Settling into meditation training can take a little time especially at the beginning. That’s because our brain and senses are wired to be out-going, to be on alert and responsive to what’s going on around us. Not that long ago, we had to be on the look out for lions, tigers, and bears; and in some parts of the world that is still so. Sight, sounds, smells on the wind, even the intuitive feeling of safety or caution would arise in our mind and require action.
As a result, when one takes up a meditation practice and withdraws from outer stimuli, one’s brain might freak out – “what am I (brain) supposed to do now?!” Or, the brain and the ego will use the quiet time to make lists, to rewind a scene, or to project a scenario a few times. All of these are natural when learning to withdraw and create meditative focus or learning to concentrate meditatively.
The tip of the nose is an easy way to ease the attention away from the outer world to the inner. As breath comes to one from the fullness of the world, it is taken in by the nose. The whole world is in the breath, as are the wonders of breathing, of being alive, of being present, and simply noticing these profound factors of being human.
Stay with it. Create a rhythm with your practice. Do it at a set time, and do it for you. Only you can give yourself the gift of meditation and the untold and ongoing gifts that it will bring.
Downloadable podcast: The natural light of focus