A lot of people have asked me lately about my spiritualism and how meditation relates to it. I have been asked how to meditate and what effect it really has on solving personal problems. In response to those questions I will write a few things that might help someone get started on their own path to self awareness, or perhaps just a great new way to relax.

There is an endless array of literature dedicated to this endeavor. It spans all spectrums of spirituality. And goes on almost endlessly into several other subjects, some of which you may consider to be far-fetched to say the least. No matter how it is described or for what end it is intended, meditation is a very personal concept, and its results can only be as rewarding as the individual effort that is put into it. Prayer is one form of meditation. Chanting is another. Even closing your eyes and wishing for something can nearly put you in the ballpark. Basically if you put yourself in a position to open your mind to yourself or something else by consciously focusing on one thing or attempting to release you focus from all things, you are involving yourself in some form of meditation. Praying and chanting may be considered crude meditations by some, but they are still within its broader description.

There are several different ways to get started. Lots of people have their opinions on the proper steps to take. I’m sure you will find any that you read about suitable. But before you get started (and here’s the part that you don’t want to hear) it is important to know that your physical condition has a direct effect on your mental or spiritual condition. You are what you eat so to speak. What you ingest has such an effect on your ability to meditate productively because your body works in different ways to process different substances. What I mean to say is that some foods cause your body to work harder in digestion, and even in the expelling of the byproducts. I’m no dietitian, and for that reason I won’t suggest what you should or shouldn’t eat. Basically, I’m not trying to attract lawsuits. There are plenty or resources that give good suggestions on proper diet for sound body and mind. The same type of diet is good for meditation.

Some substances have direct affect on your brains ability to do the amazing things that it is capable of doing, including those things that are not yet defined by science. We know those substances as drugs and alcohol. It is widely agreed upon that even the effects of nicotine causes more difficulty in meditation than the absence of the substance does. Again for the sake of not being sued, let me define this statement. No one with your good health in mind would suggest that you stop taking prescription medications for the purpose of a more sound meditation.

Any stumbling block can be overcome; it just may take a little longer to reach the goal if you are taking a drug that directly affects the brain. Staying alive and healthy according to your doctors’ evaluation must always come before getting ready to meditate. Basically just be as healthy as you can be. And contrary to pulp fiction beliefs, the effects of illegal drugs and/or alcohol do not enhance ones ability to transcend obstacles in the path of enlightenment. They only serve to cloud good judgment before, during and after meditation, as well as block ones ability to focus or release focus. After all the substance issues there is always room for proper exercise. And ensure that you are well rested.

Now you are ready to get to the heart of meditation. Ensure that you keep yourself grounded, and have a clear mental decision to only be affected by positive forces. This doesn’t imply that you would be affected by any forces whatsoever. It is just a good way to start off on the right foot in regards to your intentions for a positive result of the meditation. Be in a quiet place where there can be no distractions. Closing ones eyes is recommended to avoid sight distractions, just know that your sense of hearing will become keener, and noise distractions are the most common kind. Some people like to put on some soothing music or sounds of nature to drown out all other sound. After that it’s pretty much all about focus and breathing until you do it as a second nature. Once you’ve got that down it’s about focusing on whatever it is that you went there for in the first place. Neither steady breathing nor focus is easy to get right at first, but they come more easily with practice. Eventually they can become first nature if you practice over a long period of time.

When you are all set and get started remember, you don’t meditate. You practice meditating. The breathing will right itself if you just keep it in mind often while you practice meditating. Most people say you should try to keep your heart rate low by being as relaxed as possible during the meditation. This helps your breaths to be slow steady and deep, but not so deep that it is work to do it. The focus is much harder. That’s why it’s practice, practice, practice! If you are trying to focus on your breathing that’s good, in fact every person that I have heard advice from sais that is exactly what you should be doing until it is steady constant, and natural. But it disallows your mind the opportunity to expand (open to other things) because you are focused on one thing, and it’s not the problem you wish to solve. This is necessary though until the breathing just works on its own as an instinct would. You know, muscle memory. It’s perfectly acceptable to just focus on breathing every time you meditate for the rest of your life if you wish to. You will still come out of each meditation feeling more refreshed or centered than when you went in. Don’t be surprised if you fall asleep. After all you are attempting to be as relaxed as consciously possible. It happens. Just be thankful that you had a good nap and practice, practice, practice!

The end result of practice is productive meditation of course. Just pick your subject to focus on if you feel you need to, and allow it to be the only thing drifting around in your mind, things that are connected to it are also allowed to pop up, but nothing else. And try to keep it limited to understanding the subject more so than fixing the problem. Trying to fix it is just that; trying. It is not solving. Don’t just let it bounce all over, and don’t concentrate too hard. Let it drift. The solution or the awareness of the bigger picture in regards to what you focus on will just happen naturally with no effort. Effort equals work. Work equals struggle. Struggle equals inability to focus on the important things. If it’s work it’s wrong. Let it drift. Get an idea or an answer then let it drift again, your thought will be expanded on. Let it drift again, your thought will be defined in a way that you didn’t give it credit for. Let it drift again, and you answer will evolve and there will be no more problem even if you didn’t do anything at all about it, because you now understand existence far above that problem, and it no longer bothers you. That’s the secret that works for me. Understanding of the multifaceted concept or dilemma is the key that unlocks the door to problem solving. Don’t change your mind every time you see something from a different point of view. There are many sides to an issue, not just two. When your mind has changed you is when you’ve got it right. The idea is that you evolved above it, not worked to fix it. But the universe will insist that you do things its way once it knows you are tuning in. That’s alright; it’s just trying to keep you on the right path. It will give you little clues in your emotions that let you know if you are headed the right way, or if something is wrong. I’m sure that plays right into your personal intuition ideas if you have any.

With time you will come to a conclusion on the topic, and you will know what is best for you to do. Remember, what is best for you to do, isn’t usually what you wanted to do in the first place. In my current opinion the ultimate result in meditation is to be able to open your mind without focusing on one thing, but to focus rather on the vast everything and nothing and flow with the direction it takes you. To be and to know that you are all and all is you. To feel every other part of existence while you are there, and to know how it is part of you. And you are part of it. Basically not only finding God, but being and understanding in a way that makes you a knowing co-creator of the universe. Of course I’m not there yet, but I’m prepared to spend some years evolving to that point.

After all of that I still didn’t tell you everything about how to get started. That’s because you need to see and hear it from more than one source. Each of us is complicated in completely unique ways. We are all like a Lotus. And all of our issues or problems have as many sides as a Lotus has petals. That’s why you shouldn’t change your mind if you see something in a new light for the first time during meditation. There are more ways to see it still. When it’s finally right you will know it to be true. You will just feel deep in your fibers, in every part of you, and that feeling will be of a positive nature, not a negative one. If you have a bad emotion about something and you know you have changed your mind, and now you have a positive emotion, that is good. In fact you should allow this to happen, just know that there is still more to meditate on until it has become your mind, instead of just being in your mind.

You might get a book on meditation. Please look up the word Lotus if you dig deeper into this subject, and how it relates to meditation and life in general. In a way there are an infinite number of roads to enlightenment. In the same way there is only one. If that stumped you, meditate on it. I promise you will have a great time getting to the bottom of the statement. Enlightenment is a personal road for each of us. I can’t walk it for you. I can’t give you my experiences, and the lessons I have learned, as your only source of understanding. If that’s all you had you would be on my path instead of your own. I know. I’m not playing nice. I’m only telling you enough to make you have to look for yourself. That’s the point. I hope you are happy. And I hope you are excited to explore these things that I have talked about. It was a great hunger for me, and it still is. A wonderful hunger. And I am a better man every day I keep looking.

Chris Wilkinson is a US soldier, currently serving in and near the Middle East. His written works include unique and sensitive observations of his surroundings, light comedy and introspection, as well as personal insights into culture, self awareness, and spiritualism. http://www.myspace.com/biker_soldier

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