How to induce meditative states with poetry

If you want to get into a meditative state more consistently, one method I find useful is to read poetry about meditation. This isn’t unusual. Many meditators describe how talking or reading about these states can often trigger them to happen. Poetry is particularly well suited for this compared to prose because it’s more in the realm of emotions and experiences rather than analytical thought, which is one of the foundations of meditation. 

A good way to use this to augment your practice is to read a related poem before or during your sit. In the former, simply read the poem, savor it, then start meditating with that kickstart. In the latter, use the poem as your meditation object. The thing you focus on does not need to be the breath. That is just the most common one. You can either read a stanza of the poem, then meditate, then read another, then meditate, or you can read the poem very slowly, really being present for every line. Another method is to simply choose one line or stanza and use that as your mantra, repeating it again and again, focusing on each syllable, either out loud or in your head. 

To find a poem you can either google them or write your own. I find writing my own to be very useful because they are tailor made to my experiences and the approaches I find most useful. I will include one here as an example, but you might find others more to your taste. 

In every moment 
There is peace
Find it now, 
Just breathe
Just be

Don’t need a reason
Don’t need a cause
Joy is there
Just breathe
Just be

Relax into it
Find your joy
Rejoice! 
It’s now
Just breathe
Just be

Enjoy the sights
Drink deep this moment
Savor. Now.
Just breathe.
Just be.