How to Sit

There is nowhere to arrive except the present moment.

When you sit alone quietly, it’s something beautiful, even if nobody sees it.

Peace and calm are contagious.

Sit in such a way that you feel light, relaxed, happy, and free. Many of us have so many anxieties and projects that weigh heavily on us. We carry our past sorrows and anger and they become a kind of baggage that makes life heavy. Sitting meditation is a way to practice letting go of the things we carry needlessly.

When people say, “Don’t just sit there, do something,” they’re urging you to act. But if the quality of your being is poor—if you don’t have enough peace, understanding, and equanimity, if you still have a lot of anger and worries—then your actions will also be poor.

As soon as we pay attention to our breath, as we breathe in, these three things—body, breath, and mind—come together.

A guided meditation is an opportunity to look deeply into the mind, to sow wholesome seeds there, and to strengthen and cultivate those seeds so that they may become the means for transforming the suffering in us.

To be alive is the greatest of all miracles, and you can rejoice in being alive. When you breathe in this way, your breath is a celebration of life.

To be in the here and the now—solid and fully alive—is a very positive contribution to our collective situation.

The present moment contains the whole of life.

All phenomena are impermanent. They are subject to birth and death. When the notions of birth and death are removed, this silence is called great joy.

In the process of meditation, fetters are undone; internal blocks of suffering such as resentment, fear, anger, despair, and hatred are transformed; relationships with humans and nature become easier; freedom and joy can penetrate us. We become aware of what is inside and around us;

When you sit down, the first thing to do is to become aware of your breathing. Becoming aware of your breathing is the first step in taking care of yourself.

The quality of our presence is the most positive element that we can contribute to the world.

Instead of describing sitting meditation as the practice of concentration, looking deeply, and getting insight, I like to describe sitting as enjoying doing nothing.

Sitting meditation is a way to practice letting go of the things we carry needlessly. These things are nothing but obstacles to our happiness. Ease in our sitting and ease in our breathing nourishes the body and mind.

If you always sit in expectation, you’re not in the present moment. The present moment contains the whole of life.

Every time we truly stop and look deeply, the result is a better understanding of the true nature of what is there inside us and around us.

Everyone is breathing, but not everyone is aware that they’re breathing.

Naming can be a first step in giving us some distance from our feelings, so we can see that a feeling is just a feeling and that it is impermanent. A feeling comes and eventually it goes.

When we are calm, we can look deeply into a difficult emotion to see its roots and understand it better.

A few moments of sitting and conscious breathing can bring great happiness.

Mindfulness meditation can be practiced anywhere and in whatever position the body is in—whether we are sitting, walking, standing, or lying down.

Don’t worry if you don’t have hours to dedicate to sitting. A few moments of sitting and conscious breathing can bring great happiness.

We carry our past sorrows and anger and they become a kind of baggage that makes life heavy. Sitting meditation is a way to practice letting go of the things we carry needlessly. These things are nothing but obstacles to our happiness.

The energy of mindfulness can help improve your whole being. Just pay attention to your in-breath. Allow it to be the way it is and you will see that the quality of your breathing naturally becomes calmer, deeper, and more harmonious all by itself.

Guided meditation is not a new invention. It was used in the time of the Buddha, over 2,500 years ago. Even if you enjoy sitting in silence, guided meditation can be beneficial. A guided meditation is an opportunity to look deeply into the mind, to sow wholesome seeds there, and to strengthen and cultivate those seeds so that they may become the means for transforming the suffering in us. A guided meditation can also help us come face to face with suffering we have been avoiding. Seeing it more clearly, we can understand its root causes and be free of its bondage.

When we're first learning sitting meditation, it can be useful to count our breaths. Count "one" for the first in- and out-breath. Count "two" for the second, and so on. If your mind wanders and you lose count, go back to "one" and begin again. This exercise helps develop concentration. You may think counting to ten is easy, but counting to ten while breathing mindfully takes a lot of focus.

What is essential is to train to sit quietly and mindfully. The more you train yourself, the more you can reach the deeper aspect of what you are thinking and feeling. You might think: "I'm bored!" "This is stupid." "I need to do something else right this minute." There may be old habits and old stories that are creating those thoughts and those feelings. What is getting in the way of your being able to experience the present moment? Keep breathing. Keep sitting. This is the practice.

The kind of sitting we're used to doing is sitting in order to work at our computers, to be in meetings, or to space out in front of a screen. So we have to practice sitting just to be with ourselves without distractions.