- Sit down for thirty minutes
- Close our eyes and attempt to still our incessant thoughts and feelings and restless body
- Concentrate on mantras , music , breath
Sounds familiar?
It is impossible. In fact, trying to relax creates more tension, as we do battle with ourselves and then emerge from the attempt feeling demoralized, feeling that "meditation might work for others but it is not for me!"
To start with the main problem is to quiet the noisy little chatterbox, your conscious mind, who is nervous and unaccustomed to silence .... focusing on your breathing may help, or using visualizations or mantras (chanting). It has taken you.... many years to get into the habit of listening to the chatterbox, it may take a few years to life time to quiet him/her down to a level where you can gain the most benefit from meditation.
The good news is: The problem lies not with you, but with the method.
The even better news is: you need to start with open soul meditation to take our chronic restlessness and tension into account, and open soul meditation is designed specifically to address this issue.
