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Meditation for the modern day Contrary to popular belief meditation isn't about emptying the mind or nothing of nothingness. That's just nothingness! What meditation is, is a stilling of the mind; a calming of the mind. It's a chance to give it a rest from the barrage of thoughts that could be anything from "where shall we go on holiday" to "I missed that information out of the email. Damn, I'll have to go back and send another" to "wow! She's nice". It's a chance to step back from our anxieties, desires and constant striving and just be. The fantastic thing about meditation is that it gives you time and space. It's not just time to think about things, but the space to think about them calmly, without letting your head be ruled by strong emotions and "shoulds" or "musts". Some people use this tool as a way to connect with their god or their own spirituality but it's also a way to connect with ourselves - what we really think and who we really are. I hate trying to simplify meditation but it's something that does cry out to be simplified and made more accessible to people. And one way that I do this is to break it down into external and internal types of meditation. External meditation involves turning the attention to something outside the self. It could be a beautiful piece of music, a candle, or even just whatever you hear going on around you. Religious meditators might turn their attention to an icon or perhaps depiction of religious event such as the crucifixion of Christ. Internal meditation is where the meditator turns inward, bringing their focus inside to their breath, perhaps, or their own thoughts or feelings. And you may find that one type of meditation comes easier to you than the other. Which isn't to say that you should abandon the less easy type - in fact you may even get more from pursuing that path! Finally, it's surprising, but I have noticed, especially on my one to one sessions, that extroverts tend to veer towards the external meditations, and introverts seem to be happier with the internal orientated meditations. So, lets get you started with a meditation that actually encompasses both, starting off very firmly in the external world and then moving to the internal. Two for the price of one, so to speak! Mindfulness Meditation It's interesting how much of a challenge it can be. Think about it - we're continuously multi-tasking, whether it's making school lunches and listening out for the weather report on the radio, or working on a document and sneaking to check our emails every five minutes as we plough through it. I'm naturally such a big multi-tasker that it's not uncommon for me to completely forget what I started to do in the first place! Which is where mindfulness comes in. It's about concentrating on one thing at a time - whether it's doing the washing up or making a telephone call. It's about giving that your full focus. Until it ends. But you can also take it further and enjoy a mindful meditation that really anchors you in the present and helps you appreciate this moment – what you have today, this minute, this second. Step One Take yourself off somewhere – a room on your own, or, even better, outside in the fresh air. Find a place to sit. Don’t worry about positions at the moment; just choose somewhere you will be comfortable. Start with a minute or quiet breathing to bring you into meditation mode. Spend some time looking around you at your environment. What can you see? What colours are the leaves on the trees? How many colours can you see? How are the clouds shaped? How fast are they moving across the sky? Can you see the colours in the carpet, the knots in the wooden floor, the light from the window dappling against the wall? There’s no need to do a 360 degree inventory, just focus on a spot and really notice what you can there. Move onto what you can feel. Can you feel a breeze on your skin? Moistness in the air? Or is it dry and warm? Can you feel the sun? Or a draft from the window or door? What can you smell? Is there a scent of flowers on a breeze, or traffic fumes from a nearby road? Have you lit a lovely scented candle or perhaps it’s the remnants of last night’s chip supper? What can you taste? Often it’s nothing but sometimes you’d be surprised. Smells can be tasted and just asking yourself can I taste anything at the moment may reveal something you didn’t expect. Step Two Now, what can feel with your body? Start with your feet and notice their weight against the floor – or whatever they may be leaning on. What is the texture? Notice your body against the chair and feel where the pressure lies. Move up your spine, just taking notice of how it feels as it lies against the back of the chair. Don’t try and shift position, just be aware. Now move to your head. Can you feel your hair on your neck or your ears? Move down along your forehead and take notice of the muscles of your forehead – are they tense? Furrowed? Relaxed? How do they feel? Move down your face and over your cheeks? How do the muscles feel? And again down to the many muscles around your mouth? How do they feel? Don’t try to change anything, just be aware and take note of it. How about your neck? How does that feel? And your shoulders? Are they stiff and hunched? Move down along your back? Does your spine feel rigid or at ease? And your stomach or belly? Take note of how that feels. Bloated perhaps after a heavy meal? Empty? Or just right? Move down to your legs – again, are they tense or relaxed? And then your feet and toes. Take note of them. Step three Go back to your belly and spend a little while noticing its movement with your breath. Feel and even watch it expand as you breathe in and decrease as you exhale. Don’t try and do anything to the breath, just be aware of how it affects your abdomen. Stay here for a while, absorbing all the information and sensory knowledge that you’ve just put together until you get a snap shot picture of you – here today, at this very moment in time. Step Four The last dimension. Just take a note of how you are feeling. Is it calm and relaxed? Are you rushing through to get to something or someone else? Are you thoroughly enjoying it, getting lost in the moment, or anxious that you’re getting it right? Again, you don’t have to do anything about these feelings; just see if you can pin point how you feel just at this moment. Ongoing I love this meditation and it’s a great one to practice a few times a day. Just taking three or four minutes out now and again really helps calm you, ground you and – what I think is the best boon – really helps you appreciate the here and now. You can use familiar triggers to remind you to do it, such as setting your mobile alarm to go off at different intervals or going through the steps every time you put the kettle on to make a cup of tea. |
| Posted: 11/10/2009 19:33:14 |
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