1. Feature Article: "A Simple Five-Step Process for
Meditation"
Today's article comes from the Renewed Man Boot Camp. Renewed Man is a systematic teaching and coaching series designed to help men grow emotionally, relationally, and spiritually ... developing the essential character quality of "self-mastery." Even though this community is created for men, the principles are universal --
women will benefit from these insights as well.
We build this teaching around 12 Keys, and this week, we're focusing on Key 7:
AUTHENTIC FAITH. Here's how we put it:
7. AUTHENTIC FAITH
- We are cultivating an authentic and integrated faith. We let go of our illusions and childish, magical thinking -- and we face our doubts and questions head on. We know that this is the only way to develop a spiritual life that works for us.
Here's one of the daily messages from this week's teaching series. It focuses more narrowly on a particular
habit that I recommend people add to their environment. I hope this will help you:
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"I will meditate on Your precepts
And contemplate Your ways."
- Psalm 119:15
Meditation is an important practice for all kinds of reasons, as talked about elsewhere in this program. This week, we're focusing on how it helps us grow in our spiritual life. As I pointed out in a video some time ago, there are two types of
meditation — discursive meditation (where you meditate ON something, such as a Bible passage), and “quiet mind” meditation.
Quiet mind meditation is what is most often talked
about today -- it's where you seek to slow down your thoughts and relax, either through the use of a single word you keep coming back to (mantra meditation), or by bringing your focus back to your physical senses, such as your breath (mindfulness meditation). This is especially helpful for dealing with stress and anxiety these days.
Today we’ll focus on Discursive Meditation, which is talked about explicitly in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. One of the best, simplest set of instructions for this comes from Ecknath Eswaran, a contemporary and friend of Mahatma Gandhi. Eswaran writes a short chapter about meditation in
his book “Your Life is Your Message.”
I've read many books on meditation, and whenever I want to teach about meditation, I often come back to these five suggested steps. I'm adapting what he says about it, although sometimes I'll quote him
directly.
As you read this, apply what he says to meditating on Scripture passages:
1. Set aside 20 minutes a day for this, as close to first thing in the morning as
you can. If you want to devote more time, don’t make the session longer … add another session in the afternoon or evening. By the way, Eswaran actually suggests starting with 30 minutes, but most other meditation teachers disagree. Eswaran wrote his book some years ago, and I personally think his recommendation of 30 minutes is too long for beginners, especially in today's
world. If you're just starting out, I suggest you set aside 10 or 15 minutes for this, and work your way up to 20. Then if you want more time, add another time later in the day.
2. Find a special place that is devoted just to this practice. If you can set aside
a special room for it, great. If not, devote a corner of a room, or a special chair. Establish something that, when you are in that space, it carries with it the association of meditation. This helps your mind associate with meditation in that place.
3. As you meditate, sit in a straight backed chair. If you sit on the floor, you might find it helpful to sit with your back against a wall, to help you sit up straight. Forget about the pictures you see of Indian gurus or yoga instructors sitting in the lotus position.
Make it easier on yourself by sitting in a chair. You want your body to be comfortable as you meditate. But ... not so comfortable that you fall asleep! For this reason, most people do not recommend that you lay down.
4. Start your meditation by thinking through a Scripture passage. Here’s how he states it: “Once you have closed your eyes, begin to go slowly, in your
mind, through a passage from the scriptures or the great mystics which you have memorized for use in meditation. … Do not follow any association of ideas or try to think about the passage. If you are giving your attention to each word, the meaning cannot help sinking in. When distractions come, do not resist them, but give more attention to the words of the passage. If your mind strays from the passage entirely, when you realize this, bring it back gently to the beginning and start
again.”
5. When you finish meditating through a passage, you can meditate on another one, or go back through the same one again. For this reason, it’s helpful to have a number of passages memorized that you can use for this purpose.
Final Reminder: The secret of meditation is simple: We become what we meditate on.
NEXT ACTION
Today's action step is obvious: try this practice. Take 15 minutes, and follow the guidance above. Find a passage or two that you can meditate on. Don't worry if your mind wanders. Just bring it back to the verse, and keep meditating. You'll be glad you did.
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Would you like to go "all in" and join the Renewed Man Boot Camp? It's a 12 Week Immersion in these principles. You'll get these daily teachings, a weekly video on one of the 12 Keys of Being a Renewed Man, and access to a support group and/or a coaching group that I lead.
Find out more about the Renewed Man Program here.
