Why I meditate

Say meditation to someone who has seen the portrayal of it in mainstream media and I bet most folk will ask you about your hippy life. They’ll expect you to be vegan animal right campaigner that sleep on rocks because you could never possibly sleep on a wooden frame because trees lost their lives to give humans creature comforts.

So stereotyping aside meditation is a highly powerful tool. I know for many Muslims the idea of meditating isn’t a concept they want to look at or consider as it feels more in line with the Hindu faith than Islam. However the concept of sitting down, clearing your mind and focusing is quite Islamic. The idea we need to sit down and fix our thoughts to get the maximum out of our lives shouldn’t really be alien to anyone. The fast pace of life today means we all look for a release and ways of maintaining our sanity and being able to focus on our goals and missions in life. Too much mental junk clutters up the thought process leaving us pushing walls that shouldn’t be our brains. We should be able to prioritise mentally what is important to us and focus on it. Pray about it. Meditate on it manifesting. Being clear is how we ideally would want things to happen/unfold. But if your brain is like a super highway with all the lanes rammed with traffic you won’t be manifesting much soon.

I got into meditating when my life took a few unplanned changes. I got back on the horse and needed quality guidance. I also wanted to be able to hear my mind. Process what was happening and make decisions based on the facts and with clarity.

Do you need any special equipment to meditate?

In my opinion NO. If you wish to use guided meditation on your phone I suggest you use headphones. Most phones come with a pair or you can pick up a cheap pair on certain websites these days. I use ‘tracks’ off YouTube for guided meditation or I’ll look up background tracks for meditating too. You can purchase these yes. But with YouTube around it’s not a requirement to be able to get into meditation.

I don’t dress a certain way to meditate. You may want to be comfortable though especially if you plan to meditate for longer than say 15 minutes.

Although this isn’t essential to meditate I have been known for cleansing the room, airing it out and burning incense (oudh). I like the idea of a clean space to concentrate. This isn’t essential like I side. I’ve just put it out there as I know some people pick up habits along the way and feel they need approval to do them. I never sought any approval from anyone on this issue.

And if I’m sitting on the floor I will sit on my yoga mat or on my meditating stool (which I only purchased after I started spending hours in meditative state).

So how do I meditate?

I meditate in several ways depending on my daily needs. I try to meditate at least 20 minutes a day. Why? I find clarity of my missions for the day soothing. I don’t feel panicked by my tasks. I can take them in my stride. It’s as simple as that. I also find gratitude easier to express when my mind is clear of all the noise.

Guided meditation tracks (YouTube)
The idea behind this is a voice will guide you through the session helping you breathe and ponder on the situation at hand. I love guided meditation tracks because there are lots on specific subject areas such as recovering from bad relationships, healing, health etc. So for a beginner these are fantastic.

Meditating in silence
I use my meditating stool if I feel I will be meditating for a long period of time. Otherwise I sit on my bed (legs crossed) eyes closed deep breaths contemplating/musing/reflecting over matters that concern me. I keep a notepad close by as sometimes I meditate on specific issues and when I finish meditating thoughts/answers come into my head so rather than lose that feeling I keep it by jotting it down.

Meditating with candles/incense/creating a mood
Now this will conjure up images of yoga studios and sandalwood burning for many. For me it’s more of a case of if I’m struggling with something (say a project) then I may need to get into the zone to meditate and fix the issue. So I will light candles to focus and drown out the outside world. I use incense to create ambiance (I use a lot of oudh/sandalwood/sage). I will then meditate in silence or play background tracks of birds/rivers/whatever I feel the desire too.

Meditating & Dhikr

*I do prepare for Dhikr by cleansing myself. For more information you can google Islam and cleanliness for praying*.

Dikr is the remembrance of Allah via short sentences/the names of Allah we recite using on occasion tasbih (like rosary beads). It’s a devotional act in Islam. Now I’m not here to debate if this is an act created by the Sufi sect or someone else. I sit there in silence reciting the names of Allah (one of the 99). I find the actual act of Dhikr is meditation for me. It’s focusing on what my problem is or if I’m doing it as gratitude I am taking part in the devotion to express that. So sitting there focusing on my goal whilst reciting short sentences that glorify the almighty help me not only focus but feel good and help me feel grounded.
I sometimes spend time in silence meditating before I start Dhikr to clear my mind and gain positive focus.

Meditating before praying
I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer. I’m also a believer that a prayer should be said with clear intentions and focus. So to me meditating before praying is a natural step. You clear the mind, and when you say your prayers and essentially talk to God it’s done in a clear, concise manner that is focused on the prayer. Outside noise is ‘blocked’ as you concentrate on the important subject at hand.

I’ve used meditation to control stress and even as pain relief (I had severe shoulder pain due to stress and my GP was unable to prescribe anything for it so I tried meditating which helped cure the pain and helped me gain control over the stress. The stress was relieved too). On a daily basis it’s more for clarity and focus and guidance on all aspects on life.

As I’ve mentioned before as life is fast paced with a lot going on it’s easier for thoughts to get lost and become unclear. Prayers are sometimes said with less focus. The mind to me in the processing centre of your body. Your spirit. Your being. Look at it like this. If your laptop slowed down wouldn’t you get it checked out for viruses and have it given a once over to check out what the issue is? Your mind needs the exact same level of care (if not more). You need to clear out negativity, the bad vibes. Leftover clutter from things that no longer matter. The feelings that are being harboured that are creating mental blocks that stop you moving forward.

So if your brain is slowing down and you having less clarity declutter. Take a brain dump. Write lists. Pray. Dhikr. Meditate. Give yourself the time you deserve for a healthier mind. Don’t let modern day processes slow down the most important piece of equipment you own; your mind.