Why meditation?
In my experience I have found it is one of the better ways to become creative. I get almost all my ideas from this practice. It calms me down and I can more easily see what is worth pursuing.
How can meditation support my creativity?
Well, in my point of view, as I have discussed in other articles on this site, you need some other practice than your art to ground and support yourself. There are many ways you can do this but this time I will specifically talk about meditation, how to practice and why it is a great tool for your creativity.
What is meditation?
Many believe this is just a religious or spiritual practice. Religious or spiritual are two words that mean so many different things to people so I won’t go there today.
But it does not have to be a spiritual practice. You don’t have to be a Buddhist for example. It can simply be a practice to ground yourself.
Let’s stay with that idea: You have some time for yourself; you watch your thoughts and emotions; you rest and relax but at the same time you are fully awake.
I meditate daily. I have practiced meditation for a while and now it is something I can’t really live without. It is a way to “come home”, to feel sane, to collect myself.
It took me a while to get used to doing it daily. I started small and then gradually I did more. I also made the mistake of doing too much which made me stop for a while, feeling overwhelmed. Then I remembered the idea of the daily practice which quickly got me back on track.
More creativity through meditation
I get lots of ideas this way. Almost all my ideas come from thoughts popping up in my mind while meditating. I also feel more creative during the day as well. More and more, my meditation has started to become a way to solve problems and to come up with new ideas. I never intended to do this and in a way I don’t think this is what meditation 
is ultimately about. It is not like that idea is wrong either. It just started to happen when I got more used to the practice.
I think this has to do with the fact that I am not stressed when I meditate, I don’t have to come up with ideas, I’m more open to any ideas and I am not afraid of letting the idea go away as well. Ideas are passing by like clouds on a clear sky. This seems to make me relax more during the day as well and so more ideas come.
Meditation in the morning has also automatically become a way to organize my day. Even though I have my planners and computers, I go through my day in my meditation. It is not something I try to do, it just seems to happen. But it happens in a calm way with no results in mind. This way I know more what to focus on later in the day and what has more priority. I often remember things that I don’t always pay attention to; perhaps my partner needs some more of my attention or I have neglected my health, friends or my piano.
Where can I learn to meditate?
I very much recommend that you find a teacher, privately or in a group. This is very easy to find. Often cheap, sometimes free.
You can go to any Buddhist temple or church. It is quite easy to find a Zen group in the bigger cities now a days. Many organizations offer their own kind of meditation practices and that is ok too. I recommend a lineage that has been around for a long time. You can trust their practice more because it has been tried through the ages and there is often much wisdom and support in those kinds of groups.
I am not a master and I do not follow a particular lineage but I will show a simple way to practice. I still really stress the importance of learning from a master from a great lineage.
A simple way to practice – Where and on what?
Find a place in your home that is quiet and calm. You can meditate sitting in a chair or on a meditation cushion or in a sofa. It is not “better” to sit on a cushion. It makes no difference. Do what works for you.
Head and eyes
Your head should be straight and balanced without tension. Don’t lean forward or backward. Your eyes can be opened or closed. For some people, it is easier in the beginning with their eyes opened so that they don’t fall asleep. If you have your eyes opened, you should look slightly down with a relaxed gaze.
How to sit
If you sit on a cushion is not necessary that you sit cross-legged in a full lotus. You are not a better meditator because of that posture. It can be helpful to do the full lotus posture because it makes it easier to have an erect spine. All teachers and books that I trust don’t stress the importance of absolute correct posture. They talk more about attitude and presence. They all mention straight spine though. This does not mean that you should tense up. Chögyam Trungpa 
Rinpoche once said that a good posture is something you would have when you ask someone to marry you.
You can also sit with your legs tucked underneath you, like you would sit in a martial arts dojo. But make sure you have a meditation cushion between your legs and something soft under your knees, perhaps a mat.
If you sit on a chair or sofa, sit normally at the edge of your chair, both feet touching the ground. Don´t lean back.
Hands
There are many ways to have your hands. Again, there are no “better” hand positions. Here are two simple positions:
You either put your hands on your knees, palms facing down or you simply clasp your hands by holding the left thumb with your right hand, resting your hands on your legs close to your navel.
Breathing
I will show you a simple pattern of counting your breath. This is called a “mantra” and it really just serves the purpose of focusing your mind so you do not fall asleep or let your mind wonder. There are other purposes of mantras but the most basic idea is to keep you present and focused. If you have meditated for a while you could simply follow your breath without counting. But in the beginning I very much recommend this mantra:
You breathe in and think 1
You breathe out and think 2
You breath in and think 3
and so on…
You do this until you reach 10. And then you simply start over.
Make sure you breathe normally. Don’t force your breath in any way. It does not matter if the breath is deep or shallow, fast or slow. Just follow the breath, whatever rhythm it has.
In the beginning you might eventually find yourself counting perhaps up to 24, 25…
This is not a problem. If you do, don’t blame or curse yourself. Just notice and start over. It is not a big deal, it is a practice. The practice is not to reach a goal or to become perfect. It is just a practice.
Other similar practices
First I wanted to say that I think meditation is for everyone and I don’t think it is hard to learn. It might be more difficult for some in the beginning. The hardest part is not the technique but to sit still. Another difficulty is to continue the practice after 2-3 weeks.
So here are some other ideas:
If you are familiar with “The artist’s way” by Julia Cameron, she talks about “morning pages”. This practice I very much recommend. Personally it is not a practice that I use but I know many people do and it works really well for them. In my mind the morning pages is a kind of meditative practice.- There are also various forms of prayers you can try. This is something I know less about but I know it is very helpful for many people.
- Any authentic sacred dance is a very good idea. This might be something more interesting for you if meditation is not your thing no matter how many times you try.
Further help and resources
There are TONS of book on this topic. But I will recommend a small book that can really help your attitude towards practice and how to do it. It is called “Zen Mind, Beginners Mind” by Shunryu Suzuki. It is a Zen book of course, but you’ll find that Zen meditation is as basic as it gets when it comes to sitting. Many Zen masters actually say: “just sit”.
I also highly recommend a Vipassana retreat. It is a really great way to learn meditation by a true master for absolutely FREE and there are centres all over the world. This way you will definitely learn about meditation full on. It is a ten day retreat, where all you do is meditating. The centres are really nice and are supported by donations only. It s quite an experience. It might change your life too. Just search for vipassana on the Internet.
Cheers!
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Hello! My name is Samuel and this blog is about "creativeness" and overcoming procrastination. Check out "about" for more info. You can also connect with me via the icons below. Enjoy your stay!
