Follow this Simple and Easy Meditation, and you will soon see Results.
Meditation is one of those things; people either hate it or love it. Isn’t meditation supposed to be a time of relaxing self-reflection and peaceful inner calm? If that’s so, wouldn’t everyone want to flock to meditation and seek that tranquil state of mind, if only for a few minutes a day? Surely, it can’t be that hard and must most be worth the effort?
Looking for an answer to this question, I went to visit my long-time friend and Meditation Master, Guru Made Sumatra, in Ubud, Bali. Having studied the Guru’s Higher Energy Healing Meditation in 2017 and 2018, I wasn’t surprised by what I learned.
My meditation journey started in 2006 due to stress, leading to insomnia, then anxiety, and finally, depression. Like so many others, I struggled with my meditation and couldn’t keep it up over a prolonged period. I’d meditate twice a day for 15 to 30 minutes, which I would keep up for about a week before quitting. Desperately searching for relief and peace, I would try again. I was doing something wrong, but and I didn’t know what.
The Struggle with Meditation is Real.
Lots of people put on a brave face or make a bold claim that meditation comes naturally to them. Sure, to some, it may, but the truth is, to most, it doesn’t. All you have to do is join a Facebook Group on meditation for a few days, and you will soon see how folks are struggling to understand and to learn meditation.
Therein lies the problem:
The old sayings, “instant gratification,” and “too many cooks in the kitchen” are the main driving forces causing the frustration. There are hundreds if not thousands of meditation techniques and as many masters, who are all delivering similar but different messages to their students and readers. The result being confusion, frustration, and finally, abandonment of the practice, followed by restart attempts. The show must go on, and so it does. People try again and again until they finally end up in the “hate camp.”
Wait a minute; you may be thinking, isn’t that the individual’s mistake, their lack of patience, or poor research? All you have to do is study meditation carefully, be patient and practice, right? Maybe, maybe not.
Confusion Sells Simplicity Smells.
Some of you may disagree with me here, but I’ve found it boils down to money, like most things. Meditation institutions, classes, books, videos, and blogs are substantial money makers these days. If it were made more straightforward, there wouldn’t be much left to sell. Admittedly, I wouldn’t be able to write this article either if it weren’t so.
The Truth About the Breath and Breathing.
Here is where we get to the nitty-gritty; breathing. Yes, it’s mainly about the breath, breathing deeply, breathing slowly, briefly holding your breath before exhaling and inhaling, breathing silently, listening to, feeling, and focusing on your breathing.
If one thing about meditation is simple and straight forward, it’s the breathing part. Without proper breathing, and focus on these breathing exercises, it’s tough to do much else with your meditation. You do have to be willing to work on your breathing to make progress. Learning to breathe correctly is the backbone of meditation.
Slowing down your breath and focusing on your body while breathing is in itself soothing and calming. We spend most of our time rushing around chasing our lives and never even think about the fact that we are breathing and alive. All this running around causes tension, during which our body and mind get more and more uptight with shallow and faster breathing, which results in more anxiety, stress, and high blood pressure.
Consciously slowing down your breathing, on the other hand, can reverse the above symptoms, and have a calming destressing effect.
Make Your Meditation Routine about You.
While correct breathing is essential in any meditation, the most valuable lesson I learned from my session with Guru Made Sumantra, was “be yourself.” If you are not yourself during your meditation, but instead are focusing on a strict technique, how are you able to focus on you and relax?
Your mind, your thoughts, your worries, your life, your passions, your losses, your gains, your love, your successes, your stories. Your meditation is all about you, and not the technique or teachings. Your focus should be entirely on yourself. Embrace your thoughts, and allow your mind to wander, explore. Enjoy the exploration, don’t suppress it.
It really is that simple!
The Interview.
Please view the full interview with Master Guru Made Sumantra.
Thanks for reading.
Rob Hourmont
Former Olympic Athlete, Health Coach & Writer
“It is my mission to educate people on how to lose weight, how to build a healthy, strong heart, body, and mind, supporting a longer life.”
