If you are new to meditation,
It can sometimes feel a little intimidating.
You may not know what to do,
How to clear your mind,
Or how long you should practice for.
I find that the key for beginners is to get comfortable,
Relax,
And just breathe.
Maybe you could start with a short guided meditation like this one.
In time,
Work your way up to longer meditations.
Once 10 minutes is comfortable,
Try meditating for 15.
As this becomes easier,
Try meditating for 20 minutes.
See what length works best for you.
As you get more comfortable,
Feel free to experiment to see what types of meditation work best for you.
Maybe you'll prefer guided meditations,
Or just music,
Or nature sounds,
Or even silence.
Before we begin with the meditation,
Let's go over a few items that may help you with your next meditation practice.
First,
Find a quiet location where you won't be disturbed.
Next,
Get in a comfortable position that you can stay in for your meditation.
Sitting up straight in a chair or on the floor,
Maybe with or without a pillow,
Laying down,
Or sitting cross-legged.
Whatever is comfortable for you.
Your hands can be by your sides,
Palm up to accept the energy coming in,
Or palms down to ground you.
You may also try to touch your fingertips to your thumbs,
And each fingertip and thumb combination can sometimes create a different effect.
I find that focusing on your breath is a great way to clear your mind.
Most of the time,
I prefer to breathe in and out through my nose.
You may also try a cleansing breath,
Which is often done inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
Either way,
Choose to breathe in a way that is comfortable for you.
Often times during meditation,
You'll have random thoughts just pop into your head.
This is often referred to as the monkey mind.
As the thoughts jump around,
Just like monkeys in the trees.
If you start to follow a thought,
Simply remind yourself,
Oh yeah,
I'm meditating right now.
And just come back to your breath.
With that in mind,
If you're ready,
Relax,
Get comfortable in a quiet area,
Either sitting up straight or lying down with your arms by your sides.
Now close your eyes and let the worries of the day go.
Begin by focusing on your breath in and out.
Breathing deeply and slowly,
Just breathing in and out.
Take in a long,
Slow,
Deep breath,
Holding it for a moment and letting it go.
Don't force the exhale,
Just let it out.
The key is to keep your focus on your breath in and out.
You may even find it helpful to repeat in your mind,
Breathe in,
Breathe out,
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
As you continue to breathe,
Try to extend each breath for a count of four.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four,
Pausing for a moment and breathe out two,
Three,
Four and pause again.
Continue breathing slowly and deeply as you relax.
If you have any discomfort or stress that has built up,
Imagine your breath flowing to those areas,
Your knees or hips.
Where do you carry your stress?
Is there tension between your shoulder blades,
Your neck or your temples?
See yourself breathing in pure healing energy with each breath.
That healing energy flows to the areas of your discomfort and as you exhale,
You're releasing the discomfort or stress out of your body.
Continue to breathe and as you do so,
Notice yourself relaxing,
Feeling more and more comfortable in a place of ease,
Comfortable in every cell of your body.
As you continue to breathe,
Listen to the music,
The sound of the waves and my words.
When thoughts come into your mind,
Simply acknowledge them and let them drift away.
The thoughts will come.
Just give them shape,
Then watch them ease on by.
Just see that it has entered your mind and let it go.
Think of your mind as the sky and your thoughts as the clouds.
The sky knows the clouds are there,
But it doesn't pay them any attention.
Do your best to do the same with your thoughts.
Let them drift like the clouds in a clear blue sky,
Fewer and fewer as you breathe in and out.
I find that when thoughts come into the mind,
If you return to your breathing,
The thoughts go away on their own.
You are so focused on the breath that there is no time for the ideas that pop in.
Simply go back to repeating in your mind.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four.
As you continue to relax,
You may experience some sensations.
You may feel a numbness or a tingling feeling,
Perhaps in your arms or your legs.
Or you may experience both a numbness and a tingling feeling alternately.
Or you may experience a lightness or a heaviness in your body,
And this is perfectly fine.
If you were to experience a lightness,
It would feel so buoyant as if you were floating above the chair.
And if you were to experience a heaviness,
It would feel like you were sinking deep into the chair,
Just like it was a big feather pillow.
Whatever you experience,
Just accept it.
Allow yourself to relax into your meditation and just be in the moment.
And again,
When the thoughts come into your mind,
Check your sky again.
Is it cloudy?
With your breath,
Can you blow any of the clouds away?
Don't worry about them,
They'll come and go.
Just return to your breathing and be in peace.
These thoughts are the monkey mind we talked about,
Because they are jumping about seemingly without reason.
Just let them be and they'll slow down.
Don't worry or get upset about these thoughts,
Just accept their presence and return to your breath.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
Now continue to relax for a few minutes longer until you hear the cymbals chime three times.
For now,
Let the sound of the music and the waves keep you in peace.
Let the sound of the music and the waves keep you in peace.
Let the sound of the music and the waves keep you in peace.
Let the sound of the music and the waves keep you in peace.
Let the sound of the music and the waves keep you in peace.
Slowly,
In your own time,
Begin to come back to the present.
Maybe wiggling your fingers and toes,
Slowly opening your eyes,
And maybe get in a long stretch as you prepare to return to your day.
Namaste.
