Meditation is normally associated with a sitting position, crossed legs, closed eyes, still body, and the mind empty of thoughts. That’s the ideal scenario.
Unfortunately, the crude reality is quite different: the body is in desperate need of movement and the mind is in constant turmoil, relentlessly wandering and unable to settle down. For too many people approaching meditation for the first time, sitting in silence can be a painful experience. Some very committed beginner meditators might be able to imitate Buddha’s posture and sit absolutely still for few minutes; but that doesn’t guarantee the Buddha experience. The modern sedentary lifestyle, coupled with a hyperactive and overstimulated mind, cause people to suffer from stress, chronic fatigue, and low energy level.
Countless meditation techniques have been devised down the ages to help people find peace and relaxation. Most of these techniques are based on chanting mantras, visualizing a certain object or practicing mindfulness in a static position.
Many people experience additional tension when attending a meditation class for the first time. On top of your normal anxiety, now a new tension is added: you must relax! If you cannot relax with traditional meditation techniques, then OSHO Active Meditations might be a good fit for you.
OSHO Active Meditations are meditation techniques specifically designed for modern people. They address the obstacles to meditation that 21st century people inevitably face when trying to relax and meditate. With OSHO Active Meditation you do not have to forcefully impose stillness upon your body and mind. These methods incorporate body movement and emotional release to awaken your vitality and shift the energy from the thinking process back to the body. The result is that you will feel more alive, vibrant, and healthy, and you will be able to relax naturally.
Sitting in a Buddha posture is the last thing to do; it should never be done in the beginning… I never tell people to begin just with sitting… If you start with something active, you will begin to feel an inner stillness growing. The more it grows, the more it will be possible for you to use a sitting posture.
Osho
Osho’s understanding is that life energy works as a dialectic process; it moves constantly through opposite polarities. Energy cannot be still and it does not proceed in a linear fashion. So the approach is to create a climax of tension from where you can fall into natural relaxation. Relaxation cannot be imposed, rather it can be achieved indirectly, as a by-product of intense activity. So before any relaxation and inner stillness, a great energy activation is required.
A myriad of recent scientific studies demonstrates that mental stress and negative emotions have negative health effects. From a physiological point of view that means high cortisol level (the stress hormone), high blood pressure, heart conditions, poor digestion, lowered immune system, just to list a few; and from a psychological point of view, that means depression, anxiety, irritability, anger, and the list goes on.
So unless you express your energy, you are likely to poison your mind and body with physical and emotional toxins which have deleterious effects for your health. OSHO Active Meditations allow expression and even catharsis. You will be encouraged to consciously unburden your subconscious mind from repressed emotions and the result is a deep transformation which can heal your mind, body and soul.
Life needs expression, life is expression. If you do not allow life, then you are creating, accumulating, explosive forces. They will explode and you will go to bits. Because of this division, you cannot be at ease, silent, blissful.
Osho
If you tried traditional techniques and failed, it’s not your fault. There is nothing wrong with you and don’t think that you are bad at meditation. Simply try something new and different. You may discover that your inner Buddha is much closer than you think.
Swaram has practiced meditation for over 20 years and is a certified OSHO Active Meditation facilitator. He holds a MA in Philosophy, and he teaches OSHO Active Meditations in Singapore. His website is www.loveosho.com.
