Void Meditation has been called many things throughout history. Some proponents of non-duality may refer to it as ‘through the mind’ meditation. Others, such as students of Ramana Maharshi, may refer to it as abiding in the Self. And new age people may think of it simply as void meditation. Since void meditation seems to be the most popular, that is the term I use here.

Void meditation is a very simple meditation to do. Find a nice quite spot where you can sit down for a few minutes alone. The actual amount of time you spend doing void meditation is completely up to you.

Once you’ve found a good spot, get into a comfortable, seated position. This could be on the ground, in a chair, on a couch, etc. The key is to be in some kind of upright position, because if you try to do this while you’re lying down, you’ll probably just fall asleep.

Now that you’re in a comfortable seated position, start out by breathing deeply a few times and allowing your body to relax. Let go of your physical concerns and thoughts about the past or the future. Yes, all of them. They are a nuisance and they reduce the effectiveness of void meditation. Be in the here and now.

Now close your eyes. Begin by just observing your thoughts. What are they saying? What are you thinking about? Forget about all external stimuli, including sounds, sights, etc. Just watch your thoughts.

Notice how the mind is very good at taking anything and running with it. It’s constantly thinking about something. It’s constantly driven to think.

Notice how your thoughts start out as vague feelings of a concept, then they become a concept, then your mind starts running with the concept. For example, you may first notice the feeling of a rose, or roses. Then you may think of “rose”. Then you may think about the rose that you gave to your significant other for valentine’s day. Then you may think about how your ex never appreciated any of the roses that you gave her, how your relationship ended badly, etc, etc.

Now let’s begin the main course. Your objective is to focus on where your thoughts come from. There is a silent, unmoving energy field that thoughts seem to come out of. This is inside of you, not outside. Some people refer to this as nothingness, or the void, which is where the name of this meditation comes from.

Focus on the void, and nothing else. If you find that you have been distracted by thoughts, gently pull your attention away from your thoughts and back to the void. If you find yourself distracted by external stimuli, gently pull your attention back to the void.

Focus on the void, but don’t try to force it. You should be focused, yet relaxed and alert. Don’t be hard on yourself if you lose your focus. This only leads to more thinking and more distraction.

Do this for whatever time you have allotted to the practice, or for whatever time feels comfortable to you. Then get up and go about your day. If done properly, this should make you relaxed, alert, more energetic, and more aware of your environment.

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