Ugh. I’m supposed to be meditating, but all I can think about is that looming problem, I can’t concentrate on my meditation at all!. Where is that “empty mind” that I’m supposed to access with meditation???
There is this idea out in the world that meditation is a form of concentration that brings some special sort of mental quiet, or break from thinking. While meditation does open the door to finding peacefulness, it does not come from the sort of concentration that we are used to, the one where we screw up our face and decide that something will happen, or be a certain way.
If you have an asana (yoga poses) practice then you may have experienced the practice of drishti; of softening your view in a way that takes in more visual information and helps to center you and maintain balance.
That same technique is applicable to our meditation practice. When we soften and open our view, the softness creates more mental/emotional space so that we can allow more in. We have an increased tolerance for everything that is capturing our attention, and we bring it all into our practice without being stressed or overwhelmed. From that place of spaciousness we can find some peace and healing.
If you would like to check out some techniques that help add spaciousness to your meditation practice and your life, join me for our monthly Meditation Techniques class on Friday 9/10 at 5:30 pdt. You can reserve your spot here!