Mind & Body > Meditations
Meditations
A Beginner's Meditation
- Sit with a straight spine. Sit either in a chair or in a comfortable cross-legged position on a mat or sheepskin. Let your hands relax in your lap. Rest the back of the right hand into the up-turned palm of the left hand. Keep the shoulders relaxed and the upper chest slightly lifted to support your spine and to create balance. Keep your eyes 9/10ths closed. They are slightly open to let in a little light.
- Now turn your attention to the flow of your breath. Breathe only through the nose. At first just watch it. Feel every bit of the sensation of inhaling, exhaling, and all the movements. You can feel your entire body reflect the motion of breathing in little ways. After 2 or 3 minutes, begin to consciously slow the breath down. Your normal breathing rate is 14 to 17 breaths a minute. As you watch the breath, slow it to 8 times a minute or less—4 times a minute is excellent. Hear the slight sound the breath makes as it goes in and out.
- Let all the thoughts just come and go. They are like background noises from people at a party. You have invited all the parts of your mind to enjoy this moment. Let all those thoughts go. You stay with the flow and feeling of the breath. Do this for another 6 to 8 minutes. Then end, with a deep inhale, exhale, and finally inhale as you stretch both arms up toward the ceiling. Now relax.
- Take the same position as above. This time roll your eyes up gently. Focus through the point on the brow between the eyebrows and above the top of the nose. This is called the brow point. When you focus there it brings your thoughts into an automatic coherence, and it engages your higher glands to support your meditation effort. Through the brow, imagine a blue sky. Feel as if you could fly freely in the ethers. Slow the breath down.
- Now add a mental affirmation. As you breathe in and as you breath out, mentally repeat this phrase: "Bountiful, Blissful, and Beautiful I am." say it mentally as many times as it takes to match the length of your breath. It might be one to four repetitions. As you say each word mentally feel what it means. Project this thought with your mind. If the mind wanders and starts to jump or object, just notice that and let the affirmation run through the middle of that thought. Lift all the other thoughts off to Infinity with this affirmation. Don't try to stop the other thoughts, just return to this affirmation. Do this for 11 minutes. Then inhale deeply and relax.
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