Méditation

Pratiquer la méditation, c'est être en harmonie avec soi, avec son corps et avec la vie. Que connaissez-vous de la méditation? Êtes-vous conscient de ses bienfaits? Avez-vous sur le sujet des idées toutes faites? Vous commencerez par analyser votre façon de voir la méditation et les motivations qui vous conduisent à la pratiquer. Vous évaluerez ensuite votre niveau de stress, car le stress est un des grands maux de notre siècle, et la méditation peut être, contre lui, un remède efficace. Enfin, vous découvrirez les traits de votre personnalité qui seront des atouts pour pratiquer la méditation.

Exercice 3 Les bienfaits de la méditation

Continuons à explorer votre vision de la méditation. À votre avis, quels sont les bienfaits qu'une pratique régulière de la méditation entraîne ? Cochez les propositions qui vous semblent correctes dans le tableau ci-dessous. La méditation permet: - une réduction de la colère et de l'agressivité. - une meilleure gestion des émotions. - une prise de recul par rapport aux événements stressants. - une diminution de la dépendance. - l'activation de certaines régions du cerveau favorisant le calme et le bien-être. - un ralentissement du métabolisme (diminution des rythmes cardiaque et respiratoire, de la production de gaz carbonique, de la tension musculaire, et ralentissement des ondes cérébrales). - une diminution du stress et de l'anxiété. - la prévention des troubles cardio-vasculaires. - le développement de la concentration et de l'attention. - l'amélioration des fonctions cognitives (réflexion, pensée). - l'amélioration du système immunitaire. - le développement de l'empathie. - la diminution des ruminations. La méditation permet: - l'augmentation de la sensation de bonheur. - une vision plus positive des choses. Commentaire …/…. Toutes les propositions citées ci-dessus sont justes ! Pour l'institut de recherche Mind and Life créé à l'initiative du dalai-lama avec de nombreux scientifiques et chercheurs, la pratique de la méditation est source d'une multitude de bienfaits, c'est donc un formidable moyen de prendre soin de soi. La réduction du stress et de l'anxiété est assurément l'effet le plus remarqué, avec la diminution des états dépressifs, des maux de tête, des problèmes d'arythmie cardiaque, d'hypertension, etc.' La mindfulness ou <«< pleine conscience » est un ensemble de techniques thérapeutiques inspirées des pratiques bouddhistes. Selon une revue scientifique', cette méthode est efficace à partir de huit semaines d'une pratique quotidienne de vingt minutes. Avec le programme que nous vous proposons dans cet ouvrage, vous pourrez bénéficier des bienfaits de la méditation, et de subtils changements se mettront durablement en place dans votre existence.

Votre relation au corps La pratique de la méditation est facilitée par une bonne hygiène de vie, une relation harmonieuse à soi-même et à son corps.

Faites le point sur la façon dont vous ressentez et traitez votre corps.

L'idéal consisterait à méditer au moins une demi-heure le matin et une demi-heure le soir. La méditation vous offre l'expérience du champ de pur silence et de la pure attention

Exercice 19. Choisissez votre posture de méditation La méditation se pratique le plus souvent assis sur le sol en demi-lotus (voir dessin dans la méthode n° 4 expliquée ci-après), mais ce n'est pas la seule façon de méditer. Nous vous invitons à découvrir la position qui vous convient le mieux. Suivez pas A pas les étapes de ces différentes méthodes pour trouver votre position de méditation. Méthode n° 1 Choisissez une chaise confortable qui vous permette de garder le dos bien droit. Vos pieds doivent être bien à plat sur le sol et vos mains posées sur vos cuisses (paumes vers les cuisses). Vérifiez que vos épaules sont relâchées et que votre dos est droit sans tensions. Fermez les yeux et ne pensez à rien. Observez votre respiration quelques minutes. Notez ci-dessous vos ressentis et vos impressions sur cette expérience. Comment vous sentez-vous maintenant ? Méthode n° 2 Restez debout. Vos pieds sont parallèles bien à plat sur le sol. Vos genoux sont légèrement fléchis, afin de basculer le bassin vers l'avant. Votre dos est droit. Fermez les yeux et ne pensez à rien. Vos mains reposent sur votre ventre. Observez votre respiration quelques minutes, notamment le va-et-vient de votre ventre. Notez ci-dessous vos ressentis et vos impressions sur cette expérience. Comment vous sentez-vous maintenant ? Méthode n° 3 Vous pouvez tenter de méditer allongé. Vos jambes sont parallèles (non croisées). Vos mains sont posées sur votre ventre ou bien le long du corps. Fermez les yeux. Observez votre respiration (de préférence au niveau du ventre). Ne suivez pas vos pensées, seule votre respiration existe à cet instant. Notez en quoi cette pratique diffère des deux méthodes précédentes. Méthode n° 4 Pour finir, asseyez-vous sur le sol ou sur un coussin en demi-lotus comme sur le dessin ci-dessous. Fermez les yeux. Observez ce que vous ressentez dans votre corps. Soyez attentif à votre respiration sans la modifier. Ne suivez pas vos pensées. Si vous ne pouvez vous en empêcher, revenez en douceur à votre respiration. Suivez ces consignes quelques minutes. Notez ci-dessous vos ressentis et vos impressions sur cette expérience. Comment vous sentez-vous maintenant ? Commentaire De toutes les postures que vous venez de découvrir, la plus fidèle à la méditation est la dernière (méthode n° 4). En revanche, si vous souffrez du dos ou si votre condition physique fait que cette posture n'est pas confortable pour vous, vous pouvez utiliser une chaise (méthode n° 2). La position allongée (méthode n° 3) est la plus éloignée de l'esprit traditionnel de la méditation et se rapproche davantage de la relaxation. Le fait que la méditation se pratique le plus souvent assis permet d'atteindre un état de sérénité à tout moment dans votre vie de tous les jours. Avec de l'entraînement, votre corps sera programmé et vous pourrez en quelques secondes, où que vous soyez, entrer en méditation.

ventre). Ne suivez pas vos pensées, seule votre respiration existe à cet instant. Notez en quoi cette pratique diffère des deux méthodes précédentes. Méthode n° 4 Pour finir, asseyez-vous sur le sol ou sur un coussin en demi-lotus comme sur le dessin ci-dessous. Fermez les yeux. Observez ce que vous ressentez dans votre corps.

TECHNICAL STUFF TIP Chapter 21: Meditation and the Higher Reaches of Yoga 313 Here are several vital tips to help you set the stage for a meditation routine: Practice regularly. Try to meditate every day. If that isn't possible, med- itate at least several times a week. Cultivate the correct motivation. People meditate for all kinds of rea- sons: health, wholeness, peace of mind, clarity, spiritual growth, and so on. Be clear in your own mind why you're sitting down to meditate. The best motivation for meditation (and Yoga practice in general) is to live to your full potential and to benefit others by your personal achievements. In Buddhism, this motivation is known as the bodhisattva ideal. The bodhisattva (“enlightenment being”) seeks to realize enlightenment (the ultimate spiritual state) for the benefit of all other beings. As an enlight- ened being, you can be far more efficient in helping others in their own struggle for wholeness and happiness. Meditate at a regular time. Take advantage of the fact that your body- mind is a creature of habit. After a few weeks of meditating at the same time during the day or night, you may find yourself looking forward to your next meditation session. Traditionally, Yoga practitioners prefer the hour of sunrise, but this time isn't always practical. (Head to Chapter 18 for more on morning meditation.) Inevitably, you have moments when meditation is the last thing you want to do. In that case, resolve to sit quietly for at least five minutes. Often, this break is enough to get you in the mood for full-fledged medi- tation. If not, don't beat yourself over the head; just go on to something else and try again later or the next day. Meditate in the same place. Choose the same place for the same reason you use the same time: Your body-mind enjoys what is familiar. Use this fact to your advantage by setting aside a room or a corner of a room that your mind can associate with meditation. Select an appropriate posture for meditation and do it correctly. Sit up straight, with your chest open, and your neck free (see the follow- ing section for instructions about posture). To avoid falling asleep. don't recline while meditating and don't meditate on your bed, even in a sitting position, because your mind is likely to associate the experi- ence with sleep. If you're not used to sitting on the floor, try sitting on a straight-backed chair or on a sofa with a cushion behind your back. If you can comfortably sit on the floor, you have a variety of yogic pos- tures to choose from, several of which appear in Chapter 7. Select a meditation technique and stick with it. In the beginning, you may want to try out various techniques to see which appeals to you the most. But after you find a good technique for your particular needs, don't abandon it until it bears fruit (in terms of increased peace of mind and happiness), a meditation teacher advises you to change to a differ- ent technique, or you feel really drawn to a different technique.

314 Part IV: Yoga as a Lifestyle WARNING! When you have your routine sorted out, keep the following suggestions in mind as you grow your meditation tree: Begin with short sessions. Meditate only 10 to 20 minutes at a time at first. If your meditation naturally lasts longer, simply rejoice in the fact. But never force yourself if the timing creates conflict or unhappiness in you. Also, beware of overmeditating. Often, what beginners regard as a nice long medi- tation is just self-indulgent daydreaming. Make sure that your meditation con- tains an element of alertness. When you start drifting off into a comfortable space, you can be sure that you're no longer meditating. Like the practice of the Yoga postures, your meditation must have an edge (that is, you must push against the limitations of your mind but without frustrating yourself). Be alert, yet relaxed. Inner alertness, or mindfulness, isn't the same as tension or stress. Cats are good examples of this alertness. Even when a cat is completely relaxed, its ears move around like radar dishes catching every little sound in the environment. The more relaxed you are, the more alert your mind can be, so make sure that your body is relaxed by regu- larly practicing some of the relaxation exercises we describe in Chapter 4. Don't burden yourself with expectations. Entering meditation with a desire to grow spiritually and to benefit from the experience is certainly accept- able. However, don't expect every meditation to be wonderful and pleasant. Prepare properly for meditation. As a beginner, don't expect to be able to jump from the fray of your daily activities straight into meditation. Allow your mind a little time to unwind before you sit for meditation. Have a relaxing bath or shower or at least wash your face and hands. At the end of your meditation, integrate the experience with the rest of your life. Just as going straight from overdrive into a meditative gear isn't prudent, you need to refrain from jumping up from meditation to return your other activities. Instead, make a conscious transition in and out of meditation. At the end of the session, briefly recall your reasons for meditating and your overall motivation. Be grateful for any energies and/or insights your meditation generates. Equally importantly, don't feel negative about a difficult meditation experience. Rather, be grateful for any experience. Sometimes important insights surface during medita- tion, and then your challenge is to translate these messages into daily life. When you continually perform this kind of integration, your medita- tion deepens more quickly as well. Be prepared to practice meditation for a lifetime. You don't grow a tree overnight. On the yogic path, no effort is ever wasted. Therefore, don't give up if your meditation isn't what you think it should be after a month or two. Don't conclude too hastily that meditation isn't working or that the tech- nique you're using isn't effective. Instead, correct your understanding about the nature of meditation and carry on. Your very effort to meditate counts. Be wary of weekend workshops that promise immediate success, if not enlightenment itself. Meditation and enlightenment are lifelong processes.

TIP Chapter 21: Meditation and the Higher Reaches of Yoga 315 Roses come with thorns If you're a beginner and your meditations are consistently comfortable, you have every reason to be suspicious. The purpose of medi- tation is to clear your mind, and doing so entails clearing away the debris (or what one teacher has called “the frogs deep down in the well”). In the beginning, meditation consists largely of discovering just how unruly your mind is. If your meditation practice is successful, you encoun ter your shadow side (all those aspects of your character you'd prefer not to think about). As you go on, more profound insights into your character can and do occur, which then requires you to make the necessary changes in your attitudes and behaviors. Few meditations are spectacular, which isn't at all what meditation is about. Even a seemingly bad meditation is a good meditation because you're applying mindfulness. Don't be surprised. to find that your meditation is calm and uplift- ing one day and turbulent and distracted the next for no apparent reason. Until your mind reaches clarity and calmness, you can expect this fluctuation. Just keep a sense of humor and graciously accept whatever happens in your meditation. Maintaining proper bodily posture Correct posture is important for meditation. Here's a seven-point checklist that can help you develop good sitting habits: Back: Your back position is the single most important physical feature of your meditation. Your back should be straight but relaxed, with your chest open and your neck free. Correct posture enables your bodily energies to flow more freely, which prevents sleepiness. (Flip to “Understanding cakras: Your wheels of fortune” earlier in the chapter for details on the bodily energies.) Most Westerners need a firm cushion under their sits bones (the bones directly under the flesh of the but- tocks) to encourage good posture during meditation and to stop their legs from going to sleep. If you go that route, however, make sure your pelvis doesn't tilt forward too much. Alternatively, you can sit on a chair. Any posture is acceptable as long as you can comfortably main- tain it for the desired duration. Head: For the correct position of your head, picture an attached string pulling the back of your head upward so that your head is tilted slightly forward. Too much of a forward tilt invites drowsiness, but not enough of a tilt can cause mental wandering. Tongue: Allow the front part of your tongue to touch the palate just behind the upper teeth. This position reduces the flow of saliva and the number of times you have to swallow, which many beginners find disturbing.

316 Part IV: Yoga as a Lifestyle WARNING! Teeth: Don't clench your teeth-keep your jaws relaxed. And be sure that your mouth doesn't hang open either. Legs: If you can sit cross-legged for an extended period of time without experiencing discomfort, we especially recommend the perfect posture (siddhasana), which we describe in Chapter 6. The folded legs form a closed circuit, which aids your concentration. If sitting cross-legged is a problem for you, just meditate in a chair. Arms: Keep your hands cupped in your lap with your palms up and your right hand on top of your left. Relax your arms and shoulders, leaving a few inches between your arms and your trunk, which allows the air to circulate and prevents drowsiness. Eyes: Most beginners like to close their eyes, which is fine. As you develop your power of concentration, however, you may want to experi- ment with keeping your eyes slightly open while gazing downward in front of you to signal your brain that you aren't trying to go to sleep. Advanced practitioners are able to keep their eyes wide open without becoming dis- tracted. In any event, make sure that your eye muscles are relaxed. Overcoming obstacles to meditation Whenever you deal with change, you also deal with resistance to change. Thus, the path of meditation is littered with various obstacles that can trip you up. Here are the most important potential hindrances: doubt (about the yogic path or yourself), negative thoughts (about yourself, others, life, and so on), haste, boredom, pretense, and hunting for spiritual experiences. The ego lurks in many niches, especially when you travel on the yogic path. Adding sounds to meditation Using a sound or phrase to focus the mind is a popular approach in many spiri- tual traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islamic Sufism. In Sanskrit, these special sounds are called mantras and are thought to help better focus attention. Mantra Yoga made its debut in the Western world in the late 1960s with the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose most famous disciples were The Beatles. Here are some well-known mantras: The syllable om is composed of the letters a, u, and m, and stands for the waking state, dream state, and deep sleep respectively. Hindus consider this syllable to be sacred and to symbolize the ultimate real- ity, or higher Self (atman). The sound begins from the belly and moves upward; the long-drawn, nasalized humming sound of m represents the ultimate reality.

REMEMBER TUP 宜 Chapter 21: Meditation and the Higher Reaches of Yoga The mantra so'ham (pronounced so-hum) means “I am He,” that is, “I am the universal Self.” You repeat it in sync with breathing: so on inhaling and ham on exhaling. Buddhist Yoga widely uses the mantric phrase om mani padme hum (pronounced om mah-nee pahd-meh hoom). It means “Om. Jewel in the Lotus. Hum,” which conveys that the searched-for higher reality is pres- ent here and now. The mantric utterance om namah shivaya (pronounced om nah-mah shee-vah-yah) is a favorite phrase among Hindu devotees of the Divine in the form of Shiva. It means “Om. Salutation to Shiva.” The mantric utterance hare krishna (pronounced hah-reh krish-nah) was made famous in the West by the members of the Krishna Consciousness movement. It invokes the Divine in the form of Krishna, who is also called Hari. According to the Yoga tradition, sounds are considered mantras only after a guru passes the sound to a worthy disciple. Thus, the syllable om on its own- without proper initiation - isn't a mantra. Many Western Yoga teachers take a more relaxed approach and recommend both traditional and contemporary words for mantra practice. Reciting your mantra Whether you choose your own mantra or are given one, you must repeat it over and over again, either mentally or vocally (whispered or aloud), in order to make it effective. This practice of recitation is called japa (pronounced jah-pah), meaning “muttering.” So, what happens after you recite a mantra a thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred thousand times? As you repeat the sound, your attention becomes more and more focused and your consciousness becomes absorbed into the sound. The mantra begins to recite itself, serving as an anchor for your mind whenever you don't need to engage your thoughts in specific tasks. This shift simplifies your inner life and gives you a sense of peace. Ultimately, your mantra can guide you to enlightenment. Of course, to achieve enlightenment you must fulfill the other requirements of Yoga as well, notably honoring the moral disciplines, which we cover in detail in Chapter 18. We also discuss the road to enlightenment further in “Reaching toward Enlightenment” later in this chapter. We recommend that beginners recite their mantra aloud, at a slow, steady pace. After you have some experience with this form of meditation, you can begin to whisper your mantra so that only you can hear it. Traditionally, the most powerful form of mantric recitation is silent or mental recitation. This exercise, however, calls for a certain degree of skill in maintaining your con- centration, so start with a vocal mantra. 317

Chapitre 1 Découvrir la méditation de pleine conscience Dans ce chapitre : La méditation de pleine conscience, qu'est-ce que c'est ? Les bienfaits de la méditation de pleine conscience À la découverte de la méditation de pleine conscience La méditation de pleine conscience consiste à porter délibérément son attention sur ce qui se passe au moment présent et fait appel à des qualités comme la compassion, la curiosité et la disposition à accepter les choses. Grâce à un travail d'attention consciente, vous découvrez comment vivre agréablement le moment présent, au lieu de vous soucier du passé ou de vous préoccuper de l'avenir. Le passé est le passé, il est impossible de le changer. L'avenir n'est pas encore là, et il est complètement inconnu. Le moment présent, l'instant même, est en fin de compte le seul moment dont vous puissiez disposer. La méditation de pleine conscience vous apprend à vivre ce moment de façon harmonieuse. Elle vous permet de trouver comment faire du moment présent un moment meilleur à vivre : ce moment présent, c'est le seul espace dans lequel vous puissiez créer, décider, écouter, penser, sourire, agir et vivre.