The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being aware of what is going on. (Thich Nhat Hanh)

Meditation is an activity to bring peace to your body and your mind. It helps you see yourself and the world clearer. It is the act that brings us to mindfulness.

I have recently started to learn more about meditation. Here is my quick note of what I think basic meditation is about. To meditate, you will need to know what to do with (1) your mind and (2) your body.

What to do with your mind

Firstly, focus on your breath. Breathing is the most fundamental aspect of meditation. Don’t try to force the breath to be long or short – allow it to be what it is. Be aware of your breath.

  • Being aware of your breath helps you stop your thinking. Thinking sometimes is bad because it makes your head hot, like a TV turned on all night. Mindful breathing is a power-off button for your head (beside sleeping).
  • I learned that emotions cannot be processed with the mind. It is processed by the body. While I don’t think this is a scientific claim, I do experience that. So if you have emotions to process, try to turn off your mind with mindful breathing, and listen to your body and your breath instead. You will feel peace, and even find insights about your emotions.
  • Also, your breath reminds you that you are alive. It has always been there since you were born. Thus, mindful breathing brings back peace. Your breath is magical because it can go to everywhere in the body. You can feel it.
  • This is a breathing song for you to vibe.

Secondly, instead of trying surpress all the thoughts coming up, let your mind wander if it has to. Meditation is about meta-cognition. Recognize your thoughts. Watch them like a movie. Listen to yourself. Try to understand the ideas that come up in your mind without judging. Even if you want to beat someone up, let that thought be there and try to understand why you think that way.

Thirdly, be slow in your mind. Nowadays, it can be hard to be slow, so remind yourself that you have allotted some time for meditation. There is no rush in that moment. There is “nowhere to go, nothing to do”.

Finally, if you meditate just to feel peace, you can prompt your mind to think of peaceful things. There are useful sutras (template Buddhist sentences) to guide your mind. For example, listen to Songs of Plum Village. Also, use the Mindfulness Bell sound to condition your mind into calmness. The Plum Village app has an execellent bell feature.

What to do with your body

In principle, you can meditate at whatever posture and activity your body are in. Below are some basic ones.

Sitting meditation: Sit on a cushion with your back up right. Wrap your legs, or sit on your legs like Japanese style, or put them side way like Philipino style. Close your eyes. Focus on your breaths. Welcome any thoughts coming in, but don’t get caught in it or surpress it.

Walking meditation: Walk very slowly – 3 seconds/step. While talking, think of the peace you have in every step. Think of Mother Earth giving you the firm land to stand on and everything to sustain life. This song helps you feel the vibe.

  • Try walking in bare foot (as long as it is safe). It gives you more sensation to feel. It also makes it easier to walk slowly, especially when you walk on uneven surfaces (e.g., concrete, forest ground, etc.) And it allows you to appreciate your socks and shoes, which eventually helps bring gratitude and peace.

Eating meditation: “When I eat, I only eat.” To truly eat, do it slowly without any rush. Appreciate the food that you have. Feel every bite. No TV, no conversation, no brainstorming. Just eat.

Working meditation: While working, be aware of what you are doing and of your body. For example, it is very easy to work on a computer and get caught into a Wikipedia article or a social media doom scrolling. Being aware of your body and that you are working will help staying focus. If you are good, the flow state will come.

Running meditation: It is hard but possible to be mindful when doing something fast like running. This is advanced mindfulness. The key is to “dwell in the here and the now and be happy in that moment” [1].

References [1] Thich Nhat Hanh, Answers from the Heart, 2009