Meditation: Catch and Release

I once bought a t-shirt at an airport because I had been traveling for a long time and needed a change of clothes. I chose a blue one and put it on without looking too carefully. Only later, when I was already seated on the plane, did I notice there was a fish drawn on the sleeve followed by a caption: "Catch and Release". I felt very good seeing that. It was like a message from the universe; somehow, I was wearing instructions on how to work with the mind in meditation. That became my teaching during that trip.

You can use that phrase in your meditation too. Catch your thoughts and release them. You don't need to kill them with a blow to the head before throwing them back. You can simply recognize each thought and let it go.

The practice of meditation is basically a process of knowing yourself. How do you do that? By becoming familiar with your mind. Normally, the mind is a whirlwind of thoughts, and meditation is a practice that calms this whirlwind and helps us develop a peaceful mental state. But our mind isn't occupied only with thinking. Usually, we're thinking about the past or the future. We're reliving some old drama or trying to plan for what might happen tomorrow or ten years from now. We're generally not experiencing the present moment. We can't change the past, and the future is always ahead of us; we never actually reach it, have you noticed? So while this process continues, our mind never rests. The mind can never simply calm down and be at ease.

When we practice sitting meditation, over time we become better at catching our thoughts and releasing them. Gradually, the mind begins to settle naturally into a state of rest. This is wonderful because it allows us to be fully present in our lives. When we're not being pulled toward the past or the future, we can simply be right here, where we actually live. Being in the present moment means simply being awake and aware of yourself and what surrounds you. That is the beginning of peace and contentment.

Sitting Meditation

One of the most effective methods of meditation is the practice of following the breath. To begin, you simply sit in a meditation posture and observe your breathing. There's nothing else to do. Your breathing should be natural and relaxed. There's no need to alter your usual breathing.

Begin by bringing your attention to the breath, concentrating on the inhalation and exhalation at your nose and mouth. There's a sensation that you're really feeling your breath, feeling its movement.

When you do this, you're not just observing your breath. As you settle into the practice, you really become the breath. You feel it as you exhale and become one thing with the exhalation. You feel the air as you inhale and become one thing with the inhalation. You are the breath and the breath is you.

As you relax, you begin to appreciate the now, the present moment. The breath only happens in the present. Exhale. One moment is gone. Inhale again. Another moment is here.

Appreciating the now also includes appreciating your world, your existence, your entire environment, being satisfied with your existence.

How to Begin

To start a sitting meditation session, first you need a comfortable seat. You can use any cushion firm enough to support an upright posture. You can also sit in a chair. The main point is to have a relaxed yet upright posture so your spine stays straight. If you're sitting on a cushion, cross your legs comfortably, and if you're sitting in a chair, place your feet evenly on the floor. You can rest your hands in your lap or on your thighs. Your eyes can be slightly open with your gaze directed downward, a little in front of you. What matters most is that your posture is upright and relaxed at the same time. Once you're sitting comfortably, the main thing is to be completely present; give your practice your full attention.

Catching Your Thoughts

During meditation, the mind's chatter will begin and you'll have many thoughts. Some will seem more important than others and will develop into emotions. Some will be related to physical sensations: pain in your knee, back, or neck. And some will arise as something extremely important; things that can't wait. You forgot to answer a critical email, you need to return a call, or you forgot your mother's birthday. These kinds of thoughts will come, but instead of jumping off the cushion, all you need to do is recognize them. When a thought tries to distract you, simply say: "I'm thinking about forgetting my mother's birthday". You simply catch your thought, recognize it, and let it go. Sitting in meditation, we treat all thoughts equally. We don't give more weight to some and less to others. If we do, we'll lose our concentration and our mind will begin to wander.

When you meditate, you repeat this "catch and release" process over and over. One moment you're resting your mind on your breath. Suddenly a thought arises and pulls your attention away. You see the thought, let it go, and return to your breath. Then another thought arises. You see it, let it go, and return to your breath once more. Mindfulness, catching your thoughts, brings you back to the present and to a sense of attention or non-distraction. You can strengthen the power of your concentration through repetition of practice the same way you strengthen your body's muscles each time you exercise.

Remember that we're working with the mind, and your mind is connected to many different conditions that affect you in various unpredictable ways. So don't expect your meditation to always be the same or for your progress to follow a particular timeline. Don't become discouraged by the ups and downs of your practice. Instead of seeing them as signs that there's no hope for your practice, you can see them as reminders of the need to practice and why it's so useful.

It takes time to develop a strong state of concentration. Eventually, however, you'll see that your mind stays where you place it. Meditating and developing the strength of your mind isn't just a pleasant spiritual activity. Actually, it's a great help and support for anything you want to learn or accomplish. As your mind becomes calmer, you experience more of what's happening in each moment. You begin to see that your life; your real life, right now; is much more interesting than all the thoughts you've been having about it.

Originally published at huffingtonpost.com