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Meditation: Object Focus

If you have tried meditation in the past, you probably learned quite a bit about yourself. Meditation, although it seems like you are 'doing nothing,' is in fact a concentrated effort, especially at the beginning of your practice. Stay with it! As time progresses, if you stick to your practice, you'll find that the effort diminishes, and you will be able meditate with very little effort.

Object-Focused Meditation

If you practiced the walking meditation, in my other article, you might have found that you paid attention to your feet as they moved. You watched your breath enter and leave your body. You might have also observed your surroundings as you walked, possibly seeing them in a new light. At any moment, you were focused upon an object, but the objects changed as you walked. With object-focused meditation, you will select an object, sit still, and maintain your attention on that object.

What Should We Pick?

You want to find an object that will maintain your interest at some level. Although you can select anything at all, there are certainly some objects that are simply more desirable to look at than others. The most commonly used objects are those that emit light -- a candle, a fireplace, or an attractive light.

For this practice, we will select a candle. Some tips about the candle itself -- don't pick one that is scented. That's for another time! Pick one that melts down evenly and without creating blobs of wax all over the place. That will keep your focus on the candle rather than the activity of its melting. Any color is fine -- select a color that you like. A floating candle is wonderful. If you use a floating candle, place it in a shallow clear container so that you can always see it easily.

Obstacles

The first obstacle to this type of meditation is the tendency to stare. Begin with the preconception that cannot take eyes off the candle. Don't create so much pressure for yourself! Just look at it. That's all.

The second obstacle is the tightening of the muscles of the face. Begin to frown, purse lips, or clench teeth, all physical efforts to force to do what are doing. While watching the candle, periodically become aware of your facial muscles, exhale, and relax them.

The third is sitting still. We get fidgety. We are so used to doing, going, sitting, standing, walking, that the notion of sitting still and "doing nothing" is quite difficult for us. For the first few times, we won't practice for too long. You'll find your own length of time, that which suits you, your personality, and, of course, your schedule!

Fourth -- stiffness. This is in conjunction with sitting still. We are used to being able to change our positions whenever we want to. When we're at our desks, we can stretch our arms, get up and walk around, and move the muscles a bit. Again, we'll start with short periods of time for this meditation.

Fifth -- holding your breath. We do this all the time without noticing. We are concentrating, or we become anxious, we get excited, and what do we do? We hold our breath! In those moments, tension accumulates in the body, not to mention the fact that we stopped breathing. Be sure to exhale! To practice proper breathing, read the article on Breath and Life.

How To Get Started

This is a sitting meditation. You want to find a comfortable seated position. The floor is preferable but not essential. Find a spot where your spine is resting against something. If you are using a chair, your back should be all the way against the back of the chair. If you are sitting on the floor, your spine should rest on a wall.

Wow! As soon as you sit, you'll see that your back will either arch backward or round forward. How do you sit properly? Read the article on Sitting Healthy and come back.

You don't want to count the number of breaths that you take. This will distract from the actual meditation. So, set a timer for 15 minutes. That's all.

The Practice

You've read the article on Sitting Healthy and the one on Breath and Life. We'll incorporate these into our meditation practice now. Allow your eyelids to relax slightly so that your eyes are still open but you are not looking at anything. Begin with simply focusing on your breath. Easy and relaxed inhalations and exhalations. Thoughts will enter your mind; that's fine, let them pass. Notice your emotional state. Don't judge it or try to change it. You may become anxious, bored, tense, even annoyed. Notice and let it pass. Remember -- we are holding on to nothing. We are simply breathing and become aware of the sensations in our bodies, of our emotions, and of the thoughts passing through our minds. Take 10 breaths this way, noticing, relaxing your muscles, noticing your thoughts and letting them pass.

On the 10th exhalation, let your eyelids open a bit and bring your attention to the candle. Inhale, looking into the center of the light. Exhale and relax your gaze. That's all. Keep inhaling and exhaling. Look into the center of the light and then relax your gaze.

Be sure that your breath guides what you are doing. Let the breath lead the practice. Focusing on an object will go much more smoothly if you breathe first, then focus.

As you sit, you'll be distracted by some of the obstacles that I talked about above. You'll also find some of your own! This is, in fact, the practice. To notice what is an obstacle and breathe right through it. Not to hold on to the obstacle.

Keep bringing your attention back to the candle. Keep bringing your spine back as you tire and begin to hunch or arch. Back to the candle again. Keep breathing. Let the muscles of your face stay relaxed. Special note for the forehead -- smooth and un-lined.

When you hear the timer, stop. Even if you are really "into" this meditation, you are better off doing it less the first few times. After, you can increase the time depending on your own needs.

Allow your eyelids to come down and close your eyes without squinting. Take 10 more breaths. Slowly open your eyes. That's it.

Things That You'll Notice

You may hyperventilate. Practicing proper breathing and sitting is the first step toward improved health. Your body is getting more oxygen than it's used to. If you find that you're getting dizzy, don't stop. Just make your inhalations and exhalations a bit shorter.

You feel very tired. If you do, lie down for about 15 minutes. The first few times you meditate, the practice itself may tire you out. If you've been practicing for a while and you still feel tired, your body, which is becoming more aware, is telling you to rest. Listen to it. Take about 15 minutes. Then see how you feel.

You are "wired." Now that you've sat, breathed and concentrated, you're ready for anything! The renewed oxygenation has not made you dizzy; it's energized you! Okay, that's fine too. Do something. But don't do it fast. Take your time and notice the details of what you're doing. Special note here: "Wired" is what happens to me when I meditate. Whatever I do next, it seems like I'm doing it with new glasses on! I've learned to go more slowly so that I can enjoy whatever it is, and I've found a way to find something delightful in something that was once ordinary.

Schedule this every day for two weeks, about the same time each day. Write about your experiences each day and don't read anything that you've already written. After seven days, read your week's writing.