Gathering oneself is the essential thing that happens in meditation. It means moving from a distracted state to a conscious state of being. This leads us towards the zero-point state.
In the first months, perhaps even years, we are mainly occupied in meditation with calming the thoughts. This is where the crucial change takes place – a preparation for everything that follows.
I have already written about this in detail in “Part 2: 2.2. Phase 1 – The Beginning”. To refresh your motivation, it may be helpful to read these points again.
Staying with it – even if it takes a long time
It can feel like half an eternity before we experience the first moments of silence.
But there is no reason to worry. We can be certain that a constant inner change is taking place. We also develop patience during this phase and learn to stay with it.
How we gather ourselves
Gathering oneself happens naturally when we do not lose sight of the object of meditation for an indefinite period of time.
You can choose the breath or clear bodily sensations as a meditation object - such as the pressure of the ground we are sitting on, or the touch points of the fingertips.
If we lose ourselves in thought and notice it, we simply return to the object of meditation.
That's basically all there is to do.