Start at Meditation Practice
Want to Meditate?
You might have read articles in books and magazines about the benefits of meditation. Maybe you tried a video or listened to a recording. It’s becoming part of our Western culture. It is a powerful tool for health and well-being and is available to anyone. That is why many people give it a try.
When I ask my students about their own meditation practice, I get different answers. Most of them are interested and want to meditate. Some have regular meditation practice but want to learn more.
Why begin a meditation practice?
Mediation has many benefits. Consistent meditation develops confidence, makes you feel comfortable with yourself. You begin to see the world and others in a new light. You feel grounded, focused and your mind becomes clear. It is a skill you learn as you practice.
Sitting in meditation is about developing awareness. Awareness of your inner self. The voice you hear from inside, the knowledge you have inside, your feelings inside. These are all part of you…the part of you that is unchanging. This awareness in meditation starts small and grows deeper with practice. It is a journey that starts within where you will discover more about your inner self and practice how to connect with yourself. Meditation needs to be consistent to develop a connection and relationship with yourself. It is like developing relationships with others. If you want to develop a close relationship you need to show up and develop a connection. The same is true for meditation, we need to show up to find the connection we are seeking.
How to start
When you start you will have many questions. Am I doing this right? What is this supposed to feel like? Meditation is personal. It is a natural process, there are no rules. It helps to follow a few proven steps.
Find a place to meditate. Many students can easily sit in meditation in yoga class. The hard part is keeping up with it at home. The key is to find a place where you will have few interruptions. This is easier said than done. If you want to see results, it is worth investing time in this first step.
Learn how to sit. Sit in a chair or on the floor, either work. Place a blanket behind your lower back in a chair or put a few blankets under your hips when sitting on the floor. This will keep your back straight, which keeps you alert. If you are not comfortable it will be harder to be consistent. To see the benefits, you need to meditate regularly.
It takes time, practice and patience. This is the beginning. Try and try again, one day at a time. Start simple…sit, and then sit again tomorrow.
Let’s start with a beginning meditation to become comfortable sitting and start to become aware of your breath. I’ve included written directions below.
Beginning Meditation Practice:
The intention for this practice is to become comfortable sitting and become aware of your breath.
Take a seat in a chair or on the floor. Take a few deep breaths. Circle around with your hands on your hips slowly in one direction a few times, then circle the other direction. Roll your shoulders up and back a few times and then forward and down finding a comfortable position for sitting.
Now settle in and close your eyes……
Begin to breathe in and out through your nose…...
Feel the breath flow in cool and soft….
Feel the breath flow out warm and slow…
Thoughts come…notice them.
Breathe in… let the thoughts come…
Breathe out…let the thoughts go….
Begin to listen to the sound of your breath ….
Breathe…the sound of your breath flowing in
Breathe…the sound of your breath flowing out.
Thoughts come…notice them.
Breathe in… let the thoughts come…
Breathe out…let the thoughts go….
Become aware of the movement of your breath…
Breathe…moving in filling your stomach…
Breathe…moving out emptying your stomach…
Thoughts come…notice them.
Breathe in… let the thoughts come…
Breathe out…let the thoughts go….
Notice the direction of your Breath…
Breathe in…feel your breath moving in and down….
Breathe out…feel your breath moving out and up…
Thoughts come…notice them.
Breathe in… let the thoughts come…
Breathe out…let the thoughts go…
Focus your attention on the movement of your breath…
Breathe in…notice the rise of your belly…
Breathe out…notice the fall of your belly…
Thoughts come…notice them.
Breathe in… let the thoughts come…
Breathe out…let the thoughts go…
Slowly Bring your attention back…take a few moments to stretch out.
This is the process of meditation…
Breathe in and out…awareness begins.
Thoughts come…awareness disrupted and moves out.
Breathe in and out…awareness begins to move inward.
Thoughts go… awareness disrupted less.
Process repeats and gradually increases awareness with consistent practice.
In the beginning the thoughts confuse our minds and disrupt the process. It feels like we can’t quit thinking and keep getting distracted with thoughts. This makes us feel unsettled but as you return again and again these feelings settle and the flow of the thoughts seem easier. You will begin to feel calm and learn how to let the thoughts come and go. You won’t feel like you must get involved in each thought but just notice the thought and move on. As you repeat again and again with a consistent meditation practice your focus will become stronger. You will be able to let your thoughts come and go and easily go back to your breath. This is the process of building awareness and starting to connect with your inner self. Breath is the bridge that connects us to our inner self.
This is meditation. You sit and breathe…thoughts move in…you sit and breathe in…you sit and breathe out…thoughts move out. If you can repeat it daily, it will change your life. Things happen and we don’t always have control of. This causes us to suffer and become confused and scattered. When you meditate it strengthens your awareness and inner connection. You learn how to deal with suffering, how to become clear and focused.
You learn how to let go of what you can’t control and learn become aware of what you can control. Let go of pain and disappointment replacing it with ease and acceptance. You will feel open and calm because you’ve practiced this skill during meditation.
Want more?
Meditate with me, click here: Beginning Meditation Practice
for a free video of this meditation.
Join me in this blog each week for new meditations, yoga, and breathing exercises.
Practice daily with me in my online membership with live streaming classes, recordings and videos of meditations, yoga classes and breathing exercises. Click here to join…Yoga Membership. Each month you’ll receive a calendar with advice to guide you through your practice. How to start, what you’ll need, what videos to watch and when to join me live. I will help you step by step to navigate your yoga journey. I know how challenging life can be.
I’ve designed the membership to be a toolbox full of yoga, breathing and meditation lessons to help overcome the challenges. Each lesson is a tool designed to be used for everyday life. These tools are essential for your health and wellbeing. They will become part of your daily life and always be available to you. You can take them with you wherever you go and use them whenever you need them. You will also receive an invitation to join Yoga Companion, a private social group where you can contact me and other Yoga members for support.
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