Have you ever been told "just give me some space!" or said this yourself. Usually, this statement comes before you snap, feel overwhelmed or at the end of a frustrated moment. Why do people say this? Intuitively, we know that space is good. We all like some physical breathing room, especially when a person or problem is too close. Meditation gives your inner self some space from your mind.
Wait…. what? Let me explain…Many times we say the expression "my mind is driving me crazy" or "I can't stop my mind from racing." The mind isn't doing this to cause panic or anxiety, it's just doing what the mind does, gather information, store things and basically keep the thought process going. See what actually drives us crazy is we don't stop our thought process enough, we don't give our thoughts and feelings space in between the next thought or feeling. Instead of observing our thoughts, we just react like Domino's falling one after another. See, we know our outside experiences well, touch, seeing and doing, but seldomly do we understand our thoughts and emotions. Meditation allows us to get in touch with our inner self, it creates space between thinking and quickly reacting. Instead, you have a thought, then you observe that thought or feeling. For example, our partner says something distasteful, we get angry, react. However, when practicing meditation, you can now look and see. I am angry. What's angry? Is this my ego or insecurity? Am I overreacting, is this even worth being upset? All these questions allow space in the mind before you physically react. We all need space physically and mentally; without it we are constantly fearful or stressed out.
There are many forms of meditation, vipassana, metta, pranayama, following the breath, visualizations etc. All of these work with diligence and practice. However, we do need to learn a technique or practice, just as the simplest thing you do such as walking required you to learn a few times before actually doing it. It's good to learn a meditation from someone who has a practice or a teacher, but like anything starting is half the battle.
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