The Masculine Meditation
The Focused Mind
The masculine meditation is about discovering the mind. Simply by bringing awareness to the mind, you naturally detach from its thoughts and meanderings. When you observe your own thoughts, you naturally create a separation from them, because you see that they often arise on their own. In this way, you are not likely to get sucked into each thought. You can notice individual thoughts, overarching mental states, or how active or inactive the mind is at any given time. This practice provides a good way to over-stand the thinking mind. You will use a simple noting exercise to look at where the mind is as thoughts arise. Rather than looking at the thoughts themselves, you will focus on their general content.
Building Concentration
The Masculine Meditation
Close the eyes and adjust your body to find a comfortable and sustainable position. Since you will be working with your thoughts, it is helpful to spend the first five minutes building concentration.
Choose a place in the body and focus your attention there as you breath mindfully. When your mind wanders, simply bring it gently back to the focus spot breathing in and out naturally.
Open your mind to your awareness and thought processes. Using your breath as an anchor, stay with the sensation of breathing until a thought comes up. When you notice a thought arise, note what its general context is. Rather than tuning in to the specifics of the thought, note whether it is rumination, problem solving, fantasizing, or another thinking pattern.
When you recognize you are thinking, note down the thought and return to the mindful breath. Patiently sit with the body breathing, wait for another thought to arise. Again, note what that thought was in a general way. No specifics or dissecting meanings. After five (5) minutes or so you might consider adding in an additional piece.
Note whether the thought is about the past, present or future. No judgement. Don’t consider if something is good or bad. Just note it down. As you finish this meditation, try to retain some of the things you uncovered about your mind. When you go about your day to day, and your mind wanders, note it. Be aware of where your mind is wanting to take you. This will give you great insight into yourself.
10. “A man is one whose body has been trained to be the ready servant of his mind; whose passions are trained to be the servants of his will; who enjoys the beautiful, loves truth, hates wrong, loves to do good, and respects others as himself.
John Ruskin