“MEDITATE”
.. focus one’s mind for a time for relaxation or spiritual purposes / think carefully about…
As I suspect you already know, this is easier said than done. However once mastered this will make for a most amazing pasttime, and remains without a doubt a worthy pursuit. It is with this in mind that I have decided to create this meditation course, which will step by step show you how to meditate and with the help of some exercises and aids.
To this end you will also find that this course has been developed to enable beginners (and advanced as refresher / and perhaps a slightly different perspective) without much effort to start almost instantly enjoying the benefits of meditation, which could be numerous including :
Step 1
So as a start I would suggest that we begin with a fairly important aspect of meditation. An aspect which will have an impact on your meditations in the future :
SEATING ARRANGEMENTS
Whilst most teachers will insist that you take up a lotus position, I have found that there is very little limitation to potential positions which are suitable for meditation at this level. Essentially three things to consider :
- It must be a position in which you would be able to sit (or stand) for at least 5-10 minutes, and with reasonable comfort, ensuring that you reduce discomfort, and following fidgeting to a minimum.
- It must be in a place where you will not be disturbed for the duration of your meditation. {there is little as unpleasant as being rudely awakened in the middle of a meditation session.}
- It must be a comfortable position, but a position which is not conducive to sleep. eg. trying to meditate lying down on your bed, is the easiest way to fall asleep rather than meditate.
For the sake of ease, I have found that simply sitting fairly upright in a normal chair is fairly suitable. It is OK for the chair to have armrests and soft cushioning as this will likely increase the comfort level by just enough to keep you going. If the chair has no armrests of course you could simply rest your hands in your lap.
Of course you are welcome to attempt a lotus position, as this will likely eventually prove to be a suitable position, however I have found that not only is it a difficult position to take for normal folk, but unless you are a seasoned meditator, you are likely to find that you get distracting aches in places which will force you to fidget
To avoid this I have found that a partial lotus (only crossing one foot over your leg, and the other underneath, or one foot accross and the other not totally underneath) with back support makes for a comfortable position for most meditations.
Again I must state that it remains unimportant whether or not your are able to sit in this position or not, and at this stage I would suggest that you can give up perfection for comfort, as this will have very little (if any) impact on the success of your meditations…
Oh.. and do not be afraid to stop reading to try find a comfortable position right now…
Step 2
The next step is at least as important as the first step. Fortunately this is not a difficult step, and with some help I believe you will be able to master this very quickly :
PREPARING TO MEDITATE
Whilst there are many techniques with which to do this, I have found that for me there is only one way. TAKE A BREATH
If this is applied correctly you will find that within seconds you will get your body relaxed, and in a fit state to start your meditation. In fact I would go as far as saying that I use this technique in preparation of every meditation that I attempt, and with perfect success every time.
Another useful benefit of applying this correctly is the fact that it immediately starts to focus and relax your mind, which makes it that much easier to get into your meditation without distraction. And no matter how long or how short your meditation, starting with this will get your there quickly and with little fuss.
“How do I apply this correctly?…
Taking preparatory breaths are easy enough and requires only that you are able to count (and do not hesitate to practice this as your read it) :
Step 3
Now is where you actually start to meditate. Your body and mind is prepared to start meditation, (and yet your mind keeps on wandering…).
Essentially it is now time for you to start “thinking carefully about something…”.
This unfortunately is where most students falter, and the primary reason for this is simply that the question always comes up. “WHAT DO I HAVE TO MEDITATE ABOUT?…”. “WHAT DO I DO NOW”.
Of course there are many answers to this question however I have found that few of them will be of any real use to you, so I will offer you a little from my experience :
What most teachers will omit to teach, or tell you, is that objectively, to get the best benefit from your meditation, you have to figure out first what you consider worth the effort, and then meditate on that.
That of course does not mean that you can not go for the clearing of your mind meditation where you think about nothing. This you will find is rather on the difficult side however, and most seasoned meditators battle with this.
So to start meditating you would rather want to find a subject or topic to meditate on {think about}. These could include things like :
This probably still has you a little baffled. “HOW DO I MEDITATE TO RELAX AND DESTRESS”. Well I can assure you that sitting there and thinking “I have to relax and destress” over and over again will not do the trick. Rather than focussing on trying to relax, think about the place that you feel safe and calm in and go there in your mind. Going there will also keep you going for a little while, making it possible for you to stay in this meditative state for a time. Now if you want to stay in this place a little longer start to focus on details of this place in your mind (eg. if your place is a meadow, take a closer look at the flowers that are growing there, or look at the bird flying by, and pay attention. Look at the sky, and try to identify images in the cloud formations. etc… ).
Following this will likely make it possible for you to stay in meditation longer, and by the time you awaken from your meditation, you will probably feel very relaxed.
Another example of a fun meditation to do would be the elevator meditation. Essentially all you have to do is after completing your meditation preparation, in your mind’s eye, get in an elevator. Select any button, and feel the elevator start moving, watch the counter move, and when the elevator doors open, look outside to see if there is anything. If there is nothing go back into the elevator, and select another floor. Do this until you reach a place where you feel comfortable getting off the elevator, and where there is something to see. Once you are there look at the details. Sense them, smell them , hear them, see them, taste them… You are likely to find this a very pleasant experience. When you are done and you want to stop, just get back in the elevator, and go back to where you started. After that awaken slowly and comfortably. Chances are you will feel the experiences of the meditation lingering. An amazing feeling….
Go ahead, do one….
Step 4
MAKING IT A LITTLE EASIER
As suggested before, one of the most difficult aspects of meditation, and especially for beginners, is the ability to focus your mind for a period long enough to actually get benefit from a meditation.
And whilst there are many reasons for this, the most prevalent would be a wandering mind, added to the lack of ability to concentrate long enough on one thought to derive significant benefit from this.
Fortunately practice will make perfect, and as you start and progress on your meditation journey you will find that your skills increase and your results with this. I suspect however that you are looking for an easier way to do this than to simply try and concentrate. And happily I am pleased to say that there is a way :
DIVERSION
Essentially giving your mind something to focus on which is external from yourself, and which does not require any major effort on your part to control. And whilst this is really just a trick, it works well and with almost instant benefit to you as meditator. And before you know it, you will be able to focus your mind for long periods of time, without any help.
Of course there is nothing that stops you from trying to do this on your own, and without assistance, however you are likely to find this difficult at best, as being human, and living a normal life will likely make it very easy for your mind to wander.
So to divert my mind I have found the use of guided meditations (diversion of your mind) to be incredibly valuable, and for many reasons. The most important of which includes the simple fact that instead of trying to concentrate your mind (and curb those ever wandering thoughts) you have to simply follow the meditation, which is guaranteed to get to a better and quicker result, simply because you will not likely be tempted by other thoughts which do not follow the meditation.
Sadly this is another place for students of meditation to get stuck. “Which meditation do I use?…”, “I do not want some philosophy shoved down my throat with the meditation…” and I suspect that you could come up with a few more reasons why this is not normally acceptable. What one has to remember is that despite the difficulties you may have with this form of meditation, the technique is fantastic, even if the meditation is unsuitable for you.
So to keep things simple you can write and record your own meditations, which will suit exactly your needs. It is easier than you think…
Simply follow the formats of a few of the meditations, already quoted in this article as well as the basic suggestions and there is little that you can really do wrong…
So go ahead and try it….. (Thats how I started)
How to Meditate…
Learn how to meditate. Meditating can be done in a few minutes. You don’t need to meditate for hours, morning and night. Once you know how (and what ‘true’ meditation is), you can even meditate when you drive to and from work.
Meditating is and always will be simple and easy.
The first step in meditating is to quiet the mind. Once you have mastered this, the advanced meditation techniques are the easiest things you will ever do.
How do you quiet the mind?
You just simply tell your self that ‘I will have no thoughts in my head for the next … minutes’.
As simple as that. Now don’t be alarmed, this is not a con job or a trick. That is all you have to do. There is one problem …
Your mind, or to be precise, your conscious mind. It doesn’t want you to stop thinking. It lives in today’s world of high stress and mental activity. So when you tell your mind to be quiet and calm, it will ….
Explode
Not literally, but it will explode with activity. You will start to notice you think constantly and shutting off isn’t that easy to do.
If you can shut off and your mind is completely still and quiet, you have a calm and clear mind. Then learn to meditate deeper with the many numerous techniques out there.
If you are like most of the world, your mind will be chaotic and hectic. So what do you do?
Don’t chase the thoughts away, just let them happen. Watch them and observe them. Let them occur as much as they want.
Your mind will naturally calm and quieter. It is just a matter of time. The more time it takes the more hectic your mind has become. But eventually your conscious mind will give up and peace, calm and quiet will occur in your mind.
Time you have, and it may take weeks before you will notice you will have a gap between your thoughts. That gap will increase and get larger. It may start as a split second, and then becomes a few seconds and eventually you will have minutes between your thought.
Once that occurs you are able to quiet your mind, sit in peace and calm. This is meditating. You can drive your car in this state, you are still aware of the cars and people around you. You are just calm, relaxed, energized and your health is improving as a result.
Then you can move on to meditating for a purpose. Where you use meditation techniques to activate the qualities you desire from your mind.
is dedicated to teaching you ways to remove stress; simply, easily and quickly. Using a combination of Eastern and Western techniques – stress can be removed, repelled and prevented … fast.
For all the Tips & Techniques to Reduce Stress and Boost Your Energy simply click here…
Why should You Meditate?
Most of you believe that learning meditation requires you to change your views on life, sell your possessions and go to live in a cave.
Now this may be a little of an exaggeration, but a lot of you think meditating requires you to endure some hardship. That meditating makes you want to change the world, live in peace and harmony, that you will have a mystical or magical experience.
Well, I do want to live in peace and harmony, like you. I want to drive a car, live in a nice house, and have luxuries around me. These are believed by most not in the same picture as the virtues of meditating.
Views on meditation have become a bit distorted and perverted. Meditating is purely and simply a way to calm and quiet the mind. It is not a religious, magical or mystical experience.
Meditating is a way of unlocking your potential to … release stress, improve your health, increase energy, and stimulate creativity, intuition and many other well documented benefits of meditating.
You can even meditate when you drive your car.
If you want to learn how to meditate, don’t buy a book or tapes and CD’s. You can learn to meditate without any difficulty at all. Once you know how to meditate, and then buy the book and tapes/CD’s.
But…
All you need to do is …
Quiet your mind.
Just stop thinking, stop analyzing and stop judging. It sounds simple; it is actually very hard to do. Today you live in a world that has numerous mental pressures, deadlines and stresses.
You live in a world where you have the highest mental activity … ever. In no other time of our planets history has mental activity been greater.
All this mental activity … which is both around you and within your head … stops you from having a clear, quiet and calm mind.
You have learnt to have an over-active mind. This creates stress, tiredness and eventually poor health.
How can you stop this? How can you remove stress, gain energy, be healthier and live longer? In part 2 of this article I will explain simple steps to learn to meditate.
is dedicated to teaching you ways to remove stress; simply, easily and quickly. Using a combination of Eastern and Western techniques – stress can be removed, repelled and prevented … fast.
For all the Tips & Techniques to Reduce Stress and Boost Your Energy simply click here…
What is Meditation?
Meditation is a state of consciousness; an altered state of consciousness. In its technical definition, meditation is the controlled modification of a person’s brainwaves. When you are able to coax your brainwaves into the Alpha or Theta range you experience “meditationâ€.
But I believe that the meditative experience is more than just a shift in our brainwaves. This shift in the brainwaves is just the physical aspect of a discipline that is so much more.
Learn more about Brainwaves 􀃆 The Brainwave Primer Report
Meditation is a time when you let go, disconnect from your physical body and senses and explore your true self, your source.
But how does meditation benefit us? Well, there are many benefits that you will experience when you incorporate meditation into your daily regimen. There are too many to list, but I’ll give you a few:
Physical Benefits
Emotions
Spiritual
I want to stress that most of these benefits are not just speculation but scientifically proven. I point this out to help you make the decision to start a meditation routine. I think these benefits are a good reason to start, don’t you?
So now you have decided to start regularly practicing meditation. Great, but where should you start?
First let’s go over the basics.
Breathing There are many different breathing techniques, but slow, deep focused breathing is always appropriate. Try and keep your tongue lightly touching the roof of your mouth. This is from the ancient art of Qigong. Doing this completes your body’s energy channel.
Breath is extremely powerful and books have been written on the subject. But for our purposes, just remember slow, deep breaths.
Posture
Should you sit, lie down or contort into a lotus position? Don’t worry, there is no need to contort your body into awkward positions. The main principle is to be in a comfortable position that is conducive to concentration and focus. This may be while sitting cross-legged or in a chair. One thing to remember is to keep your back straight but not tight or tense.
You can also lie down if sitting is uncomfortable, but this position often makes it too easy to fall asleep for most.
Hand Position
There are many hand positions. Today I will cover a few of the most popular. Choose one that feels comfortable for you.
Position 1: Put one hand on each leg with the palms facing up. Lightly touch the thumb and middle finger together. A variation on this position is to not touch the thumb and middle finger. Just let your hands relax with the palms facing up.
Position 2: Put your hands in your lap with the tips of all fingers touching. Right thumb to left thumb, right index finger with left index finger and so on. This is my favorite. Whatever position you choose, feel the energy flowing through your hands.
The Mind
What should you do with your mind? Nothing! Simple, right? Yes it is simple but it isn’t easy.
When you meditate, it is your time to let go. Let go of expectations, let go of thought, just let go. You will find that when you start meditating that you will have thoughts popping in and out of your head. That’s OK, just briefly acknowledge the thought and then release it. Here’s an example. As you start your meditation, a thought pops in…â€I need to remember to do the laundry†or “What should I have for dinnerâ€. This is normal. Just acknowledge the thought, “Yes, I will rememberâ€, “Dinner will come later†and move on.
I find it helpful to focus on my breath.
Intention
Here is what I believe to be a very powerful technique to focus your meditations. Before you begin your meditation session come up with a short statement or affirmation.
An example would be, “I allow my body to relax fully while my mind stays alert.†Or “My body heals itself†or “Abundance flows freely throughout my lifeâ€.
Repeat your affirmation three times slowly and deliberately and then let it go and begin your meditation. You will be amazed at how your subconscious mind will grasp your intention and fulfill it.
Meditation Music
Meditation isn’t easy, but there are some excellent CDs that are encoded with special frequencies that will allow you to enter into a deep trance state on your first try.
Learn more about these CDs in The Brainwave Primer Report and view some of these special CDs at HealingProducts.com.