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WHY MEDITATE? Meditation has the potential to help with many everyday struggles: hyper-tension anxiety and stress insomnia heart disease concentration and focus criticism and judgement And of course, the primary purpose of meditation is as a form of spiritual practice. It has been used this way for millennia by all the great traditions. Common to these practices is the desire to still the mind, to let go of our expectations of the always changing, impermanent world, and to deepen awareness of the unchanging Source of all. What grows from this practice is compassion, a sense of acceptance, and a feeling of connection to the Whole. BASIC TECHNIQUE Before moving into what is traditionally thought of as meditation, many people find it helpful to “ground” themselves. Grounding brings us more into our bodies and out of our heads, and helps us feel connected to the earth. Our energy slows down, making it easier to concentrate. To practice grounding, imagine yourself to be a tree with thick, deep roots, or be a mountain. Feel yourself to be solid and rooted. Feel your energy slow down and shift down in your body. Feel yourself held by the earth. Then move into meditation: Focus on the in and out of your breath. Don’t change how you are breathing. Just watch the breath going in and out, notice when you get distracted, and come back to your breath. This develops two things: our ability to concentrate and our ability to observe our own mind. We concentrate on our breath, while our observer mind notices when our focus has drifted from the breath. Keep coming back to your breath when you notice you have strayed. BUT, do it without judgement. The observer mind just notices and does not evaluate or judge. It just notices what is. You can also choose a sacred word , an object or your grounding (tree or mountain) to focus on rather than your breath. |
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