What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Starting a Meditation Practice
Sasha Chapin
The author of the article shares tips on how to establish a meditation practice. They argue that a broad awareness is easier and more calming than a narrow focus. The author also suggests that the quality you are looking for in most meditation is collectedness rather than concentration. They recommend finding a meditation object that is most pleasant and easy to focus on, adopting a permissive attitude towards your current state, and experimenting with different postures to find what works for you. Above all, the author emphasizes adopting a curious, receptive attitude throughout your life to make your practice meaningful.
24 May 2025
a critical attitude towards the current situation is detrimental to collectedness—it’s much easier to focus when you accept your current thoughts and emotions. Thus the most powerful meditation prompt I’ve ever heard, from Loch Kelly: “What is here now if there's no problem to solve?”
I like reminding myself that I don’t need to do anything to receive sensation—the universe will keep on being the universe, and interesting data will come to me, I don’t have to force anything. This can bring about a mental unclenching that enables deeper and more satisfying practice.
“You can dramatically extend life—not by multiplying the number of your years, but by expanding the fullness of your moments.”