathing. When you are daydreaming, your breath follows the rhythm of your thoughts. The rhythm you feel might be irregular because your mind is racing from one thought to another. But as you continue to follow the breath instead of your thoughts, the breath starts to get into a steady and regular rhythm. This begins to bring your unsettling mind into a more calmed state.
Following are the ways that can help you practice mindfulness more easily and effectively:
Become aware of the unsettled mind:
In order to practice mindfulness, sit with your back straight with the intention of doing nothing. Set a timer for five minutes. Do not close your eyes immediately, instead, keep them open, and experience your surroundings. Once you start to notice your thoughts, bring your attention back to here and now. This is something that you need to repeat. Once your five minutes are over, write down the experiences that you have noticed during the entire time.
Start to settle your mind:
For settling your mind in a more proper state, sit for five to ten minutes and breathe in more deeply than you normally do. Once you take a deep breath and then exhale. You will start noticing thoughts popping up in your mind which is something very natural to happen. But there is nothing you should do except trying to focus on breathing and counting. In the end, write down everything that you have experienced.
Repeat the entire process:
The settling of mind is the exercise that gives you energy. It grows stronger as you practice it because you shit your attention to something neutral. This is the exercise that you must practice each day. just spend five minutes recognizing the unsettled mind and then five more minutes to the settling of mind exercise. It will allow you to focus your attention on regulating your breathing.
