What is Meditation?

Who can meditate?

I’m sure that you know that meditation requires hard work, patience and years of discipline, not to mention a conducive tranquil environment in order to be practicing properly. Wrong!! Despite what the stereotypical images of meditation might suggest, one does not have to be in the lotus position on a beach in order to be doing meditation.  Meditation can be done by anyone, anywhere, any time, under any conditions, regardless of your temperament or level of experience.

Defining meditation

Meditation can be difficult to define, perhaps due to the fact that there are so many different types and methods of meditation, which make it harder to pin down.  There is no right or wrong definition of meditation! As meditation is a personal practice, every person is entitled to their own interpretation and can choose whichever practices they find most useful, interesting, calming, challenging etc.  One definition I like to use is that meditation is any activity where the participant aims to have (or where the result is) increased focus or awareness of the present moment. Rather than projecting into the future or past, meditation increases our focus or awareness of the current experience in one way or another.  Whether the focus is on physical points in our bodies, our emotional states, thoughts we are having, or anything else, we are guiding our attention towards something that is happening in that moment. Our mind may stray into the past or future, but the ultimate result or aim of the practice is to spend more time in the unfolding experience.

Some current scientific perspectives on meditation

The book ‘flow’ by positive psychologist – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains that the state of happiness or fulfillment is obtained when we are engaged in whatever activity we are doing i.e. when we are in ‘flow’, and not by acquiring material possessions. Whether we are playing chess, conducting heart surgery or sweeping the floor, it seems that the link between our behaviour and our happiness is the extent to which we can become truly involved in the activities or moments in our lives.  According to experts in mindfulness such as Dr. Craig Hassed, a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. People experiencing these states of flow describe the activity as being completely absorbed or ‘clear minded’.  According to our above definition of meditation as something that increases our awareness or focus on the present – any activity which increases our engagement could be seen as a form of meditation. When a musician is deeply involved in playing guitar, or when a football player is evading a tackle, they have clean focus and engagement on the activity that they are doing, and thus by our definition practicing a form of meditation. The typical forms of meditation, where the object of the practice is to become more focused and aware of the present, and is not merely a byproduct of an activity which creates ‘flow’, is what I might call ‘formal meditation’.

What is meditation

Everyone can meditate! Meditation techniques can be extremely varied and individual experiences can also be extremely varied within each technique.  Defining meditation can be difficult because of these variations, but one way to define meditation is – ‘any practice which increases focus or awareness in the present experience’. According to this definition, any activity where we are in ‘flow’ could classify as meditation, whether it be playing chess or chanting ‘ohm’ in the lotus position.  Whether ‘formal meditations’ involve body scanning, sound, visualizations, etc. the object or result of the practice is to become more aware and focused on the present moment, rather than a byproduct of a flow experience.  Remember that this is just one definition of meditation, and rather than becoming hung up on what meditation is, and therefore whether you are doing it ‘correctly’, I encourage you to explore meditation with an open and curious mind, and ultimately develop your own understanding and definition for yourself! Have fun with it!