new to downtown meditation?
Downtown Meditation focuses on meditation as a practice of developing skills. Mindfulness of breath (remembering to keep the breath in mind) is the primary skill we teach.
If you are new to meditation, the information on this page can help you get started. However, meditation is best practiced as part of a community.
Basic meditation skills are not taught at the Wednesday night sittings. For students who are new to dhamma practice, we recommend taking a New Students Course. We offer these courses on a regular basis. Please see our schedule for the next course.
Meditation FAQ
WHAT IS MEDITATION?
In the Thai Forest tradition, meditation is often called “building a home for the mind.” Most of the time, our minds don’t have a refuge from the anxieties, regrets, and emotions that overwhelm us. Through the practice of meditation, we seek to develop such a refuge.
DO I HAVE TO BE A BUDDHIST TO MEDITATE?
No. The Buddha’s teachings (dhamma) only require you to believe that your thoughts, words, and deeds have consequences. Our community contains many people who identify as belonging to religions other than Buddhism, or no religion at all..
HOW LONG SHOULD I MEDITATE?
There is no set time, but if you are a beginner, the suggestion is: five minutes a day, every day. It is important to value consistency over duration, so whatever amount of time you commit to, make sure you can do it every day.
CAN I MEDITATE IN A CHAIR?
Yes. Just make sure your back isn’t slumped. A suggestion is to sit at the edge of the chair so your spine can be erect without any support.
CAN I MEDITATE LYING DOWN?
It’s better not to. The kind of concentration developed while lying down tends to be closer to a dream-state and not conducive for developing mindfulness.
CAN I LISTEN TO MUSIC WHILE MEDITATING?
It’s better not to. In meditation, we are seeking to withdraw our senses from the outside world.
CAN I MEDITATE ON THE TRAIN OR WHILE WALKING DOWN THE STREET?
It’s good to practice mindfulness of breath while in daily life, but meditating on the train or while walking in the street won’t create the conditions for developing deep concentration. Claiming a quiet spot at home is an important part of developing your daily practice.
SHOULD I USE AN APP OR GUIDED MEDITATIONS?
It’s better not to rely on them. You can learn technique from a guided meditation, but ultimately, you have to develop a strong inner voice of your own that you can use to guide yourself through meditation.
Basic Insight Meditation Instructions
BEFORE YOU BEGIN…
Decide how long you want your session to be and set a timer. If you are new to meditation, try five or ten minutes. As you become comfortable with the practice, you can slowly add time in five minute increments until you eventually build up to thirty or forty minutes. This may take a few weeks.
Sit in a comfortable position: head facing forward, hands resting at ease in your lap or on your thighs, back straight but not strained. Close your eyes, unless you get sleepy, in which case open them a bit.
PREPARING YOUR MIND…
Notice where in your body you feel a sense of ease, maybe in the hands or feet. Notice that part of your experience is pleasant.
Bring your attention to your mind. Notice what’s in the mind, maybe thoughts about the past or future. Put these to the side.
Cultivate a skillful intention, a reminder of what you are going to do and why. Use your own words, but something like: My intention is to do this sitting out of love for myself. Or, My intention is to do this sitting to support my wellbeing.
Make sure your mind is in a good mood to meditate. To do that, call to mind a few things you are grateful for. Don’t forget your inner blessings too: the ways you have been generous, kind, and determined to train your mind.
MEDITATE…
Focus on the breath at one spot, probably the nostrils or rise and fall of the abdomen. Make up your mind you will keep your attention right there.
Be proactive in guiding your awareness to the breath at one point. Use words and images to remind yourself, moment by moment, that you are focusing on the breath. Allow any thinking not connected with the breath to fall away.
If the mind wanders, bring it back firmly but gently and focus on the breath again. You always get the last move in deciding whether to come back to this one spot.
When you start to notice a sense of ease in the breath, put your awareness on the ease itself. Don’t force, but find, a pleasant part of the breath.
If concentration is strong enough, you can spread these easeful breath sensations throughout the body, thinking of the breath less as air and more as an energy in the body.
ENDING YOUR MEDITATION…
When the time you have committed to is up, acknowledge your effort and any discoveries you may have made, before exiting the meditation. You may wish to dedicate your sitting to someone you care about.
CONSIDER…
In creating a daily practice, value consistency over duration. It is better to sit for five minutes every day than for an hour once a week. Acknowledge your commitment to consistency often.
When difficulties in meditation come up, speak with a qualified teacher.