Reasons for Failure
in Meditation
People want to meditate and
they really give it a try. However. a majority of them find it quite
difficult to meditate. We often find people
who complain of trying many meditation techniques with no results.
Nothing seems to
work for them. In fact there is a huge majority of individuals who
are unable to meditate despite trying a number of valid and effective techniques.
After closely observing the life style, daily routine,
beliefs, perceptions and understanding of meditation of
many such people, I have found following main reasons for people's failure in
meditation:
(1) Ignorance About Real Meaning
of Meditation
People don't know exactly what meditation is.
Neither they have any knowledge or understanding of 'Self' -the main core
of meditation. Most of them view meditation as just another form of
alternative therapy/ life style.
(I
hope that, by now, at least you have a clear knowledge of meditation. However if you have come directly on this page
then please read what is
meditation. )
(2) Lack
of Patience
Many people
keep changing meditation techniques without trying them for a sufficient
period of time. Often they get dissatisfied
with one meditation technique very soon and switched to another one.
In short, they expect quick results and lack patience.
Please
keep in mind that every new thing takes time. Meditation is a kind of
catharsis. It is a deep cleansing process. Our real identity - self is
covered under the dust of thoughts, dreams, illusions and emotions of thousands
of years spanning uncountable past lives. The removal of this dust and
the revelation of our true self will take time. Patience is extremely
important in meditation. Do not change meditation techniques too
frequently. As I have already described that the central theme in all
meditation techniques is to know the self- the eternal witness in us.
Different meditation techniques have been developed for different
people based on their past lives, present circumstances and
intrinsic nature . For some people a majority of all meditation techniques are suitable
whereas for some only a few techniques will work. IT will take
sometime to find which
meditation technique is best for you
(3) Expecting Too Much:
People
expect too much from meditation. They expect a huge positive development
in their life owing to meditation. For them meditation is also like a work or
investment whose fruit should come in a time bound manner.
Please don't consider meditation as a portfolio investment. It is not
a materialistic mode of profit/loss. Meditation, by itself, is a gift.
Do not stick any expectation to it. Once you start meditating , in all
likelihood, you
will like to meditate again and again for the sheer bliss and peace it'll
bring in your life. However, only those can experience this bliss and peace
who do not expect too much from meditation. Meditation
is a way to know your real self. Let meditation be just that. Don't
make it a way to achieve super human qualities.
(4) A
Very Busy Life :
Most
people do not take sincere efforts
for meditating. A majority of those people who meditate:
> do not meditate
regularly
> have a very busy
daily schedule and often miss meditation.
> even when find
sometime to meditate, are so tired and tense owing to their extremely busy and demanding life that can't
meditate
properly.
Friend you must realize that life in 21st century in not a relaxed age by any standard. On any particular day, we
are required to deal with so many things that the tension and stress of doing all
those things really break us. Our nervous system is called upon to work overtime because of the endless stimuli coming at us relentlessly from every direction.
Making the matter worse are tensions of urban life such as street noise, traffic jams, radio, more than 100 TV Channels running 24 hours a day, telephones, mobile ,
DVDs, work deadlines, demands on every minutes, constant distraction and of course stiff competition. All this adds up to total exhaustion of body and mind.
In such a situation, unless we do something to create a suitable environment
in our life for meditation, it will be very difficult for us to meditate and draw some actual benefits from it.
Though Meditation can be done by anybody, anywhere, here is the ideal
condition for meditation:
A healthy,
completely relaxed and energetic body eager to meditate
regularly.
Though it seems difficult to have such an ideal body for meditation
in the present era of tension, stress,
nervousness and hectic schedules; with the able help of three yogic aids
of deep breathing, deep relaxation and
deep contraction we can easily make this ideal condition a reality of our life.
By adopting three good habits of deep breathing, deep relaxation and
deep contraction in our life we can have the strongest foundation of
indomitable health and a overflowing abundance of physical and mental
energy at our disposal. No matter how busy and demanding our life is,
with the help of these three aids, we can not only manage our life
easily but also ensure a steady spiritual growth through regular
meditation session. In the next chapter I am going to tell you in
detail about these wonderful yogic aids in meditation.
Next
Three
yogic aids in meditation
