The Easy Way of Beginning Meditation

So, wherever you are - train, plane, bus, office, shopping mall, coffee bar, bed, armchair - all you need to do is draw a half-inch (12mm) blob on a piece of paper and look at it for five seconds. Don't worry about the time exactly, just look at the blob and count to five.

OK, that's it. Because of the novelty you probably managed it. Congratulations, you can meditate. Surprised it's that easy? Well, it is only the beginning, but don't underestimate it, it is a beginning. Now you've mastered that you can go on and meditate anywhere. All you need is a blob, or something that resembles the blob, or the ability to imagine a blob.

What you did, even if only for a few seconds, is turn your conscious brain off, the busy bit of it, the bit that won't stay still. It's that bit that always leaps in when you have got a moment to yourself. It won't let you forget what you've got to do, what you should have done, or said, or wish you'd done or said. It's that bit that eats away at your peace that might be keeping you awake at night that invades your head the moment you wake up in the morning.

Now we can go back to the blob. Eventually, when you become really proficient, you may be able to meditate (whatever we decide that is) for long periods on the black spot or, in true meditation fashion, a candle. It's very difficult to do that in the early days, so be content if you can manage it for several seconds. We can easily extend that period if we let our subconscious mind in on the act.

Just observe, stay detached, and allow the blob to take on a shape or change color. Don't think what color you want it to be. Sit back and let your watching self be amazed by what happens.

If any ideas or images are so persistent that you feel inclined to shift them, don't. Don't get caught up in the detail, the bait that wants to drag you back into brain-mode, stay remote and observe how you are feeling. What makes that image a problem - your anger, weakness, fear? Whatever it is it doesn't matter, identify it, accept it, and the image with its feeling will eventually move on. Notice you are identifying and accepting the feeling, becoming aware. Don't judge it, defend it, argue or respond in any way. You are the observer, totally impartial.

So, let's go back to the blob. If you like the blob you have created, hang on to it because as soon as your mind recognizes the piece of paper and the same blob, it will prepare itself for what will follow.

We're going to give the blob 20 seconds this time. Not that we're going to measure the time or count numbers. We're just telling ourselves that for 20 seconds we are going to observe a black blob on a page. If it's more or less, it doesn't matter, the crucial part is that we don't get in the way.

Sorry, I'd like to make it sound more complicated, but I can't. All you have to do is let whatever happens happen. What might happen? Well, it might change color, we've already touched on that. Then, it might become someone's face. You might recognize them, but don't worry about names, keep your distance. It might become a different shape, it might become three-dimensional, it might become an animal, a household object... It could become anything, or it may just stay a blob.

What you've achieved is giving your subconscious the chance to play. It may be like a child when you take it to the park for the first time, the space is so huge and the freedom so awesome that it doesn't want to go anywhere or do anything. But give it time and it will happily go off and do its own thing.

Be bold, try the blob for a whole minute. If you find that your mind is invaded by your day-to-day thoughts, then stop. Some meditation books might tell you to bring your mind back to your point of concentration (in our case the blob), and for some people this will work. But sometimes it is better to congratulate yourself on the period you've achieved and move on to something else.

Gradually you will find that the meditation game extends to a few minutes. You might find yourself smiling at some of the images that pop into your head. Remember, meditation is not a solemn, somber enterprise. It is to relax and refresh you first, and then perhaps you will get insights into your life. But the first phase is to get your subconscious to enjoy the freedom of escape.

Some people will achieve blob watching without any 'mind' interference in hours, others might not feel entirely convinced they've achieved it at all. It doesn't matter, wherever you're at, it's time to move on because different people respond in different ways, and maybe a slightly different approach will help you on your way.

The next step is to impose a shape, color or face on our blob. In fact, you probably don't need the physical blob now. You can probably close your eyes and imagine it. Try it, and then play with it.

So, can't empty your head of all but a blob? Imagine or visualize tipping all that buzz stuff, all the problems and junk (it's normally problems and junk that fill our heads) into a bin or shredder. Or put it all in a basin of water and watch it dissolve. Try it now, don't try to identify what these things are that you're pouring into the water, but notice what color the water becomes as they dissolve, red, blue, black. Then, obviously, we just pull the plug and they swirl away with a fond farewell. They haven't gone forever, but shouldn't get in the way of your meditation for a while. And you can get back to creating your own blobby faces, without the pressure of the world on your shoulders.