What is meditation?

​​Meditation, say what?!
The art of meditation is the current theme of my creative endevours.
I hear it all the time people telling me they can’t meditate, when what they mean is they can’t quieten the mind. Guess what? Neither can I for extended periods of time, and by extended periods of time I probably mean more than a few seconds.
Seriously though; meditation is not quietening the mind.

Say what?!

I repeat, meditation is not quietening the mind; but rather becoming intimate with our experience, intimate with the nature of the mind, intimate with sensation.
And by intimacy I do not mean kissing and canoodling, I mean developing a relationship with. Becoming familiar. Gaining insight, and understanding. Being honest. Being compassionate.
It’s sitting with oneself and attending what is happening fully. So, if there are thoughts, being aware of the thoughts, yet once we realize that is what’s happening, coming back to attend our experience without being taken away and lost in thought.
It’s allowing for that which is actually happening to happen, to experience it, to meet the present moment with our full attention. To shine the light of awareness back upon itself.

Say what?!

It’s not trying to do or to achieve, it’s BEing. It’s allowing. It’s experiencing.
It’s setting the intention to BE with the present moment.
It’s slowing down, though it may not feel like it, as we’re suddenly aware of the 20 000 thoughts we have running around our mind all at once.
Yet it is, and with practice it evolves and develops, we change. Ever so subtly, and overtime. But we do, as what we learn in meditation, however subconsciously, gradually trickles through into our everyday lives; and we begin to be more present in our daily situations. As we begin to attend the moments with our full attention. As we begin to really BE, truly immersing ourselves in the Here & Now.