New to Meditation

[sheilabest10]

Hello everyone! I have just started out practicing meditation but every time I try to meditate, there's some kind of restlessness I feel and I find it hard to focus and continue on with it. What should I do to be able to control this?

Novice Meditator

[Matthew]

Hi Sheila,

Welcome to the forum.

Have you tried not controlling it but just sitting anyway? Controlling your mind is a form of fabrication and you want your mind to learn to rest and be still without force.

Stick to focussing on the breath in a relaxed body and when the mind wanders with restless thought just gently take notice it has wandered, stop following (identifying with) the thoughts then and return your attention to the breath.

Usually for someone new to meditation the mind and body will act out in all sorts of ways. Quite often this will calm as you establish a regular practice.

There is a good e-book called "Mindfulness in Plain English" linked to in the Library and Resources section that would be a good place to start studying meditation.

In the Dhamma,

Matthew

[sheilabest10]

Hello Matthew,

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply and I do appreciate giving me advice.  I am sure this will help a lot in my concentration during meditation. Will keep you posted on how this will improve me.  More power to you!

Novice Meditator

[Hazmatac]

I think you should be mindful of how the restlessness feeling feels, and what it makes you desire to do. If you are mindful of the pure feeling without attaching thoughts to it or mentally running away from it while ignoring it the discomfort should diminish somewhat. The idea is, as soon as you are aware of the distraction, put your attention solely on the distraction. When it has gone away or diminished to the point of not being distracting, that's when you bring your focus back on the breath.

Again, what you should do is first relax completely, and then notice the major feelings that it is making you feel in your body, then perhaps the more subtler aspects of what you are dealing with.

Hope this helps!

[Matthew]

I think you should be mindful of how the restlessness feeling feels, and what it makes you desire to do. If you are mindful of the pure feeling without attaching thoughts to it or mentally running away from it while ignoring it the discomfort should diminish somewhat. The idea is, as soon as you are aware of the distraction, put your attention solely on the distraction. When it has gone away or diminished to the point of not being distracting, that's when you bring your focus back on the breath.

Again, what you should do is first relax completely, and then notice the major feelings that it is making you feel in your body, then perhaps the more subtler aspects of what you are dealing with.

Hope this helps!

Rob,

This really is too complex an instruction for a beginner. Just sit and watch the breath. Establish concentration. Let calm develop and grow. Then move on to deeper levels.

In the Dhamma,

Matthew

[miketony123]

I found the same difficulty when I first started.  As I read more and found a class things got better.  Remember, like anything new, it takes time.  What helped my was learning that becoming distracted was my "old self" giving me grief and that by simply returning to my meditation was a victory for my "new self,"  I recognized I had control over the situation.  The more I practiced, the more comfortable and confident I became.  Also, take small steps--shorter meditatiions-more often and don't "expect" anything to happen--just relax and enjoy the progress and for me it was also developing a sense that I had control.  Relax and enjoy

[Matthew]

Don't expect anything - excellent teaching. Expectation is fabrication.

In the Dhamma,

Matthew