How To Meditate

One peaceful view from my TriYoga and meditation studio

Today marks one year since I started my meditation blog. Thank you to everyone who follows the blog by visiting it every week and to everyone who has it delivered by email.

For those who are new to the blog, I'm an author, teacher of TriYoga and Meditation, and owner of my own studio.
I welcome your comments which can be posted directly on the blog.

Here is a fresh look at one BASIC method of How to Meditate.

Creating a New Habit
When practiced daily, Meditation helps you to achieve a lasting sense of peace and draw on insight. It is a tool that prepares you to comprehend what is required of you and how you can honor creation, assisting you in discovering truth and insight into your purpose in life and in distinguishing the ways that hold you back.

You can use the technique of meditation for a variety of purposes; for stress reduction, for healing alongside current medical treatments and therapies, for solutions to questions such as your career or finances, and also for enhanced connection to God and your own spiritual growth.

Of course, the first few times you do the new activity, you may encounter a few obstacles but over time it gets easier as the brain gets used to firing up the same neural pathway. That’s why bad habits are hard to break; they’re so deeply entrenched in your brain that it takes a few tries to “rewire” your brain to do a different activity.

Choose a time of day when you can allocate at least twenty minutes of solitude in a clean, quiet, and airy space. For most people, this time is available at the beginning or the end of the day. Morning meditation offers an intuitive start to the day, while the evening is an opportunity to unwind.

How to Meditate
Begin by sitting in a comfortable position with the back supported by a wall or sit in a kitchen chair that has a firm back. An armchair is not really suitable as it is often too cushiony. The purpose of using a wall or a firm chair is to have the spine as straight as possible. If you are sitting on the floor and can place the heel of one foot in front of the ankle of the other foot without discomfort and maintain this position for the length of time of the meditation, do so. Otherwise, sit in as upright a position as you are able with your hands in a relaxed manner by your sides or on your lap.

If you have a question to ask, allow the thought to rise up in your consciousness as you enter into meditation.

Mantra or Affirmation
If you are going to use a mantra or affirmation, choose whether it is a word or a phrase, either a Sanskrit mantra or something positive in your own language such as "I am Loved" or "Peace" then gently close your eyes and allow the eyes to remain still. When eyes move jerkily and roll around, it is often an indication that the mind is active and not at rest.
A comfortable place for the eyes to rest is the Third Eye located just above the space between the eyebrow,  With your eyes closed, lift the eyes up to this inner space; too high and the eyes will flutter and you don't want that to happen!

For more detailed explanations on the use and meanings of mantra, see the specific blog postings on mantra.

Power of the Breath

Where the breath goes the mind follows, and vice-versa.
Breathe regularly and fully for four or five breaths or longer as necessary and allow the shoulders to relax and your breathing to find its own rhythm. Focus on each exhalation, lengthening it until it becomes twice as long as each inhalation. Never force the breath. There should be no stress with synchronizing thought and breath. Always allow the breath to find its own slow and casual tempo. Ensure that each inhalation and exhalation flows smoothly, softly, and slowly.

Concentrate on your breath prayer for this particular period of meditation. Any time that the mind begins to wander, re-focus on your chosen word or phrase and notice that eventually a sense of calmness permeates from this singular direction.

Be aware of any thoughts that drift into your mind and permit them to pass, focusing on the space between each lengthening breath.
Remain unattached to any unwanted thoughts.

Don't Give Up
If you find that your mind has wandered, don't give up on meditating. In the early stages this happens. Simply note that this has occured, remain inemotional about it, and simply return to the flow of the breath.
All that matters is the present moment, not what has occurred in the past whether it was two seconds ago or two years ago.

With continued practice, any mantra that you choose begins to flow of its own volition. This arises in response to thoughts that try to enter your mind’s awareness and the mantra acts as a blocking agent against the unwanted thoughts.

You can introduce positive messages of affirmation or praise at the same pace of each inhalation and exhalation.

Continue meditating until you feel that your session is complete. It will be approximately 15-20 minutes when you first begin to practice meditation.

Positive Results
With time, you see positive results through answered questions, contentment, and freedom from the commotion of everyday challenges. Retain your chosen mantra or affirmation following meditation. Carry your word or phrase with you throughout the remainder of the day with a glad heart and when you prepare for bed, repeat it as you fall asleep.

Know that you can return to the peaceful feeling inside of you simply bt returning to the gentle rhythmic flow of the breath.

Peace lies within you.

Overview

• Choose a time of day when you can allocate at least twenty minutes of solitude.
• Sit in a comfortable upright position with the spine as straight as possible.
• With eyes closed, focus on the breath flowing in and lengthening as it flows out.
• On each breath, repeat a mantra, or a word or phrase e.g. Peace, God is Love.
• Acknowledge all thoughts and permit them to pass.
• Do not use a timer. Allow your mind to tell you when you are complete.
• Decide what you want from your meditation session e.g. healing, answers.
• Expect solutions following your session
• Remain focused on either your chosen word or phrase, or the flow of your breath.
• Cultivate feelings of peace within you and practice living in joy every day.
• Do not set an alarm. Stop when you are ready; it will be approximately 10-20 minutes.

BENEFITS OF PRANAYAMA

Prana is the essence of ALL life.

BENEFITS OF PRANAYAMA

The essence of the breath is Prana; the life-force of the body. The breath removes impurities from the body and puts fuel into the body. By mindfully consuming the right foods, maintaining a regular meditation practice, and living a lifestyle that promotes good health you will assist yourself in achieving a purer prana which is, at its core, your life-energy.

You have the right amount of energy within you to complete your life path but all too often, there are distractions and obstacles that stand before you, sapping your strength and vitality.

Energy is increased by staying ever-present and aware to the needs of your body, mind, and spiritual path. When you increase the energy, you allow your life purpose to manifest.

Silencing the vibrations of the breath silences the vibrations of the mind. Monitoring the flow of the breath means that you can tell when the breath is rapid, uneven, and shallow. Always be aware of its expansive nature. When the breath flows smoothly, it cleanses the energy points within and enables your life energy to flow smoothly.

Prana is derived from pra, meaning continuous and na, meaning movement. With each breath, the body relaxes while the breath flows in and out. Feel the life-energy (prana) that flows through the vehicle of the breath. The breath and mind are interrelated and when you control one the other is controlled.

Yogis believe that decreasing the amount of breaths per minute increases the life span. (Animals that breath rapidly have a shorter lifespan.)
Keeping track of your thoughts helps you to notice changes in the breath where it is flowing in a disrupted pattern.
It also enables you to slowly deepen and extend the length of the breath.

Benefits of Pranayama

1. Creates and maintains the natural way to breathe.
2. Massages the internal organs and strengthens abdominal muscles
3. Reduces stress and tension
4. Helps in maintaining a relaxed body and mind
5. Opens the chest; frees the breath
6. Maintains a healthy diaphragm
7. Creates rhythmic breathing
8. Increases life-energy by taking in more oxygen than the normal, shallow breathing and making oxygen exchange efficient.
9. Strengthens the heart and regulates blood pressure
10. Revitalizes the blood
11. Gives abdominal muscle control
12. Stimulates all physiological functions
13. Reduces stress and anxiety
14. Develops a positive state of mind as the breath and mind are interrelated
15. Aids in balancing the emotions
16. Increases circulation to the head
17. Deepens concentration by listening to the sound of the breath
18. Provides steady oxygenation. Increases the elimination of toxins from the lungs
19. Slows the breath and increases breath retention
20. Strengthens the heart and lungs and creates good communication between them
21. Heats the body and energizes the mind
22. Relieves Sinus congestion, headaches, nausea, and other imbalances
23. Cleanses the air passages
24. Removes impurities from the lungs, purifying the blood
25. Cleans residual air from the lungs
26. Helps cells eliminate carbon dioxide while becoming saturated with oxygen
27. Stimulates cellular respiration, which produces warmth throughout the body
28. Strengthens the diaphragm and circulation on blood
29. Gives control over abdominal muscles while reducing excess fatty tissues in this area
30. Calms the nervous system
31. Invigorates the pineal and pituitary glands
32. Increases the lung capacity
33. Steadies and calms the mind
34. Balances the male (rational) and the female (intuitive) energies, bringing good physical and mental health to the body and mind
35. Creates alpha brain waves


The average number of breaths per minute is 15.
The average number of breaths in 24 hours is 21,600
Slowing the breath down can increase the life span.

METHOD

• Inhale, slowly breathing into the base of the lungs with a full breath.
• Breathe into every space of the lungs.
• Exhale, releasing the breath in a slow and steady stream.

Give full attention to your breath and notice what you are experiencing physically, as well as what you are feeling, thinking and doing.
Notice the relaxation that occurs within your body and mind and draw on this tranquil feeling by bringing awareness to the rhythmic flow of the breath at any time that you feel that you have moved from a point of peace.

Om Shanti Peace

Copyright 2009 Margaret Stockley

AFFIRMATION:WATER

A single raindrop merges with the ocean.
Likewise, we are all connected to the Source.

The five elements of nature; earth, water, fire, air, and ether exist within our own body and cycle through us every 59 minutes. The last minute of this hourly cycle is where the potential for the subtle feminine energy called kundalini can awaken and give rise to both self-knowledge and a higher knowledge.

Water is a basic element of life and sustains us and mirrors our own existence on earth.
Life has a natural flow and we are carried along gently in its wake when we conserve our energy and realize what we cannot change and what we can and should ably resist.

Each one of us has unique qualities that enable us to go with the ebb and flow of life, just as water ebbs and flows along its own path moving over rocks and bumps, twists and turns, and soaring and shallow depths.

Water moves slowly or fast, depending on the terrain, and flows continually until it reaches its final destination where it blends with a large body of water or dissolves into the earth or air.

A river begins with a single raindrop that merges with others until it forms a powerful force that returns eventually to the source from where it started.

Likewise, we are born from a source of love and will return to that special place when our life has completed its flow. Disruption in the flow occurs when we waste our energy struggling to maintain the status quo and staying in the past rather than going where life is taking us. Belief in our separateness and individuality creates difficulties and we end up wrestling with the natural course of life. There are challenges to be overcome such as changes in our health, our environment, or people that we love passing on, but acceptance helps us to flow through life and acknowledge the connection that we have, one to another, and one to the universe. We are all connected and will return to the source one day where we will be re-united.

The water element has much to teach us; from its clarity and purity when it is healthy, to its darkness and odor when it is undrinkable. Look at areas where you can cleanse your life and be like the water element, rolling and flowing with grace and ease, compassion and love.

AFFIRMATION:

I am part of something larger than myself
I live in a loving universe
I am filled with the light and love of God
I am in harmony with the Universe

What role does meditation or affirmation play in your life?

Guided Meditation:Relaxation

Open the window of the mind to experience full relaxation

It is useful to record your guided meditations onto a recording device so that you can fully concentrate on the sounds and images without the distraction of having to read the next sentence or paragraph.
I have endeavored to write the guided meditations into useful chunks that are relatively easy to memorize.

The general idea is to eventually take the image, and permit your mind to travel to the tranquil place that exists within your mind’s eye. No two people will “see” or experience the same meditation even though the y are following the same guided meditation because your experiences and memories are different. It is your own visualization. Let it be unique to you and allow the images to flow.

Take your time during each visualization. Spend as long as you would like to or need to in one image, developing it fully before moving on.

GUIDED MEDITATION: RELAXATION

Sitting or lying down, depending on your physical abilities, close your eyes gently and focus on creating a rhythmic flow of breath.

Let your arms rest loosely by your sides, or place your hands face up on your lap.

With each inhalation, breathe in the richness of life.
As you exhale, release the breath in a slow and steady stream.
Feel tension and stress leave the body on the breath.
Slow the breath down even further with each inhale and exhale.

Focus on the crown of your head.
In your mind’s eye, notice your scalp and feel the skin in the top of your head relax.

Move slowly to your eyebrows. Relax the forehead and facial muscles.
Consciously release all anxiety, allowing the facial muscles to relax.

Purse your lips for 3 seconds and release.
Let you mouth relax into its natural form. This can mean that the lips are closed, or slightly apart. Ensure that the jaw is relaxed and not clenched.

Continue down to your neck and shoulders. Shrug the shoulders and let them go.
Feel the relaxing energy travel slowly down your arms to the tips of your fingers.

Feel peace fill the inner space where tension once resided as the upper limbs relax.

Move to your hips. This is often a place of deep-seated stress and anxiety.
With each exhalation, breathe all tension and worry away through the body and out through the toes.
Feel the connection to the ground beneath your feet.
Feel supported and grounded by the union.

Feel relaxed and contented.

Stay in your relaxed state until you feel that it is time to return to your day’s duties.

Slowly bring awareness back to your body.
Allow the eyes to open.
Keep the breath calm and steady, the body relaxed.
Feel recharged, invigorated, and contented.

Know that you can return to this peaceful safe place simply by closing your eyes and following the breath’s journey.
It resides deep within you.

With practice, you will restore balance and harmony simply by returning to a calm and peaceful flow of breath.
Embrace your ability make contentment a daily reality.

Mastery of Energy Healing

Explore other methods of meditation and energy healing

and see where this new knowledge takes you.

Over the next few postings, I’d like to share with you some of the useful items, amazing people, or interesting methods that I have come across that help people explore and deepen their meditation practice. I am not affiliated with any of the methods and highlight them simply as a means of enabling you, dear readers, to make informed choices and grow in your knowledge of the fascinating world that we live in.

There are many forms of meditation and affirmation with the purpose of enabling an individual to promote peace and healing within themselves and I was fortunate recently to experience a new method called Mastery of Energy Healing. I was introduced to this powerful, yet simple, technique by one of my yoga students.

My student had a colleague, Glen, who had been seriously ill for a number of years with a heart condition. Glen’s amazing testimony is highlighted in the following website www.masteryofenergyhealing.com
My student stays in regular contact with Glen and he has used the Energy Healing to help her and other people.

Alex J. Hermosillo is the founder of Mastery of Energy Healing (M.E.H.). In his own words, he states that M.E.H. is a gentle, non-invasive healing technique that assists the individual in releasing the negative energies and negative memories of unserving thoughts, emotions and patterns that cause illness.

Research in neurophysiology is supporting the premise of his work, which is outlined in the following statement.

“From the moment you are born to the present, your body and mind stores a complete record of information about you (called ‘Cell Memory’). Every experience of joy, gratitude, contentment and peace of mind is within you. Also within you are the energies and memories of heartbreaks, grief, confusion and fear.”

Simple in concept, it is actually more challenging for a person to release deep-seated beliefs than they realize. There are a variety of reasons for that, but one of the reasons that I like Alex’s method is that release does occur, without having to relive the negative events that caused them to be embedded in the first place.
Once the release has occurred, you bring in positive energy that, in turn, promotes a healthier view of yourself and your life.

“If there are individuals or a person who causes you harm, keep them at a distance, and bring in individuals that will nurture you, for they are plentiful as the stars."
~ Alex J. Hermosillo

People who have participated in this program find that they gain confidence, assertiveness, become more loving to themselves and others, and gain relief from symptoms of illness. Best results are apparently achieved through working with a healer trained in Mastery of Energy Healing.

Awareness Meditation

A bird house is hidden in the asters.

Look deep within yourself and see what lies beneath the clutter of the mind.

Meditation has been used for thousands of years for self-reflection, self-awareness, healing, and enlightenment. Today’s technology enables us to see the physiological and chemical changes that occur throughout the whole body.

Varied health professions now teach meditation as a means of stress management and improving a patient’s overall quality of life in a wide-variety of diseases such as cancer, hypertension, and back pain.

Meditation is also a means of reducing the symptoms and discomfort of depression, anxiety, and anger, as well as increasing energy and vitality. People who meditate regularly are clinically shown to have fewer overall symptoms of stress, fewer cardiopulmonary and gastrointestinal symptoms, less emotional irritability, and cognitive disorganization.

Awareness meditation draws your attention away from a particular object or illness to an overall knowledge and feeling of inner calmness and peace. During this specific method of meditation, the mind concentrates less on individual problems or issues and settles instead on promoting an inward focus, enabling the mind and the body to experience a profound state of restfulness. In turn, the brain becomes balanced, while the mind and body move beyond thinking, to simply being.

Awareness Meditation: An Introduction

• Prepare your meditation room as outlined in previous postings
• Ensure there are no distractions that will disturb you for the next 10 to 20 minutes
• Allow all energy that arises through your meditation practice to flow.
• Be open to all that you may experience
• Simply observe

Sitting or lying down, depending on your physical abilities, close your eyes and focus on creating a rhythmic flow of breath.

• Relax and focus on an object of meditation that you prefer, such as the breath or a candle flame.
• Observe without any judgment.
• If the mind moves away from this object, return to it when you become conscious of it.
• Notice any feelings of relaxation that occur such as the breath slowing down, muscles relaxing,
• Notice the growing space between thoughts and your meditation object
• Stay with your growing awareness of inner peace
• If any other feelings occur, allow their energy to flow through you.
• Notice what rises up through your meditation
• Release what you no longer need.
• Allow the focused attention to dissolve into awareness
• Enter into the space between the thoughts.
• Draw the inner stillness to you and fill yourself with tranquility and silence.

When you conclude your awareness meditation, know that you can return to the feelings of peace simply by returning to the flow of your breath. Awareness and self-knowledge grow with each meditation enabling you to think with precision and act from a source of love.

STRESS-FREE MEDITATION

Relaxing vacations have proven health benefits

Stress-free Living
When you are constantly on-the-go, you risk losing track of what’s important in life. This creates adverse effects on your physical health as well as significantly impacting your psychological and spiritual well-being.

Researchers at the State University of New York at Oswego published a large study in Sept. 2000 based on 12,866 men, aged 35 to 57. They found that regular vacations lowered the risk of death by almost 20%, helped ward-off stress-related illness, and improved health over the long term. Compared with men who took no vacations, those who took regular vacations were 21% less likely to die over the next nine years and 32% less likely to either have a heart attack or die of heart disease.

The findings of this study are relevant to both men and women regardless of age too. When you feel chronic pressure about time, as opposed to short-term acute pressure, it compounds the stress that already exists, and increases your likelihood of developing high blood pressure, cardiac problems, and other health risks.

Meditation Balance
Meditation helps to rebuild your energy, enabling you to be still, quiet, and connected with the centers of your heart and mind. Without this, you risk leading a hectic lifestyle in which you feel emotionally and physically wrought and chronically exhausted.

A balance between rest and activity enhances productivity because you are able to focus, are more observant, and creativity can flourish. Your mind requires meditative time to stay inspired and alert. The difference between being tired or rested often translates into the difference between being overwhelmed with daily challenges or finding resourceful solutions to them.

Making Time for Meditation
Once you train your mind and body to relax and receive answers and blessings during meditation, you will find it easier to return to a peaceful state by remembering what tranquility feels like, and thereby using the breath and physical adjustments to restore harmony and be fully present and conscientious.
In time, every moment is a meditative moment.

Sitting or lying down, depending on your physical abilities, close your eyes and focus on creating a rhythmic flow of breath.

With each inhalation, breathe in the richness of life.
As you exhale, release the breath in a slow and steady stream.
Feel tension and stress leave the body on the breath.
Slow the breath down even further with each inhale and exhale.
Consciously release all anxiety, allowing the facial muscles and the limbs to relax.
Feel peace fill the inner space where tension once resided.

Let your mind drift to a safe and serene nature scene.
This can be a garden, beach, lake, or country scene. Whatever you are drawn to, real or imagined is the place that you will travel to in your imagination.

Focus on a calm scene

Experience the peace of this relaxing environment.
Remember how you feel: protected, nurtured, and free.
Stay in your safe place until you feel that it is time to leave.

Slowly bring awareness back to your body.
Allow the eyes to open.
Keep the breath calm and steady, the body relaxed.
Feel recharged, invigorated, and contented.

Know that you can return to this peaceful safe place simply by closing your eyes and following the breath’s journey.
Peace resides deep within you.

With practice, you will restore balance and harmony simply by returning to a calm and peaceful flow of breath.
Embrace your ability make contentment a daily reality.

HEALTHY MIND, HEALTHY BODY

HEALTHY MIND, HEALTHY BODY

The causal relationship between germs and illness has been known for many years. If you expose yourself to a particular germ you are likely to succumb to it, if you don’t take adequate precautions such as washing your hands.
However, modern research has now shown that just because you are EXPOSED to or even CARRYING a germ, you may not actually develop the disease if your immune system is STRONG.

Many factors weaken the body’s ability to fight infection.

It is estimated that an average person thinks about 12,000 thoughts per day, while a deep thinker can think up to 50,000 thoughts.

Deepak Chopra states that while 95% of what we think ARE the same thoughts as we had yesterday, 75% of the average person’s thoughts are negative.

That’s between 9,000 and almost 38,000 negative thoughts every single day.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE
A positive attitude and environment goes a long way in keeping you healthy.
Who or What limits you?
What supplies you with your best flow of positive energy?

AFFIRMATION

Bring awareness to the breath and the link between the mind and body.
Slow the breath down until it becomes slow, steady, and even.
This may take a few breaths or a few minutes.
Take as long as you need.

With each exhalation I breath out all that is stressful.
With each inhalation I breathe in peace.

I am strong and resilient.
I am whole and healthy.
I am ready to receive.

MEDITATION: PRESENCE AND AWARENESS

Animals live fully in the present

Meditation: Presence

Who is the most important person in the world?
It’s not a trick question and this individual is someone that you actually know.
The most important person in the world is the person you are with at any given moment in time. All too often we fail to notice this individual or give them our complete attention because other distractions get in our way.

Nothing on Earth is permanent and we never can tell if we will be the last person this individual will see, or conversely the person we are with will be our last.
Awareness and presence develops through meditation. Being mindfully present in all your interactions, means that you have an opportunity to treat others differently from this point on.

Presence is both an awareness of your own existence and what you are witnessing at this very moment in time. It releases you from expectations about what you think might happen or from speculating about why things are unfolding a certain way. Speculation is different from intuition and I’ll talk more about intuition in a later posting.
Take your time with this meditation. Allow at least 15 minutes and practice regularly until you notice that your ability to remain present in every situation is occurring with ease.

Meditation
In a seated position with the spine straight and the flesh of the body relaxed, bring your awareness to the breath.
The eyes can be open or closed, but the gaze should be soft with the eyes still and attention focused directly in front of you.
The shoulders are relaxed, the hands resting on the thighs with the palms facing up in Om mudra. (Tip of thumbs and first fingers lightly touching. Also known as Inner Om Mudra.)
Observe the breath from the tip of the nose into the base of the lungs.
Feel the belly gently rise and fall with each inhale and exhale.
Keep the breath slow, smooth, and steady.
Don’t rush or force the breath.
Continue to watch the breath as it flows effortlessly from the tip of the nose to the belly.
Feel the belly gently rise and fall.
Draw awareness fully to the breath.
Experience the sensation of the lungs expanding and contracting, the air entering and leaving the body.
If the mind wanders (which it often does when you start to learn to meditate), simply draw the awareness back to the breath.
Do not judge or think that you have failed or cannot learn to meditate.
You are retraining the mind and new habits can take up to four weeks to become part of your regular routine.
Continue to watch the breath and direct it from the nose to the base of the lungs.
Feel the breath flowing in the present moment.
When you feel ready, in your own time, shift your attention from the breath to the present moment
Continue to focus on the present moment and dissolve into meditation.
Go deeper and deeper into the awareness.

After Your Meditation
You will strengthen you ability to be present in all that you think and do.
Your relationships will improve.
You remain open to experiences and lowly eliminate obstacles that block energy.
Your heart center opens as you give your full attention to the person that you are with.
You strengthen your ability to remain in the present moment and to be present with everyone that you meet.
You cease to be lonely as you experience contentment with your Self and connection to the source of all Love and Light

OPEN HEART MEDITATION

The energy of the heart is represented by the color green because Creation which is all around us in grass, trees, and plants, stems from Love.

Open Heart Meditation
Songs and poems from cultures throughout the world describe the peace and happiness that stems from the source of love. While there are different energy centers within the body, the heart is the energy center of Love.

There are many heart opening techniques and meditations that can be used. The following meditation is a wonderful technique that can be done by beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

The important thing to remember is to see meditation as a part of your whole life, not a separate entity that works on its own.
The efforts that you expend to open your heart do not begin and end with meditation.
You need to embrace it as a way of life.
This meditation will help you to prepare the way for loving energy to flow effortlessly through you by removing any obstacles that are within you, and yet you are not aware that they are there.

Once the obstacles (they vary from person to person) are gone, you will experience wonderful joy. Along the way, sometimes shaking or trembling or tears arise. It’s important to know that this is normal and not be afraid should it occur. Simply let it flow through you and breathe it away and continue focusing either on the light or the peaceful loving feeling within you.

Restoring Balance to the Heart
Method
Sitting in a comfortable position with the eyes gently closed and the spine erect.
Draw the attention inwards to the breath.
Keep the eyes still in this inner eye gaze.
Follow the breath from the tip of the nose into the base of the lungs
Follow the breath all the way out in a steady stream
Keep the lips closed and the facial muscles relaxed
Allow the breath to flow effortlessly into and out of the body without your input or control
When you feel the mind and body relaxed, concentrate on seeing a light at the base of the spine within your mind’s eye
Hear the sound of Om resonating deep within you
Feel light flow through the body from the base of the spine to the crown of the head
Concentrate on the sensation of the energy
Concentrate on Om and try to feel its vibration and meaning
As you reach the top of your inhalation, see the light pour from the crown of your head to surround you
Feel Om change to the sound of bliss which is Ahhh
Release anything that arises
Know that you are safe in your meditation
Feel the cleansing energy of the light flow through every cell of your mind and body
Dissolve into meditation
Continue with your meditation until you feel complete

After Your Meditation

• Continue to maintain a connection to the heart center and keep the loving energy flowing through you.
• Nurture love by replacing any negative thoughts with ones of kindness and love.
• Bringing your awareness to the heart will change your perspective on life and positively impact the people around you.
• Remaining in the present draws awareness to maintaining an open heart and permitting the flow of love.
• Try to choose peaceful situation e.g. avoid watching violent movies
• Practice kindness rather than reverting to previous negative thought patterns
• Promote happiness by being a beacon of light and love to everyone you meet.

Breathing Meditation

A breathing meditation helps the lake of the mind remain calm and still

Meditation has numerous applications and there are a variety of methods that you as a practitioner can use depending on your needs.

A breathing meditation serves as a single-pointed focus and both calms the mind and develops internal peace.
You can choose whether to concentrate solely on the breath prior to entering your meditation practice, or to stay with the breath and actually meditate upon it during your entire practice.

Breathing Meditation

Sit in a comfortable position with the spine erect. Your chosen place for meditation should be free from distractions including being too hot, cold, drafty etc as it’s not only noise that can be annoying.

With the eyes gently closed, draw the attention inwards to the breath. Keep the eyes still in this inner eye gaze.

Follow the breath from the tip of the nose into the base of the lungs.
Follow the breath all the way out in a steady stream

Keep the lips closed and the facial muscles relaxed
Allow the breath to flow effortlessly into and out of the body without your input or control

Continue following the breath as it enters and leaves the body until you feel the body and mind relax and the breath becomes slow and steady

Note the sensation of the breath as it passes through both nostrils, over the back of the throat and into the base of the lungs
Never force the breath

Deepen and lengthen the breath
Feel the breath flow into the body, permeating every cell

Maintain awareness on the sensation of the breath
Concentrate on how the breath feels

If any thoughts enter the mind’s awareness, simply allow them to pass on by.
Don’t follow a train of thought.
Remain focused on the breath and all the impressions that it leaves.

If you discover that you have inadvertently allowed the mind to wander off, don’t judge yourself. Accept that this has happened and simply return to the gentle rhythmic flow of the breath.

Eventually, the deeper you concentrate on the breath, the fewer distractions that will appear as there is no room for other thoughts to enter.
With practice and dedication the mind will stay with the breath. It will be comfortable in this new attentiveness.

All distracting thoughts subside and the mind experiences deep relaxation and profound peace.

A feeling of expansiveness of body and mind will permeate your entire being.
It is not uncommon to actually lose all awareness of even possessing a physical body as the mind joins with the source of the peace.

Knowledge and understand thrives and flourishes.

Once your thoughts have melted away and awareness is only on the sensations of the breath, let the mind dissolve.

Stay in this peaceful state until you feel that your meditation is complete.

After Your Breathing Meditation Session

• Notice the different levels of relaxation that occur within the body and mind simply by following the breath and remaining with the breath.
• Excluding other thoughts enables you to stay calm and peaceful.
• You control your thoughts and the body by controlling the mind.
• Any time that you find yourself in a stress-full situation, simply return to the rhythmic flow of the breath and you will be able to bring your mind into a relaxed state.

MIDSUMMER MEDITATION

The Midsummer Sunrise

Midsummer Meditation
Across the northern hemisphere, Midsummer is celebrated in the period between June 21st and June 25th. In the southern hemisphere, the summer solstice is celebrated in December.
For thousands of years, and in many cultures throughout the world, midsummer has been observed through spiritual and religious celebrations during this specific time period in June.

First Day of Summer
On June 21st, the sunrise is given special honor with many cultures gathering with music, song, and spiritual traditions to recognize the longest daylight hours, the high noon, and the halfway point of the year hence the name Equinox is sometimes used to describe this midpoint. In Europe, it is also referred to as Midsummer because it is roughly the middle of the growing season.
While the true summer equinox varies from year to year on the astronomical calendar by a few hours, it is recognized officially as the first day of summer on June 21st. During the summer solstice the sun sits highest in the sky. This is the longest day of the year and the beginning of the summer season.

Standing Still
As the summer solstice approaches, the noonday sun rises higher and higher in the sky each day. On the actual day of the solstice, it barely rises at all compared to the previous day, creating the impression that the sun has stood still. This lasts for about three days before the sun appears to move from its point in the sky.
The word Solstice is derived from two Latin words: sol meaning sun, and sistere to cause to stand still. Life is always about balance and many traditions that we still have today harken back to the time when as a society it was important to follow the growing cycle of sowing, planting, and harvesting.

Why Is It Necessary To Acknowledge A Summer Solstice?
The Earth is constantly in motion yet for a brief moment, the sun is seen from our perspective as though it is standing still at its highest and brightest point.
With the sun at its highest point in the sky you can use it as an analogy to let your own light shine at its utmost highest and greatest.
It is a time of year of prosperity, hope, and relationships as well as an opportunity to recognize your connection and responsibility to nature and creation.

Let Your Own Light Shine

Let Your Light Shine
Light a candle to symbolize the enduring light that is within each of us and to recognize the sacred source from which we receive our light.
During your meditation practice, you can focus on the light within you and both fill your body and surround yourself with this light.

Guided Meditation
Close your eyes, and use the power of the breath to relax the body and mind
Follow the breath from the tip of the nose to the base of the lung
Follow the breath all the way out again.
Don’t rush this process
Continue following the breath until you feel completely relaxed

Maintain a steady and even breath and focus on the light within you
With each breath, become aware of brilliant white light at the base of your spine
This light is your spiritual energy

With the breath gentle and flowing, see the white light and draw it from the base of your spine in a steady column to the crown of your head

With each steady exhale, fill your body and surround yourself with your light

Continue about three to five rounds until you are completely filled and surrounded by the light
Sense the unity between yourself and the source of the light
Feel the oneness

Bathe yourself in its brilliance and loving energy
Feel the expansive abundance of the light

Dissolve into the light

After Your Meditation
You are from the source of the light and know that you can return to it at any time by entering into meditation
Carry the light with you and share its loving energy with other.
Be a shining light to everyone you meet
During times of stress, let your light shine to dispel the darkness
In this way you will be a beacon of light to those who are struggling.

Give thanks for the light and pause to reflect, just as the sun at this time of year appears to pause and reflect.

STRESS-FREE MEDITATION

Reflection Pool at Ayurveda Clinic in Mysore, India

Purpose of Meditation
Meditation is often viewed as a form of relaxation therapy; however relaxation is a by-product of the actual technique itself. Meditation produces many positive results but its ultimate goal is to enable the practitioner to attain a state of Bliss and connection to God.

The meditation path, therefore, has much to offer and the relaxation response should not be dismissed but utilized and appreciated for the gifts that they are, strewn along the meditative journey.

Meditation produces an altered state of consciousness which helps protect against anxiety and depression. Researchers are using this altered state to help patients help themselves overcome the debilitating effects of these pernicious ailments.

Health Benefits
Numerous studies show that when patients are given instruction in a meditation and relaxation technique for a minimum of 8 weeks, the results clearly demonstrate a significant reduction of anxiety, depression and other stress-related disorders such as high blood pressure (hypertension) to name but a few.

For patients, the gains include not only the ability to experience relaxation , but the ability to experience a reduction in pain and the associated feelings of discomfort, a reduction in hypertension, and the ability to have self-control over their condition without the use of drugs with the associated negative side-effects.

Improvements in health not only continue during the weeks and months that an individual continues to practice meditation, but the effects actually become more pronounced with deeper efficacy and positive change.
The long term use of meditation produces a lasting effect that has profound significance for not only maintaining good health, but for both prevention and producing better long term health.

Meditation Technique
Choose your most comfortable seated posture
Feel grounded and supported by the earth
Focus on the breath
Slow the breath down until it is slow and steady
Follow each exhalation and allow the breath to lengthen and deepen
Notice the space between each breath and enter into the space
Feel the energy of the breath fill your body
As you exhale, release all tension
Continue with this technique until you feel deeply relaxed
Feel the energy of the breath flow through you with no obstacle
Notice the levels of relaxation that exist within the mind and the body
Let the mind enter the deep vastness of your life-energy
Allow the mind to dissolve from a place of concentration and enter a place of stillness and peace
Remain in this peaceful place until you sense that it is time to begin the tasks of your day

After Your Meditation
You can pre-empt any anxious thoughts or moments by noticing changes in your mind and body’s calm and relaxed state. Then, by returning to the rhythmic flow of the breath, you can quickly bring yourself into a tranquil and stress-free place.

MEDITATION AND BREATHING

When the breath is calm, the mind and body are also calm.

Power of the Breath
Researchers have found that controlled breathing, guided imagery, and meditation promote not only a positive mental attitude in people being treated for cancer, but provide significant health benefits in supporting the immune system and the overall health of the body, including reduced serum cortisol levels in only 10 weeks.

Blood flow is greater in the lower lungs due to gravity and correct breathing techniques ensure the maximum exchange of carbon-dioxide with oxygen, effectively eliminating toxins and other waste products from the body via the breath.

The breath has a great deal of power over the mind and the body. The main predictor for a long life is your lung capacity. The ability to breathe deeply in a steady and controlled manner has been proven to not only promote health, but increase your life span.

The breath has power not only on a physical level, but on a subtle level too. As you meditate every day, you raise your ability to develop positive awareness in rhythm with your deep and steady breath. When you are faced with challenges and stress in your day-to-day life, you simply have to return to the rhythmic flow of the breath and within a few moments, your pulse rate slows, blood pressure lowers, respiration slows and you continue breathing slowly and deeply until you experience a physical and mental state of calmness that you normally experience during your meditation practice.

Slow and Steady Breathing
As you meditate every day, choose a positive word or phrase and repeat it in rhythm with your slow and steady breath.
Positive thoughts directed to yourself and others help you to stay focused on what really matters.

Examples of positive affirmations are:

I am loved
I am filled with vitality
All is well
I am at peace
I am happy
Peace in my body, mind, and spirit

Breath Influences Your Mood
Each one of us is defined by the choices that we make as they reveal our innermost values and what we hold up as important.
Cultivate a state of optimism in all your thoughts by drawing this understanding to the flow of your breath, during meditation, and all your waking activities.

In time, a slow and steady breath becomes your normal state of being. When the breath is calm, your thoughts and life choices are also calm and appropriate.
Make choices that honor who you truly are and you will create a lifetime of love and happiness.

MEDITATION AND HEALTH

The mind is expansive and not limited to the physical body.

Meditation and Health
A 2007 national Government survey found that more than 20 million adults had used meditation in the past 12 months which is 5 million more than a previous study 5 years earlier. In addition, 725,000 children had practiced meditation.

People use meditation for various physical and emotional problems, such as:

• Anxiety
• Pain
• Depression
• Stress
• Insomnia
• Symptoms associated with chronic illnesses and their treatment, such as heart disease, HIV/AIDS, and cancer.

Meditation also helps promote overall wellness:

• Quality of life
• Spirituality
• Relaxation
• Inner Peace
• Heightened connectivity
• Improved relationships

Mind-Body medicine has proven that psychological factors in the way that an individual thinks affects their clinical symptoms with either positive or negative effects depending on a persons mood and train of thoughts.

Meditation can significantly slow down the progression of degenerative diseases and improve blood pressure, reduce stress, and enhance the effects of rehabilitation techniques in conditions such as cardiac care and cancers.

Pain Reduction
Evidence from a variety of studies has shown that meditation lowers or even completely alleviates pain. One study with a master meditator showed that he was able to withstand pain that was inflicted upon him during his meditation session. fMRI of his brain mapped out the areas within the brain that were affected and showed meditation calming the brain down to ignore the pain. Meditation switched off the receptors that the brain used to transmit the awareness of experiencing pain.

In addition to improving an individual’s quality of life, meditation helps with the ability to sleep through the night, cope with daily issues, and improve the outlook on life including raising overall hope and expectations.
This means reductions in pain and nausea, reductions in use of medications, fewer trips to visit the doctor, and a feeling of well-being and improved health. Life becomes livable as the mind focuses on the present, not on the difficulties of the past or what may happen in the future.

The Meditative Brain
Meditation creates positive changes within the mind and the body that are both physiological and emotional. The National Center for Complimentary Medicine states the following:
Some types of meditation might work by affecting the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system. This system regulates many organs and muscles, controlling functions such as the heartbeat, sweating, breathing, and digestion. It has two major parts:

• The sympathetic nervous system helps mobilize the body for action. When a person is under stress, it produces the "fight-or-flight response": the heart rate and breathing rate go up and blood vessels narrow (restricting the flow of blood).

• The parasympathetic nervous system causes the heart rate and breathing rate to slow down, the blood vessels to dilate (improving blood flow), and digestive juices to increase.

Each system of the body is not an independent self-directed system; rather they each have an actual connection with the conscious mind and the effect of thoughts upon the body.
The brain produces chemicals called neuropeptides which affect the immune cell receptors in specific ways according to your emotional state.
Meditation produces actual changes in brain function which in turn creates new neural pathways that assist in new habits, the ability to monitor thoughts and feelings, and your ability to choose appropriate actions.

Meditation improves your health. Can you afford not to meditate?

EVENING: GUIDED MEDITATION

An evening meditation helps you unwind, give thanks, and prepare for a new day

EVENING MEDITATION
While a morning meditation is a wonderful start to the day, ending the busy-ness of the day with an evening meditation is a perfect resolution to the various tasks, distractions, and emotions that present themselves throughout the day.

An evening meditation restores balance, peace, and calmness if these have somehow gotten lost during the day. It also provides a means to offer gratitude and prayer and prepare you for a good night’s sleep, free from concern about what has transpired and what may happen in the future.
It helps to keep you in the present moment so that with practice you will live every moment of your day and night in peace and harmony with both yourself and in your interactions with others.

Winding Down
The energy of the day is winding down and just as most of nature rests during the night hours, you also can prepare yourself for the best night’s rest in order to have the best start the next day.
An evening meditation provides you with the fuel to restore physical healing, a calm mind that will sleep undisturbed, and endows you with an energized mind, body, and spirit when morning comes.
When the mind is clear and the heart open, the body can enter into a deep state of relaxation, bringing healing and light into a body that has expended its daily quota of energy and fill up the tanks for the next day.

Evening Meditation
Begin your meditation practice by sitting in a comfortable position and concentrating on the breath. This permits a single-pointed focus and promotes concentration and relaxation.

When your mind and body feel calm and still, experience the silence that resides deep within you

All sounds melt away and your heart is open and at peace
Enter into the place where you feel closest to God the Creator
Offer sincere thanks for what has occurred today, whether it was part of your plan or not
Give thanks for all the many blessings that God has given you
Give thanks for all who have come into your life today
Ask for forgiveness
Ask that others in the world may find peace and love
Ask for understanding of your purpose
Rejoice in being safe in God’s presence

With the mind clear, continue to follow the breath and let all thoughts and emotions pass away
Enter into meditation and bathe in the peace that surrounds you
Stay in meditation until you feel complete

Reflection
Remember every day to Love others as God Loves you.
Each time that you pray and meditate, you are replenished and renewed as God’s Love and energy pours forth into you.
Use your energy to further Peace, Love, and the Healing of the Earth one person at a time.

NOTE: The free weekly Multi-Sensory Meditation newsletter (published every Wednesday) is available at the following link:
Link

MORNING:GUIDED MEDITATION

Morning is breaking and the sky fills with the potential of a new day.

Morning Meditation
A morning meditation is a wonderful way to start every day.
The energy of the morning is tranquil as the earth and the daytime inhabitants begin to stir and prepare for the tasks that lie ahead.
A morning meditation lengthens the stillness and peace and creates a positive lasting experience and memory that you can draw on throughout the day.
Try to sit for your meditation about fifteen minutes prior to the sun actually rising.

If you are able, sit outside for your meditation practice in order to hear the dawn chorus of birds, see the remnants of night pass away, and feel the warmth of sunlight striking the earth and enveloping your own body.

No matter the weather, a morning meditation helps you to see the challenges of the day with a new perspective.
It helps you to act with intention and clarity of purpose throughout the day. You begin each new day with peace and harmony that arises out of the tranquility and stillness contained within the promise of each new day.

Pranayama
Before you begin your meditation practice, spend ten to fifteen minutes in a pranayama practice.
A breathing practice prepares the body and mind for meditation, brings the brain into alpha rhythm which is most conducive to a peaceful state of being, and provides you with the energy that you need to see you through the day.

Meditation
Choose your most comfortable seated posture.
Feel grounded and supported by the earth.
Focus on the breath and ask yourself what you want to achieve today.
Follow each exhalation and allow the breath to lengthen and deepen.
Notice the space between each breath and enter into the space.
Allow the mind to go deeper into the space between the breath.
Feel the energy of the morning cleansing and invigorating you
Develop an expansion of the breath and the mind as radiant love flows through you.
Let the mind enter the deep vastness of your life-force.
Breathe in rhythm with the energy of the morning light emerging from the sun.
Allow the mind to dissolve from a place of concentration and enter a place of stillness and peace.
Remain in this peaceful place until you sense that it is time to begin the tasks of your day.

This was taken as the sun rose over the Pacific. The ripples are caused by dolphins.

Other Morning Meditations
You can practice your morning meditation when walking, praying, or simply marveling at the sun rising.
Look at your surroundings with an awakened perspective.
Notice the plants and flowers that are in window boxes or line the side of the road. Notice trees, the shapes and colors of their leaves, the birds in the trees.
Notice the clouds, their sizes.
Feel the warmth of the sun, the touch of a breeze against your skin.
Absorb the serenity and peace of this special moment
Express your gratitude and listen for the answers that arise from within or in your encounters with people as the day progresses.

Morning Meditation
You will feel energized, renewed and willing to face the world. You will be a positive force for change as you bring your light to everyone you meet.

MEDITATION AND BREATHING

With a controlled breath there are no limits.

WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BREATHING AND MEDITATION?

Contemplation and self-inquiry are made possible through Meditation. Meditation heightens conscious awareness of what is happening at the present moment.
Meditation reveals your present state of mind and consequently your present way of living.

When the mind is not aware, it brings about an imbalance in mood and health. Random thoughts can occur, emotions rise, and unforeseen or unwanted events occur.

When an incident actually happens or is even ONLY PERCEIVED in the mind
1. the body tenses up
2. the breath speeds up
3. becomes shallow
4. resulting in an increase in heart rate and perspiration

EXAMPLE: We’ve all used a thermometer.
Just as a thermometer can tell if your internal body temperature is too high, awareness of the breath and the meditative mind brings an awareness of the mental temperature.

What is YOUR emotional temperature?

If the mind is agitated and heated up, you can act appropriately to cool it down before it becomes too hot.

NO ONE LIKES A HOT HEAD.

If you sit in meditation and are unable to connect with the inner peace, determine what is blocking this natural state.
If you had a high temperature, you would seek the cause. In the same way, you should seek the source of inner health.

MEDITATE ON THE POSITIVE
1. Cultivate constructive driving forces by directing the mind to opposite ideas, ones that are positive to the individual and toward others
2. Negative thoughts require energy to plan and implement. They are detrimental in manner, sound, and effect
3. By maintaining a single-pointed focus of awareness via meditation, you choose to be positive and identify ways to maintain a strong mind and body, to stay resilient, and to help others.

CONTROLLING THE BREATH
In a Swedish study, published in December 2007, the researchers studied 55 healthy adults and the effect of a breathing technique that involved cycles of slow, normal, and rapid breathing exercises.

The exercises were practiced for an hour daily, 6 days a week, for 6 weeks.

48 control patients were advised to relax in an armchair for 15 minutes daily.

At the end of the study, feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression were significantly decreased and optimism was significantly increased in the breathing study group.
There was also a reduction in the sympathetic nervous system activity and a feeling of well-being with an increase in antioxidants and lower levels of cortisol.

SO, HOW DOES THE BREATH WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH MEDITATION?
Through:
1. Concentration
2. Awareness of the states of the body, e.g. tense, anxious
3. Knowledge of how to relax

Meditation improves your ability to focus and concentrate, alerting you to distracting thoughts and emotions that arise in your mind when you stop being busy.

When your mind recognizes that a situation is stressful and notices changes in the breath, you draw your awareness to the breath and slow the breath down to maintain a relaxed physical and mental state.

Eventually you maintain a relaxed and calm state wherever you go.

Meditation is the key to controlling the mind, the breath, and therefore the body.

Meditation: Inner Peace

Peace

Noise is everywhere; in the streets, in shops, even inside your head when you keep replaying past conversations. Sounds of laughter, crying, shouting, and music can affect your mood even when it is in the background and you are not aware of paying it very much attention.

So when life gets so hectic and fast paced and you say to yourself, “I just want a break. I need some peace,” where do you go to find it?

A spa? A sacred place of worship? A stroll in the park or by the ocean? A library?

Finding peace can be a temporary fix. When you leave the confines of your special haven, relieved of stress and anxiety, you return to the noise and disruption you faced earlier and before too long you find yourself longing for both the peaceful feelings that you experienced and solitude again.

True lasting peace will not be found if the tranquil place is an external one.

Lasting peace is cultivated over a period of time, provided it is given the right environment so that you can first recognize it, and then enable it to deepen its roots and strengthen over time.

When to Find Peace

Now is the best time. Don’t wait until you think you’re life is so organized that you can step straight into a tranquil existence.

It is through meditation that you experience serenity and tranquility. You create a memory for it within your mind and body.

When feelings of anxiety or stress come upon you, you can draw on the skill-set of meditation and return the breath to a slow and steady state. In doing so you calm the mind and the body, creating a situation that promotes calmness and freedom from worry.

Make Time to Meditate

Meditation is like any other skill, whether it’s tying your shoes or driving a car. It takes practice to learn how to do it. Over time, your meditation practice helps your concerns to dissolve and gives you the knowledge to know how to stay calm in all situations.

You learn how to release the issues that prevent you from experiencing joy and as you go deeper into your meditative practice, you learn how to free yourself from fear and worry.

By tapping into the calmness within, you move into a meditative state with ease and carry the inner peace with you in all your activities.

Meditation leads to peace.

If you have any suggestions for meditation articles please write to me from the website (there's a place at the end of each posting to do this) and I'll be happy to write on this subject.
New meditation information is added to the site every week with links to my additional articles on how to meditate, reduce stress, and gain inner peace.

Meditation: Living Stress Free

Meditation is easy to use in order to live a stress-free life.

A turbulent mind is a worried mind, with thoughts scrambling over one another, fighting for your attention. The dominant ones win and you find that you go over scenarios in an attempt to make it right.

Constantly dragging conversations and events from the past or fears and worries about the future around with you keeps the mind in a state of turmoil and dis-ease.



This leads to the body into a negative energy state which elevates the pulse rate, blood pressure, and over time results in illnesses such as heart attacks and other stress-related diseases.

Being able to lead a stress-free life is possible because meditation helps you to create space within the mind for new patterns to emerge. By setting aside 15 minutes every day for your meditation practice, you slow the breath down and quieten the jumble of thoughts racing around in the mind.

The breath is linked with the activity of the mind.



Applying the right thoughts, emotions, and behavior comes after making meditation part of your daily practice. Aversions and preferences fade away until you remove the patterns of the past to create space for a new present to occur.

When you experience peace, not just for a moment, but as a lasting experience, you resist the pull to worry about what has happened or what might occur. You remain in the present and it is this mindfulness that meditation reinforces, which in turn instills long and lasting peace.

The mind enjoys feeling peaceful and the more times that you practice it via meditation, conscious thought choices, and peaceful action, the world around you becomes peaceful in return and it is a self-reflecting experience.

I wish you all the peace in the world.

Meditation is for life.

New meditation information is added to the site every week with links to my additional articles on how to meditate, reduce stress, and gain inner peace.