Many people are easily distracted when they sit down to meditate and focus on their breath. Thoughts can arise very quickly.
Spirit
First of all, there is no right or wrong here. As long as you’re in a human body with a human mind, you’re going to experience distractions. And that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong or abnormal about it.
If you can quiet your mind and find that still place within, even for a moment or two—or perhaps for 10 or 20 minutes—that is enough. That still, silent place of peace and power is always there. You can never lose it. So, if you tap into that place, that power, even for a split second, you’ve achieved something.
You don’t have to sit in a state of perfect silence or perfect meditation for an hour, two hours, or three. In fact, trying to force yourself to do that could be counterproductive. What’s important is learning to find these moments of peace and power whenever you can.
Here’s a little exercise you might want to experiment with: simply stop in the middle of your day. It can be a busy day or a quiet one; it doesn’t matter. Stop whenever you feel the need. Just breathe. Breathe in, breathe out.
Or bring to mind a peaceful experience you’ve had, whether it was during meditation, while spending time in nature, or during a conversation with someone close to you that left you feeling uplifted.
There are many ways to briefly tap into this place of peace, power, and silence. And you can do it anywhere, under almost any circumstances.
Once you’re able to do this consciously, you’ve achieved a great deal. Make it a practice to stop for a moment. Even if it’s only once a day—or, better yet, two or three times a day—just stop.
Whatever you’re doing, when it occurs to you, pause and breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Feel the peace and power of your breath as you do so.
Of course, we’re not saying that you don’t need to meditate or that you shouldn’t meditate. You should, however long feels comfortable for you. We recommend meditation as a daily practice to everyone we speak with about it.
But it’s also important to realize that you can experience this state in a single moment. Because the human mind is so focused on time and on everything we have to deal with in the physical world, we sometimes forget that a single moment of peace and quiet can be ours with very little effort—or even no effort at all.
The important thing is to focus fully on the present moment. “Be here now,” as Ram Dass said. Be in this moment.
And in this moment, you can find the peace, power, and joy you need to carry you through this life and any other life. All of this can be experienced in a single moment.
It’s perfectly fine to use formulas, techniques, or methods for meditation. There’s nothing wrong with any of that. Where people can go astray is when they become fixated on those methods.
Sometimes, all you need to do is take a deep breath and be here now. Be in the moment. Feel the peace and power that a single conscious breath can bring you.
That moment may last only five or ten seconds. It doesn’t have to last a long time. But once you’re able to do this—and anyone can do it, because it’s so simple—and you begin to practice it consistently, you may find an incredible sense of peace and power flowing into your life.
Simply because you’re breathing consciously.