April 9, 2008...1:26 am
how to meditate
I have been meditating for a long time. I actually started at the age of 11 or 12. I had a lot of “information” coming at me all the time and I was very young and I had no one to talk to about stuff like that. Most people wouldn’t have been able to fathom it in the first place. So I had to figure out how to tell what info I was getting was true and what wasn’t, and get some control. I had stuff coming in from all over and it was overwhelming.
So, I learned to meditate. I got my hands on some little book and it gave a really nice 101 on what to do to meditate and I’ll share that information now. First off, get yourself into a comfortable position. I always lie down when I meditate, or I take a bath. I know a lot of people say you have to do a specific pose, and those poses do serve a purpose and are very effective. But if you are just learning to meditate then don’t worry about that…trust that you’ll be drawn to what’s most effective for your jouney.
OK…now that you are comfy, there’s a full body relaxation technique you can use to shift your state of being without trying to be quiet. You start out by tightening and relaxing every part of your body. Start with the toes and then the calves, the thighs and butt, back and abdomen, arms, hands and neck and then the face. Tighten each area of the body and then release…when you let go inhale deeply, on the exhale, say to yourself the word relax. Once you have done all of the major areas of the body then tense the entire body and then let go…exhaling to the word Relax. Now just breath…deeply into your abdomen…all the way down to your belly button and exhale repeating the word relax as you do. After the fifth exhale, so saying relax and just breath deeply and become aware of your breath. Feel the life it brings into your body and the cleansing sensation of inhaling and exhaling. Enjoy breathing and the deepening sense of calm and peace that are washing over your body as you breath.
If your mind begins to chatter at this time…just let it…let your thoughts rise and fall like waves…or like a waterfall. Watch your thoughts as they rush through your mind. Eventually the mind will get still. In that space you can just be…quiet and breathing. Hang in that space for a while…until the stillness feels complete. The whole thing ususally takes about an hour.
Don’t worry about it if it doesn’t work “right” the first few times. It’s something you have to learn to do. You are asking your mind to act differently and it’s got to be taught to do it…your mind isn’t your adversary in the process, it’s just a novice.
Once you get the mind calm you’ll face other challenges to keeping still…and they are more irritating than random thoughts…so be patient with yourself as you learn this very valuable skill.
1 Comment
April 15, 2008 at 8:26 pm
with the right relaxing and healing music it will even be better.
Best maria
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