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The word meditation conjures up a multitude of thoughts and understandings,
everyone has a different conception of what it means and what they are
supposed to do.
Generally, the word meditation means contemplation and reflection, to
think on and to consider, however In this instance we are going to use
your meditative state to focus on a simple method of healing I call
"The passing of positive energy".
There are two basic types of meditation, reflective meditation where
you would contemplate on or reflect on a subject or idea, and directed
meditation where you would focus your meditation on a task like healing
or breathing.
In some meditations your are guided through walks or a series of events,
in some you are simply given a subject to contemplate on in your own
way, ( this method is usually used by those who are used to meditating
and can get into a meditative state at will).
This system concentrates on the process of progressive relaxation which
gets you into a physical and mental state in order to achieve a good
meditation, it then takes you through a short healing meditation which
can be extended or adapted in any way you wish.
This system has five stages, as you practice these stages you will
find them easier to do, eventually you will be able to do them without
thinking about it and it will come naturally.
The five stages take about an hour to start with, but this reduces to
about 20 - 40 minutes when you have practised a while.
The five stages are as follows.
1: Preparation and understanding.
2: Progressive Relaxation.
3: Mental Projection.
4: Healing or Meditation.
5: Ending your meditation.
Preparation and understanding are exactly how they sound, you should
prepare your body through posture, location and environment.
Once you have your place of meditation and the environment prepared,
you should take a moment to understand what it is you are about to do,
this will prepare your mind and allow you to meditate without questioning
the process, this part will not be necessary once you are practised
and meditation comes naturally to you.
Preparation.
The first part of this stage is to find a comfortable position to meditate
in, this may either be sitting or lying down whichever suits you, however
there are certain conditions that have to be met, they are.
No part of your body should be resting on any other part, in other words
your hands should be by your side and your legs should be uncrossed.
Your head should be supported, either by supporting it with a pillow
on the back of your chair, or with a pillow on the floor, it should
however be supported in a strait line along your body to enable you
to breath clearly. You should not be crouched over so that your stomach
is cramped.
Your shoulders should be back with your chest open and unrestricted
in order to make it easy to preform the deep diaphragmatic breathing.
Taking all this into consideration it is usually preferable to lie
on your back, your head supported with one pillow, your arms by your
side and your legs uncrossed.
Noises and interruptions.
It is possible with practice to ignore most noises and interruptions,
however there are certain noises that are specifically designed to attract
our attention, telephones for example.
Take a moment before you start your meditation to turn off your phone
and to minimalise the possibility of other interruptions, let other
people in your home know that you are about to meditate and ask them
to respect your time by being quiet for you.
Essential Oils.
It can help for you to have a small bowl containing a few drops of
essential oils near your head during meditation.
Good oils to use are a combination of the following.
Lavender.
Bergamot.
patchouli.
Sandlewood.
Understanding.
This part is more about preparing your mind for what you are about
to do, which is this.
You will be undertaking a process of progressive relaxation that will
enable your body and mind to relax and focus on the process of meditation,
you will free yourself of thought and feeling, thus allowing your body
and mind to focus clearly on your meditative subject.
It sometimes helps to repeat this mantra before proceeding.
I will follow this process with an open mind and a relaxed body in order
to allow me to meditate to my fullest.
Understanding Diaphragmatic breathing.
This sounds complicated but in fact it comes very natural. You breath
in two stages and with two area's of your body, the bottom half or diaphragm,
and the top half or chest.
If you lie on your back and push out your belly you will see the movement
that diaphragmatic breathing creates, practice taking deep breaths,
inflating your lower abdomen first, focus on the movement your stomach
makes as you do this and remember it.
Next practice breathing in two halves, consciously inflate your lower
abdomen first, then inflate your chest.
if you practice doing this in two stages you will find it easier later
and will be able to do it without thinking about it.
Remember to exhale in two stages also, reversing the process by deflating
your chest first then your abdomen. Practice this a few times.
A note on breathing and Taoism.
As you progress with your meditation you may find that focusing on
your breathing provides a good meditation subject.
This is how a Taoist would perceive this: We are all apart of the Tao,
the Tao is all things on all planes.
The plants on this planet are also a part of the Tao, they work in harmony
with us by providing us with oxygen, in return we work in harmony with
them by providing them with carbon dioxide, as such when you are focusing
on your breathing you should consider it in this way.
On the "in" breath visualise the intake of oxygen as receiving
a gift from nature then perceive the out breath as giving back a gift
to nature, balance and harmony, this is the way of the Tao.
Understanding Visualisation.
Visualisation is simply the ability to see or imagine something in
your mind, generally with your eyes closed.
You can practice this during your day by trying to imagine your home
room by room, remembering where the furniture is and where you placed
your book or the last thing you handled.
You will find that the more you do this the easier it will become and
the more detail you will be able to recall. Try to visualise the little
things that you would normally ignore, the light, the colours and the
smells.
Understanding your favourite place.
Your favourite place can be anywhere you feel comfortable and safe,
indoors or outdoors.
It can be a place you have been to, or a place in your home.
It should be somewhere you can visualise easily with your eyes closed.
Once you have chosen your favourite place, practice visualising it regularly
during your normal day.
Try to visualise it in as much detail as you can. noticing the light
and colours, smells and sounds.
Healing and meditation.
There are many ways for you to meditate while in this relaxed state,
this is a simple method I call "The passing of positive energy".
You can in fact meditate on anything you wish, you can devise your own
system or look deeper into other spiritual ways like Taoism or Buddhism,
which can show you many ways to use your meditative state.
If you know anyone who requires healing or energising, you can focus
the following technique on them so that they receive the healing benefit
from your meditation.
Feelings and sensations.
You may feel a tingling sensation in the parts of the body you are
focusing on, this is the normal circulation of blood throughout your
body and confirms that you are focusing corectly.
Repeat these mantra's out loud before you start.
1, I will follow this process with an open mind and a relaxed body in
order to help me to meditate to my fullest.
2, Every time I say the word relax, my body will go into a deeper state
of relaxation, this will give you a mental affirmation and will help
you to attain the perfect state of mind.
Close your eyes,
Take a deep breath. As you exhale draw the number three in your mind
three times.
Take a deep breath, As you exhale draw the number two in your mind three
times.
Take a deep breath, As you exhale draw the number one in your mind three
times.
Now concentrate on your scalp.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my scalp. Now relax the muscles and tendons
in your scalp as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my scalp,
(this will affirm to your mind that you feel that you have relaxed that
part of your body as best you can).
Now concentrate on your forehead.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my forehead.
Now relax the muscles and tendons in your forehead as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my forehead.
Now concentrate on your face.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my face. Now relax the muscles and tendons
in your face as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my face.
Now concentrate on your neck.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my neck. Now relax the muscles and tendons
in your neck as much as you can.
Say to yourself. I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my neck.
Now concentrate on your shoulders.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my shoulders.
Now relax the muscles and tendons in your shoulders as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my shoulders.
Now concentrate on your arms and hands.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my arms and hands.
Now relax the muscles and tendons in your arms and hands as much as
you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my arms and
hands.
Now concentrate on your chest.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my chest. Now relax the muscles and tendons
in your chest as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my chest.
Now concentrate on your stomach.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my stomach.
Now relax the muscles and tendons in your stomach as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my stomach.
Now concentrate on your groin.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my groin. Now relax the muscles and tendons
in your groin as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my groin.
Now concentrate on your thighs.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my thighs. Now relax the muscles and tendons
in your thighs as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my thighs.
Now concentrate on your knees.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my knees. Now relax the muscles and tendons
in your knees as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my knees.
Now concentrate on your ankles.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my ankles. Now relax the muscles and tendons
in your ankles as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my ankles.
Now concentrate on your feet.
Say to yourself, in order to reach a higher frame of mind I must relax
the muscles and tendons in my feet.
Now relax the muscles and tendons in your feet as much as you can.
Say to yourself, I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my feet.
Take a deep breath.
As you exhale draw the number three in your mind three times.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number two in your mind three times.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number one in your mind three times.
Say to yourself, In order to reach a higher frame of mind I have relaxed
the muscles and tendons in my feet. Say to yourself, In order to reach
a higher frame of mind I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my
ankles.
Say to yourself, In order to reach a higher frame of mind I have relaxed
the muscles and tendons in my knees.
Say to yourself, In order to reach a higher frame of mind I have relaxed
the muscles and tendons in my thighs.
Say to yourself, In order to reach a higher frame of mind I have relaxed
the muscles and tendons in my groin. Say to yourself, In order to reach
a higher frame of mind I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my
stomach.
Say to yourself, In order to reach a higher frame of mind I have relaxed
the muscles and tendons in my chest. Say to yourself, In order to reach
a higher frame of mind I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my
arms and hands.
Say to yourself, In order to reach a higher frame of mind I have relaxed
the muscles and tendons in my shoulders.
Say to yourself, In order to reach a higher frame of mind I have relaxed
the muscles and tendons in my neck. Say to yourself, In order to reach
a higher frame of mind I have relaxed the muscles and tendons in my
face. Say to yourself, In order to reach a higher frame of mind I have
relaxed the muscles and tendons in my forehead.
Say to yourself, In order to reach a higher frame of mind I have relaxed
the muscles and tendons in my scalp.
Take a deep breath and say to yourself.
In order to reach a higher frame of mind I am going to count backwards
from five down to one, on the count of one I shall project myself mentally
to my favourite place for meditation.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number five in your mind.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number four in your mind.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number three in your mind.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number two in your mind.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number one in your mind.
Take a deep breath and imagine your self in your favourite place.
You have now projected yourself into the perfect place, in the perfect
frame of mind and body to enable you to meditate.
With your eyes still closed, visualise a small ball of white healing
light in front of you at about the level of your belly button.
Visualise the ball of white light growing slowly until it engulfs your
entire body.
Visualise the ball of white light growing slowly, engulfing your surroundings,
walls plants, everything.
The ball of white light grows and flows through all matter, living or
inanimate.
Through the walls of buildings, through people, trees and animals.
Visualise the white light growing through all things, through towns
and villages, through cities and over continents, until it engulfs the
entire world.
The whole world is a ball of glowing white healing light.
Visualise the ball of white light expanding outwards through the air
and into space, engulfing as much of the universe as you can imagine.
Take a moment to visualise this.
The ball of white light should now start to return, reversing itself
through the stars and planets, back to the earth, back through the cities
and towns, back through your immediate surroundings, through you and
back to a small ball of white healing light in front of you.
Visualise the ball of white healing light falling to the ground and
positively charging the very being of the earth itself.
Relax for a moment breathing normally.
Say to yourself.
I am going to take deep breaths and count from five down to one, on
the count of one I shall open my eyes and feel energised, calm and relaxed.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number five in your mind.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number four in your mind.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number three in your mind.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number two in your mind.
Take a deep breath,
As you exhale draw the number one in your mind.
Open your eyes.
Don't sit up straight away, allow your self a few minutes to recover
before rising slowly.
Once you have recovered, sit in a comfortable seat for a few minutes
more before returning to your normal routine.
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