How to Totally Relax in Meditation

Herein lies the secret of total relaxation during meditation; is to let things be exactly as they are and just leave them as you find them. Even if you find yourself thinking a lot or tensely, you can allow it and take a mental step back and just observe it without trying to change it. There are many types of meditations, such as focusing on the breath, meta or love meditations, visualizations and mentally repeating mantras, but in my experience these all have a subtle aggression, a subtle longing or looking for things to be different. All of these meditations are attempts to create a peaceful state or transcend your normal everyday state of mind, but to truly relax all that is required is to let the situation be as it is.

You’ve probably heard all this stuff about accepting and letting go before, but here’s the secret to accepting and allowing to truly relax: – You don’t have to actually accept the present moment or let go of anything because that would require effort, and that would imply that things are not yet perfect as they are. trying to accept would require doing something with willpower and subtle aggression. The secret is to simply FIND the part of yourself that already allows and adapts to the current situation. Don’t accept or reject anything. These are the most important instructions of Tibetan Buddhist masters.

This is where the simplest relaxation meditation also becomes the most profound. Finding that place that is inside every person and is called Consciousness. I use a capital ‘A’ to give it the extra respect it deserves, but it is also the most ordinary and fundamental part of our lives. Contacting this consciousness is exactly what meditation is all about. Consciousness has already allowed the current situation, so there is no need for further acceptance.

Trying to relax by changing our current state brings with it a subtle fear, a feeling that things are not okay as they are and that we need to change or avoid them to be happy.

This open consciousness I am pointing out is fearless, what Zen masters call indomitable, meaning it is not displaced or swept away by current circumstances, it is stable like a mountain and connecting with this inner space can bring tremendous courage and fortitude into our lives to take. This incredible spaciousness surrounds everything – every feeling, every thought and every sensation is permeated and completely immersed in limitless consciousness.

Open Consciousness does not come and go, you do not create this Consciousness in meditation and you cannot make it better nor can you harm it, it is the core of all experiences, it is here and now, it is the open space that gives you the opportunity to read this blog. It is the effortless foundation of your being, the unchanging presence that you carry with you throughout your life. As Deepak Chopra explains:

“Meditation is not a way to quiet your mind. It is a way to enter the silence that is already there – buried beneath the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day.”

Presence, Being, Consciousness – all these terms could imply the use of spiritual jargon, but it is not special or ‘spiritual’ in the sense that only gurus or enlightened people have it. It is the most ordinary space within you that has ALREADY accepted and allowed the present moment, so you don’t have to DO anything to accept things. Just BE this fundamental open consciousness that has already accommodated this present moment. Any attempt to get anywhere in the future is a selfish pursuit that is sure to fail or be short-lived at best. In the future you cannot go anywhere or go anywhere, because this all-accepting Consciousness is always present in this moment and at every moment.

Of course, breathing long and slow, or watching the breathing process without distraction, or mentally repeating a mantra can all help you relax during meditation, and also have great health benefits, but all of these things are only temporary relief. They are a way to mask or even suppress tension and create a fabricated replica of real relaxation. They all require effort and willpower to achieve and therefore can actually keep you from finding the true peace of immediate open awareness.

Once you have found the total relaxation of coming home to this Consciousness in meditation, it becomes easier and easier to connect with it at any time of the day. The Tibetan Buddhist word for meditation is ‘Gom’, which means ‘confidence making’. In formal meditation you become familiar with your own immediate, all-accepting Consciousness and soon you can easily enter this open Consciousness in your daily life and relaxation will accompany you wherever you go.

So the instructions for formally meditating in this way go something like this: sit quietly, don’t talk, don’t harbor philosophical thoughts, don’t change, alter or invent anything, in fact just leave everything as it is and relax into the all-accepting Consciousness of simply Are.

Chad Foreman is the founder of The Way of Meditation and has been teaching meditation since 2003, determined to bring authentic meditation practices into the lives of millions of people in the modern world. Chad is a former Buddhist monk who lived in a retreat hut for six years and studied and practiced meditation full-time. He now has over twenty years of experience teaching meditation. Chad likes regularly
Meditation retreats on the Sunshine Coast, Australia
Online meditation coachingprovides three online programs – The 21 Day Meditation Challenge to gradually guide people from the basic principles of mindfulness and relaxation to profound states of consciousness.
Breathwork to help manage stress and go deeper into meditation and
The bliss of inner fire This is a Buddhist tantric method to clear energy blockages and connect with the clear light of bliss. You can also get Chad’s free ebook now Insights on the go.