MEDITATION, MANTRA, CLARITY

CLARITY
There are times when we experience a mental "blockage" and struggle with finding a solution to a problem or a creative idea. This can occur because we are unconsciously holding on to outdated ideas or past beliefs and meditation enables each one of us to obtain clarity of mind by gently stripping away obstacles and confusion layer by layer, revealing our connection to the source of all creation.

MENTAL BLOCKAGES

Fr. Thomas Keating of The Contemplative Outreach Center in New Jersey Resist wrote the following words in 1998:

"Resist no thought, retain no thought, react emotionally to no thought, and when you notice you are thinking about some thought,
return ever so gently to the sacred word.
One does not think about whether to return to the sacred word or not.
One simply returns to it when thoughts are attracting one's awareness
to a particular object."

Awareness rarely emerges when forced. It comes into being when you cease the struggle and clear a path for it to flow. Concentration and heightened awareness develop with practice and carry with them additional advantages such as:

• being more receptive to listening rather than asking
• being rather than doing
• increasing your faith
  

The past can leak into the present when we least expect it, but by taking charge of the dominant brain and leading it on a spiritual path you encounter fewer obstacles and instead invite calmness, the right people, and unexpected opportunities into your life that will guide you forward instead of holding you in a place that you have outgrown.

FINDING YOUR SACRED WORD
Affirmations are useful when you are beginning meditation or need to train the mind to think more positively.
A Mantra or Sacred Word or Phrase however, has special significance and energy in part because it originates from sacred text, sacred music, or sacred tradition.
It is extremely powerful and while a whole posting can be written to describe its importance, you can begin using a word or phrase that has special meaning to you by reading a scripture and finding a passage that resonates with you. As you consider the text, read slowly and a word or phrase will stay with you, drawing your attention to it again and again.

Once you have settled into your meditation, allow the word to flow unimpeded through your mind's awareness. Focus on the word, its energy, how it feels, what it says to you. Feel its vibrations.
After your meditation session is complete notice how you feel, what your perspective is like, how relaxed your mind is, and how clear your thoughts have become.
Release attachment to the past and remain focused on the present. Cultivate sacred words and carry them with you and notice a deepening spiritual awareness and connectivity to the source of all creation.

AUM and OM

Om can be heard in many objects and also experienced as a ringing sound.

AUM and OM

The sound of Om is recognized as being a universal sound because it permeates the universe.

It is a sound that is inherent within everything and everyone. When you listen carefully, you can hear the sound in engines and machines, at the end of prayers, even within your own body as a sound resonating deep within you.

Om consists of the letters AUM which represent creation, maintenance, and ending. We see this in all aspects of the universe. All things have a moment when they evolve, exist, and then pass away and we acknowledge this every time we chant Om.

Your Own Om
During your meditation practice, hear the sound of Om deep within you.
As you continue to meditate upon it, the sound will evolve, becoming deeper and stronger. You experience the sound of Om during your meditation and afterwards it continues to reverberate within your life.

Only with practice does learning and understanding come.

Each time you meditate, the sound becomes more powerful in its intensity and volume. You will hear it clearly and feel it vibrate through every cell of your body.

It is your personal Om, different from mine yet both are connected to the source of Om.

Om is a pure sound emanating from the Creator therefore it is a sound that protects you and promotes goodness in your life. Also known as the first mantra, it gradually removes negativity from your consciousness and keeps your entire being focused on that which flows from God.

The Sound Current
With continuous practice of meditation and chanting Om, both externally and hearing it internally, you feel the vibration of Om throughout your body. Maintaining awareness in the third eye, located deep within the center of the head level at the space between the eyebrows, you focus on the sound, the flow, the energy within Om.

With constant study and concentration on Om, you become aware of the sound current that carries Om everywhere.

The water in the fountain comes from and always returns to the Source

The Source
Om brings a steadiness to the mind and the thought process.
If you are new to meditation, you will focus on the word of Om, then progress to its sound, then to the current of Om. Over time, you will then experience the Knowledge and the Bliss that accompanies the sound current of Om and travel to the source of the Bliss.

As the current of Om permeates all of your being, both during meditation and during your everyday existence, you experience Bliss at every moment. You have the Knowledge that you are connected to the Source and delight in being there.

The Bliss cannot be learned from reading or external study. Bliss has to be experienced. As you connect to the source of the Bliss, you will achieve freedom and peace and understanding.

Meditation and Om combined is a unique gift. Accept it and use it every day.

LEARNING TO MEDITATE

LEARN TO MEDITATE BY TRAINING THE MIND TO MOVE BEYOND OBSTACLES

LEARNING TO MEDITATE is achievable by anyone in a few simple steps.

The mind is in the habit of following a random train of thoughts and when you are learning to meditate you are effectively teaching it to follow a single-point of focus. In other words, what you are doing is training the mind to meditate.

Concentration
Concentration of the mind can last from a few seconds to several hours. When you perform any task you are focused on it, whether it is tying your shoelaces or following a recipe, and as you know, if the mind is distracted the task takes longer or steps may be missed and mistakes occur.

When a beginner is learning to meditate, it is not easy for the mind to concentrate on the breath or the space between the breath when it is trying to meditate. The beginner mind often needs an object to focus on, then with practice, the mind enters into a meditative state with ease and can focus on light, space, and connect with the Supreme Consciousness.

TRAIN THE MIND TO MEDITATE BY FOCUSING ON A SINGLE OBJECT

Steps for Concentration for Meditation

• Find a pleasing object that holds your interest such as a flower, a lit candle, a rock.

• Sit in a comfortable seated position that you can stay in without fidgeting.

• Gaze at the object without any eye strain. Notice how beautiful it is. Marvel at it's creation.

• After a few minutes, close your eyes and hold the memory of the object in your mind's eye.

• If it disappears, gaze at your object again for a little while longer then close your eyes and concentrate on your chosen image.

• With practice, you will be able to close your eyes and bring the object to mind instantly.

• Now you can focus on more subtle objects such as the breath, inner light, healing sound such as OM.

Benefits of Concentration
Whatever you focus on, your mind forms thoughts, emotions, and actions around a particular stream of thinking.
For example, if you focus on a strawberry, notice the colors and the perfume of the fruit, your mouth waters in memory of how sweet and juicy the fruit tastes and so you decide that you must have one.

During Meditation, when you are able to focus not on physical objects but on pure objects such as love or God, you become like the essence of what you are concentrating on.

You Can Do It
Meditation takes practice, but it is easily doable. Many people struggle because they try it once or twice by attempting to empty the mind, but that is too challenging because the mind is not under control. It keeps on leaping around.

The simple steps above will help you to achieve concentration and take control of the mind.

In turn, you will find that you progress very quickly from holding an external image in your mind to one where you enter into meditation and find the peace and bliss that emerges as a result of meditation.

Meditation:Concentration

Taking control of the thoughts is central to meditation. The world in which we live in is an instant world, which moves very fast. Expectations are placed upon us to achieve what we set out to do very quickly and this only adds to pressure, stress, and worry. The mind gets used to juggling many tasks and when preparing to meditate it should come as no surprise that the mind is still leaping around and thoughts are hard to still.

Your Meditation Practice
No matter what your ultimate aim of a meditation practice is; greater peace, insight, intuition, connection to God, increased spirituality, or relaxation, if the mind is constantly being pulled in different directions following a seemingly endless trail of thoughts, then your meditation practice ends with disappointment and you may even be tempted to give up.

Train the mind
You can successfully train the mind with a few simple steps.

Before you sit down to meditate, teach the mind to concentrate on ONE single task. Given the multitude of things we do every day, ONE object should be easy. Choose one method and stay with it until it becomes so easy that you can enter into a meditative state with ease.

• Practice mindfulness in all activities e.g. dressing, bathing, pouring water, chewing food. Each activity that you participate in should be examined fully and you will in turn experience not only concentration, but an enhanced appreciation and enjoyment of what you are doing.
• Focus on your breath whenever you have to wait on something or someone. Don't sit gazing around you. Draw the awareness inward to the breath and notice its rate and flow. Expand the breath and slow it down.
• Maintain single-pointed focus by studying a word or phrase in a religious or spiritual book. What does the word or phrase mean to you?
• Relax the mind by gazing at nature elements such as clouds drifting by, waves rolling in the ocean, ripples in water, leaves rustling in trees, and any other object where you can allow the mind to relax and follow without any thought.
• Focus on the space between your thoughts. This is more challenging but with practice the space becomes larger and you can truly focus on the highest spiritual energy.

In a meditative state, the mind is not empty, but focused. Each time you prepare to meditate the mind is more and more familiar with what is expected of it and enters into meditation with grace and ease.

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: Increasing Your Intuition

Meditation has multiple uses and end results. When practiced regularly, the mind enters into a field of awareness that awakens latent abilities.

This highly developed level of concentration enables you to develop continuous understanding, lack of desires, and bliss. Your subtle life force lies within your body and you can choose how to direct this flow of energy for creating healing, happiness, or positive outcomes in all your endeavors.

Intuition
Subtle awareness brings into being a sixth sense; that of intuition. Represented by light and the color violet, intuition manifests when the five basic senses reach a heightened state of development and you undergo a transformation in your responsiveness to and perception of people, situations, and yourself. When you have practiced Meditation regularly, you know that you are not your thoughts and that you can in fact monitor and control what you are thinking.

Focus on the Breath
Intuition flows as a direct result from completing an inward focus on the breath. Your mind releases your intuition whereupon it manifests itself slowly in some individuals and as a sudden rush of knowledge in others. You understand what reality is and your role in life.

With the mind still and centered on the breath, or your attention point of choice, the body and mind are working to keep the breath slow, calm, and steady while the self remains at rest. The space between the thoughts magnifies and you abide in the true nature of your self. It is in this inner space that inner calm and clarity resides and the clear mind returns to its original source. In this way, the flow of consciousness remains continuous.


Meditation transfers Peace
Feel peace wash over and through you. Retain this feeling when you slowly open the eyes and carry it with you throughout your day.

Meditation is for Life.

Guided Meditation

Meditation is a means to achieving peace not only during the meditation experience, but during your daily life and interactions with others.

Preparing for Meditation
To begin, you must prepare your body and mind for your Guided Meditation session. You would not plant a seed into the earth and expect it thrive without clearing the weeds, tilling the soil, and providing a fertile medium for the future plant to bear fruit. Likewise, there are certain mental and physical preparations that will enable the energy that you release through your Meditation to flow.

Ask yourself if there is anything urgent that cannot wait fifteen until your meditation is over. If it is urgent, do it. Otherwise know that your meditation is the most important thing that you have to do right now.

Relaxing into Meditation
Settle down now, sitting in a comfortable position with your back supported and the spine as straight as possible. Sit in as upright a position as you are able with your hands in a relaxed manner by your sides or on your lap. The feet are placed with the sole of the foot flat on the ground.

If you are sitting on the floor, choose your most comfortable seated position. If you are able, try placing 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.

The hands are relaxed and resting either on your lap or by your hips.


Begin your Guided Meditation
With the eyes gently closed, begin your meditation.
Inhale slowly and begin to notice your breath. Exhale slowly and steadily.
And continue.

Breathe steadily into the base of the lungs, feeling the belly rise gently. Exhale and release the breath in a steady stream.

Never force the breath.

And continue, concentrating on keeping each breath of equal length; breathing slowly in, exhaling slowly out.

If the flow of the breath is uneven, make any adjustments necessary to maintain a steady breath.

Feel the facial muscles relax, the shoulders drawing down and away from the ears.
With each lengthened exhalation feel the body relax even further, staying focused only on the rhythmic flow of the breath.

With each controlled inhalation fill your body with the energy of your breath.
With the exhalation feel the arms relax, releasing further away from the body.

Feel grounded and supported by the earth.

Continue with this technique until you feel extremely relaxed.

See Light flow from the crown of your head down to your feet and into the earth.

Draw your awareness inward onto the light. Focus on attracting only that which is positive and kind, nurturing and healing to you. Feel safe and surrounded by the light.

The physical body disappears and only the mind exists.

Stay here, fully embraced in this peaceful Light for as long as you feel comfortable.
This can be moments or it can be several minutes.

When you sense that your meditation session is over, gently open the eyes.
Carry the peaceful feeling that flows inside you wherever you go.

Meditation and Light
Return to the peaceful feeling easily by remembering the peace that flowed from the light.
Take a few deep slow breaths and the light will fill you.

You will become more in-tune with what is important in life and become a calmer and less reactive person.

Meditation is for Life.

Breathe Easy

Breathe easy

Your breath, your mind, and your meditation practice are all intertwined with each other.

The breath is both a sign that the emotions are out of control and a means of drawing peace and harmony to the Self.
Troubled thoughts release adrenaline and stress hormones that increase outbursts of anger and undesirable consequences.

Researchers at the University of Miami found that controlled breathing, guided imagery, and meditation promote not only a positive mental attitude in women being treated for stage I or II breast 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.

Awareness of your reactions to what you experience enables you to release anxiety and block out the cause of your distress.

With awareness, you cultivate peace through control of the breath and become calmer, more loving, and in full control of your emotions.

Rather that being tossed about by the chaos of life, with the mind filled with hurtful and punishing thoughts, you can observe your thoughts, your reactions, and choose to hold onto the peace that resides within.


THE DAILY EDGE
Helping You Expand Your Possibilities
TODAY'S EDGE: Breath

As I breathe in, I fill my body with light
As I breathe out, I let go all internal impurities that arise from:

the foods that I consume
all pollutants I absorb from my environment
the toxins released from my thoughts.

I feel balanced and peaceful with each breath.


Meditation is for life.

Meditation for Immunity

see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil,

When you think of the reasons for having a regular meditation practice, images of calmness, inner peace, and an unruffled attitude come to mind. These relaxed states will also lower the blood pressure, steady the heart rate, and slow the aging process of the brain.

However there is a third powerful reason to meditate.

Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of the interaction between the mind of an individual and the world and how their behavior affects the immune system resulting in either health or illness.

In the seventies, a Harvard study discovered a special group of receptors on the immune cells distributed throughout the body. This was a major breakthrough and shone new light upon what we know about the immune system. The research demonstrated that the immune system is not an independent self-directed system; rather it has an actual connection with the conscious mind and the effect of thoughts upon the body.

This means that the mind and the body interact with one another in previously unthought-of ways.

Meditation helps this process by directing your thoughts to those that are positive.

No longer do scientists regard cells as operating independently of one another. The energy behind a single thought can alter a cell with either a positive or negative result. When you are exposed to a specific event, it is how your mind reacts that determines the response, rather than the actual event itself.

For example, when you are in a negative state of mind, your body shows a marked decrease in cells responsible for protection against infection and disease.
A positive state of mind has the reverse effect, promoting a healthy immune system, increasing lymphocyte and T-cell activity, and decreasing stress hormones.

This helps you to stay healthy and fight infection by boosting the immune system.



THE DAILY EDGE
Helping You Expand Your Possibilities
TODAY'S EDGE: Mind/Body Mantra

See yourself in a tranquil location surrounded by people and animals that bring you joy. Delight in the warm loving embrace of their presence. You are free of disease and sadness in this environment. Peace and bliss envelop you.

I am divinely guided in all I do.
I expect life to give me what is best for me.
I am safe and always feel protected.


Carry these images and affirmations within you and use them whenever you need to return to a happy state.

Meditation keeps you healthy and happy.

Easy to Use Mantra

Patanjali: author of the Yoga Sutras

What's in your mind?
It is estimated that the average person has over 60,000 thoughts every day. Not all of these thoughts are happy approving ones though.

When you get into the habit of monitoring your thoughts and subsequent actions through meditation, you develop the ability to discern what you are thinking and can then choose to replace the negative, nay-saying thoughts with ones that are encouraging, upbeat and supportive in their energy.

Protecting your mind
A mantra is a mental or auditory word or phrase, often with a personal or sacred meaning. Derived from the roots of two Sanskrit words; manas, referring to the mind, and tra, meaning that which protects, a mantra is therefore a thought, word, or sound which protects the mind.

It serves as a replacement for unwanted thoughts by pulling the mind back to concentration, allowing you to develop single-pointed focus. You can repeat or chant a mantra, focusing on the meaning and the sound, while hearing the mantra vibrate within you.


View from the foothills of the Himalayas

Your very own shield
With regular meditation, you become familiar with detecting thoughts as they appear and by the use of a mantra, your chosen word or phrase rises up like a shield to protect you from either your own self-deprecating thoughts or hurtful energy directed at you from another person or situation.

OMMMM

Om is known as the first mantra. If the mind has a tendency to wander or unwanted thoughts enter the field of awareness, it provides a simple means to relax the mind and allow it to surrender into the peaceful influence of this singular point of focus. Om (also known as AUM) will be written about in more detail in a future blog. To begin though, develop the habit of repeating a mantra, either Om or one of your choice.


Know God, by Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji

THE DAILY EDGE
Helping You Expand Your Possibilities
TODAY'S EDGE: Mantra

Traditionally, mantras are repeated 108 times, signifying one complete round. You can say as many rounds as you want to every day. Over time, you will notice that the mantra does have both a protective and a positive effect on the way that you think and subsequently act because you are replacing negative thoughts with more beneficial views and beliefs.

Try looking at yourself in the mirror and telling yourself “I Love You.” Do it 108 times every day for a week. Notice how you feel every day.

You can continue with this phrase or repeat a different one, so long as it is meaningful to you and not derogatory in any way.

Om is the most powerful mantra and the vibration is said to resonate with the universe. Meditation upon the sound of Om will therefore give you knowledge of Om and of the whole universe.

Mantra can be repeated silently during meditation or when walking and is easy to carry around with you and perform.

Keep it short and say it like you mean it.

Soon you will not only mean it, you will believe it even when you’re not saying it.

Meditation is for life.

Instant Relaxation

Two rivers meeting to become The Great River Ganga

Mastering the Basics
Once you have mastered the basics of relaxing through meditation and are familiar with the different layers of relaxation that occur within your body and mind, you can bring the benefits of meditation instantly to you, without spending up to 20 minutes sitting quietly.

Your mind loves the way you feel during meditation and wants to stay in this peaceful tranquil state.

Awareness of Emotions
Awareness of how you are feeling; tense, anxious, or breath rapid and shallow are indicators that you use to instantly draw your mind, breath and body back to a place of happiness and joy that is both internal and external.


Instant Relaxation and Important Events
Your ability to transport the effects of meditation instantly is a really useful tool prior to situations like giving a speech, attending an interview, or going on a first date. It helps stop feelings such as anxiety and fear of failure, and even reduces the incidence of sweaty palms due to nervousness!

You will release apprehension and gain confidence in your abilities, helping to put yourself and other people at ease.

How it Works
During your meditation, become aware of the point at which you become totally relaxed.
Make a mental note of the rate and rhythm of your breath.
Notice your relaxed arms, legs, and facial muscles.
Tell yourself that you can return to this place simply by following the breath.
Your mind will accept what you have told it.


Meditate Instantly
The Response
During your everyday activities, when you feel yourself becoming tense, simply tell yourself to relax and the memory of what it feels like to be calm and at peace, triggers a response in the breath and the body.
You respond by slowing the breath down, the breath lengthening and deepening.
The shoulders, facial muscles, and limbs relax.
Tension dissolves.
The benefits of your meditation practice recharges you and fills you with energy and well-being.

A Marathon Meditation

Emma approaching the finish line: 2009 Boston Marathon

Meditation for life.
Endurance and Fortitude. We don't automatically associate these words with meditation, however when faced with adversity, questions, and everyday struggles, endurance and strength are qualities that you really want in abundance and meditation gives you the ability to free yourself from the pain and doubts associated with day-to-day living.

For Emma, maintaining her focus and believing she could run this marathon enabled her to leave thoughts of failure far behind.

Meditation has long been known to bring inner peace and the corresponding external tranquility within relationships and all activities. However, for many people the starting point to begin meditation often arises out of pain, anxiety, or finally deciding that enough is enough and you really want to change your life for the better.
It is well known that if you keep on doing the same things, you get the same results.
That's why meditation is a steady method to practice and bring about the changes you desire.

You cannot think two thoughts at the same time.
When you maintain a constant vigil over physical pain, rehash angry conversations, and see only the sufferings of the world, you draw your attention to negative energy.
Meditation releases you from this, giving you peace and joy to focus on.


With practice, your meditation becomes like the gentle flow of water seeping into the cracks of your life and smoothing out the rough parts.
A great transformation occurs as you focus less on what cannot be done because of perceived limitations and see instead that your mind and body have no restrictions.

Let yourself flow in your meditation practice and as you leave your old self behind, see what personal mountains you can move and what you can achieve.


THE DAILY EDGE
Helping You Expand Your Possibilities
TODAY'S EDGE:Marathon Meditation

Meditation is one-pointed focus, yet often during the day our mind drifts away from peace and happiness and becomes focused on finding fault either personally or by criticizing other people.

In your meditation practice, focus on releasing critical behaviors.
Focus on seeing the beauty in life, rather than being fixated on what is dull and unexciting.

Have a mantra that you can repeat during your meditation and throughout the day.
Examples include:
I choose to be grateful
I choose to be kind
I choose to give love
I choose to feel joy
I choose to see the good within
I choose to be happy

Use your chosen word or phrase whenever you hear yourself revert to fault-finding. Feel yourself draw back to your light and the peace within via the use of your mantra.

In time, you stop thinking negatively because you are too busy thinking only good and positive thoughts.

Your time is too precious to waste on negative thinking. Look at what can be achieved if you put your mind to positive use.

While running a marathon may not be your desire, find out what is and what is holding you back.
Use your meditation to help you get there.
Meditation is for life.