Meditation benefits began to show themselves as you, by some small miracle of willpower, managed to endure a challenging ten-minute session—even as the meditation timer chimed, testing your patience.

You ought to experience a feeling of achievement. After all, you frequently omit it completely.

However, after spending the entire session squirming and engrossed in dreams that involve boasting to a buddy about your meditation today, you feel frustrated instead.

You have a powerful “monkey mentality.” It like an entire monkey jungle.

When I initially discovered the cushion in 1998, I experienced the same thing. My thoughts resembled an overgrown garden teeming with irate racoons.

With my knees screaming, my back hurting, and my head racing, I would sit on a pile of cushions and ask myself, “Am I doing this right?” But I continued returning to the exercise because it promised to free me from my inner anguish.

Furthermore, it took months to notice more noticeable and long-lasting effects, even though I always felt a little better afterward (if only because I was taking care of myself).

I was unaware at the time that I was already proficient in meditation. As a young child, I had been doing it for years, but it did not resemble the strange (to me) techniques I was attempting to acquire from my grandmother’s ancient, dusty books.

Actually, I had forgotten all about the fleeting sensation of peace, clarity, and concentration that covered me like a comforting salve on those dusty summer days when I was a kid.

Our Attraction to Distraction

It is going to be difficult for you to concentrate.

You have spent your entire life swimming in a sea of distractions in our environment.

You watch films that move from one scene to the next with dizzying frequency while being inundated with advertisements, notifications, and alarms. Your brain slavishly waits for the next “ping” when you text. With one-click shopping, you can satisfy any craving nearly instantly.

It is necessary to train the mind to focus, and I believe you will concur that our surroundings are designed to achieve the exact opposite.

Therefore, do not feel guilty if you have trouble focusing and keeping your mind at ease.

Nobody (at least not everyone I have met) finds traditional meditation easy. And even people who are totally convinced of its many advantages frequently find it difficult to keep up a regular practice. However, they remain dedicated to the concept in the hopes that they would eventually find their rhythm.

Do not give up if this describes you. The conventional butt-on-cushion method is not necessary to achieve that meditative state; there is a simpler and more enjoyable one.

Do not misunderstand; formal meditation is a lovely and fulfilling practice. It establishes the groundwork for more complex spiritual practices, helps you develop discipline and consistency, and ties you to a tradition.

Would not it be wonderful to begin reaping the advantages of meditation immediately while you are working on that?

A Balanced Approach

I experienced severe anxiety and emotional upheaval as a boy.

Perhaps I was terrified and resentful because of my parents’ divorce. Or maybe the bullying that frightened me as a child.

When the other kids took turns striking and choking me in the schoolyard, I was weaker than them and would get immobilized with dread. In order to avoid going to school, I would occasionally pretend that I was not feeling well.

I detested that location.

I did not even bother to pay attention, so it was not difficult. I discovered it was pointless. Instead, I daydreamed about running freely outside while I gazed out the window.

And when school let out that’s exactly what I did.

The railroad lines across the street from my house served as the unofficial border of a unique area we dubbed the “Pipeyard.”

Old warehouses were scattered around this plot of ground, and dirt roads ran through it, leading to the stacks of steel pipes being held until they could be sold to oil leases and other businesses.

There were slender pipes that flexed when you walked out to the center of them, and large, fat pipes that you could climb inside. There were racks that were nearly empty, letting the pipes roll when you climbed on them, and racks that were heaped ten feet high.

For an unsupervised child in the 1980s, it was the perfect playground.

However, this perilous location served as more than just a recreational area; it was my haven. I would be able to spend hours by myself, balancing above the dusty weeds.

The magic then began to occur.

My fears and worries would all go away. The nagging anxieties, the useless inner monologue, and the hazy unease that plagued me had no place on those thin pipes.

The sensation of my feet hitting the pipe’s surface, the slight wobbles in my legs, and the sound of high-top sneakers scuffing against rusted steel would all transport me into a sort of meditative trance.

Even in its simplicity, there was strength.

Being outside was helpful. silent, alone, and totally absorbed in the work at hand.

I was able to step out of my thoughts and into the present because to the physicality. I understand exactly how it feels to be told to ground yourself by a yoga instructor.

Every moment is new when it comes to balancing.

Your mind will instantly become more acute if you step onto any raised surface with the intention of balancing—a defensive strategy that is ingrained into our neural system.

It could be considered the best meditation trick ever.

Even a small amount of time balancing will show you how quickly you adjust. Constant and instantaneous feedback tells you to breathe, bend your knees, and relax. and concentration.

After a little more time, your perceptions will be sharpened and your mind will become more clear, producing a mystical experience in which time seems to stop. the same sensations you get following a successful meditation session.

The World Is Your Playground

The best part is that you may get started without any prerequisites or travel.

You do not have to risk your health and well-being the way I did when I was seven!

Stand on one leg to start. Stand close to a chair or wall if that is difficult so you can catch yourself. For many, a simple first obstacle will be to walk on a low curb or along a seam in the pavement.

Setting up barriers at home is simple if you relate to this technique.

I used an eight-foot-long wood beam that I bought from The Home Depot to construct a balancing beam in my living room. Even a basic 2″ x 4″ placed flat on the floor will keep you busy for a while for less than $20.

You will notice difficulties everywhere you walk once you get the balance bug, including low walls, railings, fences, logs, pebbles, even parking curbs.

It is so much fun to balance. It gives your day a dash of excitement, play, and inventiveness. Do you recall the game “hot lava”? Stay off the ground at all costs!

Here are some tips to help you get better outcomes.

Please do not take any chances. Avoid going near bridge railings and railroad tracks.

Remember your abilities and physical state.

Before boarding, always check the stability and strength of logs, rocks, or railings. Although I have had a few mishaps, I am in good health and know how to fall properly.

Start small, easy, and secure.

This involves introducing exactly the right amount of difficulty and complexity to keep the mind focused. It also does not require much. particularly if you lack considerable balancing experience.

The following three pointers will assist you in keeping or regaining your equilibrium:

Imagine inflating a balloon in your stomach with each breath to take deep breaths into your abdomen. The balloon fills when you inhale, and it deflates when you exhale.

With every exhale, try to relax as much as you can, especially in your upper body. Bend your knees and relax till you can restore your composure.

Drop your attention to the object you are balanced on as you relax and release your breath. As one of my qigong instructors used to say, “Energy flows where the mind goes.”

By keeping these safety and balancing tips in mind, you will be ready to reap the rewards of your new meditation routine.

Meditation Is Back on the Menu

Regular meditation has indisputable advantages, and you can now enter that frame of mind frequently throughout the day.

You get better the more you do it. With each session, your nervous system is conditioned to attain an ideal state more quickly and efficiently.

The memories and excitement of play are evoked by balance, which frequently turns into a game where the object is to see how far or how long you can go without falling.

What is cool?

You will probably be more motivated to engage in more conventional practices.

Why?

due to the fact that you will be accustomed to entering a meditative state. Being good at something is something we like doing, and meditation is no exception.

During sitting practice, do you have pain in your knees, neck, and back?

Balance is not an issue. You can alternate between moving and standing still. We should spend more time moving mindfully because we currently spend too much time sitting.

Consider balancing as a dynamic meditation technique, akin to yoga, qigong, or tai chi. To make balance more meditative, keep silent, move gently, and focus entirely on your breath and body.

Lastly, keep in mind that balance is a basic physical skill that deteriorates with age.

That should not be an issue for you.

Finding Stillness in Movement

It will not always be that hard to meditate.

There are definitely good and bad days, but eventually you move over the difficulties and find that you largely love life.

Thankfully, there are simpler methods to get the majority of the benefits that do not call for the extraordinary self-control needed to regularly meditate in the distracting world of today.

Have some adventures, keep it entertaining, and turn it into a game.

Be careful out there.