Embrace the core insight that the mind is trainable, and desirable qualities like kindness, compassion, patience, calm, focus, and self-awareness are skills that can be developed. This empowers you to actively cultivate your well-being.
When meditating, view noticing that your mind has wandered as a success, not a failure. Each time you observe your distraction and gently return your attention, you weaken the power of mental ‘craziness’ over you.
If you find yourself struggling or ’trying too hard’ in meditation, ease your effort and allow experiences to arise naturally. This can lead to an ’effortless awareness’ where insights come more easily and quickly.
Explore the nature of consciousness by looking for the ‘hearer’ of sounds or the ‘seer’ of sights. This practice can chip away at the sense of inner solidity, which is a source of much suffering.
Understand that meditation is not about getting rid of thoughts or thinking less. Instead, notice everything arising, including thoughts, without being distracted or owned by them.
Engage in daily meditation practice, even for just a minute, as it is generally safe and beneficial. This consistent effort helps you regularly observe your mind’s activity.
Do not let cultural stereotypes or ‘flowery’ presentations deter you from trying meditation. Recognize that the practice itself can be valuable regardless of its marketing.
If you have a history of trauma or psychological conditions, consult a psychotherapist before undertaking intensive meditation retreats. Retreats can exacerbate certain conditions for some individuals.
Recognize that negative emotions can be appropriate and energizing in certain contexts, but aim to process them very quickly. Observe how compulsive thinking often prolongs these emotions beyond their utility.
Practice reducing the ‘half-life’ of anger by cutting down on compulsive, neurotic thinking that re-ups the emotion. This significantly lessens the potential damage caused by prolonged anger.
Practice reframing challenging situations conceptually to change your emotional response. For example, consider alternative, compassionate explanations for others’ behavior (e.g., they might be in an emergency).
Pay attention to your internal monologue and notice how much of your conversation with yourself is ‘deeply superfluous.’ Becoming aware of this can help you reduce unnecessary mental chatter.
Avoid self-beratement when you find yourself doing mindless things or struggling to maintain mindfulness. Recognize that the human mind is naturally wired for hypervigilance.
Be aware of the tendency to obsess over your meditation practice, questioning if you’ve plateaued or if it’s working. Recognize this ‘doubt’ as a hindrance and avoid ruminative self-questioning.
Understand that progress in meditation is not linear but often follows a ‘wavy line’ over time, generally moving in a positive direction. This expectation can help you persevere through perceived plateaus.
Consider attending a meditation retreat to deepen your practice, as the supportive environment can allow you to reach levels of insight and concentration that may be harder to achieve in daily life.
If the cost of meditation retreats is a barrier, investigate scholarship opportunities at centers like IMS and Spirit Rock. These organizations often subsidize attendance for those with financial constraints.
Consider Goenka Vipassana 10-day retreats as a valid and often free option for intensive meditation practice. They are highly regarded for their methodology.
Initially, feel free to experiment with different forms and traditions of meditation to see what resonates with you. After this exploration, commit to one tradition for a couple of years to gain depth and a clear understanding.
When meditating, sit comfortably with an erect posture to support your attention and awareness.
Bring your attention to sounds in the room or the feeling of your body resting in space. Let these sensory experiences reveal the open space of awareness.
Pay attention to the sensations of your breath, whether at the tip of your nose or the rising and falling of your chest or abdomen. Follow the full cycle of each inhalation and exhalation.
With open eyes, notice the field of color, light, and shadow as an open space of consciousness. Observe how thoughts can also appear within this same field.
Avoid ’nitpicking’ or ’trash talking’ public meditators, even if you perceive hypocrisy. Generally, more mindfulness in the world is better than less, unless demonstrable harm is being done.
Cultivate wisdom by consciously aligning your attention in ways that you will not regret. Use meditation to observe the consequences of how you use your attention and to clarify your priorities.
Understand that well-being is a skill that can be developed and improved through consistent mental training, rather than a fixed state.
Embrace the understanding that emotional and moral development is a continuous process throughout life, not something that ends after formal education.
Consider exploring Sam Harris’s ‘Waking Up’ meditation app and his book of the same name. They offer a secular, skeptical entry point into meditation, free from cultural baggage.
Consider seeking out a meditation teacher like Joseph Goldstein, who was influential in Dan Harris’s practice and is highly recommended.
Consider adopting the term ‘respectful agnostic’ to describe your spiritual or philosophical stance if it resonates with your personal views. This allows for open-mindedness without dogmatism.
Investigate meditation as a practice that ‘strongly suggests’ it can confer a long list of tantalizing health benefits. This can be a compelling reason to begin or continue your practice.
Engage in meditation to understand ‘what is true about the mind from the first person side,’ exploring the nature of consciousness and experience for its own sake, even if not primarily for health benefits.
Measure the success of your meditation practice by whether you become ’less of a jerk to yourself and others,’ rather than focusing on scientific metrics like brain scans.
Recognize that the human mind, with its nonstop internal conversation, can be ‘crazy.’ Becoming aware of this ‘craziness’ reduces its power over you.
Dispel the ‘fallacy of uniqueness’ by understanding that a busy mind is the common human condition, not a unique impediment to meditation. Everyone’s mind is busy.
If you find that your meditation practice seems to be doing something bad for you, consult a psychotherapist who is knowledgeable about mindfulness.
Understand that while psychedelics can offer profound experiences, they are impermanent and do not build lasting skills in the same way meditation does. Their effects can also be haphazard.
If you have conditions like panic disorder or trauma, consult a professional before considering psychedelics, as they can potentially exacerbate such issues.