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Saturday Morning Meditation - BEGINNERS PRACTICE

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    Saturday Morning Meditation - BEGINNERS PRACTICE

    Hello, my friends! So, I have put together a basic meditation practice. It all starts with the breath. Breath meditation brings us mindfully into the present moment. This is the only moment we ever really have, as opposed to the past, which already has gone, or the future, which has yet to arrive. In this meditation, we concentrate on our breath. Breathing in, we are aware only that we are breathing in. Breathing out, we are aware only that we are breathing out. When our mind wanders, we gently, without judgment, bring our full attention back to the breath. We do this as many times as is necessary throughout the sitting period. Your sitting periods can start as little as 10 minutes and work up, but the ideal sitting period, and the period we will be sitting on Saturdays will be 30 minutes. You may want to print this out, read it over and keep it handy for a while. Let me know what questions you have and what pops up... Enjoy!

    Breath Counting Meditation

    This is perhaps the most relaxing form of meditation. Following the gentle ins and outs of the breath creates a sense of peace and restfulness. [list type=decimal][*]Find your posture and center yourself. Take several deep breaths. Either close your eyes or fix them on a spot on the floor about four feet in front of you. Your eyes may or may not be focused.[*]Take deep but not forced belly breaths. As you do, focus your attention on each part of the breath: the inhale, the turn (point at which you stop inhaling and start exhaling), the exhale, the pause between the exhale and inhale), the turn (the point at which you start to inhale, and so on. Pay careful attention to the pause. What are the sensations in your body as you pause between breaths?[*]As you exhale, say "one". Continue counting each exhale by saying two...three...four. "then begin again with "one". If you lose count, simply start over with "one".[*]When you discover that your mind has slipped into thought, note this, then gently return to the counting of your breath.If a particular sensation in your body catches your attention, focus on the sensation until it recedes. Then return your attention to the inhale and exhale and the counting of your breath.If you wish, try the following variation. Begin by counting your breath for several minutes. Then stop the actual counting and put your attention on the sensations of breathing. Focus on your abdomen as it expands and contracts. Can you sense how the size of the empty space in your abdomen grows and shrinks as your breath goes in and out of your belly? At first, you may have more thoughts when you practice this way than you had when you were counting breaths. The counting kept your mind returning in a small circle of numbers which left less room for rising thoughts. Do not be disturbed by this. Simply note each thought and then return your awareness to the sensations of your breath. Every now and then, you may come across a thought that you find enticing and want to contemplate. Tell yourself you will consider this thought when the meditation period is over and let it go. Sensations other than breathing may call your attention from time to time: a strain in your shoulder, or the pins and needles of your legs falling asleep. When this happens, let your attention focus on these new sensations until they fade into the background. Then go back to your breath. The sounds of the outside world will cross and re-cross the boundaries of your awareness. Note their passing and return to your breath.Things To Keep in Mind:[/list type=decimal]It is not necessary to feel as though you are relaxing while you meditate in order for you to actually become relaxed. You may feel as though you are thinking thousands of thoughts and are very restless. However when you open your eyes at the end of the meditation, you will realize you feel much more relaxed than you did before meditating.[*]As your mind quiets with meditation, old or hidden pain can arise from your subconscious. If you find that when you meditate you suddenly feel angry, depressed, or frightened, try to gently allow yourself to experience the feeling while resisting the temptation to make sense out of your feelings. If you feel the need, talk to a friend, counselor, or meditation teacher.[*]You may hear or read about ideal conditions for meditation; that you should meditate only in a quiet place, or meditate only two hours after you've eaten. Or meditate only in a position that you can hold comfortably for twenty minutes, and so on. Yes, these are ideal conditions, but life is seldom ideal. If the place isn't absolutely quiet or the only time you have to meditate is right after lunch, don't let these small obstacles keep you from meditating. If you find yourself being particularly bothered by noises or the rumbling of a full stomach, simply incorporate the annoying sensation in with the object of your meditation.If you adopt a daily sitting practice, you may find that there are stretches of time during which you will not want to meditate. Do not expect that your desire to meditate will grow constantly with your practice. If you feel discouraged, be gentle with yourself and try to work creatively on ways to make your practice more comfortable. Know that these periods of discouragement will go away by themselves in time. Finding a group practive or retreats are a great way to keep your meditation fresh. But trust yourself, it will flower.
    Namaste,

    MM
    Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them, but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight.

    #2
    Saturday Morning Meditation - BEGINNERS PRACTICE

    Meditation Postures

    "Seven Points" Meditation Posture”

    The first step in meditation is correct physical posture. The position of one's body has a very direct and powerful effect on the state of one's mind.

    There is a very strong connection between body and mind. At the subtle level, body consists of the outer and inner forms. The outer form is our physical body, and the inner forms are the channels and prana. It is said that if the body is straight or erect, the channels are straight; and if the channels are straight, then the wind-prana flows straight. When the channels and prana are straight, then mind becomes balanced, calm and clear. So having a correct and upright posture causes one's mind naturally to come to rest in a state of tranquility or peace.

    Preparation of the Meditation Seat

    First, one prepares a comfortable seat, consisting of a meditation mat (zabuton), and a small round or rectangular cushion (zafu) to go under one's backside. The actual size, form and materials composing the cushions depend on what is comfortable for your particular body. The proper seat is extremely important.

    (If sitting on the floor is uncomfortable, please use a chair. That is absolutely acceptable, just keep in mind the other points)

    1. Adjust in your seat height and angle so that your back is naturally straight and relaxed. Your legs will be crossed in front of you. Either legs crossed, or one in front of the other, knees on the ground.

    2. Make sure that your hands are supported so that there’s no strain in your shoulders or between the shoulder-blades. They will be resting either on your legs just behind your knees, or you can position in the mudras position (see hand in my avatar).

    3. Relax your shoulders, letting them roll back to open your chest. Let your shoulders move with your breathing.

    4. Take a few deep breaths into the upper chest to allow your chest to open. Relax on the out breath, but see if you can keep a sense of space across the front of the chest.

    5. Adjust the angle of your head, so that the back of your neck is relaxed, long and open, and your chin is slightly tucked in.

    6. Relax your jaw and mouth. Your tongue will rest on the roof of your mouth and your lips will be slightly open. You could breath through your mouth if you had to.

    7. Your eyes are either closed or relaxed and slightly open gazing at the floor about four feet in front of you. For beginners, it may be easier to start with eyes shut. However, most advanced meditations are done with eyes open, so many people are taught to meditate this way from the start. Experiment to see which works best for you.

    OK.. Let me know what question you have, and what comes up!

    Namaste,

    MM
    Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them, but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight.

    Comment


      #3
      Saturday Morning Meditation - BEGINNERS PRACTICE

      MM

      Thank you so much for taking the time to post this for us. Looking forward to getting started.

      Comment


        #4
        Saturday Morning Meditation - BEGINNERS PRACTICE

        I also wanted to mention, if anyone is having difficulty getting started, I have a great list of guided meditations that are wonderful for beginners. This is a really gentle way to start. You can PM me and I will send you some recommendations...

        Remember, you just have to sit.. the rest will come..

        MM
        Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them, but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight.

        Comment


          #5
          Saturday Morning Meditation - BEGINNERS PRACTICE

          Thank you MM!!!
          Goal 1: Today
          Goal 2: Tomorrow

          Comment


            #6
            Saturday Morning Meditation - BEGINNERS PRACTICE

            OMG! Lukalee.. your avatar just craked me up.. I just spat my coffee out!!
            Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them, but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight.

            Comment

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