Position:
You don't have to sit in the lotus
position, cross legged or even on
a straight back chair is just fine;
as long as you're comfortable.
Frame
of mind for meditating: Choose a time
when you know you are not going to
be disturbed, even if it means getting
up half an hour earlier. (It won't
kill you; in fact it'll give you another
two hours worth of energy for the
day). The thing is, it's easy to make
excuses for not meditating. Turn off
the TV 15 minutes earlier, find somewhere
to chill at lunch time. If you're
convinced you don't have time then
just do this when you can't sleep.
What's
meditation all about then?
Meditation is a process of letting
thoughts, feelings and emotions swim
around in your head, analyzing how
you feel about them then letting them
float away along with their emotional
packaging.
All sorts of things pop into your
mind; things you've forgotten to do,
you remember someth ing embarrassing,
you're angry with someone. All these
things we have to regurgitate, deal
with and forget about, just for a
while.
We also become aware of tense spots
around the body, especially the face,
neck and shoulders.
How
do I focus when I meditate?
Observe your breathing as air enters
the nostrils, follow it down to your
lungs then follow it back up and out
through the nose again. 'Observe'
is the keyword here. We don't try
to control the breath just have an
awareness of what it's doing as thoughts
are brought up and flushed away. The
body responds (reacts) acutely to
emotions, moods and varying levels
of stress. It could be an adrenaline
rush, a creased brow, shallow breathing
or a quickened heartbeat.
This is just part of the process.
As long as we notice what happens
to our bodies as different thoughts
pass through our heads, this is progress
and your breathing will naturally
become slower and deeper as thoughts
and emotions are released.
What's
the trick for good meditation?
Keep reminding yourself to follow
your breathing. If you let thoughts
hang around, they start to take over.
We're just going to put them away
for a few minutes and worry about
them later. Keep following your breath.
Count if you like; count your breaths
out up to ten then back down again.
Now do the same for breaths in. Start
again if you lose track along the
way. It sounds labourious but this
is a good way of focusing on the breath.
It's very very easy to stray.
What
happens next?
That depends. The closer we come to
a state of total relaxation, where
thoughts cease and everything sort
of 'opens up', the more difficult
it is to attain a sense of calm because
the desire to attain that state of
bliss is a thought that clutters the
mind and disrupts the process. We
must also let go of that desire. We
often feel like we're on the edge
of something blissful but it's just
out of reach and the more you try
to reach it the farther away it gets.
How
does it feel when you meditate properly?
The first time we experience the 'white
out' - The point where the mind has
become free of all thoughts and desires
and everything turns white. This is
accompanied by an ecstatic feeling,
most often very fleeting because as
soon as we experience the desire to
hold on to that feeling, it is instantly
withdrawn.
After a bit of practice our bodies
get used to the routine and you'll
be able to relax fairly quickly.
Just remember to...
Follow your breath.
Notice and relax tense muscles. in
the face and shoulders
Follow your breath.
Banish thoughts.
Follow your breath.
