A Gentle, Quiet Ride
The purpose of sitting in Natural Meditation is to
allow a natural process to come in and work for our benefit. We are in
charge of the session, the way a chief executive is in charge of a large
business. We set time aside, start and end the session, and have our own
reasons for doing it. No one else handles that. But during the session, we
let nature take care of the details while we stand off to the side and
watch.
•We sit comfortably so that our bodies don't keep calling for attention.
•We sit in a place that is reasonably stable and safe. It does not need to
be silent.
•We sit on anything comfortable that supports the lower back.
•We time the sittings. They usually last 20 or 30 minutes.
•We close or lower the eyes.
•We use a carefully learned method that allows us to be in charge without
concentrating, forcing, and fighting with nature.
•To help with that, we use a specific thought or word, one that is kept the same from
sitting to sitting, is gently recalled. This type of meditation aid is
called a mantra, which is a term from India. The method is gentle,
unforced, and almost transparent. It is this method, and not
the mantra, that allows the meditative function to come forth.
And simple as that sounds, most people need to
have it explained several times and from several angles before they feel
they have sufficiently understood it. This is why Natural Meditation
instruction is carefully constructed and takes longer than might seem
necessary.
An ideal daily meditation schedule has two
20-minute meditations, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, both
before meals rather than right after. A typical layout is like this:
• Sleep
• Morning Meditation
•Breakfast
• Work, Lunch, Work
• Afternoon Meditation
• Dinner
• Evening activity
• Sleep
