Meditation is another one of those limbs in the Eightfold Path of Yoga. However the act itself need not be tied to any particular philosophy or tradition. Most people know that meditation has positive effects on our state of being. But we live in a world of quick fixes; there is almost nothing we can’t have to numb ourselves when life gets uncomfortable. On the contrary, there aren’t nearly as many resources to help us slow down, pay attention to where we are, and empty our mind rather than submerge it. This is the essence of meditation, in which we open to pure existence. It requires the willingness to be with discomfort at times; yet these very acts of “being with” are imbedded in wisdom and are the source of equanimity and compassion.
Regardless of whether one’s method is to focus on breath or mantra or visualization, eventually the mind’s fluctuations settle and give way to a larger view. A byproduct of expanded awareness is that things don’t weigh as heavily as they otherwise might, and the mind becomes less rigid. Basically, meditation is a process of de-conditioning so we don’t respond to life out of limited perception. It also prevents the trap of running on autopilot, where we wake up and instantly become consumed with doing, only to wind up going to bed without having ever paused. We all find ourselves disconnected at points throughout the day; planning, worrying, wandering, and so on. But the more we redirect our attention back to the underlying reality in the moment, the more we adopt a sense of wonder, grace, and gratitude towards whatever is directly in front of us, regardless of how ordinary or extraordinary our circumstances.
“Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.” - Buddha