Hello it's Susie and today's meditation is going to take us a little bit deeper into silence so we'll practice silence today for 10 minutes.
So to help us to do this we're going to use a mantra in today's meditation.
So mantras are tools that we can introduce in a meditation to break the pattern of our thoughts.
As you sit down to begin this practice you may notice that maybe your mind is quite active thinking about you know what has happened earlier today or what you have to do when you finish the practice.
Maybe you have a to-do list or prepare meals or travel somewhere to meet somebody.
With all of these activities generating numerous thoughts coming in one after the other it is said that we have up to 60,
000 thoughts a day.
A lot of people feel that these thoughts are a barrier to practicing meditation because they have this expectation that as soon as they sit down and close their eyes ready to practice meditation that the thoughts have to disappear and they've got to block them out of their mind.
But I'm glad to tell you today that that's not the case.
You know thoughts are a very valid part of everybody's meditation practice irrespective if you've been meditating for 10-20 years or if it's your first time meditating.
You know thoughts are a natural state of our mind so we don't meditate to stop the thoughts.
We meditate so that we can slow down the thoughts and as we slow down our thoughts by sitting still in silence with our eyes closed practicing meditation we slow them down to the point that we start to access the space between our thoughts.
One of the best tools to do this is using a mantra.
So today's practice we will use a mantra as a thought interrupter.
We're going to break that pattern of thinking as we sit in our meditation by interrupting it with the use of a mantra.
As soon as you notice that your attention drifts away from the repetition of the mantra you simply come back and begin again.
So the mantra may speed up,
It may slow down,
It may become a little distorted or loud or faint and however you begin to experience it simply continue with the repetition of the mantra.
So the repetition of this mantra will be really quite effortless.
It's a silent repetition of the sound or vibration and it doesn't require you to clearly pronounce it in any particular way and it has no particular meaning either so there's no need to start attaching meaning which will generate a lot of thoughts in your mind.
When you begin this practice you can just have a vague sense of the mantra.
You may see it as a vibration or an impulse or you may hear it as a subtle sound.
So listen for its sound more than feel the pressure to articulate it.
As the mantra begins to change maybe it's rhythm or the pitch or even the pronunciation just allow it now to transform without trying to control the process.
The mantra we're going to use today is Om Ritam Nama.
So it's made up of three parts.
Om and then the middle part the B sound is Ritam and the final part is Nama.
Om Ritam Nama.
So let's begin.
Sitting comfortably.
Allow your spine to remain upright in your seat with its natural curves.
Checking in that your chin is parallel with the floor.
Feet are firmly on the ground.
Hands resting lightly in your lap.
Softly closing your mouth,
Your eyes.
Let's begin by breathing a long slow deep breath in through the nose.
Filling up the lungs and the belly.
And as we exhale.
Release the breath.
Letting go of what no longer serves you and allowing the body to soften now.
To relax.
As we begin this meditation.
For the next few minutes let's observe our breath.
Meeting the breath at the nostril opening.
Noticing how the air is cool.
As you begin.
Breathing in.
And how the air is warmer as you breathe out.
Your breath is natural.
And with the next exhale.
Allow the mantra now to.
Rise up effortlessly into your awareness.
Seeing or hearing or feeling the word Om.
Followed by Ritam.
And then Nama.
Visualize the words.
Or experience these as a vibration.
Om.
Ritam Nama.
Om Ritam Nama.
And begin now the silent repetition of this mantra.
Knowing that I'm watching the time.
And we'll practice the repetition of this mantra for.
Ten minutes together in silence.
And as you notice it.
Speeds up slows down or disappears altogether.
As soon as you're aware that you've stopped the repetition.
Simply come back.
Come back to that gentle.
Effortless repetition.
As the mantra arises in you.
Om Ritam Nama.
Om Ritam Nama.
Continue like this.
Until you hear the sound.
Of a soft bell.
Om Ritam Nama.
Silently repeating.
Om Ritam Nama.
Om Ritam Nama.
Om Ritam Nama.
Om Ritam Nama.
Om Ritam Nama.
Om Ritam Nama.
Om Ritam Nama.
You You You You You You You You You You You You You Let's release.
