Meditation is a wonderful practice, full of proven benefits. We know it is good for our health, emotional well-being, and performance. But for you to have real benefits from it, you need to develop the Three Pillars of Meditation.
We know that meditation reduces stress, helps us deal with anxiety, boosts positive moods, and gives us better sleep. We know it decreases the risk of several heart and brain diseases, helps with pain management, and strengthens self-esteem.
Yes, meditation can help you relax, calm down, and get more clarity and contentment.
Yes, meditation helps you develop Four Superpowers, and can change your life in many ways.
But there is a missing piece.
Maybe you have tried meditation, hoping to experience some of these benefits, but gave up. You may be thinking that “meditation is not for me” or “I’m not good at it”.
Or maybe you are a meditator, and experience some of the benefits of the practice—but not as much as you’d hope for.
It’s because of the missing piece: The Three Pillars of Meditation.
If you don’t have the missing piece, you will be missing peace. 😉
[Note: This article is also available in French (independent translations).]
Here is a live talk I gave on this topic a while ago (and this is the page I was referring to in the video):
The Three Pillars of Meditation
In my years of teaching meditation, researching and writing about it, I have seen many people struggle with this. It was painful for me to watch, because as a long-term meditator I know what meditation can do for you, if you learn it well and practice it properly.
After a while doing this work, I realized what the missing piece was. I call it The Three Pillars of Meditation.
If you have those three pillars in your life, your practice will flourish, and you will experience the benefits. But if you don’t, if even one of them is missing, then that will limit your practice, and how much you will get from it.
The three pillars are: habit, technique, application.
In short, you need to practice meditation daily, with the optimal technique and approach, and then apply the skills you got from meditation into your daily life.
It is like any other skill you want to acquire.
Other meditation teachers also use the metaphor of the “three pillars” to convey other ideas they find to be essential to the practice. Some of these variations are:
- mindfulness, alertness and modesty
- attentive listening, mindful seeing, careful testing
- curiosity, skepticism, humor
- right food, right movement, right sleep
I personally find that, while these ideas can be helpful for the more advanced meditators, they are not the real “pillars” of the practice—because none of them matters unless you are able to have a daily practice, with the right technique, and apply it to your daily life.
Let’s now unpack what each of these three elements mean.
Pillar 1: Habit
Meditation is not like physical exercise, that you can get away with practicing only two or three times a week. It’s actually the sort of thing that you need to do daily—just like eating, sleeping, and brushing your teeth. It’s in that category of activities.
Why?
Because you are exposed to stress on a daily basis.
Because your mind may be bogging you down with negative thoughts and attachments on a daily basis.
Because your ego is working on a daily basis.
So you need to meditate on a daily basis too.
Otherwise it will be very difficult to reverse negative pattern of thoughts and emotions, and get in touch with deeper states of consciousness. Thoughts are spinning in your head non-stop, and anxiety doesn’t go on vacation.
Do you want meditation to be
truly transformative for you?
There is only one way: practice it daily.
What happens if you meditate only once a week?
There is no doubt that you will experience some benefits. Right after the meditation, you will likely feel more calm, centered, and focused. You may immediately feel more clear and present. But that won’t last—because once a week is not enough for you to get real momentum in the practice.
Suppose that you want to boil water. You need to leave your kettle on for 5 minutes, so water will boil. But instead you leave it on for 2 minutes, then turn it off, and come back to it the following week to turn it on for more 2 minutes…
You may do that for all the weeks of your life, but water will never boil. Because in the following week the water doesn’t continue from the temperature it was at the end of your 2 minutes; rather, it has now completely cooled down, so you are starting from zero again.
In a way, meditation practice is like this. And that is why it’s essential to practice it every day—even if for only 5 to 10 minutes a day. If you do that, you will have some continuity in your practice, and it will grow.
The daily habit is what makes a difference between having a practice that feels good when you do it, and one that will actually transform you and your daily life.
You don’t need to make it hard for yourself.
Meditation doesn’t have to be a long, difficult practice that you struggle with every day. It just needs to be done consistently. The right technique for meditation is the one that works best for you at this moment in your life. There are many different styles of meditation, each with its own unique benefits. It’s important to experiment with different techniques to find what resonates with you the most.
The key is to have the right approach to your practice, including purpose, pleasantness, perseverance, and patience. These attitudes will help you stay committed to your meditation practice and see the transformation in your daily life. Applying the insights and qualities you gain from meditation to the rest of your life is essential for real transformation. Your daily life should be an extension of your meditation practice.
One of the skills you can develop through meditation is the ability to “zoom in, zoom out” with your attention. This skill can be applied to various aspects of your life and is just one example of how meditation can impact your daily life for the better. the original facts, meaning, tone, or intent of the content.
In many meditation styles, practitioners are encouraged to focus on a single object, such as the breath, a mantra, a visualization, or a specific body part. The goal is to maintain attention on that object for as long as possible, delving deep into it by “zooming in.”
It is also emphasized that one should be mindful of the mind itself. When thoughts wander, the practitioner should acknowledge them, let them go (or “zoom out”), and redirect their focus back to the meditation object.
This practice of “zooming in” and “zooming out” with attention is repeated multiple times during meditation sessions, helping to develop this skill over time. Applying this skill in daily life involves recognizing when the mind drifts to negative or unproductive thoughts and consciously shifting focus to more useful or constructive areas.
The ability to “zoom in” and “zoom out,” along with other skills like pausing, witnessing, self-awareness, letting go, acceptance, and managing emotions, cultivated through meditation, should be integrated into daily life. This application is essential for work, relationships, family, health, and finances, ensuring that meditation is not just practiced but actively utilized.
To extend meditation practices beyond the cushion requires additional training and guidance from experts. Ultimately, it involves seeing daily life as an extension of meditation and vice versa. Developing this integration may be challenging, but the benefits are significant and worthwhile.
For those seeking to deepen their meditation practice, mastering the “Three Pillars of Meditation” is crucial. This foundation can enhance the effectiveness of meditation sessions and lead to greater overall well-being. While some may navigate this journey independently, many find it helpful to seek support and guidance from programs like the Limitless Life Membership, designed to simplify the process and provide structured guidance.
For those interested in teaching meditation techniques to others, specialized training programs are available to help individuals master the Three Pillars framework and share this knowledge with others. These programs offer a more mentored approach and can be valuable for those looking to deepen their understanding and practice of meditation. Please rewrite the following for me: