The other day, I watched the movie "Eat Love Pray" and marveled at the ease in which Julia Roberts sat crossed-legged during her meditation practice.
Julia Roberts made it look so easy.
From personal experience and from teaching meditation to beginners i know just how many hours of practice it takes to achieve that level of ease.
Top Three Difficulties To Overcome When Meditating There are many difficulties to overcome when you meditate.
These include posture, breathing, focus, concentration, time, space.
For the beginner, learning to master "time", "posture" and "focus" will set you firmly on the road to developing a solid meditation practice.
1.
Time One of the first obstacles to overcome is making the time available to meditate.
If your life is anything like mine, your daily schedule can feel like a constant battle between juggling family, work, social and community activities.
You are so busy trying to stay on top of everything that the thought of adding anything extra into your schedule can feel quite overwhelming.
Yet, the converse of this, if you fail to make time available to meditate you run the risk of running ragged and lack energy and focus to complete anything.
To overcome this, you have to schedule the time to meditate.
Chose a time when you are least likely to be disturbed.
For example, wake up 10 minutes earlier and just sit on your bed.
Make sure you are warm and make yourself comfortable.
Close your eyes and sit with a straight back.
Become aware of your breathe and take three - seven rounds of gentle deep breaths, slowly allow your breath to become fuller and deeper.
After a few minutes, return to normal breathing.
Remain seated for a few more minutes before getting off your bed and re-engage with your day.
You can slip this simple routine into your busy schedule whenever and wherever you feel stressed, tired and overwhelmed.
You will instantly feel calmer, balanced and focused.
2.
Posture When you meditate it is important you are comfortable.
Traditionally, sages would sit in the lotus position and meditate.
However, unless your hips and lower back muscles are flexible, you may find it difficult to sit in this position.
To overcome this, find a position in which you are comfortable.
For instance, you can sit upright in a straight-backed chair, sit on the floor on a cushion with either your legs crossed or straight out in front of you, sit supported against a wall and, if or if all else try laying down on the floor on your yoga mat/blanket or even on your bed.
Your main priority is to ensure you are comfortable and spine straight.
This allows your energy to flow easily through your body.
3.
Focus The ability to concentrate is perhaps one of the hardest aspects of meditation to overcome.
The mind has been likened to a chatting monkey.
When you sit to meditate you realise just how difficult it is to control your mind and focus.
Your mind has a will of its own.
Left untamed, your mind will jump from one topic, subject area to next.
This constant jumping is the main reason why you find it so hard to focus and concentrate when you meditate.
To overcome this difficulty you have to find something for the mind to focus on.
This can be your breath, a mantra, or even a positive uplifting thought.
Externally, you can keep your mind focused on a candle, a sacred object, for instant a picture of your guru, or a mandala.
You could even try holding a crystal in your hands as you meditate.
When you start to meditate you will encounter various difficulties on your journey.
Lack of time, poor posture and the failure to focus and concentrate are among the more common challenges.
To overcome these obstacles it is essential you schedule time in your day to meditate, find somewhere quiet and comfortable and chose a positive image or your breath to help your mind focus.