meditation
Meditation
“Why are we so petrified of silence? Here, can you handle this?…Did you think about your bills, your ex, your deadlines; or when you think you’re gonna die. Or did you long for the next distraction?” Alanis Morrisette
Meditation is the act of coming in to the present moment through breath and focused intention. Meditation is where we connect to our Truth. Truth with a capital T is defined by one of the Yamas in the Yoga Sutra, Satya. Satya encourages us to live and speak our truth at all times. This idea of truth is about understanding the difference between making a judgment through one’s own perception and actual observation of reality or the facts of a situation through growing self-awareness. Meditation brings self-awareness by coming into a present state called mindfulness. Mindfulness is focused awareness in the present moment in order to accept your feelings, thoughts and sensations in a calm state. Meditation and mindfulness practice are the actions that lead to consciousness.
The practice of meditation can take a lifetime of practice and still not be perfected. And perfection should not be the goal. Instead strive to connect with your Self, become neutral and listen to your inner voice. Remove the notion that the mind will be totally clear after a few deep breaths. Meditation is less about clearing the mind and instead, watching the mind. You may find that when you first clear your mind then the inner world begins to speak, filling you with all sorts of new pictures and ideas, your shopping list or anything else your mind wants reviewing. Are you staring into a blank space? No, of course not. You are just listening and becoming aware of what is there deep inside you vs. the chatter from the outside world.
Meditation practice begins with breathing exercises. The first thing that may come to mind when you think of meditation is a picture of a person sitting in lotus position with their eyes closed and their mind clear. There is no need for this. Sit in a comfortable chair, lie on the floor…the only thing I don’t recommend is lying in bed. You are
sure to fall asleep! Now, if you do fall asleep when trying to meditate; give yourself permission! You are obviously tired. I once had a student that fell asleep every time she meditated for the first 3 months! She finally caught up on the rest her body needed from years of working long hours and was able to hold a concentrated meditation. Whatever you do, as you go through the process; do NOT beat yourself up for doing something ‘wrong’. The beauty of this work is that nothing is ‘wrong’. Everything happens exactly as it should. Being aware of your experience is the process.
Once you are comfortably situated begin to breathe. Just begin by breathing normally. Notice your belly. When you breathe in, your belly should fill with air. When you breathe out, it should go in. Most Americans breathe incorrectly. You may find right away that you are not filling up the lungs and diaphragm area properly. A great technique is to lay flat on a flat surface; such as the floor or even a table. Breathe in and out. Feel your stomach. Where is the air going? How does it feel? How deep does the breath go? Ideally you want to fill up the diaphragm in the lower abdomen first, then the lungs, and then as your release; you release the lungs first, then the diaphragm. It takes practice just to breathe. You would be surprised at how much work that can take. The diaphragm is a muscle just like any other and you will need to ‘work it out’ for a while before you feel you can take deep breaths. I read a statistic once that we only have about 40% fresh air in our lungs at a time. If you can get yourself to a point where you breathe in for 8 counts, out for 8 counts, 8 times in a row; you will then 100% fresh air in your lungs. You may also be dizzy, but it is great for refreshing the lungs and releasing toxins.
A great breathing technique is ‘in and out’ breathing. It is the process of breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. The purpose of this is that the nose provides a natural filter so the air you are bringing in is more concentrated and is cleaner. When you release from the mouth you are truly releasing and relaxing the body. Spend some quality time with your breath. Notice how your lungs and diaphragm feel and notice how clear your mind is when you are thinking so hard about breathing and nothing else.
Once you have practiced your breathing technique; the next piece of meditation is clearing the mind in order to come into the present moment. First go back to your breathing to begin the process of clearing the mind and body. The next practice you can add to this is mindfulness of the physical body. Notice your body. Have you ever had a bruise just show up and you don’t remember how it got there? Being aware of your physical body can be a real eye opener. Notice where you hurt or have aches. Notice where you feel good. Notice how you are sitting or lying down. Just notice. You can also do this with your emotional and energy bodies. How do you feel? How does your energy feel? You do not need to know anything about energy to do this exercise. You inherently ‘know’ what is energetically blocked or stuck in your field. Just ask yourself and it will come to you. Mindfulness and breathing are two great ways to get started with your meditation. It will automatically clear a lot of thoughts that were running through your mind before you sat down.
The next thing that you can do is begin to notice your thoughts. You might be thinking - I hope I can get my mind clear while I try this meditation thing. Or, I hope my dog doesn’t start barking while I am trying to be quiet. Recognize the thought and watch it as though it did not belong to you. A favorite visualiza
tion technique to clear the mind I recommend using is the balloon technique. Imagine the thought in a balloon. Then float it away. This sends the energy and the thought away bringing your mind back to the present. You can also flush these thoughts down the toilet or various other visualization techniques you may wish to use. The idea is to clear it from your mind, so you come back to the present moment.
Becoming mindful of your body in the present moment and clearing your thoughts are the basics of beginning meditation. Utilize the practice of meditation when you are completing mindfulness practices or working on self-inquiry questions. Meditation will help you become centered and your responses to the questions will be more neutral and less from an egoic state.
Practice Meditation and Belly Breathing each day for seven days; 15 minutes or more a day.
What do you notice about meditation? Write down your thoughts, challenges and changes over the seven days.
