Hello, my friends! So, I have put together a basic meditation practice. It all starts with the breath. Breath meditation brings us mindfully into the present moment. This is the only moment we ever really have, as opposed to the past, which already has gone, or the future, which has yet to arrive. In this meditation, we concentrate on our breath. Breathing in, we are aware only that we are breathing in. Breathing out, we are aware only that we are breathing out. When our mind wanders, we gently, without judgment, bring our full attention back to the breath. We do this as many times as is necessary throughout the sitting period. Your sitting periods can start as little as 10 minutes and work up, but the ideal sitting period, and the period we will be sitting on Saturdays will be 30 minutes. You may want to print this out, read it over and keep it handy for a while. Let me know what questions you have and what pops up... Enjoy!
Breath Counting Meditation
This is perhaps the most relaxing form of meditation. Following the gentle ins and outs of the breath creates a sense of peace and restfulness. [list type=decimal][*]Find your posture and center yourself. Take several deep breaths. Either close your eyes or fix them on a spot on the floor about four feet in front of you. Your eyes may or may not be focused.[*]Take deep but not forced belly breaths. As you do, focus your attention on each part of the breath: the inhale, the turn (point at which you stop inhaling and start exhaling), the exhale, the pause between the exhale and inhale), the turn (the point at which you start to inhale, and so on. Pay careful attention to the pause. What are the sensations in your body as you pause between breaths?[*]As you exhale, say "one". Continue counting each exhale by saying two...three...four. "then begin again with "one". If you lose count, simply start over with "one".[*]When you discover that your mind has slipped into thought, note this, then gently return to the counting of your breath.If a particular sensation in your body catches your attention, focus on the sensation until it recedes. Then return your attention to the inhale and exhale and the counting of your breath.If you wish, try the following variation. Begin by counting your breath for several minutes. Then stop the actual counting and put your attention on the sensations of breathing. Focus on your abdomen as it expands and contracts. Can you sense how the size of the empty space in your abdomen grows and shrinks as your breath goes in and out of your belly? At first, you may have more thoughts when you practice this way than you had when you were counting breaths. The counting kept your mind returning in a small circle of numbers which left less room for rising thoughts. Do not be disturbed by this. Simply note each thought and then return your awareness to the sensations of your breath. Every now and then, you may come across a thought that you find enticing and want to contemplate. Tell yourself you will consider this thought when the meditation period is over and let it go. Sensations other than breathing may call your attention from time to time: a strain in your shoulder, or the pins and needles of your legs falling asleep. When this happens, let your attention focus on these new sensations until they fade into the background. Then go back to your breath. The sounds of the outside world will cross and re-cross the boundaries of your awareness. Note their passing and return to your breath.Things To Keep in Mind:[/list type=decimal]It is not necessary to feel as though you are relaxing while you meditate in order for you to actually become relaxed. You may feel as though you are thinking thousands of thoughts and are very restless. However when you open your eyes at the end of the meditation, you will realize you feel much more relaxed than you did before meditating.[*]As your mind quiets with meditation, old or hidden pain can arise from your subconscious. If you find that when you meditate you suddenly feel angry, depressed, or frightened, try to gently allow yourself to experience the feeling while resisting the temptation to make sense out of your feelings. If you feel the need, talk to a friend, counselor, or meditation teacher.[*]You may hear or read about ideal conditions for meditation; that you should meditate only in a quiet place, or meditate only two hours after you've eaten. Or meditate only in a position that you can hold comfortably for twenty minutes, and so on. Yes, these are ideal conditions, but life is seldom ideal. If the place isn't absolutely quiet or the only time you have to meditate is right after lunch, don't let these small obstacles keep you from meditating. If you find yourself being particularly bothered by noises or the rumbling of a full stomach, simply incorporate the annoying sensation in with the object of your meditation.If you adopt a daily sitting practice, you may find that there are stretches of time during which you will not want to meditate. Do not expect that your desire to meditate will grow constantly with your practice. If you feel discouraged, be gentle with yourself and try to work creatively on ways to make your practice more comfortable. Know that these periods of discouragement will go away by themselves in time. Finding a group practive or retreats are a great way to keep your meditation fresh. But trust yourself, it will flower.
Namaste,
MM
Breath Counting Meditation
This is perhaps the most relaxing form of meditation. Following the gentle ins and outs of the breath creates a sense of peace and restfulness. [list type=decimal][*]Find your posture and center yourself. Take several deep breaths. Either close your eyes or fix them on a spot on the floor about four feet in front of you. Your eyes may or may not be focused.[*]Take deep but not forced belly breaths. As you do, focus your attention on each part of the breath: the inhale, the turn (point at which you stop inhaling and start exhaling), the exhale, the pause between the exhale and inhale), the turn (the point at which you start to inhale, and so on. Pay careful attention to the pause. What are the sensations in your body as you pause between breaths?[*]As you exhale, say "one". Continue counting each exhale by saying two...three...four. "then begin again with "one". If you lose count, simply start over with "one".[*]When you discover that your mind has slipped into thought, note this, then gently return to the counting of your breath.If a particular sensation in your body catches your attention, focus on the sensation until it recedes. Then return your attention to the inhale and exhale and the counting of your breath.If you wish, try the following variation. Begin by counting your breath for several minutes. Then stop the actual counting and put your attention on the sensations of breathing. Focus on your abdomen as it expands and contracts. Can you sense how the size of the empty space in your abdomen grows and shrinks as your breath goes in and out of your belly? At first, you may have more thoughts when you practice this way than you had when you were counting breaths. The counting kept your mind returning in a small circle of numbers which left less room for rising thoughts. Do not be disturbed by this. Simply note each thought and then return your awareness to the sensations of your breath. Every now and then, you may come across a thought that you find enticing and want to contemplate. Tell yourself you will consider this thought when the meditation period is over and let it go. Sensations other than breathing may call your attention from time to time: a strain in your shoulder, or the pins and needles of your legs falling asleep. When this happens, let your attention focus on these new sensations until they fade into the background. Then go back to your breath. The sounds of the outside world will cross and re-cross the boundaries of your awareness. Note their passing and return to your breath.Things To Keep in Mind:[/list type=decimal]It is not necessary to feel as though you are relaxing while you meditate in order for you to actually become relaxed. You may feel as though you are thinking thousands of thoughts and are very restless. However when you open your eyes at the end of the meditation, you will realize you feel much more relaxed than you did before meditating.[*]As your mind quiets with meditation, old or hidden pain can arise from your subconscious. If you find that when you meditate you suddenly feel angry, depressed, or frightened, try to gently allow yourself to experience the feeling while resisting the temptation to make sense out of your feelings. If you feel the need, talk to a friend, counselor, or meditation teacher.[*]You may hear or read about ideal conditions for meditation; that you should meditate only in a quiet place, or meditate only two hours after you've eaten. Or meditate only in a position that you can hold comfortably for twenty minutes, and so on. Yes, these are ideal conditions, but life is seldom ideal. If the place isn't absolutely quiet or the only time you have to meditate is right after lunch, don't let these small obstacles keep you from meditating. If you find yourself being particularly bothered by noises or the rumbling of a full stomach, simply incorporate the annoying sensation in with the object of your meditation.If you adopt a daily sitting practice, you may find that there are stretches of time during which you will not want to meditate. Do not expect that your desire to meditate will grow constantly with your practice. If you feel discouraged, be gentle with yourself and try to work creatively on ways to make your practice more comfortable. Know that these periods of discouragement will go away by themselves in time. Finding a group practive or retreats are a great way to keep your meditation fresh. But trust yourself, it will flower.
Namaste,
MM
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