I know it sounds boring when you have never or hardly tried sitting eyes closed for a couple of minutes. So, you might ask whether it’s really needed. However, if you see and understand the importance of dhayana or meditation, you will understand it is the first thing to do before anything else in your day to day life. Those who are practicing regularly, find peace, stability, and success in life whether it is in terms of career, health, relationships, or anything else. Aren’t these what you also want?
But it’s hard to sit so long without thinking.
That is what you practice daily. Once you’re able to sit calm without any thoughts coming, you will start enjoying it. You will see the positive side of it and you will want more of it. Dhyana is something once tasted (correctly) will never leave it in his/her lifetime.
Let’s keep the benefits aside if you feel how can one achieve all these with dhyana. Your mind is always occupied with one or the other thing all day long and goes through stress, anxiety, tension, etc. When you sit quietly for sometime, won’t you feel relaxed? Besides, the above mentioned mental imbalances and emotions are the root causes of many diseases, which is scientifically proven. Now, you cannot deny the fact that meditation keeps one healthy and it’s only a healthy mind that can make one successful in all aspects of life.
Ok, you’ve convinced me enough, but how do I practice? I know nothing about it. There are too many types of meditation techniques. How do I choose? And people say one should practice it for longer but I can’t sit for so long.
See, there’s no fixed rules on how many minutes you should practice but I’d encourage you to cross your limit every time you sit. If you can enjoy dhayana for 5 minutes only, then sit for 6 minutes. Now, don’t keep looking at watch. What I’m trying to say is just sit and meditate until you feel like and then cross that limit a little more. No doubt, you’ll improve. Coming to the question which type of dhayana to practice, I’d suggest you start sitting quietly doing absolutely nothing in silence. If you need, play a soothing music and sit. Don’t get confused with all of them. Get a grip on one thing and keep up with it. That is sufficient for life. Trying numerous things will only lead to failure.
परमाणु परम महत्त्वान्त्तो अस्य वशीकारकः।
Mastering the mind allows one to control the relationship with everything from anu or paramanu or atom to cosmos. Mastering your mind with the help of dhyana will give you good control over your life.
तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम।
Unbroken and continuous flow of knowledge to an object or person is dhyanam.
Now that you know its importance, note one more point that earlier, in satya yuga probably, dhyana was made a compulsion. Just like you brush your teeth and bath your body, it was necessary to cleanse your inner self or mind with dhyana. There are many other things which are a must do and we, the modern people have left them all. Now slowly, scientists are proving the science behind them and based on those proofs, we are trying to adopt the forgotten knowledge and wisdom that once our ancestors had.
I’m assuming you are at least ready to meditate regularly by now, even if it is for 5 minutes. Start with one step and proceed towards your ultimate goal.