This is an issue that most meditators should address especially when we are beginning our practice. In fact, sleepiness and inner dialogue are very common at the beginning of the meditation process.
discipline and perseverance ...
The good news is that with disciplined and continuous practice, these fade away or we become more skilled in their management.
It is important to have what is known as a meditative diet, this is a good start, remember that the concept of meditation comes from the term Gom that means to familiarize us, this is to get used to staying in constructive states of consciousness.
the importance of posture ...
When we begin to meditate we must check that we are in a correct body posture, this is what is known as that of the seven points of Vairochana, we should not be tense or lazy, just relaxed. It is said that it is like when we are sharpening the strings of a lute, if we tense them a lot they will eventually break and if we loosen them too much they simply will not emit any sound. We can also visualize a straw roll that if we tighten it too much it can break and if we loosen it too much it will deform.
This is how the posture is very important, if we are very tense we will provoke the inner dialogue and if we are relaxed more we will experience sleep to the point of falling asleep.
The good news is that there are antidotes for these two cases. In the case of the internal dialogue, which is when many images, memories and sounds appear in our mind and we cannot control them, we must focus our attention on exhalation, count to twenty-one breaths, emphasizing the exit of air from the nose.
attend to the breathing process ...
Another very effective against the internal dialogue is to visualize a small sphere of blue light at the level of the navel and attend to the breath at the same time. These two antidotes are very effective and should be reinforced with continuous practice until the mind becomes familiar with a state of mental stillness. Over time the process flows automatically and allows us to access an ideal meditative state.
In the case of mental collapse or drowsiness there are also effective antidotes. The first is to concentrate on the process of inhalation, try it at least twenty times, this serves to refresh the attention. The other remedy is to visualize a small luminous sphere at the height of the eyebrows and continue to attend to breathing.
patience and sustained attention ...
The basic qualities in every meditator should be patience and sustained attention because they will help us detect when we are being dominated by any of these two poisons: inner dialogue and mental sinking.
The process of detecting poisons in meditation is known as introspection that serves to assess the texture of our mind and apply the necessary antidotes at the right time.
Like everything in regard to meditative practice, it is important not to compare ourselves with anyone else, to attend to our own process because each mind has its individual need and also does not generate too many expectations about what we want to achieve, it is important to let go and let that progress appears by itself ... if we force the process what we can experience is disappointment or aversion to meditative practice and we should not allow this to happen. It is vital to persevere and wait for attention to flow and in due time the meditative process will stabilize.
Some additional recommendations are: choose a ventilated place, with appropriate light neither too dark nor too bright, avoid consuming previous heavy foods when meditating as irritants, radish or too much food, as the mind will have to send more energy to the digestive process and subtract us space for single-person attention .
our place of meditation…
Finally, it is important to have a place for practice only, that is, it should not be the place where we usually sleep or where there is usually a lot of activity. It is believed that the energy of the meditators is protected where they meditate so that when we do it repeatedly in the same place it favors a state of tranquility and attention.
The recommendation is as long as you go to professional meditation centers with qualified teachers, the principle will mark the development of our successful practice in the future. The benefits are many, do not stop taking advantage of this life by making all spiritual progress count.
AUTHOR: Pilar V zquez, collaborator of the great family of the White Brotherhood
