For consistent spiritual
growth we need to have a daily
meditation practice.
It is important to make time each day to
let go of everything, and simply rest in
the silence that is always present when
we open to the space between our
breaths, between our thoughts. There are
many wonderful forms of meditation. Find
one that works for you, that you are
comfortable with, and stick with it. The
rewards are amazing. Here are a few
examples:
“Breathe Awareness”: A
great place to begin practicing
meditation is by spending 10
or 20 minutes every day in breath
awareness. Sit
up straight, close your eyes, relax,
breathe naturally through your nose, let
your breath slow down & deepen, breathe
from your lower abdomen. Just feel the
breath flow in & flow out. Whenever your
mind wanders to a thought, a sound, a
feeling, an image, or anything else,
gently release whatever has captured
your attention, and return to feeling
the breath flowing in and flowing out.
You may begin to notice the clear silent
open empty space between each breath.
Rest in that and keep returning to it.
MY PERSONAL FAVORITE:
“Meditation in the Presence”, ultra-simple,
super-effective!
Close your eyes, connect with the Divine
Presence and let go. Relax, float
…dissolve. Whatever arises in your
awareness (thoughts, emotions, sounds,
sensations, images, visions, energy… any
“thing”) accept it, gently release it, return to
the Presence and let go. For more
detailed instructions, go to:
http://floweringheart.org/InThePresence.htm
Mantra Meditation:
Mantras are Sanskrit words that when
repeated inwardly or outwardly transport
you into a meditative state. They are
best learned from a qualified teacher,
but you could try a simple one, the
breath mantra: “So Ham”. Close your
eyes. Enter breath awareness. As you
inhale inwardly & silently say “So…” As
you exhale silently say “Ham…”
(Pronounced “hom” the “o” like in Tom,
or pronounced “hum” the “u” like in
thumb). Every time your mind wanders
return to your breath and to the mantra.
“Awakening Meditation” (as taught by our
friend William Cooper) is a process in
which you do nothing but be aware of
whatever is happening in and around you
right now.
Just close your eyes and relax. There is
nothing you have to do. Just allow. Let
everything do its own thing. Easy! You
are automatically aware of thoughts,
emotions, sounds, sensations, etc. Just
relax. There is no need to get involved
with them or try to do anything at all.
Just let them do the work as they
unwind, release and melt out of your
system. You simply rest and relax as the
witnessing awareness, experiencing
whatever arises. You can read more about
this at:
http://floweringheart.org/AwakeningMeditation.htm
“Centering Prayer” is a
perfect form of meditation
(contemplative prayer) for Christian
Mystics and for all those who prefer to
focus their awareness in meditation on
the divine within.
In addition to
Christians, people from many paths and
traditions, including Buddhists, Hindus
and others practice Centering Prayer.
For instructions, go to
http://floweringheart.org/CenteringPrayer.htm
Taoist
Meditation, AKA "Microcosmic Orbit":
Sit in a
half or full lotus with the right leg on
top. Or you could sit on a chair, your
back straight, not leaning against the
back of the chair, the soles of both
feet flat on the floor. Palms turned up,
right hand on top of the left, resting
gently against the lower abdomen at the
top of the pubic bone, thumbs touching
tip to tip. The tongue is curled, folded
back on itself, so the tip of the tongue
is touching the center of the hard
palate on the roof of the mouth. The
head is tilted slightly forward. Eyes
are closed, directed down toward the tip
of the nose. Breathe through your nose.
As you inhale, feel the energy flow from
the base of the spine (or the perineum)
up your back to the top of your head. As
you exhale feel it flow down the front
of your body to the lower belly (Dan
Tien or "Sea of Elixir") forming a
complete circle, like the snake
swallowing its tail. Continue for at
least 10 minutes. 20 minutes or longer
is better.
This form of
meditation is best learned directly from
an adept instructor. For more
about Taoist Meditation visit:
http://floweringheart.org/TaoistArts.htm
The important thing
is to find a meditation practice you are
comfortable with and to stick with it
every day.
