How to Meditate

Unstructured meditation practice: For the purpose of this project, we are recommending the "unstructured" meditation practice. In the "unstructured" meditation practice, we simply substitute the mantra for our normal mental chatter.

Whenever you feel angry, uncomfortable, unhappy, frustrated, upset, scared, bored, unsure, or unloved, simply begin to think (or say) the mantra. If you notice that you are dwelling on unpleasant experiences in the past, experiencing unhappiness in the present present or envisioning a disastrous future - just go back to thinking the mantra. Any time you find yourself in the grip of worry, guilt, or fear - this just means it's time to begin thinking the mantra again. When you are driving in your car, when you are cleaning your house, when you are working out, when you begin a new task - these are all excellent times to remember the mantra.

Eventually, the mantra will be a constantly running stream in the background of your mind. Your "worry" thoughts will begin to take on less importance. It's as if, when you wake up in the morning, you begin your meditation practice, and you continue it all day long until you go to bed. Anytime you notice "Oh, I am not thinking that mantra," just begin it again.

The mantra may be said aloud, or sung, or chanted, or allowed to just run silently through your mind. It doesn't matter at all. Whatever feels most comfortable for you at the time.

If you prefer a more structured practice, that's fine too. Here are some guidelines you might find helpful:

Traditional meditation practice is called Japa, or recitation, and is the spiritual practice of devotedly repeating a mantra, generally a specified number of times, such as 108, often while counting on a strand of beads, called a japa mala, while conscientiously concentrating on the meaning of the mantra. The mantra can also be repeated for a specified period of time, such as 20 minutes. This can be done while sitting or walking, and gives the best results with a consistent daily practice.

The repetition should be dutifully slow. This brings punya, merit, to the devotee. Japa is a form of devotional worship, invocation, supplication, praise, adoration, meditation and direct, experiential communion.

Unless we are actually in a state of samadhi (total absorption), which is rare for most people, japa provides a means to disengage from our racing thoughts and our memories of the past -- mostly the bad ones. The repetition of positive, uplifting, spiritual mantras over and over again lifts consciousness and causes the muladhara chakra to spin clockwise. We feel uplifted. Life does not look so bad, and neither does the past. A sense of forgiveness comes and the future looms bright. The past is forgiven and forgotten. Japam can be done by everyone.