Tag Archives: Meditation Practice

Meditation How To: Allowing

September 18, 2009

Meditation How To: Allowing

Remember when you were working to bring your body under control while in meditation? How did you go? In the end, it’s best to come to some level of peace in the body before launching yourself into your meditation. I follow a process a bit like this:

  • Decide to turn up for my meditation practice
  • Ensure I’m not going to be disturbed
  • Get myself settled, cushion, shawl/rug, meditation journal and pen
  • Light a candle or incense just to help me get in the mood and focus a little
  • Relax – first the body and then the mind.

I do the “Relax” part slowly, using my breath to help me gradually release any tension, tickles and the like from my body. It usually takes me between three and five breaths before I turn my attention to my mind.

Again, I use my breath to help me focus my attention on finding the quiet bits within my thought stream. As I lose my focus and start interacting and following my thoughts (yes, it happens to everyone!) I have come to realise that my body gradually becomes tense again. It’s this tenseness or twitchiness often, that alerts me to the fact that I’m lost in my thoughts again. So once again I turn to my breath to settle my body again and then my thoughts.

So now we come to allowing. It’s been occurring to me that “control” is doing and as such is at odds with our meditation practice. Meditations aim is Being.

So, if my body does an occassonal twitch or itch, I am working on being in “allowingness” (hmmm the spell checker doesn’t like that one) about it. If it’s not distracting me, I just let it go – perhaps I’ll see if there is some tension that needs to be released and breathe it out but usually these little things just pass on by if I remember to allow them to.

Likewise with my thoughts and emotions. If I try to ‘control’ them they sometimes just dig in and won’t stop but if I can get my mind and my thoughts to a state of relative ease, then just allow the thoughts and images to just float in and out of my mind without engaging with them, I find they come and go, come and go…. come and go……….come and go. With much less frequency.

The Allowing of the body and the mind to do what they are designed to do seems to act as a soothing influence on their activity. The saying “What We Resist, Persists” really seems to apply here. So if you are having trouble with “Control” why not give “Allow” a go and see how it serves you.

May your dreams be vibrant and joyful.

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Meditation: short guided meditation visualisation

September 7, 2009

Meditation: short guided meditation visualisation

I’ve been looking around for a nice simple (and not too long) video and music clip to help you with your meditation practice.

My idea is to help you see that you can just find a comfortable seating position, take a few breaths to relax yourself and then either watch the images or close your eyes and just get carried along by the music.

Simple and very, very sweet.

I think you could manage this even more than once a day. Do enjoy my dear hearts and remember to be very gentle with yourselves and each other as we travel through this life together.

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Meditation How To: Mind Games

August 13, 2009

Meditation How To: Mind Games

If you’ve been following the posts you will now have had an opportunity to get to know some of the games both your body and your mind will play with you when you attempt to meditate. Well done if you have turned up every day for your meditation session – that is the most important thing. The next most important thing is that you remember this is not a competition, you don’t have to compare today’s meditation with yesterdays or last weeks meditation.

Meditation happens now. Not yesterday or tomorrow, only now. It is the now that matters the most. Tonight I attended my weekly meditation group and we had a great little discussion about thinking during meditation and the group facilitator laughingly recounted how he said to himself this morning “Hey, this is great… I not thinking!” Doh! We all laughed out loud because we have all been there.

Image courtesy photobucket.com

So many times I’ll give myself a little mental pat on the back because my mind has become so still. I’ll think to myself “Oh, this is a great meditation, I’m hardly thinking at all” Gee I wish I’d just shut up! It’s a frustrating habit and one that I’m very keen to drop. So what is the task for this week?

This week is simple and helpful which is what Meditation How To is all about.

Using your Meditation Journal (see previous post if you missed it) record those thoughts that consistently and incessantly interrupt your meditation practice. Sometimes your mind will take the opportunity to remind you of something that you have forgotten to do or that is important for you to remember. A doctors appointment or job interview, perhaps you are picking up a neighbours child from school or something unusual. Your mind will use the quiet time of your meditation practice to ‘remind’ you of this and it may not leave you alone until you acknowledge it.

A simple way to do this is to write the thought down in your journal. Have the journal and a pencil sitting beside you so that you can gently write down the thing that your mind currently thinks is more important than your daily time spent in meditation. When it is written, take a deep breath, centre yourself once more and return to your meditation. If your mind attempts to “remind” you of this thing again I find it quite useful to just say to myself, “Yes, thank you, I have that written down” and let the thought go. Eventually your mind will accept that you have taken the reminder on board and will cease bothering you about it.

Give this technique a try and I’d love to hear from you of your success or otherwise using it.

Many Blessings

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Meditation How To: Getting To Know Your Mind

June 25, 2009

Meditation How To: Getting To Know Your Mind

Realising that your mind has a mind of it’s own is probably one of the most incredible things a person can do when they first embark on learning about Meditation.

For too many people it becomes the main obstacle to their progress. I so understand that.

For me, deep down inside I found it a little frightening. I really and truly thought that I was in charge of me. However, I soon discovered that my mind had other ideas!

Remember the list of reasons I quoted in our first “How To” post – First Control Your Body? Here they are again.

  • I couldn’t stop thinking
  • I couldn’t concentrate
  • I couldn’t make my mind silent

I was shocked to be perfectly honest. Shocked at the negativity I discovered in there when I really had a good hard look and shocked at how difficult I found it to really understand the way my mind worked. I mean, why wouldn’t it just do what I wanted it to do? Why wouldn’t it just shut up for a few minutes. What on earth was it afraid I was trying to do?

Let me tell you a story.

Everyone (well I think most people anyway) has the same issue with their mind.

Once I realised that I really didn’t know my own mind very well I had to actually set aside some time to get to know it.

I found sitting and watching it a very useful tool in this regard, this is where I discovered the negativity and the anger that I hadn’t realised was there. I discovered that in my mind I was actually quite rigid, negative, judgemental, angry and very mean – mostly to myself. That was quite a shock!

So, with a little guidance from a trusted and much loved friend, I began to journal what I was seeing and hearing in my mind.

I began to look for patterns and processes and I began to understand my mind just a little better. The writing really helped. I had some ‘stuff’ to deal with here and it was getting in the way of my desire to meditate and to create a much better, healthier, happier and fulfilling life for myself.

So, along with your first task:
Learning about your body, watching it, acknowledging it and IGNORING it’s little games until you can comfortably sit for 5 full minutes, you are now going to turn your attention to your mind.

Your task for today:

Find a book you are happy to use as your Meditation Journal, a nice pen or pencil you feel happy to write with and bring them with you to your meditation practice.

Once again, at the time you have chosen as being perfect for your meditation time, go sit comfortably in your chair:

  • Feet on the floor, warm enough or cool enough and remember… NO distractions!

Now, take a couple of nice deep breaths. In and out releasing any tension and just really coming into your special, precious meditation time:

  • Allow your eyes to close softly, allow your breath to find it’s own natural rhythm
  • When your breath and your body have settled comfortably and you feel ready
  • Begin TO WATCH YOUR MIND

As with your body, it really won’t take it too long to start trying to get your attention:

  • It will remind you of something you may have forgotten… just say thank you, I’ll get to that in 5 minutes.
  • It will attempt to distract you with something your have a habit of worrying about… say thank you but I’ll think about that later.
  • It will bring a daydream to your mind and try to get to you play along with the story…. if that happens just come back to your breath. Thank your mind for the story but remind yourself that for now you are not participating right now… you are merely watching.

Just as when you were learning to control your body, continue to watch your mind.

  • Be kind to it, after all it has only one function and that is to think.
  • Acknowledge it’s purpose, thank it for being such an amazing thing,
  • Remain disconnected and non-participatory and just watch it’s antics.

You will learn much about it, yourself, your habitual way of thinking and perhaps a glimmer of what lays behind the noise and chatter.

At the end of 5 minutes, spend a minute or two recording your discoveries in your journal.

  • Did you manage to sit for the full five minutes?
  • Did you find some of the patterns of thinking you engage in?
  • Did you discover that you were unable to remain non-engaged with your thoughts?
  • Did your body get a little fidgety or did you loose your relaxed state as your mind did it’s thing?

Write all of this down and any emotions, memories or ideas you have as a result.

They will all be incredibly helpful to you over the coming weeks and months as you develop the skills you need to work with your mind and develop your meditation practice.

For the next week or so, practice this mind process and try to integrate it into your body practice which you have already mastered. You are now well on the way to developing your own precious meditation practice.

If you would like to receive audio and video recordings as they become available that may assist you develop your meditation techniques and practice,

  • Just put your name and email address into the box at the right hand side of this page and I will add it to the list of fantastic meditation resources I’m developing to assist you.

Remember, practice this exercise until you can sit, relaxed and still, watching your mind for a full five minutes. I know you can do it.

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Why Do You Continue Meditation Practice?

June 12, 2009

Why Do You Continue Meditation Practice?

For many years now I’ve been an on again, off again meditator. These days, I’m much, much more an on again meditator and I often meditate more than once per day. To that end I became part of my local meditation community and we meet weekly to participate in a group meditation. It’s really lovely.

This week, the meditation included a few moments in contemplation around why we/I continue with my meditation practice. Sounds simple enough right? I didn’t find it that simple.

Upon reflection, over the past couple of days that question keeps coming back to me. I’ve realised that my reasons for continuing meditation are quite different now than they were even a few years ago and they are very different from the reason I began investigating meditation and learning how to practice it.

Now these are very personal reflections but as reflections I can see how far along my personal pathway of meditation and (dare I say it) spiritual/consciousness evolution I appear to have traveled. Mind you – that’s linear wording for what I have a feeling is more of a spiral journey but that conversation belongs somewhere else.

I was originally drawn to meditation because it was different.

I married a meditator but we never really discussed it – I just knew he did it but I didn’t understand it. Interesting people seemed to also be meditators and eventually many years later my very best friend also turned out to be a long term meditator. By this time I felt meditation was stalking me! In a nice way of course and so I asked my friend to teach me about meditation. She did. Very simply, very quickly. I was quite disappointed. I thought it would be so much more mysterious really. Funny, in that way, it was a bit like my first sexual encounter….
However, meditation was not done with me by a long shot and I discovered a lovely little book (or it discovered me) and I found a kindred spirit who filled me with the mystery and the wonder I was seeking. His gentle words, his gentle humour and his patience all shone through in the little book called:

Your Life is Your Message: Finding Harmony With Yourself, Others, and the Earth

Now of course, different things really appeal to different people and since that time I’ve discovered many more teachers and read many more books but this one, the first, will always be special.

So I think that I was drawn to meditation in the first place because it was different, a bit exotic and something that interesting people appeared to be involved in. Now, well… that sounds like a description of me!

In truth, I stay with meditation because within the silence I discovered myself and I know that I will never leave me. I hope you discover something wonderful too and if you are looking for a gentle introduction into the wonderful, diverse and entirely beguiling world of meditation you could do much worse than running your eyes and your heart over that little book that helped me take my first baby steps towards developing a practice that sustains me.

Many blessings.

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Meditation How To: First Control Your Body

May 12, 2009

Meditation How To: First Control Your Body

I bet you didn’t think I was going to say that right up front did you? That’s understandable really, because when you ask most people why they didn’t continue with their meditation practice they will answer with something like:

  • I couldn’t stop thinking
  • I couldn’t concentrate
  • I couldn’t make my mind silent

Welcome to the club. It’s normal for that to happen and for most people to remain under control of their rambling mind is also very normal.

Take heart dear ones, help is at hand.

Let me tell you a story.

I first came across meditation more than 20 years ago – in fact it may be more like 25 years but I couldn’t be that old so let’s just go with 20 years ago!

  • I seemed to be surrounded by people who were meditating.
  • So a kinda joined in … a bit.
  • Needless to say I wasn’t really successful and gave it up as a bit of a weird thing to do.

Then around 10 or 12 years ago I found myself in the same position. I was once again surrounded by spiritual people and many of them were meditating on a regular basis.

  • Aaah, the Universe is a clever thing – when a person needs a lesson, a tool or a skill, the Universe will wait patiently until you are ready.
  • This time I took it all a little more seriously and asked someone to give me some hints and tips and I even read a wonderful book that gave me some of the tools I still use today.

However, it wasn’t until about two or three years ago that I learnt the biggest secret that helped me really cement my meditation practice and make it the enjoyable experience it is today. I discovered that the key to controlling my mind, was to learn to control my body.

  • Consider the truth of this. You sit or lay down to meditate. Within three seconds, you just have to shuffle a little bit to get comfy.
  • Then your nose itches, or your eye twitches.
  • Perhaps you feel you must yawn or scratch your knee.

I’m sure you are seeing the pattern here. You see, despite you thinking that you control your body, most of the time you are happy for it to do whatever it wants so long as it is available when you want to pick something up with your foot for example! :-)

Your body on the other hand, is not so happy about you making it sit still. Perfectly still, for even 1 minute. Well that is our task for this Step in the “Meditation How To” series. Learn to take back control of your body, 5 minutes at a time. No ifs, buts or maybe’s. Just still perfectly still, no itching, no twitching, no scratching, shuffling or squirming for 5 minutes.

Your task for today:

At the time you have chosen as being perfect for your meditation time, go sit comfortably in your chair:

  • Feet on the floor
  • Warm enough or cool enough
  • NO distractions!

Now, take a couple of nice deep breaths. In and out releasing any tension and just really coming into your special, precious meditation time:

  • Allow your eyes to close softly
  • Allow your breath to find it’s own natural rhythm
  • WATCH YOUR BODY

It really won’t take it too long to start trying to get your attention:

  • It will tell you it’s uncomfortable but you know that is not true and anyway, it’s only for 5 minutes.
  • It will tell you that your little toe, or your nose, or ear or chin is so itchy there must be something really wrong, but you know that’s not true and it’s only for 5 minutes.
  • It will tell you that there are a hundred and one things it needs to do RIGHT NOW… but you know that in 5 minutes it will all be just nonsense.

Continue to watch your body, acknowledge it’s discomfort in your mind and if it helps, thank it for being so caring about you and let it know that you’ll shift your position, scratch that itch or whatever it’s trying to do to you, in less than 5 minutes.

DONE!

Practice this exercise until you can sit, controlling your body quite happily for 5 full minutes.

Congratulations!

You are now ready to move to the next step.

I’ve made a recording for you to listen to if you need a little bit of guidance for this part of our process.

  • Just put your name and email address into the box at the right hand side of this page and I will add it to the list of fantastic meditation resources I’m going to give you.
  • The link will arrive by email for you to download when you are ready.
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