To keep the mind stable is the same as to be mentally calm. Simultaneously deep within us stability and calmness exists and on the surface restlessness and instability exists. Just as serene stillness exists deep underwater even as the surface of the ocean is in a raging storm. One just need to learn the skill of swimming on the surface as well as diving underwater to be able to experience both.
Deep meditation is like professional deep sea diving that needs a lot of training and practice. One could instead learn skilful swimming on the surface of the ocean by taking short dives underwater repeatedly to experience the stable state and come back refreshed and rested to deal with the surface turbulence.
The following practice shows the first steps towards this pathway.
Enthusiastic Engineer · December 18, 2022
Your first tool for an effective Meditation Practice – Fixed Gazing and Conscious Breathing – FGCB:
Do this for just three minutes and see if it helps. Sit on a straight back chair with feet flat on the floor, the entire soles of the feet from tips of the toes to the heels firmly contacting the floor. Keep your back erect, you may place a cushion behind your back for support if required but do not lean back on an inclined backrest of the chair. Let your head be held straight, neck straight, shoulders square and relaxed. You may tilt the head very slightly downward to gaze at a point on the floor in front of you a few feet away from you. Keep your eyes fixed on that spot for the three minutes without moving your eyeballs. Allow your eyes to be half open and half closed and hold that spot in a gentle gaze and not a stare. You are not looking there to see something but simply holding that spot in a gentle gaze. Exhale with a loud sigh from your mouth and use gentle effort to empty your lungs as far as possible without straining too much. Then relax your body and allow the inhale to happen effortlessly and soundlessly through your nostrils. When you sense that the inhale is over, do not put any further effort to breathe in but repeat the exhale from the mouth with the sound and gentle effort. I call this conscious breathing. Effort only for the out breaths and allowing in breaths to happen effortlessly. This entire process is called FGCB or fixed gazing with conscious breathing. You may set hourly reminder alerts on your smartphone and repeat this 3 minute FGCB every hour throughout the day today and see how it helps with calming your mind. This is a powerful grounding practice and you can do this even when you are driving and waiting for the red signal to turn green. Allow any such interruptions in your day to remind you to come back to the practice of FGCB repeatedly. For more information and plenty of free resources to aid with the practice of meditation and deep healing, please visit my website.