Mindfulness Meditation » Questions About Meditation
No. This is one of the biggest misconceptions that people have about meditation. Thoughts are natural. If you are like the majority of people you have spent most of your life thinking a lot, and you have a very busy mind. So is it not going to magically 'shut off' the moment you start to meditate. It doesn't matter if you have a lot of thoughts or few - both is perfect. When you meditate you are not pushing thoughts away. You are moving beneath the thought to the present moment and the calm within. The meditation technique does the work for you. All you have to do is choose to use it.
Meditation is exercise for the mind. It trains the mind to go inward and be present.
The mind like an ocean. At the top of the ocean there can big waves and lots of activity, but what will you find at the bottom of the ocean? Complete calm and stillness. This is the same as the mind. At the surface level of the mind there is chatter, noise and lots of thinking - the mind is either in the past or the future. When you meditate you go beneath the thought to the calm and silence within. The mind and body are connected, so as the mind relaxes, the body is able to rest and release stress from the nervous system. This is why people who meditate are more present in their life, and have an over-all sense of well-being. The meditation tools give you a choice. You can 'push the reset button' at any time.
No. All that is required is the desire. Like any new skill you wish to develop, it requires a willingness to practice and learn. The technique of observing the breath is quite simple - yet moving from being totally caught-up in thinking to observing your thoughts is a very different way of being. So it requires instruction, guidance and patience. You have to let go of trying to get something right and have the willingness to explore the moment. It is a life-long journey of self discovery and there is no goal or destination.
A lot of people think you have to sit cross-legged because this is what they see in pictures or movies. This is not true. It is, however, good to be in a posture where you are relaxed and alert at the the same time. Being comfortable is very important. Because if you are in pain you will be focused on the discomfort. So maybe the posture for you is cross-legged on the floor or maybe it is sitting in a chair. You decide!
This is up to you. A good amount of time to meditate is 20 minutes. It allows the body and mind to relax nicely. However, 5 or 10 minutes is perfect - especially at the beginning. You will notice great results meditating for this amount of time. The most important thing is to fit meditation into your schedule in way that works for you so it becomes of your daily life - just like brushing your teeth. You will probably find the length of your meditations will increase naturally.
It is possible to learn to meditate from a book, but for the majority of people it is very difficult. There can be a lot of efforting and trying to figure out how to do it right which is counter-productive, and most people get frustrated and give up. The technique itself is simple, but instruction and guidance is highly recommended. It will help to simplify your meditation practice and make it far more effective and enjoyable.
No. You will be taught tools that you can use day-to-day that will enhance the quality of your life tremendously. There is no dogma or belief systems connected to these courses. Therefore, it is available to people from all walks of life.