Meditation
Put simply, the art of meditation is the art of being with yourself.
This is something that many of us find very hard to do.
What happens if we stop and just be with ourselves?
I have a practice of just sitting doing nothing for half an hour after a
meal.
My experience is that first I notice how restless I am, there is the washing
up to be done, someone to telephone, something to read etc, but I just watch
my mind and stay put.
Next I notice I am bored and if I stay with the boredom that arises this
turns into a deep contentment and I could happily be still for ages. So
I have learnt that contentment, peace and a quiet mind is the other side
of restlessness and boredom.
People get so distracted and then wonder why they are so discontent.
I teach two meditation practices which date back to the Buddha 2550 years
ago, yet are still totally relevant in today's world.
I regularly run four week meditation classes that cover the two main practices the Mindfulness of Breathing and the Metta Bhavana.
The Mindfulness of Breathing
This practice cultivates awareness, calm and contentment.
It will also radically change your life as the more aware we become the
less suffering we create for ourselves and others.
The Metta Bhavana
Develops loving kindness and ultimately a universal compassion for all
sentient beings.
In this practice we move towards more and more positive emotion.
For people who have learnt the Mindfulness of Breathing and Metta Bhavana practices I periodically run a one day meditation course to take one's practice further. This includes both the main methods but also introduces walking meditation and just sitting.
Danapriya
