|
Meditation Information
Traditionally meditation was (and still is) used for spiritual growth...i.e. becoming more conscious; unfolding our
inner Light, Love, & Wisdom; becoming more aware of the guiding Presence in our lives; accelerating our journey home to
our True Self... our Spirit.
More recently, meditation has become a valuable tool for finding a peaceful oasis of relaxation and stress relief in a
demanding, fast-paced world.
What to Expect
With time and faith in the commitment to practice frequently, (daily meditating is ideal), during your meditation time
you may "leave the moment." A feeling of separation exists where the mind is clear, clean and blank. You will still
hear sounds around you, but they will not interfere with your meditation.
Sometimes you may weep -- you may not even be aware of what is making you weep. It is your own emotions having a voice
of their own. Sometimes you may feel a smile across your face -- that is contentment showing itself. Sometimes you may fall
asleep and awaken truly refreshed.
There is no right or wrong behavior during your meditation. It is your time for you. Everyone deserves this kind of personal
attention. This is a self-care activity; loving oneself!. We are all better because of each person who meditates. The peace
and joy felt by those who meditate enters the world for all of us as positive energy. From it the world is a better place.
Imagine if we all practiced meditation!
Some Misconceptions about Meditation
Meditation is turning off your thoughts or making your mind a blank.
Not True ...Inner quietness is experienced in meditation, but not by willfully turning off thoughts. Quieting the mind
results naturally from: the effectiveness of the method used... and an uplifting spiritual energy that is beyond our own efforts.
Meditation is difficult and requires great concentration.
Not True ...Meditation can be easily learned and practiced. Meditation is only difficult if we become too concerned with
doing it correctly or incorrectly. Although staying focussed in meditation does become easier with time and practice, it is
definitely not a requirement for beginning to meditate. Thinking that we should be good at focussing when first starting out,
is essentially putting the cart before the horse.
Meditation is not successful unless we see interesting things in our mind.
Not True...Although some meditations are specifically for visualizing, many are not. In those meditations, seeing things
may be entertaining, but is not essential. Even visualization does not necessarily require seeing. Some people sense or feel
things inwardly, and that's all right.
MEDITATION TECHNIQUES
There are many meditation techniques. Some of the techniques are quite simple and can be picked up with a little practice.
In Christian spiritual training, meditation means thinking with concentration about some topic. In the Eastern sense,
meditation may be viewed as the opposite of thinking about a topic. Here the objective is to become detached from thoughts
and images and opening up silent gaps between them. The result is a quietening of our mind and is sometimes called relaxation
response. In Christian mystical practice, this practice is called 'contemplation'.
When we look at the basic psychological procedure at the heart of Eastern meditation and Christian contemplation, we can
understand why the following activities are relaxing:
Prayer
Lying Lying back and listening to music on radio or record player.
Focusing attention, while sitting still, on a fishing rod float; rapt gazing at a loved person, object, or scene.
Fireside contemplation.
All these activities, and many more, involve staying still and passive attention to something. It's amazing the things
we do in everyday life that are small meditations and we just don't notice them.
General Guidelines for Meditation
Put your expectations aside, and don't worry about doing it right. There are infinite possibilities and no fixed criterion
for determining right meditation. There are, however, a few things to avoid :
Trying to force something to happen.
Over-analyzing the meditation.
Trying to make your mind blank or chase thoughts away.
Putting too much emphasis on doing it right.
It's not necessary - or advisable - to meditate on a completely empty stomach. If you're hungry, have a little something
to eat before meditating.
Find a quiet, comfortable place to meditate. You can sit in a comfortable chair, on the bed, on the floor... anywhere
that's comfortable. It's not necessary to sit cross-legged. Your legs can be in any position that is comfortable.
Eliminate as much noise and as many potential distractions as possible. Don't worry about those things that you can not
control. when you sit to meditate, sit comfortably, with your spine reasonably straight. This allows the spiritual energy
to flow freely up the spine, which is an important aspect of meditation. Leaning against a chair back, a wall, headboard,
etc. is perfectly alright. If, for physical reasons, you can't sit up, lay flat on your back.
Place your hands in any position that is comfortable.
If it does not go against your beliefs, call on a "higher source" for assistance in your meditation. Any form
is all right. This can be quite helpful, but is not absolutely necessary.
Setting the Mood for Meditation
I would love to have a spare room that I could use solely for meditation, but if you , like me, are short of space a small
routine may help put you in the right frame of mind for the meditation session . I put on some calming music and light some
incense, a scented oil burner or candle to help calm myself. I sit for a few minutes calming my breathing , then begin.
When you first start to meditate, it is best to begin with short sessions of about 5 to 10 minutes. This way you gradually
build up the ability to calm your mind. Many people try a long meditation straight away and are disappointed they can't keep
their mind calm for a long period.
If you feel mundane thoughts wandering into your mind, just say to yourself, not now I am calm, I am peaceful. It won't
be long before you can increase your meditation time.
Breathing Meditations
Generally, the purpose of breathing meditation is to calm the mind and develop inner peace. We can use breathing meditations
alone or as a preliminary practice to reduce our distractions before engaging in our chosen meditation.
A Simple Breathing Meditation
The first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and more lucid. This can be accomplished
by practising a simple breathing meditation. We choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a comfortable position. We can
sit in the traditional cross-legged posture or in any other position that is comfortable. If we wish, we can sit in a chair.
The most important thing is to keep our back straight to prevent our mind from becoming sluggish or sleepy.
We sit with our eyes partially closed and turn our attention to our breathing. We breathe naturally, preferably through
the nostrils, without attempting to control our breath, and we try to become aware of the sensation of the breath as it enters
and leaves the nostrils. This sensation is our object of meditation. We should try to concentrate on it to the exclusion of
everything else.
At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality
we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a great temptation to follow the different
thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath. If we
discover that our mind has wandered and is following our thoughts, we should immediately return it to the breath. We should
repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath.
If we practise patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will subside and we will experience a sense of
inner peace and relaxation. Our mind will feel lucid and spacious and we will feel refreshed. When the sea is rough, sediment
is churned up and the water becomes murky, but when the wind dies down the mud gradually settles and the water becomes clear.
In a similar way, when the otherwise incessant flow of our distracting thoughts is calmed through concentrating on the breath,
our mind becomes unusually lucid and clear. We should stay with this state of mental calm for a while.
Even though breathing meditation is only a preliminary stage of meditation, it can be quite powerful. We can see from
this practice that it is possible to experience inner peace and contentment just by controlling the mind, without having to
depend at all upon external conditions. When the turbulence of distracting thoughts subsides and our mind becomes still, a
deep happiness and contentment naturally arises from within. This feeling of contentment and well-being helps us to cope with
the busyness and difficulties of daily life. So much of the stress and tension we normally experience comes from our mind,
and many of the problems we experience, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by this stress. Just by doing breathing
meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. We will experience a calm, spacious
feeling in the mind, and many of our usual problems will fall away. Difficult situations will become easier to deal with,
we will naturally feel warm and well disposed towards other people, and our relationships with others will gradually improve.
THE INSTANT CALMING SEQUENCE
Meditation and mindfulness are great when you have enough control over your time to enjoy them. But what happens when
a crisis requires immediate action?
Step 1:: Practice uninterrupted breathing. When stress strikes, immediately focus on your breath and continue breathing
smoothly, deeply and evenly.
Step 2: Put on a positive face. Smile a grin that you can feel in the corners of your eyes. "The conventional wisdom
is that happiness triggers smiling," Dr. Cooper explains. "But recent studies suggest that this process is a two-way
street. Smiling can contribute to feelings of happiness, and in a stressful situation, it can help keep you calm." Try
this simple test: Smile a broad grin right now. Don't you feel better?
Step 3:: Balance your posture. People under stress often look hunched-over, hence the oft-repeated phrase "They have
the weight of the world on their shoulders."
"Maintaining good posture works like smiling," Dr. Cooper says. "Physical balance contributes to emotional
balance." Keep your head up, chin in, chest high, pelvis and hips level, back comfortably straight and abdomen free of
tension. Imagine a skyhook lifting your body from a point at the center of the top of your head.
Step 4: Bathe in a wave of relaxation. Consciously sweep a wave of relaxation through your body. "Imagine you're
standing under a waterfall that washes away all your tension," Dr. Cooper says.
Step 5: Acknowledge reality. Face your causes of stresses head-on. Don't try to deny it or wish that it hadn't happened.
Think: "This is real. I can handle it. I'm finding the best possible way to cope right now."
Step 6:: Reassert control. Instead of fretting about how the stressor has robbed you of control, focus on what you can
control and take appropriate action. Also, think clear-headed, honest thoughts instead of distorted ones.
Healing From Within
Before you start your meditation, give yourself permission to be with yourself, nowhere to go nothing to do for as long
as you feel comfortable. Let go of things that you have to do and the places you have to be. Bring all of your attention into
the and now...
Find a space / room that you feel comfortable in and sit with your feet flat on the ground, your back upright and the
palms of your hands resting on your lap turned upwards.
Close your eyes and take a slow... deep... breath... breathing all the way in while counting to 10... and all the way
out counting to 10...
Feel your feet touching the ground (it doesn't matter if you are 10 floors up), wriggle your toes and put your attention
into how it feels to connect with the ground beneath you.
"Hello, Earth how are you today?"
With your eyes closed and your breathing deep and slow visualize yourself sitting in the center of your head, safe and
protected. No where to go... nothing to do...
Start to release the stresses and tension you are holding onto in your neck, your shoulders and your upper back. Feel
the tension melting away as you begin to feel truly relaxed...
Visualize a speck of light in the center of your body at your solar plexus. That place at the bottom of your rib cage
where your ribs meet.
As you observe this spec of golden healing light take a nice deep breath all the way in and as you slowly start to breath
out see that this spec of golden light doubles in size.
As the spec of golden healing light doubles in size and becomes a small ball see that it clears, cleanses and brings a
healing to your space.
Again take a slow... deep... breath... breathing all the way in, counting to 10 and watch the ball of healing light energy
double in size again as you breathe out again counting to 10...
Allow the golden healing energy to clear out any tension, knots or DIS-EASE in your body. Take a few moments to simply
sit and say hello to this energy. Feel it clearing energy that no longer serves your highest good, moving it out of your space
all the way down to a cellular level.
As the healing energy continues to clear and fill your space, notice that you start to feel lighter and that any tension
in your body simply melts away.
Take a slow... deep... breath... breathing all the way in, counting to 10... and feel the tension melt away from your
physical body as you breathe out counting to 10...
Nowhere to go... Nothing to do... just hanging out with self watching the scene from the center of your head, from that
safe place that only you can go to...
As you continue your meditation see that the golden healing energy coming from the center of self starts to fill up the
space around you, your aura... Again clearing, cleansing and healing the space around you...
See that this beautiful golden healing energy shining from the center of your body moves out all your stresses, strains,
pain, discomfort, woulda-shoulda-coulda stuff from the day, bringing a healing to every cell in your body.
When you are ready bring yourself back to center, wiggle your toes and once again feel your physical connect with the
ground beneath your feet.
Feeling refreshed, clear and centered in the present moment, take one last deep breath.... all the way in and slowly all
the way out and when you are ready open your eyes.
I have just given a couple of examples of basic, non religious meditation, there are many you can use for different purposes.
If you have any questions or need more information or advice, please contact me, I am happy to help.
Love & Light,
LightworkerUK
|
