How To Meditate - Meditation Instructions & Info
"Meditation is not just a practice. Meditation is a natural state. It's an actual channel in our consciousness, a bandwidth of tranquility, energy and joy that reveals itself when we learn to pay attention. Once you discover how to tune yourself to the meditation bandwidth, it will empower your life from within." Sally Kempton
Basic Practice for Experiencing a Meditative State
First, sit with your back straight (yet not rigid) and close your eyes. Listen to the sounds around you without trying to identify them, make sense of them, or push them away. Then draw your attention inward. Feel the sensations inside your body. Follow the movement of the breath, the entire arc of inhalation and exhalation. Notice the thoughts that are coming and going. Do this without trying to make sense of them or avoid them. Every time you notice yourself following a thought, as soon as you become aware that you're thinking, bring your attention back to your breath.
Then focus your awareness in the center of your chest, beneath the breastbone, inside the body. Feel the pulsation of your own heartbeat and know that the rhythm of your heartbeat is the rhythm of life. Each heartbeat signals a new moment, a new present. Just be with it, allowing the breath to flow naturally. You aren't trying to change your state or "get into meditation." You're simply being with yourself, in this moment, as you are.
The pulsation of the breath and the heartbeat are a constant source of natural contentment. They are always there, in the moment. To make contentment last, to make it a condition of your life, you practice both letting go and acceptance. You find your heart's real calling, your authentic sense of self. You learn how to inhabit yourself by following your svadharma.
Yet in the highest sense, contentment is the gift that comes when you touch the timeless essence inside a particular moment of time—the ever-present now. In any moment, no matter what else you may be feeling, you can open the door to contentment by giving yourself permission to stop and be with yourself. It's that easy.
exerpted from Real Joy, Right Now Yoga Journal article By Sally Kempton
"Meditation gives you the power to be happy even when
you're unhappy."
Siddha spiritual master Swami Muktananda
Helpful Meditation Facts
1. There is no right or wrong way to meditate. There are so many methods out there, we encourage you to experiment and find what resonates with you. Whether it be staring at a candle (or your cat), using ancient Sanskrit mantra, positive affirmation, swaying side-to-side, any method that enables you to clear your mind of thought is a valuable method. The only method not recommended is falling asleep as then you are completely unable to control your mind.
2. Put aside any expectations about what should happen in meditation. Many, many different things can happen during meditation, and what happened yesterday or last week may never happen again! Any experience is a good one as the act of silencing your mind helps to destress the body.
3. Find the right time and space. If you are hurried or a major event or situation just cropped up, this is probably not the right time to sit and meditate. You'll find the experience much more enjoyable if you wait until you have a block of time, a healthy happy place, and your mind is not in crisis mode.
4. Don't punish yourself for having thoughts. But don't follow them either! You will often find that, while you are relaxed and your mind is perceived as empty, thoughts enter and you begin to follow them before ever realizing you're doing it. But this is not grounds for punishment, it is completely normal. Don't resist entering thoughts, simply acknowledge them and let them pass right through. If they insist on staying then politely inform them, just as if you were speaking to a business partner, that you are not able to address them now but would be happy to later, and return to your object of focus - breath, candle, mantra, etc. The same goes for sounds - let them flow right through you, don't give them attention.
6. You may have periods where you resist meditating. Just as in yoga there is a comfort zone and the ego likes to remain there. But, as in yoga, going to your edge will foster personal growth and change. It is recommended to attempt meditating for atleast 10 minutes, even if you are resisting. Oftentimes you will find yourself settling into it and enjoying the experience. Other times you may find you need to write in a journal, "pour your thoughts out on paper" before you're settled enough to meditate. Other times, just as in yoga, you will find no success. At those times, simply understand that there are other things that must be taken care of now and go do them. Then you will be able to return later to your meditation with more ease.
7. Expect things to come up. Meditation can release a lot of emotional blockages, allowing your energy to begin flowing more freely. As you release things you may feel emotionally or physically tired but it is important to maintain your practice as these feelings generally subside in a short period of time allowing you to reach a place of easy contemplation and quiet clarity.
