Meditation Made

Simple:

Seven Considerations to Get You Started

Arnie Kozak, Phd

About the Author

Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist and a Clinical
Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at
the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He is the
founder of the Exquisite
Mind
and

Psychotherapy
Meditation

Studio

in Burlington, Vermont
(exquisitemind.com).

He

has practiced vipassana

(insight) meditation for
over twenty years and is
the author of Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors
for Mindfulness and The Everything Buddhism Book. Arnie is
on the teaching faculty of the Barre Center for Buddhist
Studies. Visit Arnies blog, Mindfulness Matters, for daily
inspiration and meditation support.

Table of Contents
You Already Know How To Meditate....................................... 4
Meditation Is Neither Complicated Nor Mystical.................... 5
You Do Have The Time: If You Are Breathing You
Can Be Meditating.............................................................. 6
You Cant Do It Wrong............................................................... 8
Your Religion, If You Have One, Is OK With This.................. 9
You Have Everything You Need To Start Right Now............ 11
What Comes Next?.................................................................... 13

You Already Know How to

Meditate
There are thousands of techniques that may be considered
meditation. This guide will describe mindfulness
meditation.
Meditation through the skill of mindfulness is native to all
of us. We all have the capacity to become absorbed in the
moment, and we usually do so when special circumstances
are in place a beautiful sunset, a magical moment, or a
crisis for that matter.
Practicing meditation makes this native skill available in
every moment, even in the most ordinary of moments. You
dont have to wait around for gorgeous sunsets; you dont
have to arrange your life to catch things just right.
Mindfulness is right here, right now, and if you practice
meditation youll be able to access mindfulness
(the fruit of meditation) in any moment
even the boring ones, the difficult ones,
the crazy ones, the ordinary ones.
So, relax. You already know how to
do this. Youve just been too busy
to notice. You dont even have to
relax just be who you are right
now, and youll be OK.

Meditation takes this native capacity and gets it into shape

just as you would lift weights to get your muscles in shape.
Meditation will get your brain in shape (and there is a
growing body of scientific evidence to support this).
As you know, when you lift weights you dont get into shape
instantly. It takes time. Likewise, training your mind will take
time to see the benefits of improved concentration, increased
appreciation and clarity of your sensory experiences, and an
ability to cope with even the most difficult circumstances
with ease. There are other benefits as well, such as being less
reactive, more engaged, and generally happier.

Meditation Is Neither Complicated

Nor Mystical
The instructions for meditation couldnt be simpler: Pay
attention to what is happening now. When your attention
moves into the future or past or starts talking about the
present, bring it back. Repeat as necessary. Got it? Not too
complicated. Focus. Get distracted. Return your attention.
Repeat.
Something called awareness can notice and redirect
attention. And that is what we cultivate when we meditate
awareness. Awareness is psychological, not mystical. Its
a faculty that we all have, and, as noted above, we all have
the ability to be mindful in some circumstances. Meditation
will make mindfulness available in all circumstances.
There is nothing mysterious about this. Nothing that cant

be observed directly, right here, right now. In fact, if we start to

talk about things that we cant observe right here and right now,
then were not talking about mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness
meditation is simple, portable, and durable. We can take it
everywhere and it holds up to any circumstance and challenge. We
dont need to get into the ineffable, the unknowable, or the sublime
to be awake in our own lives. We just need to be breathing.

You Do Have The Time: If You Are

Breathing, You Can Be Meditating
Meditation can happen in any moment of your day. It can happen
while you are taking your shower, walking to work, and eating
your lunch. And, it can be a formal practice where you are doing
nothing other than meditation.
The fact of your breathing is something that is always happening
now. If you are not breathing, then meditation is the least of
your concerns! Our lives are overburdened by commitments and
stressed from information overload and the demands of living
in the Information Age. I dont have the time to meditate, is a
familiar refrain.
Well, you do have the time; if you are breathing, you have the
opportunity to meditate. In any moment, you can bring your
attention to what it feels like to breathe right now, even if this is just
for one cycle of the breath in and out. Do this for a few seconds, or
even a few minutes. Your day could be punctuated with moments
where the simple, natural, and physical process of your breathing
becomes the focus of your attention. Of course, if you can devote
some dedicated time to it, even better. There is no magic number
when it comes to the time to spend meditating. Even a few minutes
are better than none at all. Twenty minutes is a popular target, and

if you are ambitious, forty-five; however, as few as eight minutes

may be enough to change your life.
Paying attention to breathing has certain advantages. You could, of
course, pay attention to anything, but if you choose your breathing,
three benefits follow. First, the breath is ubiquitous and portable.
You dont need any props or special conditions (other than being
alive). And you cant forget to bring it with you. You dont need
a special mantra or object to carry with you. Second, breathing
brings us into our bodies and our bodies live in the now. Our
bodies dont generate stories about the
future and past. There is a vast wisdom
in our bodies, and our breathing helps
us to get acquainted with it. Finally,
every breath we take is colored by our
emotional state of the moment. So, if
you are paying attention to your breath
throughout your day, youll have your
finger on your emotional pulse, so to
speak, and be at the ready to step in if
things are moving in a direction you
dont want things to move. So, if you
are breathing, you can be meditating!
In fact, anything you do throughout your day can be an opportunity
for meditation. Getting into the shower, brushing your teeth, driving
to work, walking from your car to work whatever you do in your
day is source material for meditation.
Meditation can be piggybacked onto whatever you are doing right
now. Of course, it might not be a bad idea to devote some time to
meditation in the same way that most Americans devote some
time to American Idol and about twenty more hours of television
programming each week.

A study from Harvard revealed that we are often not giving our
full attention to the activity at hand (hey, no big surprise, really).
Some activities, like sex, got about 70% of attention; other activities,
like personal grooming, got about 30%. Where was attention?
Anticipating the future, reviewing the past, passing judgment on
the present. The more time study participants spent away from the
present moment, the worse their mood. In fact, starting your day off
in this way, anticipating the future while taking your shower and
getting dressed on automatic pilot might cast a negative shadow
over your day.
So, why not give your full attention to these activities? If you do,
youll be starting your day with meditation instead of rumination
and youll feel better as a result. Besides, youll be getting your brain
into shape too, and you dont have to spend any extra time to do so.
(Okay, perhaps a little time because you wont be rushing around
like a decapitated chicken.)

You Cant Do It Wrong

One of the most frequent complaints I get from my meditation
students is the concern that they cant meditate because they cant
concentrate. They cant clear the thoughts, clutter, and commotion
from their minds.
Relax. The goal of meditation is not clearing the mind of thoughts
or making it a blank slate (at least not mindfulness meditation).
The goal of meditation is not to relax. Imagine pressuring
yourself to relax? How is that going to work out? Relaxation is a
fairly reliable by-product of meditation, but it is not the primary
goal. Just pay attention to what is happening now, without
preconceptions, agendas, and conditions, and see how you feel.
You just might feel relaxed.

Meditation is a process, not a product. In fact, we ourselves are

processes, not products. When we treat ourselves like products, well
only be frustrated. Likewise, meditation is about paying attention
to the process, and since most processes are neither good nor bad,
whatever is happening now can be okay. There is a real opportunity
here to go with the flow the process of what is happening now.
If your thoughts are racing, notice racing thoughts. If youre laden
with regret or worry, notice regret or worry. Youre still meditating;
youre not doing it wrong! The difference is that you are aware of
these things, and, with practice, you can make choices about where
your attention goes and get skilled at disentangling attention from
stories that are distressing.
Meditation is not about attaining a special
state; its about paying attention. Its not
about achievements or outcomes. Rather
its about noticing whatever is happening
without judging that as good or bad;
without generating opinions about it.
Relax the opinions and real relaxation
may not be far behind.

Your Religion, If You

Have One, Is Okay
With This
Meditation is not religion. Or at least it doesnt have to be. All
religions have a meditative tradition, but meditation is just about
paying attention to what is happening now. Religion doesnt own
attention. You do.

Meditation is not necessarily spiritual either. There is a strong

tradition of secular meditation in the West that started in 1979 at
a university medical center. Patients started paying attention on
purpose to their experience to cope better with chronic illness and
pain. No religion whatsoever.
If you are a person of religion, dont worry. Meditation, at least
mindfulness meditation, is not in
conflict with your beliefs. A
study found that people
who practiced mindfulness
became more of whatever
they were already. If you
are Protestant, youll be
more Protestant. If you are
Catholic, youll be more
Catholic. If you are Jewish
youll be more Jewish. If you
are Muslim, youll be more
Muslim.
Since meditation is giving our full
attention to whatever it is we are doing now, this
increase in piety makes sense. If you pay more attention to what is
happening in church, youll get more benefits. Simple as that.
While meditation and mindfulness are often associated with the
Buddha or Buddhism, there is nothing essentially Buddhist about
meditation. Meditation existed long before the Buddha and he did
not invent it. The Eastern traditions dont own meditation. Again,
you own it.
The simple fact that we have a brain that works in particular ways
has more to do with meditation than anything Eastern or esoteric.

However, people in the Buddhist traditions have been practicing

these techniques for 2500 years, so they know a thing or two about
how to do it. There is a rich tradition of practice and a deep literature
to fascinate, inspire, and guide.
If religion or spirituality is not your agenda, thats okay too.
Meditation is at its core psychological. As a psychologist, Ill admit
that Im biased, but there is a lot of evidence to support this notion.
God and spirit can be involved but they dont have to be. That gives
you infinite (no pun intended) flexibility.

You Have Everything You Need To

Start Right Now
You can meditate anytime anywhere. You dont need any special
conditions. Wherever you are right now is just fine. You can be on a
crowded train, waiting for a bus, or in a quiet monastery. All of these
geographies are equally compatible with practice. And meditation
can occur in any moment. You dont have to wait until your mind is
clearer or things are calmer (as if that might ever happen). You dont
need any props. While it can be helpful to have a setting and some
accouterments for practice, these are not required.
Make a space for practice. It can be helpful to have a dedicated place
for meditation. If you dont have an entire room, a part of a room
where your meditation cushion can go will suffice. To devote some of
your homes real estate to meditation announces your commitment
to this practice and facilitates it at the same time.
A proper cushion (usually called a zafu or gomden) can help you to
get into a comfortable posture with your hips above your knees. You
can put your zafu or gomden on a padded mat, called a zabuton.

As mentioned earlier, some meditation is better than no meditation.

Try to sit for at least a few minutes every day. Start with ten minutes
and build from there to twenty minutes, thirty minutes, or more.
A timer can help to provide some structure to your practice and
relieves you from worrying about how long to sit. Just set the timer
beforehand for the desired number of minutes. You can also use
guided meditation recordings that are a specific length.
Sit upright in a dignified posture without being slumped or rigid
so that you can breathe without restriction. Your eyes can be open
or closed. Closed eyes tends to limit the mind wandering. If you
practice with your eyes open, keep your gaze soft about a foot or
two in front of your body.
Place your hands palms down or up on your thighs or fold one
hand on top of the other. Or, if you prefer, clasp your hands and
place them in your lap.

Now heres how to do it:

Start by noticing.

Dont try to change anything.

Notice where your attention goes. It can be in any one of nine

different places according to time frame and pleasantness.
Past

Present

Future

Random

Random

Random

Pleasant

Reverie

Unpleasant

Regret

Neutral

I like

I dont like

Anticipation
Worry

 When you notice your attention in any one of these nine places,
gently return your attention to something that is happening now.
What is happening now?

Smell
Taste
!"#$ Se(sa+"(s

See
Hear

The activity of the

moment includes:
~ What we see
~ What we hear
~ What we smell
~ What we taste
~ What we feel as
sensations in the body
including, breathing.

Thoughts, images, and

emotions can also be
activites of the moment
when we can attend to them as events rather than following their
meanings, but this is difficult. So, we start our mindfulness practice
by attending to the more concrete sensations of now.
For example, focus your attention on breathing, and when your
mind wanders to one of the nine places mentioned aboveand it
willgently bring it back to the noticeable sensations of breathing.
Repeat as necessary.

If you have a lot of repeats, thats Okay

Remember, there is NO way to do this practice wrong. In fact, the
more you have to return attention, the more mindfulness you are
developing. This is an important paradox and can be a touchstone
for encouraging yourself to persist.

I invite you to give yourself permission to do this practice and

permission to do it imperfectly. Thats the human way. Dont get hung
up on things needing to be quiet or following a correct technique.
So long as you can bring interest to whatever is happening now, you
are practicing meditation. And if you can bring fascination, even
better.

What Comes Next?

Okay. So you think this meditation stuff is kind of cool, and you
are ready to try it or youve been doing it more or less
every day for a while and youd like to take it to
the next level. What now?
The Pure Life Meditation website has many
resources to guide you in three simple
steps: learn, find and shop. First, to learn
more about meditation, you can read about
meditation. There are many wonderful books
on the topic by renowned teachers. You can
read in the Eastern tradition or the Western,
whatever draws you closer.
If youd like something innovative and
accessible, try my book, Wild Chickens and
Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness
or my primer on the Buddhist traditions, The
Everything Buddhism Book. These are good places
to start.

For a complete selection of meditation titles, look in the SHOP
section of PureLifeMeditation.com for a bookstore that can engage
you for many days to come. Of course, reading is no substitute for

practice, but reading can orient you to what is important and help
to overcome blind spots that are inevitable along the way.
If you want to sit for extended periods, having the right cushion can
make all the difference. Visit the SHOP section of PureLifeMeditation.
com for a full line of meditation cushions specifically designed to
improve your meditation experience. Of course, you can sit in a chair
if you prefer. What matters most is your intention and attention, not
your posture.
Finding a teacher or a practice center is a good next step once youve
gotten going. Practicing with others helps to support practice, and
having a place to go can enliven your practice experience. A qualified
teacher can be a guide on your path to self-discovery. So, explore the
FIND section of PureLifeMeditation.com to find a teacher in your
area, or plan a meditation adventure to a retreat center.
You can listen and download a series of guided meditations from
my page on the Pure Life Meditation website (when available) or
from the Learn section of the Exquiste Mind website. There are ten
hours of different practices. These will keep you off the streets for
a while!
The LEARN section of PureLifeMeditation.com has many additional
resources for guiding your meditation path. You can also read my
blog, Mindfulness Matters.
Explore the Pure Life Meditation website for other great learning
resources and to find a teacher or practice center near you. While
youre at it, outfit yourself with the gear to take you on the next part
of your journey.

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PureLifeMeditation.com
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Copyright 2012 Arnie Kozak, Pure Life Meditation