More tips for meditation

Well done! Those of you who came last evening for a "mini silent meditation retreat" -- you practised well.

Here are some additional tips to take your meditation practice further:

• Find a quiet place to practise where you will not be disturbed by phone calls, people wanting to talk to you, etc. As your practice grows, you may want to try meditating in other places like parks. I find it interesting to practise in the MRT train. This hones your concentration skills and make you more tolerant of external stimulants (like irritating chatter or airconditioning that's too cold) that are beyond your control.
• Set a timer so that it can mark the end of your session. If not you will tend to wonder when you should stop when you should be meditating. Watch timers are better than alarm clocks as the latter could present too big a shock to you when you are in deep meditation. Another way is to block all calls from your mobile phone and set the alarm on your mobile -- pre-set the volume to the lowest. If your radio has a alarm function this can be a good choice -- it is nice to hear music from the depths of your consciousness and let it lead you back to "real life".
• For those of you who came last night, we sat for 15-30 minutes per session. I suggest that you sit for 20-30 minutes a session. Don't sit for longer in a single session. At this point in your meditation career, you'll find that if you force yourself to sit for longer than 30 minutes, your attention will probably waver and this ruins your practice. Rather, if you want to do more, complete one session, take a break and then start to practice another session. Or do two sessions a day but at different times. Quite naturally, you will know it when you are able to sit for longer.
• Choose a time of the day to practice and keep to the same time everyday. This presents the body and mind with a sense of regularity and in due course the habit gains momentum and becomes hard to break. Many teachers recommend one session in the evening before you sleep and if you are not rushed, one in the morning just after you wake up (before brushing teeth or breakfast!). The evening session helps to clear out whatever your mind has experienced during the day, it's a chance for the mind to do some spring cleaning before sleep -- preventing chaotic thoughts and impressions from creatng inevitable nightmares. Do short 5 minute meditations whenever you have a break throughout the day. These help to keep the stress from accumulating and keeps you centred.
• When you sit down, make sure you're relaxed. Try to keep your back straight but do not force yourself into a rigid position. It is important that your are alert and relaxed. Too relaxed will drop you into sleep, too rigid will give you back/neck aches.
• It is important to conquer the impulse to fall asleep early in your meditation practice. You will find that once you've steadied yourself up at the point of nodding off a few times, the wave of sleep will pass and you can meditate quite well.
• Try not to fidget or change the position of your body during meditation. If there is pain in the legs or the sensation of limbs falling asleep, simple acknowledge the sensations and they will pass. For me, I just say "Yes, legs, I know you're not feeling too good in this pose but I'm meditating now and I'll deal with you later." This takes tremendous mental strength as our minds are accustomed to responding promptly to all signals of discomfort in our bodies.

I benefitted greatly from the writings of Eknath Easwaran on his meditation practice. Check out his website at: http://www.nilgiri.org/nilgiri.cfm?pageid=1