Note from ” How to Meditate: A Primer for Beginners” by JOEL M. EVANS
- The main objective of the meditative experience is to shift the focus of the mind away from the frenzied thoughts of everyday living, such as worries about work, family, fiances, or simply the “to-do list” of the day.
- Meditation involves trying to train your thoughts to stay in the present moment, because in the present moment there is true peace.
- Meditative experiences can be placed into three main categories: concentrative, expressive and movement.
- Examples of meditation include: painting or drawing, working in the garden, staring at the ocean, playing with your pet, journaling, teaching your child how to play a sport, dancing freely to your favorite music, etc. Other forms of meditation include tai chi and yoga, which incorporate breath work with choreographed movements.
- The most popular concentrative meditation is to focus on the breath.
- The way this meditation is performed is to simply focus on your breath as it comes in and out of your body.
- They all involve active concentration, consciously focusing the mind on something specific. Examples of this type of meditation include staring at the dance of a candle flame, continuously repeating a word to yourself (such as peace , love or God ) or simply following your breath. The goal is to concentrate and try to ignore the other thoughts that will unfortunately pop into your head.
