| | Relax and keep it simple. Don't try to over do things. Stay relaxed and loose as you endeavor to find a groove. Don't over think yourself also. Or over react. Just stay with the meditation object, no matter what comes up.
Don't get upset when you're concentration lags. Just return to the object of meditation and resume observation. See? Simple. Sometimes simple is the hardest thing to do.
Try focusing on the breath as it enter the nostrils at the tip of the nose. Look for a soothing sensation as you follow the breath -- in and out. Let the breath determine its own length. Don't try to force it. Your job is only to follow it, whatever it does. Once you find that sensation, follow it as your mind becomes absorbed on it. You can use any kind of sensation that you become aware of. The sensation of the breath entering at the tip of the nostrils is a good place to start.
There's nothing wrong with refocusing the mind after it has been distracted. Don't worry about any thoughts that come in. Just watch them arise and pass away. See? Keep it simple. Nothing complicated.
What you want to achieve is focused attention on the sensation, which in turn will allow the mind to become absorbed on the sensation, setting up a recurring feedback loop of the pleasant sensation. If you do it right, you won't even have to think about it. The feedback loop of pleasant sensation will take care of itself. Concentration can build on this of its own accord. You won't have to force anything. You may get occasional intervening thoughts on the periphery, but your focus on the pleasant sensation can remain in place, taking you deeper into the pleasant sensation. Just let the periphery thoughts go.
Try it and see if it works. And remember: keep it simple. |