Learn to Meditate

Foundations for the Spiritually Inclined. Published in the National Library of New Zealand. 2026.

Meditation is more than just a tool to “still the mind”.

What’s written below, “a meditation practice”, offers a fairly formal meditation technique, one that doesn’t have to take much time, but a practice that is incredibly powerful, and profound.

If that feels too structured and a bit too formal for you, or you struggle to find any time to meditate, or if there is a reason you can’t, reading on you may prefer the “walking meditation” instead.  I would recommend reading this entire topic either way, if meditation is something you are interested in, as both methods are related.

These two techniques might complement existing meditation teachings that are already available, where this is my own unique take on the subject.  They are both related like I say, and can be integrated together where the walking meditation will complement the formal meditation.

Above all is that these are enjoyable, rewarding spiritually, and when it comes down to it, easy to do as well.

A meditation practice

Meditation is where you set aside some time to connect with your Creator, in a simple and straightforward way, where your dedication in sitting on the floor, sitting on a chair, or lying down for however long that might be, is a request from you to God…

You are asking God to take away from you what is holding you back.  You are asking God to help you take responsibility for your own life.  When you take the time to meditate, everything you experience during that time will be perfect for you.

Restlessness,
Boredom,
Impatience,
Anxiety,
Peace,
Anger,
Jealousy,
Joy,
Hate,
Happiness,
Despair,
Dread,
Love,
Grief,
Guilt,
Regret,
Hope,
Sadness,
Melancholy,
Excitement,
Shame,
Fear,
Bliss,
Frustration,
Loneliness,
Ecstasy,
A busy mind,
Visions…

These, and more, are all part of the meditative experience.

I don’t include any lengthy meditation instructions, but to begin, it is being in a suitable place or location, being comfortable, and when you are ready, it is good to close your eyes.  However, there are no set rules.  Look forward to going on an “inner journey”, and whatever happens, it will be perfect for you.

There are some tips further on as well, and many insights are woven into this topic that should help you with your practise, and give you the tools to get the most out of your meditations.

If you choose to meditate by lying down and you find yourself going from “deeply relaxed” to “fast asleep”, you might like to choose to meditate at a time during the day where you do not feel so tired, or sitting in a chair or sitting on the floor might be a suitable alternative.

Whether it be ten, twenty, thirty minutes, or an hour, it matters little.  Your heart and intuition will guide you as to when it’s the right time to meditate, and whether it be for long periods, short periods, in the morning, during the day, or in the evening, in a lighted space, in the dark, with some gentle music or in silence, on your own, or with others.

It’s not so much a step-by-step process that must be followed and learned, but rather a learning experience that starts from within, where your enthusiasm grows, and you discover what works for you.

If your mind begins to wander, let it, don’t try to stop your thoughts, and then when you are ready, gradually bring your attention back to the meditation once more.  It is a process where in time, all of your negativity is healed and transformed, your life becomes more positive than it could have ever been, and you learn more about yourself as well.

Then, to turn the tables, you may not only be healing and meditating for yourself, but for others as well, as you transform other people’s negativity by experiencing it as your own.  It is where, in essence, God uses you as a healer, as “His hands”.

For example, you may experience the emotions as I have just described, where contemplation (and the insight that comes from that) will lead you to understand if you are healing your own negativity, or in fact other people’s, in which case there can be a great sense of detachment.  The earlier topic “Healing and transference” explains this further.  In essence, this world is a network of healers healing the world, and your meditation will contribute to that immeasurably.

It has to be said that this topic is quite lengthy, whereas meditation is quite a simple process, and it should be seen as such.  Don’t worry if you can’t remember too much of what you read here, you might find what you need surfaces in your mind at the most opportune time, just when you need it.

Meditation is a tool for discovery, a tool to help you unlock the secrets of your heart, mind, and Spirit, allowing you to gain insight into all the unanswered questions you might have within you, as well as all the questions you haven’t even thought of asking yet.  You will feel the benefits continue into your everyday life, and you will grow as a person as well.

You may find that not using meditation as a way to help yourself grow spiritually, especially early on in your spiritual journey, in all sorts of situations negativity may surface in uncomfortable, upsetting, embarrassing, painful, or compromising ways, verbally, physically, emotionally, mentally, often during moments that could be best described as “everyday life”.

As a result, knowing this, it might be natural to reflect when something goes wrong and say to oneself, “Oh, perhaps there’s something I should be looking at here.”

Importantly, simply by meditating you may become aware of unresolved issues in your life that are holding you back.  This might encourage you to meditate further to continue the process of discovery, gaining insights on what might be needed outside of meditation time to bring resolution to those issues, if anything.  It’s very much a learning process, both personal, and sometimes challenging as well.  God will support you, and He is with you right throughout your spiritual journey.

You might also see visions during meditation, but like thoughts, try not to read too much into them, just let them drift by.  Some of these might really resonate and uplift you though, staying with you.  On the other hand, with one example, it might seem like you are watching a movie of images, and this can be healing in itself, and something to let go.  Or you might see nothing at all, and that will be perfect for your meditation as well.  Everyone’s meditation experience is different, and wonderfully so.

Meditation can also be a place where energy is released and a healing occurs, where a person might cry, shake, speak in unusual ways, or feel physical sensations as examples.  Known in eastern spiritual traditions as “kriyas”, teachings and knowledge of these go back thousands of years.

You may also find that as you progress you become more aware of your spiritual growth and your accomplishments, giving you encouragement and a genuine sense of anticipation with what the future holds for you.  Meditation then becomes something to look forward to, feel excited about, and it will become something to cherish as well.

Memories and milestones can come from those special spiritual experiences too, memories that will last a lifetime.  You might even feel like keeping your own sacred meditation journal, something to look back on and cherish, or to just know that journal is there.

Or perhaps you will find moving on from each and every experience as they happen works best for you, not documenting them at all, instead knowing they will come to mind in a sacred and spiritual way at just the right time, as you need them to, even if that is well into the future.

The days of having to work hard spiritually, struggling to find God and true happiness, those days are over.

Fasting, meditating twelve times a day, wading through scriptures, getting up before dawn to perform rituals, showing devotion to someone, wearing unusual attire to show you are on a spiritual path, endlessly repeating prayers and mantras, only eating a particular type of food (although vegetarian is always my preference), attending lavish retreats, going over-the-top to save the environment, having a set-in-stone day (or time) for anything that is done spiritually…

Basically anything which is unenjoyable or stifling, it’s all in the past.  A new time is here now, and because of those who have worked tirelessly spiritually, the road to enlightenment, and beyond, is infinitely easier than it has ever been before.

Meditation and finding what works for you as far as your spiritual path goes should be enjoyable, exciting, and rewarding, complementing and enhancing your everyday life, where you find you have yet another way to connect with your Creator.

At the end of this book, in the appendix, you will find a link to some meditations that you might like to try, which I feel work well to complement the guidance and instructions that I have written here.

The walking meditation

Formal meditation, as I have just described, where a person sits on the floor, on a chair, or similar for a period of time, is one of the most powerful ways to release and heal any burdens and negativity that we may have within us.

But as well as this, or instead of this, we may find that while living our normal everyday lives we have experiences, and gain insights and understandings that we might not have had before the fullness of God’s energy entered our life.

This is known as the “walking meditation”, although it doesn’t need to happen when we’re walking.  It is a way of saying that spontaneous and informal moments of meditation can happen anywhere, anytime, with anyone, or on our own.

What happens during these moments sometimes needs an external trigger for the release or experience to take place.  These “triggers” are God as He works His magic in the most interesting, remarkable, and profound ways.  These happen at just the right time, often when something unusual becomes obvious and captures our attention, even if only for a moment.

The process of walking meditation, experienced through everyday life, can sometimes make us aware that we have an imbalance that we need to consider and contemplate, or it might be something beneficial for our spiritual path.

These “imbalances” can be emotional, spiritual, physical, mental, and so on, and as these are “worked through” and healed, and contemplation helps with this immeasurably, we naturally become more positive, happier, and more optimistic within ourselves, and in time, sooner than we might think, this will become evident to everyone around us.

And there’s nothing quite like a good honest laugh from deep down – not the sort I’ve seen online where a yogi forced the response and built up a following doing so – but something that is spontaneous and comes from nowhere, not even from a funny clip on the Internet.  That’s a happy healing that when it comes, requires no effort, and it feels great!

As I said earlier, there are no rules, and the most wonderful things can happen when we least expect them.

Tips

If any distractions happen, for example noises or a knock on the door, know that the meditation energy will continue, so just let these distractions be what they are, and accept that they are a sacred part of your meditation as well, and then return to meditating when everything settles and things are back to how they were before.

After meditation ends, when you feel ready, open your eyes and become aware of your body and your surroundings.  Sit up if you have been lying down.  Stretch to loosen your body, staying seated or sitting for five or so minutes, or as long as you feel you need to.  When it is time to get up and move around again, do so slowly to begin with, as the body may still be very relaxed.  Stretch again if you need to.

It’s important after meditating you give yourself as much time as you need to feel alert and steady, so that when it comes time to once again perform your daily tasks (such as driving or anything which requires concentration), these can be done safely, with the clarity, focus, and attention that is required.

Finally, try not to compare your meditation experiences with others, perhaps by saying “your experience was so much better than mine”, or “I wish I had experienced that”, or wanting to become an enlightened golden dewdrop overnight.

When I was growing spiritually I often found myself wishing my experiences could be just as good as others, as on occasions they had so much to share, and I sometimes wondered if I was progressing at all.

Little did I know I was changing at a very deep level, and that I needed to know very little about what was happening, it just would have confused me and sent my mind into a spin.  Everything was going perfectly, so don’t be discouraged if you feel like you’re getting nowhere, and above all, try not to have any expectations.

Noticing a change

So is it possible to know how much you are progressing spiritually?  I would definitely say yes, just by observing your reactions to what goes on in your life, simple things, conversations, and everyday moments that happen to you and everywhere around you.

You may become aware that you are less judgmental than before.  You might feel noticeably calmer and more settled.  You might find more enjoyment and happiness in life.  Things that upset you in the past might not anymore.  Responding to a difficult situation in a positive way and you never had done that before – that’s real change.

So yes, you are your own best observer, and your own best witness to your own personal change, transformation, and enlightenment.  Saying that, changes might take place gradually, so your progress might not be entirely obvious or noticeable to yourself, but positive feedback from others might come when you least expect it, to encourage you on your spiritual path and your meditation journey even more.

Like I say, you may even find yourself craving your next meditation and meditation experience – but there’s no need to try too hard.  For example, meditating formally three times a day isn’t necessary as God’s energy is working with us ceaselessly now, and we are in a new spiritual time.

In conclusion

Each of us is unique, and we all need to experience different things in different ways in order to learn, grow, and unfold.  What one person may need and what they will receive will not be what another person needs or what they will receive.

There are many paths to the same destination

Everyone gets to the point where there is an experience of utter bliss, joy, and unconditional love, an experience that will never go away.  Each step we take is sacred, beautiful, transformational, and just for us.

There is so much in the world in the way of spiritual teachings, techniques, and literature.  As with everything that makes a spiritual path enjoyable, get a feeling for what works best for you.  If you are new to meditation, what I have written here might be a good place to start.  This topic is designed to give general information and some relevant insights, and guidance at the same time.

Like I say, don’t force yourself to remember everything that’s written here, as you might find what you need will come to mind at just the right time.

If even after reading this you’re still not quite sure if meditation is for you, give it a try, and try it again every now and then – even if only to see how it feels, and to see if you have any experiences.  You can’t do it wrong, and often we learn from within, our own “inner teacher” it could be said, rather than from any written or spoken instruction from someone or something else.

When we find our own inner direction as we separate the wheat from the chaff, we become our own best teacher.

One day you will look back on your journey and say, “I have come so far, I now have a happy heart.”

Much love,

Jason