How To Meditate
Recently a bunch of you have said to me that you don’t know how to meditate. It’s actually simpler than you think. There are so many ways; really you need to find what works best for you.
Regardless of which you choose, consistency is key. Personally I like to start my day in meditation. Not only am I much more present and centered when I do, but I also think more clearly and get things done more easily.
It’s up to you if you want music or no music while you’re meditating. You may even like bells (see Number 3 below).
Here are some ideas to get you started:
1: Focus on your breath.
This is the easiest form and can be done anywhere, anytime. Close your eyes and simply focus on your breathing. If any thoughts try to distract you, don’t fight them, let them move through you and refocus on your breath.
Ultimately, you want to get your breath down into your belly, not up in your lungs. It’s also more calming if you can breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth.
The key is to be present to what you’re experiencing. Becoming the observer versus participating in what you’re thinking/feeling.
This particular category is huge and can branch out. Here are a few examples:
~Breathing in and out from your heart space. Allowing the energy of love to fill you, expand you, and with your exhale, release any blockages.
~Body Scan: starting at your feet, move your awareness slowly up the body, filling each area with your consciousness and breath, which then relaxes the area and helps you to become fully present to your body. Along the way, if you encounter stiffness or pain etc., you simply breathe into that area, without trying to make it go away, and simply by your breath, acknowledge and allow it. In the allowance, you get into a state of acceptance and the pain etc. will either dissipate on it’s own, or you can ask if it has a message for you or something you need to be aware of. Then you can send it love. See the energy of love nourishing and healing that area.
~Central Channel Breathing: this is a technique from Dr. Sue Morter. You begin with an inhale of breath from above your head, moving down through the chakras to the stomach, then exhaling and moving that breath down to below your feet. You then reverse this breathing by inhaling from below your feet, moving that breath up to the stomach, then exhaling through each chakra to above your head. To learn more, click here.
2: Mantras.
From a place of stillness, you focus on words or phrases.
~You could say “Om” while doing deep breathing. The word “Om” or even the word, “One,” activates the temporal lobes. Amongst other things, the temporal lobes function as a second set of senses, they modulate our emotions, and they open us to the unfamiliar world. (More on that in a future blog)
~There is the Buddhist chant, “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” Chanting these words is a way to augment faith in one's unlimited potential.
~Transcendental Meditation uses the mantra technique as well. This form requires training from their designated teachers as they give you a word specifically tailored for you.
3: Guided Meditation.
Beyond YouTube, there are great apps with guided meditations to help so that you simply follow along. I like Insight Timer and I’ve heard about Calm and Headspace but can’t speak to them.
Insight Timer has tons of free meditations for any issue you have, however my favorite part is the bells you can set to go off at intervals. I find it very peaceful and it helps me focus. There are 10 different bells in the timer section so that you can customize what you want.
4: Active Meditation.
This is what I do and what I’ve talked about with you all: grounding myself, running earth and cosmic energy, and doing chakra work. While I absolutely start from a place of focused stillness, I then move on. For me, it works best because my mind is super active so if I engage it to set up my space, then I feel much more present and empowered and can have those moments of quiet nothingness afterwards.
5: Movement Meditation.
Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong are all ways to get present and into your body with specific focused movements. Walking in nature can also be very meditative if you simply focus on the trees and the sky - all of your surroundings, and release all thoughts.
You can add-on to any form above that you like, such as being in the energy of gratitude and making a gratitude list or doing a chakra cleanse (more on that in an upcoming week). Also, any act of creativity can be meditative: painting, dancing, even cooking, provided you are present to it and enjoying it versus being in your head over thinking.
Ultimately, you need to surrender to an energy greater than you and allow yourself to relax and experience presence and peace. All of your power is in the now, and meditation is a way to bring you fully here.
Happy Meditating!