How to Meditate: What you didn't know about Empty Mind Techniques and your bliss: Obstacles in Empty Mind Meditation" -

How to Meditate: What you didn’t know about Empty Mind Techniques and your bliss: Obstacles in Empty Mind meditation

These are some of the obstacles that I’ve personally met or been told about in my practice.

Frustration. This was covered in the meditation description, but is so common that it is worth describing again. Many people don’t like empty mind meditation because they approach it the wrong way, and that causes frustration. Be careful that you are not fighting your thoughts or making them wrong. This makes them actually stay in your consciousness even more. Bring your attention back to your breath or on the body feeling, let your thoughts float by without focusing on them, and they will stop intruding with time and practice.

Giving up. Many people try out meditation as a way of dealing with their negativity. They want to reduce their rage, get out of depression, or stop their anxiety. This, in itself, can add another layer to their unhappiness.

What do I mean by this? Empty mind meditation can be hard initially; even more so if your thoughts and emotions are already raging from the negativity. You feel like you’re wrestling a raging bull – the more negative you are the stronger the bull is. Your frustration about not being able to still your mind or relax your emotions adds another layer on top of your existing unhappiness.

All I can suggest is to keep at it, for the benefits are well-worth it. Forgive yourself if you fail. Remember that any skill is always the hardest when you begin. You make the most mistakes when you begin. Don’t get frustrated over failure, stop the session and return to it at the next scheduled time (remember the morning and night recommendation).

How do you stop thinking? Some people say that it is impossible not to think. If that is the case, don’t throw this form out the window; the benefits are too awesome to miss. Just think of it as training your concentration. You’re not stopping your thoughts, but instead moving your thoughts to your feelings or your breath. This takes attention off your anxieties, worries, and unhappiness, which will die out slowly.

Leary wrote:
Awareness of my tongue and tension in my jaw. Whenever your mind is racing you will invariably find your tongue is locked to the roof of your mouth and or your jaw is tense. Learning to relax my jaw and let my tongue lay on the floor of my mouth has ended the racing mind... to turn it back on do the opposite.

Leary wrote:
Whenever your mind is racing you will invariably find your tongue is locked to the roof of your mouth and or your jaw is tense. Learning to relax my jaw and let my tongue lay on the floor of my mouth has ended the racing mind... to turn it back on do the opposite.

ramkishore wrote:
what is awareness then? when should it be used? and how to master it?

Whitewolf wrote: the most important development in the process .... tolerance, for me and eventually of other people.