As a guide and desk associate at an urban meditation center, I see the full spectrum of member and visitor behavior in, and around, our studio. One of my favorite things about our community is the common goal we share: an increased level of integrated mindfulness. However, I have noticed a few avenues of growth yet untapped. Here are five small ways to maximize your growth when visiting a meditation center:

 

1) Move slowly.

Our studio building has two sections: the lobby/communal space, and the isolated meditation studio. This provides two opportunities for “practice”: formally, on the cushion; and, informally, through integration into the communal spaces. Most of our members miss the more nuanced opportunity to continue their meditation outside the formal space.

Plan a few extra minutes for before and after your meditation to enter and exit the space mindfully. It’s not uncommon to have a member jog in at last second, toss their belongings in a cubby, then sprint into the meditation studio.

Once you arrive at the center, allow yourself to slow down and move at 25% the speed you would in your “normal” life. Slowing down enables us to start the process of connecting with the breath and the body. It brings awareness to the area around us. Awareness in a communal space is a gift, and ironically, what everyone is trying to achieve outside the meditation center.

Along the same line, a majority of meditator’s flee from the studio afterwards and head straight to their cars. Try to pause for a few moments afterwards. Take that time to savor the experience.

 

2) Pause at the door.

Separate the space—the intention—between the outside world and the meditation studio. Stop at the doorway, connect with your intention, connect with your breath, visualize leaving all your baggage at the door, then enter. I enter right foot first, with a smile, as a gesture of mindfulness and tradition. Most Eastern sacred spaces are entered in this manner. Too often members don’t discern a difference between the spaces. Your meditation guides put their elevated vibrations into the studio to make it comfortable and inviting. You can meet them halfway by bringing awareness and honoring what that space means to you. If you go straight from the restroom into the studio with no pause, I would imagine at a subconscious level you value those rooms the same amount—though we’ve all taken a sacred shit at some point in our lives! It’s like using the same gaze for a stoplight as you would a natural wonder, like the Grand Canyon.

 

3) Mindful speech.

A large portion of meditation is noticing that most of your thoughts—which contribute to inner and outer dialogue—are from an ego-filter, making them susceptible to fear, worry, anxiety, doubt, and anger. Spending time at a meditation center is a great opportunity to take a break from a habit of gossip and negative chatter that comes from that ego-driven script. I try to follow Rumi’s “Three Gates of Speech,” asking myself before I engage others: is what I have to say true, necessary, and kind? If it doesn’t pass through those gates I don’t say it, or I find another way to phrase it. Gossip travels quickly in small communities, and more importantly, the energy of that judgment and criticism is palpable for the guides and staff who spend their day in that space.

Use your meditation center as a practice area for how you speak to yourself and others, focusing on positive messages. Three small things you might try:

1. a) Internally say, “Namaste” (“the light in me acknowledges the light in you”) to the staff or other members you encounter. It’s cheesy but easy to remember and works best with eye contact and a smile.
2. b) Recite your metta phrases (lovingkindness) while you wait for the meditation to begin.
3. c) Use the restroom mirror and repeat a positive affirmation to yourself ten times.

 

4) Talk to your guide!

If the meditation guide makes themselves available, go say hi! Introduce yourself. Let them know about your meditation that day. They are there to answer questions or help you find the next step or technique. They want to meet you. It’s not just a job but a community reaching toward a higher purpose. They offer a piece of themselves to help you connect with your higher vibrations, so please say hello. You may learn something. They may learn something.

 

5) Journal.

I make the most consistent grown when I journal after my meditations. As a guide, I even journal after each class. You might keep track of what type of class you took, or who the guide was. What stood out to you about the class? What sensations did you experience? What was your intention? What aspects were skillful that day? What challenges (hindrances) arose and how did you cope with them?

Write slowly. Continue your meditation in this way. Don’t just scribble thoughts. Connect with the sensations as you write. Notice your body movement. Notice the quality of your breath. Sculpt the letters on the page.

As you journal, you may notice patterns appear. For example: as I look back through my journals, tension always seems to creep into one area when my mind goes to a certain type of distraction (work = left shoulder; fantasy = lower back, etc.). I can see that I stopped using one cushion for a while to try a new set-up and now I’m back to the old one. The mudra I used two years ago has slowly been replaced by a new one. A “good” day was a 10-minute meditation (compared to my consistently longer times now). I might remember these progressions on my own, but having them on paper means I don’t have to, and it allows me to stay connected with my practice after each session.

Use mindful speech in your journal. It’s another opportunity to forge neural pathways for positive self-talk. We don’t have “bad” sessions, merely more or less skillful. Follow the Three Gates here, as well. As with any meditation, there is no judgment or attachment to substance of the journal entries. They’re there as I was in that moment.