The First Thing Any Meditation Text Will Tell You Is To Find A Quiet Place With Little Or No Distractions. In A Perfect World, These Silent Places Would Exist For Everyone. But, In Many Peoples Lives, Distractions Are The Rule Rather Than The Exception. PLets Face It; Life Is Hectic These Days. If You Share Your Home With Children, Parents, Or Roommates, You Have Built-in Distractions At Every Turn. Whether Its The Television, Earsplitting Music, Or Just Loud Conversation, You May Not Be Able To Get A Moments Peace In Your Home No Matter How Hard You Try. PYou May Ask, How Can I Possibly Meditate Under These Conditions?pUnfortunately, Many People Just Give Up. They Feel The Noise And Distractions In Their Lives Make It Impossible For Them To Enjoy The Advantages Of A Daily Meditation Practice, Which Include Stress-relief, Mental Relaxation, And Physical Rejuvenation. Ironically, These Are Exactly What We All Need In These Stressful, Hectic Times.pWell, The Good News Is, You Can! The Method Ill Describe Has Been Effective For Me And Many Of My Friends And Associates. It Takes Practice Though; Along With Acceptance, Patience, And Perseverance. Heres How It Works:pThe Key To Meditating In A Noisy Environment Is To Change The Way You Think About Noise. Rather Than Letting The External Sounds Distract You From Your Meditation, Use Them In Your Meditation. PbTry This:b Sit Calmly And Just Listen To The Noise Around You. Let The Sounds Fill Your Head. Focus On The Tones And Vibrations Of The Sound Rather Than Their Origin. PAll Soundwhether Distracting Like A Television, A Baby Crying, A Dog Barkingor Calming Like Ocean Waves Or A Running Streamare Just Vibrations. If You Break The Noise Down To Its Components, You Can Focus On The Deep Underlying Vibrations And Actually Enhance Your Meditative State. If A Sound Is A Sound Is A Sound, Then This Sound Could Easily Be Comforting Rather Than Annoying.pbAcceptanceb You Cant Make The Noise Go Away. You Could Try Ignoring It But This Is Usually Futile. You Could Try Blocking It Out With Music But You Will Find That Lulls In The Music Will Allow The Outside Noises Back In. The Intermittent Nature Of This Can Prove To Be Even More Distracting. You May Even Find Yourself Dreading The Soft Parts Of The Music Or The Silence Between Songs. PIn Order To Meditate In This Kind Of Environment, You Have To Acknowledge The Unwanted Sounds In Your Space And Understand That You Must Coexist. If You Can Accept Them And Are Determined To Meditate With Them, Not In Spite Of Them, They Lose The Power To Control Your Life.pbPatienceb Give Yourself A Break. Dont Expect To Be Able To Do This Right Away Or 100 Of The Time. Be Patient With Yourself And Realize That ALL Meditation Is About Catching The Mind Wandering And Bringing It Back To Your Object Of Meditation. If You Feel Youre Getting Frustrated With Yourself Because The Sounds Are Still Annoying You, Pat Yourself On The Back Instead And Accept That You Are Only Human. Just Smile And Focus Back On Your Meditative Mind, You Will Eventually Succeed Andbelieve Meit Will Be Worth The Effort.pbPerseveranceb Dont Give Up. There Will Be Times, Especially At First, When You Just Cant Help Being Annoyed By The Unwanted Sounds. Youre Non-meditative Mind Will Know That These Sounds Are Distracting And It Will Naturally Want To Be Distracted. Just Focus As Best You Can For Your Meditation Session And Come Back Tomorrow And Try Again. Youll Find That The Meditative Mind Will Start To Learn That These Sounds Are Part Of The Process And It Will Become Easier And Easier To Reach Your Meditative State.pSo, If Your Life Is Full Of Noise And Distraction, You Dont Have To Give Up On A Healthy Meditation Practice. Try The Method Above And See If It Works For You. I Sincerely Hope This Information Helps Because I Strongly Believe Everyone Should Include Meditation In Their Daily Lives Regardless Of Their Living Situation. PIf You Have Any Questions Or Feedback About This Article Or Any Other Subject, I Would Love To Hear From You. You Can Contact Me By Emailing A Href"mailto:MikeSImCalmer.com"MikeSImCalmer.coma Or By Visiting My Website At A Href"http:www.imcalmer.com"www.imcalmer.coma.pIn Peace,pMike Suzuki
