What is meditation?
There are 1000s of places to find a definition for meditation. Dictionaries, news articles, teachers, schools, lineages, celebrities. These definitions might come with complicated backstories and additional features that highlight the benefit of a particular style.
How do you find something meaningful in a such a noisy marketplace?
Do these styles have anything in common?
Yes, in fact all meditation boils down to a few simple steps. There might be a lot of dressing, but the technique is the same.
Give your mind a toy. It can be a mantra, a story (through guided meditation), the breath, sounds, a task (body scanning). It doesn’t really matter. The toy is the object of your meditation.
Let your mind play with the toy. Like any child, your mind will wander. That’s okay.
Notice when your mind wanders and bring it back to the toy.
Repeat the process.
That’s it! You will notice it’s simple. There is nothing about clearing your mind or emptying your thoughts.
If you sit with these steps for a moment more, you’ll notice the aspect of brain training. You give the mind a focal point and gently bring it back each time it wanders. With practice, it gets easier.