Day 19: Focus Here

When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” - Zen proverb

If you are struggling with meditatiion, it can help to start the session with a focal point. When I first started meditating it helped me to imagine a brilliant star that I focused my mind's eye on. Just like when we focus on the breath, I would keep bringing myself back to that image in my mind until I slipped into a meditation groove.

Here are a few focal point suggestions.

1. A candle flame. This is an old tried and true method. Light a candle. Sit in front of it and with soft eyes, focus on the flame.

2. Chant. I personally find this method the most useful. There is something about using the voice to raise a vibration in my body that lets me slip easily into a silent meditation. Maybe it is the contrast between sound and silence that helps it work so well. In 1974 Lawrence LeShan wrote a terrific book called How to Meditate. In it he mentions mantra as a way into meditation. If you don"t know where to start, he said chanting a name out of the phone book would work. I haven't tried that, but there are many simple chants you could use. For instance, "I AM" or the simplest, "OM" are good choices. Google mantra and see what comes up.

3. Mindful Walking which we have already talked about.

4. Breath. Which is where we started.

It doesn't matter what you use to focus on, if it helps you discipline your mind, use it. After awhile, I didn't need to focus on my star. My mind had been trained to sit and it happened naturally. But just like anything else, we can get rusty at meditation if we don't do it for awhile. A focal point can help us get back into our practice with ease and grace.

Keep going!