photo credit: World is beautiful

When I close my eyes I can still smell the pine needles. I can still hear the gentle drum of the yogis practicing in their caves. And I can still see the awe inspiring view of the valley below my Himalayan meditation seat. Here on this North Indian snow capped mountain I was learning how to meditate. Little did I know that these meditations sessions were also teaching me how to relax and beat stress.

Today I want to share with you a few stories of my times in the Himalayas and how I learned some simple meditations to combat my stress and anxiety when it arose back in the western world. I am sure with a little practice you will also find them incredibly helpful.

A meditation seat high up in the mountains

Let me set the scene for you. I am in a place called Tso Pema which is Tibetan for Lotus Lake (pictured above). This is a sacred Buddhist town in the Indian Himalayas which has, at its center, a small but historically important lake. The lake itself is situated in the middle of a lush valley – pine trees on its slopes and snow capped mountains at the top. There are monasteries, retreat huts and small villages all around the mountain side and the whole region has an aura of peace, tranquility and happiness. It is one of my favorite places on Earth.

Arriving at the “power” lake
Many years ago when I first met my meditation teacher a friend invited me to travel with her to Tso Pema. I had heard of it and always wanted to go but had never gotten around to it. So we packed our bags and hired a taxi to take us on the perilous journey from Mcleod Ganj (the Dalai Lama’s Indian residence) to the Lotus Lake. The reason I say “perilous” is because the roads are built on the side of Himalayan mountains – one wrong turn and you plummet down the side of a mountain that is taller than anything you might see in America. It is scary. And the drivers seem to be oblivious to this fact, often driving while chatting on the mobile or taking snow covered corners at 60 miles an hour!

Finally we reached the lake and I was immediately struck by the power of the place. Buddhists say that certain places on Earth have a particular “power” that makes them extremely good for meditation practice. Tso Pema is one of the most important. Before I visited this tiny town I was not so sure about the existence of “power places” but I now have no doubt whatsoever. In this town your mind is quiet, peaceful and extremely clear. Doing five minutes of meditation there is said to be the same as doing many hours at a normal place. It is very strange – for some reason your mind just relaxes there.

My rock high in the mountains
After spending a few days getting used to the town my friend and I decided to trek up the mountain and explore the ancient caves. These caves have been used for centuries by Buddhist masters and are considered very special places for meditation. The caves are especially associated with the masters known as Guru Rinpoche who spent many years meditating there before moving on to Tibet to introduce Buddhism to the Tibetan people.

The hike up the mountain takes about two hours. It is a tough walk but you get to see a lot of amazing things – underground springs that have burst through giant granite rocks, Tibetan monasteries doing their daily chores and pine forests that have existed for centuries. I have very fond memories of walking up to the caves.

Once you reach the top of the mountain you are struck by the silence. There is no noise. You can find a nice rock to sit on an enjoy a view that goes on for miles. You can see the lake, the monasteries and all the way down the valley. You must be able to see for hundreds and hundreds of miles. The caves themselves are quite astonishing. I once remarked to my friend that even though the caves are quite noisy with tourists you still feel as though the whole area is silent. But it was the my mountain side rock seat that really captivated me.

This particular rock was about the size of my house and took some climbing to get to the top of. It was perched on the side of the mountain and overhang such that if you fell off you would drop for miles before hitting the ground. Literally, miles. There are not enough word in the English language to describe how beautiful the view on this rock is. I could write a thousand words a day for a hundred years and I would still not get close.

It is truly amazing.

An old yogi friend of mine introduced me to this rock. He lives in the Tso Pema mountains and spends his life doing Buddhist retreat. Although I have never seen it myself, he tells me that if you go up to this rock in monsoon season you can see thunder storms roll up the valley and pass underneath you. The rock is so high that the lightning and thunder all pass by below you.

It was on this rock that I practiced the meditations that would help me deal with the stress and anxiety that the western life inevitably produces. Now I would like to share them with you.

Meditations from the Himalayas

photo credit: vincepal

These meditation techniques can be practiced by anyone. Although I had the opportunity to practice them high in the mountains with the guidance of my teacher, I feel that everyone can do them at their home and still get the same benefit. They are not hard and produce very powerful results.

Deep breathing
When someone is panicking or having trouble with stress the first thing everyone says is “breathe”. It is such a common saying that we all kind of take it for granted. But it is very powerful. Breathing meditation is one of the first things I did on my rock and it is one of the most effective ways to beat stress and relax.

Start by slowly calming your mind and looking inwards. Shift your focus to the breath. Focus on the feeling of the air coming in and out of your nostrils. Feel the sensation on the tip of your nose. Become familiar with the situation and how you are feeling. But most of all, focus on the breath.

Now begin to count each breath in and out. Breathe in. And out. That is one. Repeat it. In, and out. Two. Now count up to ten. At first this may be difficult. That is fine. Keep repeating until you get to ten. If you lose your place then start again. This is a wonderful meditation to do when you feel stress or anxiety coming on and is an excellent method for developing concentration.

Compassion for all beings
Sitting high on a mountain it is easy to get a new sense of perspective. Sometimes in life we get caught up in our own affairs and issues and we forget that there are other people out there a lot worse off than we are.

Meditating on compassion is a fantastic way to put your stress in perspective. I would sit up on this rock and stare down the valley and think about all the humans, animals, insects and everything else below me. I would think about their problems and dramas and realize that, in reality, I am no different or no more important than they are. Their problems are just as serious as mine. The peasant on the farm is just as worried about getting a good price for his crop as the high rise business man is worried about landing the next contract. It is no different.

When you feel stressed it is a good idea to take a few moments out and shift your focus to others. Think about all the other people out there who don’t have it quite as good as you do. Think about how your problems might seem big but in reality they are just a small spec on the scale of things. And finally, renew your sense of motivation and come out of that meditation promising not to let stress get you down and take over your life. Because that doesn’t help anybody.

The impermanence of it all
When you sit on a rock high on the mountains it is easy to think that it will be there forever. But it won’t. That mountain will one day be gone. It might be an earthquake or a comet from space that destroys it. Or, it might be the wind and rain that wears it down over millions of years. Either way, that mountain is not going to last forever… and neither is your stress.

A very useful way of dealing with your stress is to meditate on impermanence. Your stress will not last forever. Your panic attack will not last forever. No one has ever had a panic attack that has lasted forever. And they never will.

Sit down in a comfortable seat and close your eyes. Slowly bring your awareness to your thoughts. Watch how they come in to your head and then go out. In and out. They arise and then they dissolve. Try and find where they come from and watch where they go. Don’t try to force anything, just be a passive observer – a witness. Sooner or later you will realize that all thoughts are impermanent. They don’t last. They arise and dissolve – they always dissolve. This is a very relaxing thing to discover.

Conclusion

You don’t have to visit far away mountains and spend years in retreat to practice meditation. You can do it at home or in your work chair. It works either way. What I have written about here are just some of the ways to use meditation to deal with stress and teach you to relax. There are many more. Take what works for you and run with it.

I would love to hear about any other meditations that people use to beat stress. I am sure we all have something to offer? Leave a comment, it might really help someone.

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