So if you've made it here, then you've (Hopefully) read my previous blog on meditation. If not, then please Click here to read it
or if you've already read it, then please continue....
My view of mantras is simple, keep it simple! A single syllable, with no connotation, no meaning, personal or otherwise is best. The reason I say this is as I mentioned in my last blog. You may begin to focus on the meaning of the mantra, as opposed to allowing your mind to just settle. Use your mantra to end thoughts, stop song lyrics, or mitigate any other distractions.
Just a few suggestions....
- Om
- Um
- Rum
- See
- Ni
This is by no means an exhaustive list, just a few ideas! Keep in mind also that there is no proper cadence (Pace) for the mantra. For example mine may sound like this: "Om, Om, Om, Ooooooooommmmmmm, Om, om, Ooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmm" were it to be spoken aloud. So I suggest to you that you find a mantra that suits you and your meditation needs. Repeat it as you meditate, along with your pulse, or along with your breaths. Thinking "This isn't how to meditate!" is really a matter of opinion, but use what works for you.
The "GAP"
The Gap, is not something I speak of often, not because it sounds crazy, but because I know so few people who have experienced it. The sad part is that you only realize that you've experienced the Gap after you've left it! This sounds like a contradiction, it really isn't.
The Gap as I refer to it is that space, where everything stops, there are no thoughts, there are no emotions, there is nothing but peace. It is a brief moment where the mind completely settles and no thoughts are had and no emotions are felt. It is a space between thoughts and spaces. Others who have experienced this, and I am not the only one, I've talked to several meditators who have had this occurrence, agree.
The truth about the Gap is that anyone can reach it, but you only know that you were in the Gap once you come out of it. The moment that you realize, "I'm in the Gap!" you're no longer there, the moment is past, and thoughts have returned.
In my meditation, I try to extend my time in the Gap, sometimes it works, often it doesn't. The aim of meditation is not to achieve anything, but to allow the mind to settle and relax. Being in the Gap, for me is the pinnacle of the meditation experience. It is the goal. I don't, however, feel disappointed if I don't achieve reaching that space. I still feel very relaxed, focused and refreshed after a sit. The best part of being in the Gap for me is the total sense of peace I feel while I'm there. I strongly suggest that you find the Gap within yourself if you meditate.
AUTHORS NOTE: It took me a few weeks of daily meditation to reach the Gap within myself, please do not feel discouraged, or give up on meditation if you do not experience it quickly. Each mind and soul are different and we all have different needs within meditation. To compare my experiences to yours would not be fair to you the reader. I sincerely hope that if you try meditation, you make it part of your daily life and that it helps to enrich your days, nights and overall well beiing.
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