So, you've been thinking of better ways to remove stress from your life than vacations and weekly trips to liver damage camp. I can think of no better, more peaceful way than to simply meditate. It's been practiced by several ancient peoples all over the worlds, as well as your average ordinary soccer mom today. However, the end game is the same: to plunge deeper into the self and to focus the body's energies centers and repair them, keeping them flowing in balance. Interested? Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Set aside a quiet, comfortable spot in your home for your meditation. Make sure you do not over eat before, that you use the bathroom, and have the television, cellular phone, lights, computer, everything that could possibly distract you or cause you to stray from the session, turned off. This is your time, so respect it. You can lay down, be seated with you feet flat on the floor, cross your legs, whichever position works for you, so long as you stay attentive and do not find yourself drifting off to sleep. That is vital to proper meditation, because you need be aware your body's energy, which will be doing backflips, showing you where on your body you may need to focus your attention.
We first begin with the breathing. You can practice this with your eyes open just to get it down. Inhale deeply through the nostrils, filling your stomach with air first, then your diaphragm, and finally your chest, all in one breath. It will take practice to do it smoothly, but practice makes perfect. Try not to force yourself; it will distract you. Take it easy; as is said, "Rome was not built in a day."
Next, exhale. Exhale slowly through your nostrils for as long as you inhaled. If you took seven seconds to inhale, exhale slowly for seven seconds. This helps to achieve a balance for the breath, making it easier to sustain throughout the meditation. Remember, you want this to be relaxing and automatic. If you are breathing erratically and shallowly, your thoughts will reflect this lack of discipline and begin attacking you.
The next thing to "master" are your thoughts. But the truth is, you cannot "master" them at all. Even with your eyes open, you will notice that thoughts keep rushing about you and you will try to fling one this way and toss this one the other way. Best advice is to simply do nothing. Don't try to ignore it, as you will still be exerting some sort of mental action, but simply observe it. Watch the thoughts come and go, even laugh at a few, but don't place any judgment on them. Don't remind yourself to stop thinking; simply watch. Observe. See what the mind throws at you and then recognize who are you to see the mind from that point of view. That is the first step towards enlightenment: realizing that you are not the mind.
Now for a trial: close your eyes and practice breathing a bit. You don't have to try ignoring your thoughts, but if you feel ready, why not? If you feel like you've made progress, good job! If you need more help, just keep trying at it.
Set aside a quiet, comfortable spot in your home for your meditation. Make sure you do not over eat before, that you use the bathroom, and have the television, cellular phone, lights, computer, everything that could possibly distract you or cause you to stray from the session, turned off. This is your time, so respect it. You can lay down, be seated with you feet flat on the floor, cross your legs, whichever position works for you, so long as you stay attentive and do not find yourself drifting off to sleep. That is vital to proper meditation, because you need be aware your body's energy, which will be doing backflips, showing you where on your body you may need to focus your attention.
We first begin with the breathing. You can practice this with your eyes open just to get it down. Inhale deeply through the nostrils, filling your stomach with air first, then your diaphragm, and finally your chest, all in one breath. It will take practice to do it smoothly, but practice makes perfect. Try not to force yourself; it will distract you. Take it easy; as is said, "Rome was not built in a day."
Next, exhale. Exhale slowly through your nostrils for as long as you inhaled. If you took seven seconds to inhale, exhale slowly for seven seconds. This helps to achieve a balance for the breath, making it easier to sustain throughout the meditation. Remember, you want this to be relaxing and automatic. If you are breathing erratically and shallowly, your thoughts will reflect this lack of discipline and begin attacking you.
- For now just practice breathing in and out. Don't yet close your eyes, just take a second to get the breathing down right. Actually, if you can master your breathing while awake, on the train, at school, during the job, with the kids, out on the town, you are already taking steps to becoming at peace on a conscious level wherever you go. Breathing is important to your mental health and clarity.
The next thing to "master" are your thoughts. But the truth is, you cannot "master" them at all. Even with your eyes open, you will notice that thoughts keep rushing about you and you will try to fling one this way and toss this one the other way. Best advice is to simply do nothing. Don't try to ignore it, as you will still be exerting some sort of mental action, but simply observe it. Watch the thoughts come and go, even laugh at a few, but don't place any judgment on them. Don't remind yourself to stop thinking; simply watch. Observe. See what the mind throws at you and then recognize who are you to see the mind from that point of view. That is the first step towards enlightenment: realizing that you are not the mind.
Now for a trial: close your eyes and practice breathing a bit. You don't have to try ignoring your thoughts, but if you feel ready, why not? If you feel like you've made progress, good job! If you need more help, just keep trying at it.
- Just a pro tip as you get better: As you close your eyes and begin getting deeper and deeper into the meditative focus, begin to visualize and feel your energies moving about you. As you inhale, imagine that pure light enters your body, cleansing your head, your neck, your arms, your hands, your chest, your abdomen, your waist, your hips, your thighs, your knees, your shins, your calves, your feet, your toes. Imagine that with each breath in, these areas of your body are being renewed; are being relaxed and cosmically massaged by that pure light. As you exhale, imagine all the stress, the filth accumulated in your body, all the negative emotions you have bottled up, rushing out of your body. Let them go with the air you breathe outwards.
Practice these basic steps and you will see progress. Mediation is a wonderful, FREE autonomous way to remove stress and be happy, so why not give it a shot. The worst you could do is miss that television show with artificial drama and scripted love, or a Micky D's burger that will have you slumped in your chair thinking about buying some new clothes. Meditation does not have to be methodical or complicated; it is about naturally allowing your bodily energies to flow freely, cleansing your energetic centers, or chakras, within, granting you mental, physical and spiritual balance in your waking life. It is how yogis of millennium past have achieved enlightenment. And although you don't have to take it as seriously to experience the beneficial effects, it doesn't hurt to feel reunited with the cosmos either.
-G