If you’ve ever tried to meditate for more than 15 mins in a sitting posture, and you have persevered through, then you may understand the true meaning of self control.
It takes every muscle and all the willpower you can muster, to remain seated after a point. You will begin to question whether this meditation is really more important than your level of comfort.
For those of you who have never practiced meditation, here is a little glimpse at what it feels like:
Initially, you may feel very comfortable, having chosen the posture of your preference, something you know, or feel that you can remain in for a length at a time.
It is relatively easy to follow instructions at the very beginning, you are proud of yourself for trying this new form of relaxation, you know its good for the mind and the body. If you have remained absolutely still until this point, which in itself is the very first test of self-control, then again you may will yourself to keep going.
As the instructions continue, and as the meditation demands higher levels of concentration, it begins to become slightly more challenging. You feel your mind waver, your thoughts shift from meditation to the most random memories, feelings, images and even shapes. Suddenly, your senses are heightened, and the numbness in your legs being to creep in. Your senses of smell, hearing and feeling begin to bombard you with information, and now, all you can think of is the prickly sensation in your legs, your back and fingers.
At this point, the last thing you can do is concentrate on the voice that is supposed to calm you, the tone that is supposed to be soothing is anything but. Because how can you remain calm and meditative when you feel as if a 1000 pins are pricking you from the inside, when all you want to do is get out of this stillness, but even moving is a threat, because the numbness will slowly fade, introducing an unpleasant tingly sensation, even the slightest movement aggravates this strange sensation but you will have to bear with that as well.
The only wise thing to do, is fight through, to consciously rotate your awareness, bring back the meditative state, follow the instructions and stop concentrating on the physical state of body.
From this illustration, I hope you are able to self-conclude that the only thing to get your though this Self-control and Willpower.
Sometimes we aren’t even conscious of the actions we perform, reaching for your phone even though you didn’t hear it ring, scratching a sudden itch from a mosquito bite are almost involuntary.
You may wonder “what if a mosquito bites me while I’m meditating, am I just not supposed to bat it away?”
In Yoga we practice something called Kaya Stharyam Which almost literally translates to stillness of body. It may seem relatively easy, but it’s one of those things you won’t know how difficult it really is until you’ve tried it yourself. Easier said than done!
I’ve noticed from teaching Yoga, that even when the phrase “From this point on, you should make the conscious effort to stop moving, every part of your body must remain absolutely still” is repeated, this statement is somehow immediately rejected by the mind! You believe that you are absolutely still, but in reality you are not, your fingers may twitch, your facial muscles move, you adjust a leg in efforts to become more still. These are the exact movements you want to bring awareness to, the movements you have to learn to cease completely.
So yes, in meditation if you feel a sudden itch, DO NOT SCRATCH IT! Make sure you can bring awareness to these movements, change them from involuntary to voluntary. When you make all your actions and movements voluntary is when you can induce Self-Control.
Self control is harder to practice when you’re lifting weights or running a marathon, because in certain areas of these practices, the physical exertion that comes from self-control may turn out to be more dangerous than beneficial.
In Yoga and Meditation, however, you need not worry about these things. After all, how hard can it be to sit for 30 minutes in one pose, right?!
Take it from me, it’s not that easy. It doesn’t even compare to sitting for an hour in the most boring lecture, with no friends around to joke about.
In 7 years of practice, Meditation is the one aspect of Yoga I find the hardest to do, and so I do it very irregularly.
In attempting Meditation this Saturday, as my whole physical being went through all the things I described above, the idea for this post sprouted from me trying to be absolutely physically still, even though my mind clearly was not! But for that moment when I gave this idea some thought, my concentration detached from the stinging cramps in my legs, where I could no longer feel it, and this is what got me through.
So why practice Meditation if you have to go through all of these things? Because meditation is not only an internal practice, it is something that may come in handy at the strangest times of your life, when you expect it least. It’s not as simple as listening to it, it requires SO much more than you would initially imagine.
Of course, if you’re someone who has never done it before, you will find it incredibly hard, but it is Your Willpower, Self-control and Awareness here, for these 30 or so minutes, that will open up those new doors, build strength both physically and mentally.
Give it a shot, you may be able to endure more than you know! And there’s truly nothing like knowing you got through.
After all, even this is a test that your mind is putting your body through and overcoming the obstacles you pose to yourself, is a whole new level of satisfaction!
Comments