Three meditation practices you can try (or, try again) right now

 

08.21.2020 THREE MEDITATION PRACTICES YOU CAN TRY RIGHT NOW It’s easy to convince ourselves that meditation is hard. Don’t get me wrong: it’s not unusual to find meditation difficult, but the practice itself can be easier than rolling off a log. All you have to do is stay there, so to speak. But first you have to get there, and that’s what this Weekend Reader is about: actually doing it, and experiencing meditation afresh. May these three practices awaken your beginner’s mind. (And: there’s lots more where these came from!) —Rod Meade Sperry, editorial director, LionsRoar.com

How to Practice Walking Meditation Step-by-step — pun-intended — instruction from Leslie Booker. Walking meditation is often described as a meditation in motion. In this practice, you place your full attention on the process of walking — from the shifting of the weight in your body to the mechanics of placing your foot. Walking meditation is an integral part of retreat life in many traditions and is used to offset and shift the energy of sitting practice. It is a bridge to integrate practice into daily life and can be more accessible than a sitting practice for many people.

How to Practice Shamatha Meditation Shamatha meditation — mindfulness or concentration — is the foundation of Buddhist practice. Lama Rod Owens teaches us a version from the Vajrayana tradition. Shamatha meditation allows us to experience our mind as it is. When we practice shamatha, we are able to see that our mind is full of thoughts, some conducive to our happiness and further realization, and others not. It is not extraordinary that our minds are full of thoughts, and it is important to understand that it is natural to have so much happening in the mind. Over time, practicing shamatha meditation calms our thoughts and emotions. We experience tranquility of mind and calmly abide with our thoughts as they are. Eventually, this leads to a decrease in unhelpful thoughts.

How to Practice Zazen Jules Shuzen Harris teaches the meditation practice at the heart of Zen Buddhism. There has been a lot of attention recently on the many practical benefits of meditation. It reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and is effective in working with depression, anxiety, and anger. These are all good reasons to meditate, but ultimately Buddhists practice zazen and other meditations to realize what Buddhism calls our true nature, which is beyond self-identity with its self-imposed limitations. From a Buddhist perspective, our main problem is attachment to our deluded idea of who we are, and what we need to do to maintain this delusion. To make real progress in zazen, we must make a genuine commitment to practice.

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