Just as with any other activity or process, meditation has a preparation, a process and an ending. This is true at least as long as we are not enlightened and our hours of meditation differ from our other waking hours. Let us discuss our preparation.

THE SPACE YOU SELECT

Meditation can be done in absolutely any place where our body is safe from apparent dangers. You can meditate in your bedroom, living room, kitchen, even in your bathroom if there is no better place. You can also meditate in a bus, a plane, boat or car, as long as you are not driving, of course. You can meditate in nature, in valleys, on mountain tops, at the sea shore. All places are acceptable. Perhaps, not all places will offer you the same conditions or the same results. Some places may offer you more peace or greater inclination towards moving inwards toward the center of your mind. This is especially important for the beginner. As one develops more experience, his environment plays a less important role. Just as one who is learning to drive, needs a specially protected environment for his first trials, a person who is a beginner in meditation will benefit from a suitable environment. We suggest that in the beginning you use the same room and the same space daily. That space will gradually become associated with the process of meditation and turning inward, and when you sit there, you will naturally become absorbed in that process. Each space tends to absorb the vibrations of the activity which takes place there. Thus a bar develops certain particular vibrations which are different from those of a church, or your living room, or a quiet place in nature. Select then the quietest place in your home; the place in which you feel most comfortable and are less likely to be disturbed by others or by their activities. Since it is beneficial to have a window slightly open for oxygen, be sure that you are not sitting with your back to the draft. Place your face to the draft. You may or may not want to create an altar in this space. It is not necessary. You can meditate perfectly well without it, but some feel that it helps them to create a personal altar with a candle and some incense. Some who are religiously inclined, feel even better when they add an icon of their personal focus according to their religion and occasionally flowers or fruits of some type. These physical objects are not at all necessary but are helpful in creating a more spiritual atmosphere for those who have such tendencies. As tradition has it is best to sit facing East. Others would have us sit towards the sun, wherever it may be. I would suggest that these are of lesser importance than your inner feelings. Sit in the direction which suits you best. Some prefer towards a window, others towards a wall. Let your inner self guide you. You do not need to be limited once you choose. You can experiment in the beginning in order to find the place and orientation which suits you best. And once you have established this, you are always free to change it when something within you guides you to do so.

BE ALONE WHEN YOU MEDITATE

It is better to be alone when you meditate, unless whoever else is in the room is also meditating with you. Let your door be closed so that some one does not ÇhappenÈ in while you are sitting there. It is best not to keep pets in the room with you. They are attracted by your peaceful vibration and have the tendency to sit next to you or even upon you. This is disturbing for our meditation. Remove the telephone jack from its plug if you are alone so that you are not disturbed during the process of your concentration. If others are at home with you, inform them that you will be concentrating or relaxing (whichever they will understand and respect more easily) for 20 minutes and that, if someone calls, to take their name and telephone number so that you can call them later when you finish. Why all these precautions? Being disturbed in the process of this concentration is like being disturbed from a sleep. It shocks your system and creates a temporary sense of imbalance. You will recover, of course, and no great harm will be done. But why not establish the optimum conditions whenever this is possible? When it is not possible to create such conditions, then let us learn to concentrate even in the most difficult situations. It is to our own benefit.

COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR FAMILY ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO

Quite often when one starts out a new activity other members of the family feel threatened and sometimes fearful that their loved one is changing into something different from them. Some associate this with a retreating from life, or some weird, unnatural, secret activity. Some associate it with magic or with becoming some type of Çwalking vegetableÈ without interest in the family or one's responsibilities. Some family members feel left out and even jealous that we have an activity which does not include them (at least for the time being). Some just do not like to think that a family member will be closing himself off in a room alone without everyone else understanding what he is actually doing. Some believe that meditating means a change in religion. In the case that there is some confusion or reaction in the family concerning this new activity, it is best to call them together or speak to them one by one, whichever you find most effective, and explain to them what exactly you are doing and why it is important for you to do this, and why you would be very grateful for their cooperation. Explain to them that this is no other religion. That you will not be leaving them or neglecting your responsibilities to the family. That you are experimenting with this method of inner concentration which has been proven over thousands of years to improve one's health, inner peace, mental clarity, productivity and creativity. Read to them some of the scientific studies which have been made in the last years on the results of meditation. Show them this because you want to help them feel less fearful and reactive towards the decision to try this out in your life, and not because you want to prove that you are right or that they should also meditate. That is their decision, not yours. Explain to them that you believe that this method of inner concentration will help you to become a better person, more peaceful, more loving, more democratic, more able to consider the needs of others, which means that you will be a better member of this family and they will benefit from your changes. Explain that you are making an experiment and that all of the family can help in making the conclusions about its effect on you after some months have passed. Most important of all, listen to their thoughts, fears and questions concerning what you are doing. Allow them to express what they are feeling. Do not be hurt by sly remarks, sarcasm or criticism. These are natural consequence to be experienced when you have decided to do something different from the majority. This is your test concerning our own self-confidence and self acceptance. Any reactions which you receive from others are nothing more than reflections of your own self-doubt or fear of rejection. Once you are very clear and sure that what you are doing is for everyone's best and you overcome the fear of criticism or rejection, you will notice that all will accept and, eventually, perhaps even participate in your new activity. This does not mean that you need to speak unnecessarily about this. Communicate only when you sense that the others have a problem. Do not be ostentatious about this, or try to convert the others. You will simply be creating problems for yourself.

THE BODY

You can choose between a variety of sitting positions for your meditation. In all positions the spine should be as straight as possible. In most cases it is preferable not to allow the back to rest backwards on some surface. It is impossible for the spine to simultaneously be supported by a wall or a chair and also to be absolutely straight. This does not mean that we should never allow our back to rest on some type of support while meditating. It simply means that we should sit as long as we can without any support so that our back muscles can develop strength so that we can eventually sit for long periods of time without support. If, as beginners, we find that we are focusing more on our pain or discomfort than on our chosen object of concentration, then we will obviously allow our back to rest backwards on some type of surface, keeping it however as straight as possible in this supported position. When we use a back support of some type, we can keep the spine straighter when we place a small pillow or folded towel in the small of the back to straighten it. You can choose from a variety of positions for your legs and can change position occasionally at first if they become a problem. The classic position is the half lotus, a crossed legged position in which the left heel is placed underneath the perineum, and the right foot placed upon the left thigh. This is usually easier if one places a pillow under the buttocks raising the level of the pelvis. One must be careful, however, to respect one's knees and not put them under great stress by sitting for long periods of time in this position without the proper gradual preparation of the knees, hips and other joints. Otherwise you could create serious knee or hip problems for yourself. If your body is sufficiently limber try this position out, but use good judgment, and listen to your body concerning how long you can sit in this position without stressing your joints. Another sitting position is to simply sit cross legged without placing one foot on the other thigh. It is, however, more difficult to keep the spine straight in the position. Sitting on a pillow will help. Still another possibility is to sit on one's knees ÇJapanese styleÈ. If this is not comfortable, a pillow can be placed under the buttocks or under the ankles, whatever makes you most comfortable. For those who experience discomfort in this position there are small Çseiza benchesÈ which have a slight forward tilt and serve very well for sitting on one's knees for meditation. Some of those who have problems with their knees find the seiza bench a solution because much less pressure is put on the knee joint. A chair is a perfectly acceptable solution for whomever prefers it or finds other sitting positions uncomfortable. When using a chair let all of your joints, ankles, knees, and hips form right angles with each other and the spine be as straight as possible without using the back of the chair. If after some time you are disturbed by the discomfort of sitting without support very gently ease yourself back in the chair, and if it helps, place a small pillow in the small of the back in order to keep the spine straight.

PAIN AND DISCOMFORT

Whenever we try to keep the body in a position to which it is not accustomed it is natural for the muscles involved to react with discomfort or pain. In addition to this we may have various problems with our bodies which produce pain while we are attempting to focus on our chosen object of concentration. In such cases it is best not to change our position with the first ÇwaveÈ of discomfort or pain - for they actually come in waves. If we ignore the first wave, it will subside and no harm will come to us. We can learn in this way to become the detached observer, witness to the phenomenon of pain or discomfort. By being able to watch and not react to the first waves of pain we gain the ability to be detached from discomfort on both the physical and emotional level in our daily life. This allows us to function effectively in conditions which would otherwise be impossible for us. It also helps us detach our consciousness from the illusion of the body and its various phenomena. The same goes for the mind later on. We can also become detached from the phenomena of the mind. We will look at this point in more detail later on. Thus when there is discomfort, just watch it. Imagine that it belongs to someone else, that you are observing something separate from your self. You will find that it will diminish greatly or disappear altogether. At times when a pain is becoming increasingly louder in its expression we can focus on it and allow our consciousness to become immersed in it rather than avoiding it or rejecting or resisting it. Allow yourself to feel it to its fullest and accept it as it is without resistance. You will be amazed that often this will cause it to disperse and disappear. When your pain is being caused by your position and not by some other bodily factor, and you feel that you have observed enough ÇwavesÈ, then allow your body to change position with the least possible disturbance to your concentration. Do this with special care if you are meditating with others so that your movement does not disturb them. Continue your concentration until your time is up or you feel that you have completed that cycle of concentration.

WHAT TIME IS BEST AND FOR HOW LONG?

Any time is fine for meditation. The stomach should be empty, however. Thus it is best to meditate in the morning before eating or at least three hours after a meal. Of course, if someone eats only some fruit, he will need to wait less time. Although meditation is beneficial at all hours, some hours are considered to be more conducive for a deeper inner contact. These hours are just before sunrise and just after sunset. If you cannot manage to be free for meditation at these times, then do it whenever you can during the day. It is best to meditate the same time each day. This creates an inner habit and the mind prepares for this inner focus because it is used to doing it at that time (in the same way that the stomach prepares to digest just before the hour it has been accustomed to receive food). The duration of the meditation for a beginner is about 20 minutes at a time, twice a day if possible. This duration should be kept for about a year before increasing it significantly. It doesn't matter if occasionally we meditate for 15 minutes or 30 minutes, but our average should be about 20 minutes. Gradually over time with the help of a teacher, or someone more experienced, we can increase the time if we feel the need. Avoid making a habit of cutting the meditation short. It is difficult to go deeply without sitting the full 20 minutes. Ten or fifteen minutes are barely enough time for the various tensions of the day to get released so that we can have a deeper concentration.

YOUR DECISION AND DISCIPLINE

Making the choice to meditate is in all probability the smartest decision you have ever made. It will totally change your life for the better. But making the decision is not enough. You will need to keep a vigilant watch over your mind and the various other voices, which exist there, which can undermine your clarity on this subject. It is important to understand and be clear about why you want to meditate. Your reasons should be free from two basic emotional traps or games which we play constantly with our selves and others. One game is that of GOOD and BAD. In this game we say to ourselves that we are ÇgoodÈ when we meditate or when we do not over eat or when we do our exercises or when we help others and that we are ÇbadÈ when we do the opposite of these. This creates a vicious circle of feelings such as pride and superiority, when we do Çwhat we are supposed to doÈ in order to be ÇGoodÈ and guilt, fear, inferiority and self rejection, when we do not do Çwhat we are supposed to doÈ. This attitude is not conducive to real meditation or real spiritual growth. The other game that we play is that of PARENT and CHILD. We play both these roles within ourselves. The parent within us tells the child within us that we must meditate, that it is our duty and if we do not do it we are not acceptable. The child within us feels suppressed and, unhappy rather than joyful,l when it sits to meditate. It sees its meditation and other very pleasant and beneficial disciplines as a duty which must be done in order to accept himself. This like the previously mentioned motive is not an effective one for meditating or employing other forms of spiritual disciplines. These are not reasons to meditate. If we start out with these reasons then we will very likely feel restricted and suppressed and soon give up this so beneficial and pleasant experience because of these games we are playing with ourselves.

WHAT THEN ARE SOME REASONS TO MEDITATE?

One reason would be because I believe that it will help me to find inner peace or clarity of mind. I may believe that I will be able to manifest more of my mental and creative abilities. I may want to relax my mind and learn to concentrate. I may seek to get free from thought forms which obstruct my happiness and effectiveness in my daily life. I may want to experience my real self, which is beyond the body and mind. I may want to come into deeper contact with God and feel that bliss of union with Him or with my inner self. Perhaps I simply enjoy the feeling of freedom from thoughts, time and space. I may like the feeling of peace, unity and love for others which I feel after meditating. I may enjoy the increased awareness of colors, sounds and textures which I experience after meditation. I may want to use the inner focus as a place from which to create positive thoughtforms about myself and others. I may want to get free from this illusionary world of time and space and experience the inherent unity behind all this phenomenon of material illusions. I may simply want to cure myself of an illness or prevent any problems which might possibly occur as a result of accumulating stress. Or I may just want to be able to do my job with greater clarity, creativity and productivity. Be clear about why you want to meditate. Be clear also so as to have discrimination when you hear the voices of your habits which prefer for you to do what you were used to doing at that hour, which you have now chosen for meditation. There are the voices of our desires which demand satisfaction and are not interested in our sitting quietly and our emptying our minds of them. There is the voice of laziness which prefers not to make an effort. There is the voice of the inner rebel which wants no discipline, no timetable. You will have to be clear at these moments so as not to be distracted by these other voices which can easily dissuade you from what you really want within you and what is for our highest benefit - and consequently for the benefit of all those other sub-personalities who live within you.

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