MEDITATION JOURNEY

Nine years ago, I started practicing meditation, which I never thought would become an integral part of my life. It all started with chronic stress due to long-term work pressure. When I decided to switch to a new field, I knew I needed a change. I needed clarity, focus, and relief from chronic stress. That’s when I turned to meditation.

I didn’t start with a formal course or an instructor. Instead, I relied on something I had read many years ago in the book Meditation & Health by Dr. Do Hong Ngoc. His teachings had always been in my mind, especially the instruction on observing the breath. One day, while surfing the internet, I came across a three-minute stress-reducing meditation tutorial by Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn. It was only three minutes—why not give it a try?

On the first day, I set a goal of meditating for 3 minutes because I have been an active person, preferring to be outdoors rather than sitting still. But after three minutes had passed, I suddenly felt comfortable. It was not as difficult as I thought. I even wanted to continue, but told myself, “I will continue tomorrow.”

The next day, I tried five minutes. Again, time passed quickly and I felt comfortable. The third day, I increased it to seven minutes. The fourth day, ten minutes. Each day, I increased the practice time little by little, until I naturally maintained 30 minutes a day. And so, meditation became a daily habit.

I had been meditating continuously for more than 2 years, and I experienced some states when I meditated for more than 30 minutes a day, I did not know what it was and it confused me, so I found a book called The Experience of Insight by American author – Joseph Goldstein. This is a practical book on Vipassana meditation, which helped me understand more about Vipassana meditation, a meditation method in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. This was a turning point in expanding my awareness and refining my practice. After reading the book, I also understood that some of the states I experienced while meditating were the benefits of meditation. Then I continued to meditate daily.

By the sixth year, the benefits of meditation became clearer than ever. Physically, I felt more energetic; my heart was steadier; mentally, my thoughts became clearer and more lucid; emotionally, I achieved balance and tranquility. Inner happiness became a constant companion. At this point, meditation was no longer just a tool for stress management—it had become a source of peace, a sacred space for me to connect with myself.

Naturally, I started meditating longer. I extended my practice time to an hour every morning, and on days when I waked up early, I could meditate for more than 90 minutes. Something I used to think was impossible—sitting still for just three minutes. I have meditated for about an hour every morning, and I feel light, comfortable, and at peace when I meditate. I rarely feel numbness or pain in my limbs when I meditate. On days when I felt numbness in my limbs when I meditated, it was because I thought too much while meditating and sat with my back bent backwards without paying attention to correcting my posture, which causes back pain. But if I focused on meditating and observing my breathing, limit my thoughts or not think, and sat up straight when meditating, I felt light, comfortable, and at peace when I meditated.

Now I practice meditation, it is like an indispensable spiritual food every morning and has become a valuable habit, helping to improve my overall health.