Often just the word "meditation" can conjure up images of a tranquil and ethereal being sitting in a lotus position, as if no longer a part of this mundane world. However, this kind of "serious meditation" is slightly misleading, because meditation doesn’t need to be rigid or stiff. On the contrary, I think meditation practice is at its best when it’s a part of our everyday life, and its practice provides immediate results.
Honestly, would you be ready to be enlightened right this very moment? Or even pursue it seriously? Because that is the deepest and most fundamental aim of meditation.
But what if you could feel better in your everyday life? Make better and clearer decisions? Be more energetic and at peace with yourself? Creative and happy? Grateful and content? Healthier and more balanced?
The best meditation helps you connect with yourself and the world; to listen to yourself without judgement, without the need to change your thoughts or what you feel. Through practice, you'll begin to better understand and accept yourself, because you will get in touch with the part of yourself that often gets buried under all the noise of the mundane world.
It can be frightening to confront yourself honestly, and that’s okay. No meditation practice is always easy.
That’s why we at Shaolin Nordic teach our students to meditate for five minutes at a time. Five minutes. It’s not much, but for a beginner spending even that short of a time with your thoughts and feelings can feel like forever. As you progress, you can start to gradually meditate for longer periods of time.
What benefits can you expect from five minutes of meditation? A lot, because you practice daily. Daily meditation practice provides the means to develop skills at a steady pace. Meditation is not performance-based, but rather a skill, where the more you practice, the better you get at it. What is most important is that what you get from your practice are measurable and immediate benefits, like contentment, joy, sense of humour, the ability to enjoy life as it is, being relaxed and calm, having energy, being playful despite your age, and being at peace with yourself and grateful for your life.
Gratitude and joy are some of the surest signs of correct practice.
So, you don’t have to sit cross-legged with a frown to meditate successfully. Zen-meditation is actually really simple: relax, quiet your mind and enjoy the stillness. That’s it. Simple, but not necessarily easy! That’s why meditation practice should always be learned directly from a master or a competent instructor.
The greatness of zen meditation lies in the skills you acquire: once you have the skill, anything you do can be zen practice; dancing, walking in the forest, having a chat with your friend...or my own favourite: cooking.
If meditation or mindfulness interests you, the best way to know if it's for you is to try it yourself. We are happy to answer any questions you might have, and warmly welcome you to our classes!