Meditation begins as postures and breath control and mantras. But it expands, just as the mind expands when we empty it of clutter and stretch it with hope and awareness. The more aware we become, the larger the capacity of the mind becomes, and the more we are able to meditate. The more we meditate, the larger our consciousness expands, so that the dynamic process is never-ending and ever-increasing.
Meditation can begin to follow us to work, in the form of a mood we carry away from our meditations. Or it can follow us when we play, allowing laughter to increase because we have less stress, thanks to meditation. Meditation is a state of mind, and a process of focus. So we can learn to expand meditation into everything we do, because we are always in some state of mind or another, and we are always focusing upon something. Meditation just gives us the chance to turn that automatic, constant focus into a tool for shaping our state of mind, our mood, and our outlook.
A good way to begin to grow meditation beyond the sitting session is to write. Just as we grow a seed in a small container and then move it outside when it is stronger, we can treat our meditation in the same way and move it from our still meditation room, where our eyes are closed and the mind is empty, to our writing desk, where the eyes are open and the mind is racing a mile a minute, looking for words to express ourselves.
Write about how it feels to meditate, and then write about any times outside of your meditation session where you might have tasted that feeling again, even for a moment. Keep a journal, and write down each time something happens to remind you of the peaceful and blissful moments during your meditation sessions. The more you observe these instances, the more you will connect your meditation to your routine life, and this is a gentle way to begin a lifestyle of meditation.
When you garden, cook, or eat, meditate on the whole process. Someone planted the seed and waited for the sunshine and rain. Someone harvested the plant or fruit and someone cooked it while thinking about how it might taste. There is a continuity of life, and it begins inside the earth, and then we incorporate ourselves into that chain of life by eating and converting food into energy. We use that energy in the world, and if we use it well, we help to honor the earth from where it was first born.
Everything is a cycle of energy, and meditation is a living part of the cycle. Take the energy you gather during meditation, and put it into the other aspects of your life. If you begin to feel exhausted or stressed, it is a hunger telling you that it is time to nourish your inner core by going back to sit down and meditate again. Then you will feel satisfied, and can go back to your meditation lifestyle, with renewed energy to share with the world.
Vishal P. Rao is the owner of The Self Help Forum, a discussion forum on self help topics including Meditation, Happiness, Anxiety, Anger, Stress Management and Sleep Disorders.