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A Practical Guide To Meditation That Really Works
A Practical Guide To Meditation That Really Works
A Practical Guide to
MEDITATION
That Really Works
A Practical Guide to
MEDITATION
That Really Works
Overcoming the Basic Challenges and
Misconceptions of your Spiritual Practice
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
CONTENTS
Chapter Page
1. Introduction. 4
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this way we constantly seek a high that is, purpose and process of meditation begins and
ultimately, unsatisfactory. If it was truly ends. Sadly, an overwhelming majority of
satisfactory, it would never end. people are entirely unaware of this and thus
remain entrenched within ideas that are slowly,
Maybe youve tried buying stuff to ease the but surely, killing them.
desire to be more attractive or the fear of
being behind the times. But no matter how It is true that everything and everyone suffers
much stuff you buy the dissatisfaction always simply because we are physical beings but
creeps back in, as if you were not treating the suffering is a purposeful natural phenomenon.
cause of it at all! It can be both diminished and extinguished in
life by those committed to first rooting out its
Youve may even have tried changing causes and reducing them and eventually
locations and jobs but as soon as you think
eliminating them all together. This is a process
youve got suffering licked, there it is again, that comes from within, not by meeting the
coming back to haunt you like a boomerang
illusory needs that we perceive as coming from
hurled away in despair but eventually
the outside.
smacking you in the head as it returns to
illicit the same painful result. You see, people live their lives obeying only
certain natural laws and completely ignoring
The conventional solutions to lifes problems, others. Imagine if you were to ignore the Law
t h o s e r e c o m m e n d e d by t h e b r i g h t e s t
of Gravity for a day? You probably wouldnt live
politicians, economists, atheists and scientists
through to the end of it. Youd walk off tall
continually fail to fill the unfillable void within
buildings, try to leap wide chasms and catch a
each of us but where are the other solutions?
falling tree or two! Ouch!
There dont seem to be any because the
conventional wisdom of our world is The one law that we constantly fail to observe
irreparably flawed. It has chosen to perceive is the Law of Impermanence. This law is simple.
suffering, not as a choice but as something It says: everything changes. It shouldnt be
inevitable. too hard to live by this law because most of us
already know it as a theory but really, how
This is not only wrong, it is dangerously wrong
many of us actually apply it to our mind, body
and condemns billions of people around the
or energy system?
world to engage, not only in the constant
creation of personal suffering, but also to Application is the only thing that matters
legitimize and engage in systems of economy, regarding knowledge. Knowing without doing
politics and society that reinforce these is useless and even counterproductive. We
conditions in an endless spiral of suffering and begin to believe we are too intelligent for any
spiritual decay. subtle solutions to escape our wisdom. But true
wisdom is only found in doing and as anyone
If we want the world to change, we first need to who observes the world will quickly realize,
understand that you and I are the ones with the
what we are doing on Earth is not very wise at
power to do that. We must expand our
all. Our actions define us and our physical
perception of what creates suffering in the
reality not the theories with which we have fed
world and take steps to remove those causes
our brains. Most of us virtually ignore the Law
from our own lives first. This is where the
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of Permanence despite knowing that it contains from these desperation conditions like face
a truth that is ineffable. creams, condoms, drugs, investment plans,
pensions, fast cars and education but none of
A great example of how we ignore it is the way
them really remove the root causes.
in which our minds and emotions cling on to
people, objects, situations and our self image In fact, our reliance upon them and our faith
despite knowing that all of these things will that they do simply elevates the potential
naturally change. Look at the huge sums of suffering to a whole new level.
money people spend on their skin in order to
Why should we fear any natural phenomenon?
avoid wrinkles and cling to their youth?
We should not. Indeed, fear will only arise
Consider the great suffering by a family when a when we are not truly conscious of it and thus
family member dies, despite all of us knowing cannot control it. Fear is only a lack of wisdom
it is a natural process that is no crying matter at dulling our faith that the present moment is a
all. Look at how we crave that new car as a perfect creation of cause and effect.
solution to our problems and then fear it being
scratched or stolen when we finally possess it. Why do we know that everything changes and
yet expend so much of our lives fighting
While these situations may seem very different change? We cling to what we want and push so
to us, each of them is a direct result of suffering hard at what we dont want, as if we are
that arises either through desiring to have or capable of creating a life divided from the very
maintain something or desiring to push away or laws of cause and effect that brought us to this
be free from something. In short, this process of earth in the first place. That isnt wisdom. It is
desire and aversion causes all suffering and yet madness.
it is a process to which the whole world has
become ensnared. Entire societies actually The kind of control that we apply to life is not a
useful one. We try to bend and mold life from
encourage people to participate in an endless
the outside in, changing the external reality as
cycle of addiction to the very causes of
if it will ultimately offer us anything except a
suffering from which we are seeking our
superficial comfort.
freedom!
Consider the huge volumes of suffering But, in a world where everything changes, this
will only ever create temporary satisfaction
generated through this process? For example,
based upon a misconception. Sadly, seven
where do you think fear comes from? It is the
billion people are all trying the same
feeling that arises in us when we expect our
technique, changing the world on the outside
present reality to change in an undesirable way.
Society plays upon this fear suggesting that it is so that they can be happy on the inside. No
wonder the next time you look at the world
a very healthy way to live by fearing sickness,
around you the part you had perfectly in place
unemployment, debt, divorce, being late,
in your life gets moved by someone else and
poverty, criticism, embarrassment, spiders and
the frustration, anger and fear plays out all over
all manner of other projections that stem from a
desire to permanently maintain what we have again.
or permanently avoid what we dont have. Thus This is a way of living that leaves your
we can be sold things that seem to protect us contentment entirely up to the whims of other
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people who are also trying to change the world your experience of the unity within it. Of
for their own person expectations. There has to course, when physical problems occur, there
be a better way where everyone can win. will always be suffering. But this suffering is not
helped by thinking of all the terrible things that
What has to change in the world is the idea could, might or may happen, for example. It
that the desire to become something that you
would be far better to let go of all thoughts and
are not will end your suffering. We think:
simply observe what is happening but few of us
When I become rich/a banker/married/ are taught how to do that or why it would be
educated/loved, or whatever, I will be
beneficial. Indeed, most conventional wisdom
happy! when the fact of the matter is plain says we can only be happy once we have
and simple: how do you become a better solved the pain problem but this can very often
person when none of us really knows who we
exacerbate and engender greater pain, not less.
really are now? We dont look. We dont
observe. We have never looked or observed. So When you think about it, every emotion you
how do we know what we should become and will ever experience will be a feeling attached
whether it will serve us any better than who we to a concept in your mind that: the present
already are? moment is somehow imperfect. Reread that
and understand what I mean by it because it is
It is no wonder that our external solutions dont fundamentally important as to why you should
work and have never worked when the person ever bother mediating in the first place.
we really are doesn't really need any of the
artificial solution we create for ourselves in our Take sadness for example. It is an emotion that
desperate pursuit of happiness! chooses to believe that the present moment
would be a better time if what you have lost
The truth of the matter is very simple. You was somehow back in your reality. This reads:
cannot know who you are unless you look in the present moment is imperfect because of
the only place you exist. Where is that?, you
what I have lost. In other words, my egos
may ask. But the question is flawed. When is desire causes me sadness.
that? is a far better question because you do
not exist in a place as much as in a time and Frustration is another good example. This is the
thus, knowing that time with a hitherto emotion that chooses to believe that the present
unattained intimacy is the only way to know moment continues to be less than what you
who you are and what you are becoming. desire it to be. Frustration arises when you
cannot create the conditions that you think you
In a very real sense, the suffering that you need to be well or happy in the present
experience in life through emotional stress, moment.
sadness, anger, bitterness and jealousy are not
problems to be overcome, which is how we Finally fear, as previously discussed, is a great
normally try to solve lifes issues. We think that example of how we project something into the
if I can resolve my conflict or fix a situation, I future and feel a sensation that chooses to
can feel better about life but this is another perceive the arising of that condition through
external solution to an internal problem. the sensation of aversion. We feel fear because
our ego doesnt want that kind of present
You suffer because mostly because your mind
moment to exist, so it tries to push it away.
takes you away from the present moment and
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You could go through all the emotional states consciousness, an energy that we all possess
and discover the same message. Emotions are but few of us are truly aware of.
like emails from your spirit telling you that you
One of the fundamentally basic purposes of
are failing to live in the present.
meditation is (read the next part of the sentence
While we can all agree that emotions are an very carefully) to observe without judgment
essential part of being human, we can also who you are in the present moment. There, Ive
agree that fear, sadness and frustration are said it. The secrets out. Its not about becoming
hardly augmentations to lifes experience Buddha, reaching enlightenment, single-
however natural they may be. It is ultimately pointedness or emancipation from the chains of
true that being free from emotional attachment suffering, it is about simply listening to who
would create a better present moment for us all you are here and now.
and, far from creating the kind of robot that we
might fear arises from the process of letting go This is a crucial practice in the task of letting go
of emotional reaction, what is actually created of attachments and emotional suffering as they
is a person who becomes far more sensitive arise. You see, all attachments are born, grow
and aware of the world around them. mature and die within us from moment to
moment. What we can observe in the
From this state arises the natural peace of a development of these attachments are our
mind that refuses to engage in the pursuit of desires and aversions arising and falling.
endless desire, aversions and suffering because However, if we are not conscious in the present
it has realized that the temporary nature of all moment we will be unaware of them and thus
things extends to emotions and suffering, if we allow them to proliferate along with the
can find the mindfulness to let them go rather suffering they generate.
than holding onto them as I, me and mine.
Therefore, meditation is one way of attaining a
Meditation is misunderstood because it is often greater groundedness in the present moment.
seen as being a religious practice by those As sensations are born within you, you can
people who lump together all kinds of spiritual allow them to quickly pass through the stages
pursuits in one homogenous mush. This is like of growing, maturing and dying out again but if
saying that fitness is a religion and if you go to you are unaware, you will allow your mind to
the gym religiously you must be some kind of engage those sensations and start an internal
zealot because who but a fanatic would dialog of shame and blame. This doesnt work
actually plan a work out, visit a location out these emotions. It expands and deepens
especially designed for the practice and work them so that you store them up for another day.
so hard on it that their body actually changes Eventually, the amino acids that you produce
shape, mass, size and all manner of inner when you are emotional will congest in the
workings! body and cause sickness and disease.
Of course, we do not see fitness in this way, nor In a very literal sense then, meditation is not an
should we see mediation in that way either. The act of doing much at all. It is allowing what you
truth of the matter is that if you wish to be have already accumulated to arise and dissolve
present you have to work out the muscles that in the face of your present awareness. It is like
are not fit enough to keep you there. In this removing the ignorance accumulated in your
case, the muscle is not a physical element but
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PERIOD PAIN: Women with severe PMS Of course, while meditation has many great
showed a 58% improvement in their benefits, it is not magic. It is a practice that
symptoms after five months of daily aligns your entire being in the ways of nature
meditation.4 that most of the world is currently ignoring,
1 Herbert Benson, M.D. Harvard Medical School, author of The Relaxation Response
2 Dr. Gregg Jacobs, Psychologist, Harvard
3 Journal of the American Medical Association
4 Health, September, 1995
5 Stroke Journal, reported in Psychology Today, 2001
6 National Institutes of Health, 1996
7 International Journal of Neuroscience, 1982
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you have a home that doesnt feel home, like a have been there before you. You start out
building with weak foundations, this knowing that what they have attained is
complicates your energetic foundation and possible. You can do it. Thats what a shrine
creates great uncertainty. says to me. I hope it will say the same and
more to you.
This can occur if your home is rented, if it is
full of clutter, if you are only there on a It is important that your shrine helps you
temporary basis (like a short-term contract) or if generate the sensation of support for your
you travel a lot and find it difficult to put down practice and that your statues, pictures or
roots. In this case, making a nice meditation objects of faith inspire you in some way to be
space is a great way to overcome many of these committed to the process of change that occurs
issues of groundedness and fashion a home every time you sit and observe yourself.
brimming with nurturing energy.
Of course, you do not need a shrine to
Anyone can set up a meditation space. You meditate, it is just a suggestion.
dont need a spare room or a separate area to
do it. You just need a little ingenuity and
creativity to put things in the space where you
will sit and practice. Of course, if you do have
a spare room, thats fantastic, but dont give up
just because you dont have the space. Its a
bad excuse for doing nothing.
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as without a set time the meditation will not be strong sitting position your body should stay
as smooth. upright, especially if you adopt the tougher
sitting postures such as the lotus or half lotus.
Keep a clock nearby so you know what the
These postures offer stability although they are
time is. If you wish to set an alarm, this is a hard to impossible for beginners. If you start
good idea, but make sure it is something gentle
young, however, it is a lot easier!
that will not be a sudden shock. This is very
important. Bringing you out of a meditation It is also perfectly acceptable to use a chair
sharply can be very upsetting for your energy when meditating, especially if you find sitting
and destroy the refreshing benefit of calm in a cross-legged position painful. There are
relaxation that you may attain. also some great meditation cushions that you
can buy from specialist shops, including a
Sitting, Standing or Lying? mediation stool which I have found very useful
when sitting for long periods. More on these in
Yes, is the short answer. To be honest, it doesnt
the next section.
matter which posture you adopt because you
can be aware of yourself in any of them but In conclusion, choose a posture that feels best
there are certain practicalities to be aware of for you. One of your challenges as a meditator
and certain postures are better at certain times. will be to bring your body to a point where the
posture itself is not a barrier to your meditation.
Lying down is more likely to make you sleepy,
In theory, no posture should be a barrier at all,
so avoid it if you are prone to being plagued by
if you are simply observing how things feel in
sloth or torpor. This has been one of my greatest
your mind, body and energy, but in practice,
hindrances, which basically means my mind
few of us want to sit through 30 minutes of
gets heavy and sleepy, so lying down is a
excruciating knee or back pain when there are
position I have rarely used. This is not to say it
easier ways to become acquainted with the
is inferior to other positions and is certainly
practice before moving on through postures
great before bed in order to have that 10-
that may help you attain higher levels later on.
minute awareness check before drifting off into
a wonderful sleep. Again, dont be too strict with this. If you want
to lie down one day and sit the next, do it! Do
Standing is very possible, especially if you plan
what feels right for you at the time. There is no
to open your eyes, and there are some great
right or wrong way. It is much better that you
meditations that make use of it, as you will see.
meditate in one way or another than not at all.
Walking is one of them, especially for those of
When you are sensitive to your needs, sitting
us (yawn :o) who have a tendency towards
when sleepy, lying when needing to relax for
falling asleep. Another is grounding, which can
example, the practice will take care of itself.
be very powerful. If you do plan to meditate
standing up, choose wisely and perhaps learn Getting Comfortable
to meditate with your eyes slightly open, which
will help with balance. Meditation is not a chore. It should be
enjoyable. It should, OK, eventually, be
However, sitting is the favored position for
pleasurable but there are a few tricks that can
many meditators. Some levels of awareness can
be employed up front to avoid some of the
be quite intoxicating and disorientating, so in a inevitable pain that occurs when your body is
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asked to sit in a posture that, for the first 92 If you have chosen to sit, there are also
years of life you have singly refused to practice! numerous postures that you can choose. There
are a number of different cross-legged postures
Firstly, dont be cheap on a good cushion. If
that are common but, once again, I urge you to
there is one thing absolutely guaranteed to find the right position for you and not feel that
screw up your back it is a soft, limp, squishy-
there is some accomplishment in being able to
thing of a cushion. You wont notice it for about
sit for an hour with your legs wrapped around
the first 4 minutes but after that you will realize your ears or something like that. This is fine, if
that your body is moving ever-so-slightly with
you are in a circus, but unnecessary for
every breath and pump of blood, causing your meditation.
back muscles to make slight adjustments as the
cushion moves. While these may be the most The old fashioned cross-legged posture you
minuscule, even imperceptible movements, used to sit in while watching TV as a child is
your back wont care. It will just hurt. one of the most basic positions. Try it out and
see how it feel. If you find that your back is
I like to use two cushions, one to place my getting sore, stiff or collapsing in the middle, try
bottom on and the second underneath and
leaning against a wall for support. Over time,
large enough for my legs to rest at a slightly
you will get used to the position and not need
lower level. This posture naturally pushes my the support any longer.
hips forwards slightly, straightening the back
and creating a solid base, when coupled with You can put one leg in front of the other, if you
good, solid cushions, of course. so choose. This is called the Burmese sitting
posture. Another is the half lotus, where you
There are plenty of cushions designed
bring one leg over the other, like the childs
especially for meditation. However, a good, cross-legged position, but end up with the
old-fashioned study chair will do just as well.
bottom of your foot pressing into the opposite
You dont need a cushion at all, if you choose thigh and the bottom of the foot facing up to
to sit upright. Just be sure that chair is solid and
the ceiling. This can be hard on the ankles at
wont move. Dont use your office swivel chair
first, so be warned.
or the Fitball. It wont work.
I wont even go into the full lotus position.
Another great device is a meditation bench,
which you sit on and tuck your legs underneath The final point about creating comfort is to be
the seat, as if you were kneeling. The seat takes aware of the shape of the posture that you have
your weight, not your knees and it gets over the chosen. Stretch your back, swivel your arms,
problem of painful knees and legs, while also move your hips until any kinks are ironed out
helping to straighten the back naturally. and relax into your posture. Sit with your back
straight, but not tight or even forcing it into a
Another part of being comfortable is to wear concave shape. This creates tension and you
the right clothes. Loose fitting clothes are
will feel it as the meditation progresses. Be
probably preferable but you have to be aware
aware of tension in your shoulders, neck,
of climate and temperature of your meditation stomach or any other areas where there should
space. It is also preferable to wear natural fibers
be no tension. Focus on it and let it go.
whenever possible as human-made fibers are
not so cool energetically.
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Keep your head slightly back, as if it is resting significant part of your day. It is. It is not
on your next, not pushed forward or artificially something to get out of the way. It is not
back. Due to its weight, having your head something to hurry through. It should be
forward or backwards can unbalance you and respected or it will quickly descend into being
create tension. Be aware of whether you are no more meaningful than taking a pill for your
pushing out your chest too. You shouldnt be. headache. What you are about to do is listen to
the essential nature of yourself. There is really
Breath normally and from the stomach. Be no higher purpose or more powerful act than
aware of how your body moves when you
that. Respect it.
breath. Many people have a tendency to breath
from the chest but you can correct this, which Prior to taking my shower, I like to light a
will help with blood circulation and openness. candle under my oil burner and add the burner
an oil that is suitable for how I am feeling. If I
Finally, slightly open your mouth and push your am feeling a little low in energy, lethargic or
tongue gently to your palette and against your
sleepy I may add peppermint, rosemary or
teeth. It should feel quite natural to rest in there
lemon, for example, or if I want to enhance the
without any effort.
depth of my relaxation, ylang ylang or orminis
flower (camomile) are useful. Then, when I
Creating Ambience
return, the meditation space smells inviting and
None of these things are necessary, of course, if relaxing. Just what I need to get going.
you live beside a beach, in a forest or on a
Some people like to perform a little ritual
mountain. Just go outside and sit down! Nature
before starting to meditate. This is a personal
is the ultimate meditation support as, in effect,
issue as it may relate to a religious prayer or
all flora is meditating at all times. You dont
rite, all of which are cool as long as they get
need better companions than that!
you into that space where your mission is the
However, for those of us who live in the smoke awareness of now. Any methods that help refine
and choke of a city or dont have the luxury of the ambience towards being more aware,
a rock to sit on in some national park, creating concentrated and focussed will help.
the right ambience is a nice way to give your
I like to light incense for my Buddha, respecting
meditation a little boost.
what he attained within the human form. When
I always like to have a shower just before I we look at the attainments of these beings in
meditate. This is important to me because this way, we begin to realize they only did what
meditation is about listening to what is called we too are capable of doing.
your higher self, so I want to respect that.
When you come back next day and have had a
Cleanliness is next to Godliness, my mother
crappy 24 hours, dont fret that you didnt live
used to say, although shell probably claim that
up to the highest values, principles or actions of
I made that up, which I did, but never mind, its
your master. Turn to them once more for
still a fair point.
inspiration and guidance. They will never say
Creating little rituals that are significant to you no. They will never turn you away. Only you
can help to create an ambience and an air that can choose to walk away from them but they
what you are doing with your meditation is a will always give more when you ask to receive.
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rather than feeling the frustration of continually Thus, we set out on the endless pursuit of the
failing to exclude it. endless experience...
Remember once again, the point of meditation A good example is going out for an ice cream.
is not concentration but observation. When you Once you have had one, you probably dont
embrace this, you will embrace everything that want another. More ice cream would just make
is in your present moment as being essential for you sick. So, even if you crave ice cream, you
your personal evolution. have a real yearning for it, once you have eaten
the ice cream you will feel great. It will have
Sensual Barriers done its job. Now whats next? The excitement
and expectation of the experience is over. Your
Another aspect of external distraction is sensory
senses have been stimulated and you are now
desire. One of those that is most common for a
left with a gap that your senses will slowly
student of meditation is physical pain! When
begin to fill with desire again.
you start sitting cross-legged for a period of
time, you may feel your body screaming for Now I want this and then that and after this and
submission. that I will need these and those. It is never
ending, always borrowing from the universe
Of course, you could always move your body,
and repaying the loan with sadness that it is
which is fine, but we can also use pain as an
gone or emptiness that must be filled again
object of meditation. When you realize that the
with objects of desire.
motivation to be free from pain is aversion,
another aspect of desire, pain actually makes a So, it could be said that sensations are like
great study of how ego works to create more addictions that our mind clings to. We keep
suffering, not less. If you do this, you will note feeding the senses and so we keep going
that pain is not a constant feeling but an ever- through the same cycle of suffering. Of course,
fluctuating one. It has many qualities that we when we start meditating, this conditioned
do not usually recognize in our panic to be rid situations doesnt just stop because we expect it
of it. to. It is not that easy. Your mind will be well
training in grasping at pleasurable experiences
Whatever you are doing in life, your senses will
and sitting without judgment and emotion is
always be in the process of seeking stimulation
certainly not what you would initially call
in one form or another. It is the way we have
pleasant
been trained to think and feel, so during
meditation, why should this process stop? So, thoughts keep coming at us. We are
uncomfortable. We are hungry. We are cold.
Seeking pleasure through the sensual
We want to be at peace. We want to be doing
stimulation is like taking out a loan from the
something else. We are bored. Desire and
universe. As with any loan, you must repay the
aversion is the mind we discover because that
debt with interest. The interest we pay takes the
is the mind we have been cultivating for our
form of suffering which arises when we are
entire life up to this point.
separated from the object of our desire or all
the pleasure from it is used up and we are left During meditation, like a spoiled child, the ego
with that hollow feeling of needing something demands to have the senses stimulated and this
else from which to rekindle the lost pleasure. is what gives rise to emotional suffering.
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However, if you simply observe each sensation aware of how and when the mind is straying
as it arises, both desire and aversion, without and gently remind it of your purpose.
judgment, without clinging, without pushing
One of the ways we do this is to imagine the
away, this is the cultivation of a cool mind.
With a cool mind you can eventually mind as a blue sky and when thoughts or
feelings enter that blue sky we make them like
extinguish the fire of clinging and desire that
clouds that slowly fade and are blown gently
perpetuates suffering when it fails to get its own
way. away. This is a calming metaphor and avoids
the tendency of goal-oriented minds to view
Be sure, this takes practice! In fact, a life time any distractions as a failure to concentrate. This
of it. While meditation will have quick results labeling of experience in this way is very
in some areas, the mind will resist being debilitating and will eventually cause more ill
present with as much zeal as you have put into will to grow. You will begin to loathe your
training it not to be present. It doesnt want to practice because you are not very good at it,
give up its pleasures. It must be worked with or keep failing to concentrate.
like you work on your body in a gym. There are
The trick to avoiding ill will against the object
no instant cures or quick fixes. Only when we
of your meditation (I hate staring at that boring
can let go of these sensual attachments can real
peace emerge from the war of desire. old candle! Or My stupid mind cant
concentrate on my breath!) is to develop love
Ill Will for it.
Ill will is like hatred towards people or objects. Many meditations involve watching the breath
There are meditations that are specifically in some shape and form. If you treat the breath
designed to help us grow our heart energy like it was your toddling child, how would you
through love and forgiveness because ill will treat it? Would you stop watching it? Would
can unrest any mind if it cannot treat the object you drop it and become distracted by sensory
of its meditation with love and compassion. desires? Of course, you wouldnt. You would be
diligent and loving. If it did wander off, you
Every meditation that you conduct will have an would gently bring it back to your attention.
object of meditation, that is, something you will
concentrate on. The point of the meditation is Ill will can be quite subtle but it is a serious
not to attain concentration but to be aware of hindrance because of its insidious nature. We
your ego arising to break your concentration. may find it hard to believe we can hate our
own breath or body parts that we may be using
Your mind, like all minds on this earth, will as our meditation object, but we can and we
wander away from a meditation object because may not even know it.
you have never noticed yourself training your
mind to seek out more and more desires almost As you are meditating, treat the object of
by autopilot. As soon as you stop doing this, as meditation with respect and love and it will
in a meditation, it is a shock to the mind and so instantly be easier to connect with.
it resists. Your job as a meditator is not to catch
Energetic Barriers
it, scold it and drag it kicking and screaming
back to the object of meditation, but to be
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Having low energy is a barrier to meditation If you are prone to a little sloth, prior to
that has been a particular friend of mine over meditating a third approach is to make sure you
the years. This low energy, perhaps due to have that cool shower to wake you up. Use it
physical tiredness, energetic weakness or lack as a mindfulness exercise, feeling what you are
of motivation, can cause the mind to become doing as vividly as you can. This primes the
easily distracted from the object of meditation mind for the upcoming meditation.
to the point where it is even possible to fall
asleep (not that it has ever happened to me, of Also, quickening the pace of your breathing
during meditation can be a good way to bring
course. Ahem!)
the mind into some active energy. Alternatively,
The point of meditation, if you understand that slow down the breathing and make the breath
the mind has two functions: doing and deliberately long and slow, feeling with greater
knowing, it is to maintain the mind in a state of intensity the breath as it goes in and out of your
knowing but to dull the state of doing so that body. This can build alertness in the mind and
enough space opens up to truly know the shake off any cobwebs.
nature of the object of your meditation.
Perhaps you might try an open-eye meditation,
Tiredness can cause both the doing and the
or a walking meditation. Both of these are very
knowing to become dull and lethargic. Thats
why you fall asleep. effective and certainly get over the problem of
falling asleep.
To overcome the energy barrier of lethargy the
first thing you do with meditation is fix the Finally, think about changing the time and/or
location of your meditations. It may be better to
object of your meditation before you begin and
meditate earlier, before you get tired or in a
set yourself a time limit. This becomes a kind of
goal but without the usual criteria of success place with better or different energy, such as in
the garden or a local park rather than in the
and failure.
confines of four walls.
The second thing you do is approach the object
Good energy for meditation really does make a
of your meditation with the mind of the child.
difference.
To the child everything is new and exciting. My
five year old boy, Jacob, is a perfect example.
Restlessness
Even if hes half falling asleep inside, he will
summon up the energy to force himself to be The classic simile for the nature of mind is it
alert and boisterous if there is something he being like a monkey. It is always grabbing at
really wants to be doing. things that fascinate it; sensory objects,
stimulants, colors, shapes, running endlessly
So, before you kick off your meditation, bring
and seemingly without a break from one things
into your mind the idea that you will be
to next like a ceaseless game of word
meeting the object of your meditation for the
association played all on its own. It is
very first time and you will learn entirely new
restlessness of the mind that, I would argue,
properties about it that you have never
many people find most difficult to come to
experienced before. You are about to embark
terms with because they perceive this
on a journey of discovery! This is how you can
restlessness as a failure to concentrate or to
develop a sense of delight in exploring the
focus. So they give up.
mundane and that is a sensation full of energy.
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
The last but certainly not least of the barriers is When you ego desires sensual stimulation it
doubt. This can take many forms, each of which may tell you: Wouldnt it be better if you
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
stopped this nonsense and went to see a movie Practice anew and take each session as a new
instead. When it seeks to sabotage your effort day, fresh through the eyes of the child and full
it may say: This will never work. How can of boundless potential.
doing nothing create something?
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
It is said that the Buddha himself attained A good technique to use is to imagine that the
enlightenment through this meditation. breath is a ball, rolling all the way down into
Needless to say then, it is one of the most your stomach and possession a cool sensation
powerful, but also one of the most difficult to before rolling up from your lungs in the
master. That is not to say that the beginner opposite direction as a warm sensation.
cannot use it. Indeed, it is often the foundation
of many retreats and has been for 2,500 years. Watch this process from one breath to the next,
What is often not taught is that there are three returning your mind to the breath as and when
different techniques, any of which you can use it diverts or attaches to a sensation or emotion.
and all of which will help you to attain the
As you observe your breathing, you will
same thing: self-awareness.
probably find that there are gaps in your
The point of following your breath is simple. sensitivity, places on the journey of your breath
With awareness you will begin to gain insight where it seems to disappear. Do not be
into the true nature, individuality and frustrated by this, but keep observing. Over
connectedness of every breath. You will begin time these gaps will be filled as the subtle
to notice that each breath is different and nuances of sensation begin to be revealed to
unique and that the very nature of breathing, you.
and therefore of the person who breaths, is
Also, these gaps will probably move around
impermanent and changing.
from place to place. This is quite normal. Take it
Impermanence is the very antithesis of ego that as another indication of the transient and
holds onto things and says this is me, this is changing nature of living and of life. This is
exactly what you are learning in real time.
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
Another little trick to start you off, one that you The final part of this technique is to fix your
can dispense with as you become more familiar attention at the point on your nose where the
with the meditation process, is to begin this sensation of breathing is strongest. This may be
breathing by counting the breath in your mind. your nostrils, inside your nose, or even your top
You want to try to get to ten breaths without lip. As you begin breathing, note where the
losing concentration. As you breath in and out, sensation is most vivid and use that point as
thats one. In and out again, thats two etc. If your meditation object. Follow the breath in
you lose concentration, go back to one and and out at that point only, observing the
start again. changing sensations from each moment to the
next and each breath to the next.
This technique is excellent if your mind is really
tending to wander and can help you build up a Yo u c a n u s e t h e s e t h r e e m e d i t a t i o n s
rhythm and some confidence. You might want individually or together, progressing from one
to start a meditation with two or three rounds of to the next as you master each stage or
ten until the mind calms down, or you can choosing which is best for you and sticking
conduct the whole meditation counting. It is up with it for some time. It is really your choice.
to you.
An Additional Technique
Part 2: Observe the Breath Enter, Observe it
Leave (Being the Gatekeeper) Once you have become familiar with the three
techniques and feel comfortable with each,
Once you have become familiar with the first there is a great warm up technique you can use
technique, the second is to learn how to for Mindfulness with Breathing that quickly sets
observe the breath like a gatekeeper. You do up your mind to observe the process of
this by watching it at two particular points in breathing with more care and attention.
your body where the process of breathing
This technique is to practice watching the short
starts and ends.
breath and the long breath.
As you breath in, observe how the breath feels
It will not have passed your notice that different
as it enters your body through your nose. Bring
depths and lengths of breathing affects the way
all of your attention to that point on the in-
breath. the body, mind and emotions feel. For example,
short breathing might be connected to anger or
Then, on the out-breath, shift your attention to frustration, while longer, smoother breathing
the pit of your stomach at your navel, where might be connected with relaxation and peace.
you observe the breath leaving the body.
In this breathing technique you deliberately
This is a variation on the first part in that you manipulate your breathing first to shorten and
are becoming more focussed on particular quicken and then to relax and calm it
areas on your body. It can be a little tricky at lengthening the inhalation and exhalation
first, as shifting the focus can seem to limit the breath to five or six seconds.
sensitivity you are building up, but as you
Each round of breathing (short or long) will last
begin to master this technique, you will see
how it leads to the third part. about a minute or two. You must take care that
the short breath is not too fast in order to avoid
Part 3: Observation of the Breath at the Nose hyper ventilation. If you ever feel dizzy or sick,
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
Candle Meditation
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
Technique
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
5.Throat Chakra:
Color: Blue
Color: Purple
7.Crown Chakra
3.Emotion Chakra: Color: Golden white
Location: Solar plexus just under the sternum Responsive to your ability to trust life, values,
ethics and courage, humanitarianism,
Responsive to your sense of trust, fear &
selflessness, ability to see the larger pattern,
intimidation, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-
faith & inspiration, spirituality and devotion
respect, care of oneself and others,
responsibility for making decisions, sensitivity to Meditate on each of these chakras or, if you feel
criticism and personal honor particularly drained in one or two areas, focus
on them and invigorate by using the same
4.Heart Chakra:
technique
Color: Green
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
Meditation Four push away any sensations, judge what you are
feeling or become despondent if you feel
nothing - just move on to the next body part.
Start by concentrating on your toes. How do When you have a complete sensual picture
they feel? Can you feel anything? Concentrate from the soles of your feet to the crown of your
on them, patiently, with intention, until you head, you will have enlivened and become
can. Spend a minute just feeling what is there. more aware of who you really are. This
awareness brings with it a sense of peace in the
Next, move your attention to the soles of your present moment where there is nothing to
feet. Can you feel the blood pumping through worry about or fret over.
your feet, or your socks cutting into your
ankles? Are there areas of your feet with more This meditation is great for a twenty minute
or less sensitivity? Do the sensations change or session, or, you can also learn how to practice
remain constant? it in just 60 seconds! If you practice three of
four times a day like this, you will soon be able
After a minute, move gradually through your to remember the peace and awareness the
body up to your calves, then your shins, and process develops and be able to recall the
slowly work your way through your body parts, feeling instantly whenever you feel ungrounded
becoming more and more aware of where or upset.
tension exists, pain, coldness, hotness etc.
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
Techniqueue
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
If you store a lot of energy in your head and Whenever you feel a strong emotional response
little in your foundation, strong emotional to a situation, simply start breathing in through
events will un-ground you. You will tend to try your feet, come back to the breath, watch the
and work out emotions rather than feeling and way your breathing changes as you become
letting them go. emotionally excited. Soon, by grounding and
breathing with awareness rather than thinking
Grounding is designed to deal with emotions about the emotion, letting your head get
by channelling the energy into the ground involved and justifying or rationalizing it, you
while building a stronger connection to the will regain your composure and the emotion
reality of life on Earth and a better balance will have passed through you rather than
between mind, body and energy. holding onto it as if it was a part of you.
Technique
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
Technique
You are an energy being and working with Now visualize that your crown chakra is
energy is what you do. Unfortunately, most of opening up like the aperture of a camera. Feel
us believe we are primarily physical beings and it widening on your head and a bright golden-
work virtually exclusively on developing our white light beginning to pour along the cord
physical energy. Sadly, this eventually weakens and into your head.
our energy body, which places our physical
Visualize that energy traveling slowly down
body at risk of illness however powerful it may your back, feeling it every inch that it travels.
seem to be.
Observe it all the way down to the base of your
While the Grounding Meditation creates a solid spine, traveling between your legs and up into
foundation and connection to the earth, the
your belly where it becomes a colored light of
centering meditation helps create power.
your choosing. Dont think too much about the
Rather than meditating on the earth, this time color. Just let it become the first color that you
we begin to open up the crown chakra that
can visualize. It will be the right one.
connects us with our higher self, and begin to
draw energy into our system through universal Finally, with the in-breath feel the energy flow
energy. into the ball of light in your sacral chakra and
with the out breath feel that energy condensing
However, please remember that this exercise into a greater and greater power.
should always be conducted after the
grounding exercise, as working only with the Once more, this meditation is flexible enough
crown chakra can result in headaches, light- to be very mobile and can be conducted
headedness and out of body experiences in anywhere and included as part of the
people susceptible to such things. awareness of being meditation, including all
your senses. I used to love doing this
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
Technique
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
Likewise, if you are serious about getting to I see the institution of meditation in peoples
know the true self hidden under all those layers lives as, one day, becoming no more strange
of ego, you may have to change some of the than education or exercise. As awareness of
environments that you frequent, people that these practices grow and more and more
you hang out with and stuff that you listen and people realize that they are missing some vital
watch that has created you current reality. It is ingredient to contribute towards a longer term
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A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
Wellness wishes,
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