Quiet Mind

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Take-aways:

• Meditation will facilitate introspection and further positive change.
• Sit comfortably.
• Don’t be afraid to interrupt your meditation to "sponge off" thoughts onto a pad of paper.
• Develop a habit of meditation.
• It’s the thought that counts.

Meditation. What is it?

Meditation encompasses a diverse set of exercises for emptying the mind and de-stressing. Meditation is not about any particular religion. It is as non-denominational as stretching muscles. If you believe in a higher power and would like to pray during meditation that is an entirely valid approach. If the higher power talks to you while you pray, maybe you could ask him, her, or them to just keep it down for a little while. If you don’t believe in any spiritual stuff that’s fine too. Maybe you can even translate your less crowded cosmology into a less crowded mind.

Why is it valuable?

Meditation rejuvenates the mind. It helps clear a path for creativity. Meditation can heal the body and diminish the power of anger and emotion over the mind. Meditation also opens us to change and washes away old stale habits. Meditation is a masseuse, janitor, muse, and therapist all in one.

How to get started.

First off, get comfortable. If you can cross both legs in your lap and still sit comfortably with your spine erect then you probably already know about meditation so why are you reading this chapter? If you can’t or don’t want to, don’t worry. Laying on your back or sitting in a recliner are perfectly acceptable alternatives. The lotus position is not for everyone. It’s dreadfully uncomfortable to me. I do like to touch my thumb and middle finger together, but it’s not necessary.

The next step for any meditation is to clear your mind. Thoughts appear in our minds whether or not we desire them. I highly recommend that you take a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil and set it within reach while you meditate. If a particular thought continues to nag you, say "I will handle this thought effectively later." or "This thought will return to me at a more appropriate time." If the thought is like an irritating mosquito that will not leave, then pause the meditation and write the thought down. You have swatted the mental mosquito and stuck it to the paper. It is not going anywhere. It will be there for you when you are done. Let the paper be your mental flypaper or mental sponge. The paper takes away your thoughts, stores them for safekeeping for later. Return to your meditation unburdened.

Breath awareness

The simplest meditation is breath awareness. Take a big deep breath and bring your attention to the sound and feel of air entering your body. Fill your lungs from the bottom up, first expanding your lower diaphragm before letting your chest rise. When you think your lungs are full, see if you can’t expand them a bit deeper.

Exhale and let the breath out fully. When you think all the air is out see if you can let out a bit more. Don’t strain anything.

You may enjoy practicing breath awareness in front of a mirror with your shirt off. Think about expanding your chest in every direction. Watch it move outward in the mirror. The rib cage is not as static as you may think. If looking in the mirror leads to negative thoughts about body weight or anything else, then don’t do it.

Breath awareness can be practiced at any time for as few or as many breaths as you like. This exercise grounds us in the present, frees us from worry about the future and regret about the past. It calms nerves and dissipates anger and stress.

For a more structured meditation consider counting breaths. I find a ten count to be excellent (counting in and out as one breath). Ten breaths may take longer than you think. Be sure not to rush. Compulsive achievers should avoid breath counting as it can turn a relaxing exercise into just another challenge to be accomplished in the optimal manner. If you can non-compulsively measure your results, consider keeping a log of how many breaths per day or breaths per session you achieve, and also record how long each session took.

Can you lengthen the time without adding more breaths? The goal being to slow down, not to turn blue in the face.

Can you increase the number of breaths per session? The goal is to lengthen the meditation, not to hyperventilate.

Thought awareness

For this meditation, simply breathe normally and be attentive to thoughts that arise. Acknowledge the thoughts and move on, do not engage them. All the thoughts that come your way should be treated like an annoying coworker who always wants to tell you all about their weekend. When a thought arises, acknowledge it, accept it, then let it pass. This technique will be useful during any sort of meditation, but sometimes it is best to practice in isolation.

There are a lot of analogies to use to enhance this technique. There is the office analogy I already used. You could also picture yourself strolling down an imaginary side walk or through a forest. Whatever you sense as you travel, make sure to leave it behind. You may even wish to literally picture yourself setting down representations of thoughts, or tying them to trees so they can’t follow. Another common analogy is to mentally picture thoughts that appear being encased in balloons that then float away.

Thoughts will arise. The key is to let them pass without letting them disturb the meditation practice.

Body awareness

Body awareness meditation is optimal for banishing stress and healing the body. It can also promote positive self image and body appreciation. This is a great exercise to practice in bed before sleeping, or if you are having trouble sleeping (then again, the breath counting is good for this too. Like counting sheep, but better).

In body awareness meditation you start with the toes on one of your feet, just be aware of the toes and how they feel. You may wish to wiggle them around. Clench the toes briefly on an inhale and then release the muscles on an exhale, feel the toes become even more relaxed. Move your awareness up to the foot. Be aware of the sensations of the foot. Clench the foot muscles on an inhale, then relax on an exhale. Repeat this procedure all the way up your body, on both sides. You may wish to do all of one leg before starting the other or jump back and forth: left toes, then right toes, left foot, then right, left ankle, etc. The order is up to you. Try to hone in on specific muscles and body parts. The more specific and isolated the better the release of stress.

For a brief body awareness meditation, simply bring your attention to a body part or area of concern. Think about how this body part feels, how you would like it to feel. Imagine your breath reaching down through your arteries into this body part, collecting anything bad there and removing it, bringing it out with the exhale.

Mantras

Mantras are sentences or sentiments that are repeated throughout meditation. Mantras are useful when you want your mind or body to absorb an idea. If you are into prayer, then by all means, pray. Prayers make excellent mantras.

Suggested mantras:

I am open to new thoughts and ways of thinking.

I release old patterns and habits.

Tips:

Meditation should always be a positive activity. If you aren’t flexible enough to sit lotus, no worries. If you fall asleep while attempting to meditate, wake with the thought, "Thank you. I needed that." The "you" can be God or the universe, or simply thank yourself.

Beating yourself up over "improper" meditation technique or meditation "failure" is counter productive. With meditation, it is quite literally the thought that counts.

Try to develop a habit of meditation. If you can do it at the same time every day, that’s great. If you try that and it doesn’t work, try a different time of day. If no specific time works, but you can still fit it in at least once per day, that’s great too.

Meditate for as long as you need to. You define your own need.