Mastering computer science, mathematics or … cooking skills can not be improvised, so is meditation . To meditate , to learn to meditate and, above all, to meditate in a correct and satisfactory way are not improvised either. So, how to meditate?
The right moment to meditate.
In order to start the day in good shape and to enjoy the benefits of meditation from the first activities, it is best to meditate in the morning for a first session.
A second session will be welcome at the end of the afternoon after returning from his professional or other activities, in order to get rid of the fatigue and tensions accumulated during the day.
Where to meditate
Any quiet place in the house where we know not to be disturbed during the session will be perfect. Sitting comfortably on a chair or better a chair that will not force us to adopt a particular and restrictive position that would maintain the attention to the outside.
The environment.
In order not to be disturbed, we will take care to unplug the phone and to prevent people or animals from circulating in the room.
The room must be nice. You can light incense but it is not necessary at all. We will not put music or any other element “favorable” to the meditation, always for the reason that they can only maintain our attention towards the outside while we wish to let our attention take the natural way towards the interior. The key is to feel good in the room where you settle.
Before the meditation.
No special preparation is necessary to enter the meditation. However, one should avoid going directly from an intense mental or physical work to the meditation session.
If time is available, a series of asanas (series of yoga postures ) and a few minutes of Pranayama can be practiced before meditation.
The posture of meditation.
The position to meditate is the sitting position, comfortably, without any constraint. The legs can be crossed (sitting cross-legged for example) or elongated. In no case is the so-called lotus position, or any other assimilated posture, necessary because, once again, it could be restrictive and would force our attention to an external element. Similarly for a kneeling position or a position that would seek to voluntarily maintain the right spine.
The lying position is not suitable. It is made to sleep, and although it is not incorrect to experience more or less sleep during meditation, we do not make arrangements that would systematically cause sleep.
The hands will naturally settle in front of you, one in the other or separate on the legs for example.
If discomfort in the physical position occurs during the session, it will be enough, gently, to take a more comfortable and non-restrictive position.
During the meditation.
With your eyes closed, the attention will naturally turn inward. The mind will begin to calm down. Naturally the body will follow and the breathing will diminish, as indicated by the scientific research on the “rest experienced during the meditation”, with a decrease of all the metabolism.
The practice is simple and natural. The innate tendency of the mind to move towards greater well-being will guide the session for about twenty minutes following the instructions given by the Transcendental Meditation teacher.
Learn Transcendental Meditation
To learn Transcendental Meditation is to learn to do naturally and effortlessly the experience of the finer and finer levels of the process of thought to reach the source.
This process is devoid of any effort.
In order to guarantee the effectiveness and authenticity of teaching, teachers proceed in the same traditional way as all teachers have done for millennia.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who is the founder of the Transcendental Meditation program has revived this millennial knowledge and has formulated its learning in a teaching method adapted to the world today, while preserving authenticity.
The seven stages of information and learning of Transcendental Meditation:
1. Introductory lecture (1h30):
This is a presentation of the technique and its benefits: development of mental potential, improvement of health and social relations, and its applications in society.
2. Preparatory Conference (45 minutes):
during which the mechanisms and origin of the technique are presented. It explains how Transcendental Meditation is unique and differs from any other meditation method or personal development formula.
3. Personal interview with the teacher (10 to 15 minutes):
which allows the teacher and the person to get to know the answers to the personal questions raised by the person.
4. Personal instruction in TM technique (1h 30):
This is the teaching of the technique itself that will allow the person to start practicing at home autonomously.
5. Verification and validation of experiments (1h 30):
Based on the first personal sessions at home, this step ensures that the practice is easy and has the characteristics of a correct practice.
6. Verification and validation of experiments (1h 30):
which brings understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of the TM technique in terms of eliminating fatigue in physiology, based on the growing experience of the practice.
7. Verification and validation of the experiments (1h 30):
which gives an explanation of the mechanisms of the development of the consciousness through the regular practice of the meditation and returns on the reinforcement of the benefits of the technique thanks to the regularity of the practice.
The first two stages are free, free and without commitment, often combined in one session. The person who wants to learn to meditate then follows sessions 3 to 7.
Once these seven steps have been followed, the intellectual knowledge and experience gained is sufficient to practice Transcendental Meditation in a completely autonomous way.
Subsequent steps consist of a series of individual weekly and monthly follow-up and verification sessions. These sessions, which are not mandatory, help to stabilize the practice of meditation. They are programmed at your convenience during the first months of practice.
