Voices of Faith: Meditation is much more than just relaxing

Fountain pen writing Faith
Fountain pen writing Faith

Meditation is a popular topic today. Once an exclusively religious practice, it has been increasingly adopted in the secular world. Universities study it; experts from various fields recommend it.

But, as with most things that become popular, some oversimplification and distortion have crept in.

One of the frequent misconceptions is that it is a kind of relaxation technique, like deep breathing or counting to 10. This idea implies that meditation is easy, a notion that many meditators would be quick to challenge.

photo L.B. Blackwell

Recently, I read an article that offered tips for beginning swimmers. The author noted that beginners tend to assume swimming will be a cinch - until they jump into the pool and are quickly worn out. I have also found this to be true with many people, including myself, who take up meditation. Like beginning swimmers who get worn out after just a few minutes in the pool, beginning meditators often feel overwhelmed and exhausted after only a brief effort to still the raucous mind.

Several years ago, when I first tried meditation, I was not prepared for the challenge. Sitting cross-legged on my living room floor, my back supported by the couch or walking the wooded path behind my apartment, I tried to enter the stillness around and within me. I tried to let go of all mental activity save the awareness of the present moment. Failing after a few meager attempts to accomplish this task, I became discouraged and gave up.

A year or so later, I decided to try again, this time with the guidance of an experienced teacher who not only acknowledged but emphasized the difficulty of meditation, presenting the practice as a challenge worthy of the stoutest heart. Knowing that meditation, like swimming, is hard work that requires regular practice tempered my expectations and helped me stick with it.

Now when I sit for meditation each morning, back straight in a small armless chair, my mind darting capriciously from thought to thought, I take courage from the words of Saint Francis de Sales: "And even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back and place it again in Our Lord's presence, though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour would be very well employed."

And I think of something a friend told me years ago: Practice makes progress.

Of course, meditation isn't just hard work, otherwise only the strongest-willed among us could hope to keep it up day after day.

Among the benefits of a regular meditation practice are strengthened intuition, emotional equilibrium, loving relationships and the desire and ability to be helpful to others. Rather than being merely a method of relaxation, the benefits of which may be real but temporary, meditation is a grounding practice that, in conjunction with other important disciplines like self-examination and service to others, can form the basis for a useful and happy life.

L.B. Blackwell has been practicing passage meditation for seven years. He formerly facilitated a weekly passage meditation satsang at the Center for Mindful Living in Chattanooga. He is married and has a daughter.

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