Meditation for a Zenful Mind

Mention the word meditation and you will hear comments such as, "I'm not into that 'new age', Eastern thing.", or "I don't have time to sit and do nothing.", or "I tried it once but it was boring and I kept falling asleep.", and ultimately, "Meditation's not for me."
The resistance lies not with meditation itself, but with the perception surrounding what meditation is.

So, what exactly is meditation? The concept and practice of meditation has come to us in the West through the religions and philosophies of the East, bringing with it an inextricable tie to esoteric states of awareness, enlightenment, spirituality. But if we strip away all the spiritual beliefs related to the practice of meditation, what are we left with? Simply the state of being aware in the moment, achieved through quietening and focusing the mind.It used to be thought that the neural connections in the brain were laid down early in life, and once in place remained in a fixed state throughout adulthood. But as the capacity of science to measure and quantify the human brain has advanced, we now know that neural connections and pathways are anything but fixed and instead we have the term 'neuroplasticity' to describe the flexibility of the brain to continue development and improve function well past childhood and adolescence.

Buddhist monks meditating under the Anandabodhi tree in India.

Studies show that the simple state of focused awarenes, the practice of meditation, has the same effect on the brain, over time, that physical training has on the body. It brings about quantifiable physical changes, increased connections, improving synchronisation and organisation of brain activity, leading to greater function. It is this organisation of thought and synchrony of the brain that brings an harmonious, Zenful state into daily life.

One perception, or misconception, that has gathered much of the resistance toward meditation is of the hours of cramped, unmoving silence. The struggle with the purpose and point of sitting still, seemingly doing nothing, waiting for the minutes to tick by while struggling to empty the mind of all thought.
But just as there are many ways to achieve fitness through physical exercise, so there are many different ways to achieve a meditative state. Zen is not about emptying your and mind and shutting off from the outside world, but about achieving an harmonious connection, awareness in the moment, between the mind and the world around.

A statue depicting the Buddha in meditation.
The eyes remain slightly opened, forming a bridge between inner and outer worlds.

Of course you can sit quietly and just allow yourself to be aware of thoughts that come and go and concentrate on your breathing or something else that brings focus to your mind. But you can also achieve a state of meditation through rhythmic or repetitive activities performed with focused awareness, like jogging, walking, swimming, spinning wool or washing dishes.
Guided meditation is another means of quietening and focusing the mind and gives structure where sitting in silence may leave you feeling lost in a sea of chatter within your mind.
www.fragrantheart.com offers a wonderful array of free audio guided meditations as well as an abundant collection of articles and information on meditation. There's also a free 5 day introduction course if you're just starting out with meditation.

Rhythmic, repetitive activities, such as spinning wool, induce a meditative state.

So whether you spin prayer wheels or spin wool, doing it with a meditative focused awareness allows you to build better connections and more organised pathways through the brain for a more Zenful mind.
And if you've met meditation with resistance in the past, open up your perception of what meditation is so you can find a method that's right for you to train your mind toward greater focused awareness in daily life.