Learn how to meditate

I believe that meditation should be practiced everyday for our daily wellbeing. Meditation can help balance us on a mental, physical and spiritual level. I look at it from the perspective that the mind is the gate keeper at the gates of the spirit and in order to pass through we have to quiet it to reach our true selves. We move through our lives connecting and disconnecting to things within and around us and in some instances to our peril. Without understanding who we are we are unable to make simple decisions within our lives. Sometimes we find that the choices we are considering or have considered has left us feeling unbalanced inside. These feelings leave what I would call strings, stagnant energy, and energetic blockages throughout the body.

To help release these energetic or physical disturbances the parasympathetic nervous system needs to be activated. Stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system helps promote digestion and slows or shuts off non-essential functions within the body giving your body time to rebalance itself. This can be done through quieting the nervous system using meditation, yoga, energy work (Reiki, Jin Shin Jyutsu, etc.) or listening to positive relaxing music.

On a physical level we may experience stress caused from the activation of the sympathetic nervous system or our fight or flight response. This response can bring about insomnia, anxiety, depression, tension or be a result of an emotional or physical trauma from a car accident, sports injury etc.

The mind is like a monkey moving about in a cage and in order to calm the mind we have to relax the body too because they are both interconnected. By relaxing the body first the mind has less sensory information being sent by the nervous system to the brain about the location and status of each muscle and the surrounding external environment. This process will put the mind into a quicker and deeper meditative state and in some cases transcending one to a higher state of consciousness.

A few years ago a pastor at my old job put up a flyer to encourage over 300 employees to learning how to meditate in order to relieve their daily stresses. I happened to be one of two people who signed up for the session and little did I know that this would change my life and belief systems. This simple meditation lesson helped me strip away the cluttering thoughts that plagued my mind on a daily basis, improve my sleep, reduce stresses from working in a helpdesk and focus my mind at work and in my personal life. Below are instructions on how to meditate. These instructions can also be used to do a guided meditation.

How to Meditate

1.)    Find a quiet and comfortable place where you can sit. Make sure your legs are at a 45 degree angle and that your feet are firmly on the floor

2.)    Rest your hands on the arm of the chair

3.)    Close your eyes and take a deep breath then slowly release it

4.)    Relax your ankles down to the base of your feet

5.)    Relax your knees to your ankles

6.)    Relax your hips to your knees

7.)    Relax your torso (neck to your belt line). When relaxing your chest it will feel like it’s hard to breathe as your rib cage compresses against your lungs. Let all the tension drain down into your body or into your back if you choose to lay down when meditating. This feeling only lasts for approximately 30 seconds before your body adapts to the changes.

8.)    Relax your shoulders, arms, wrist and fingers using the same method

9.)    When you get to your head be conscious of any tension in your face

• Loosen your jaw
• Relax your forehead, side, top and back of your head

10.) Observe your body in this state of relaxation. If you notice tension anywhere in your body release it as per the previous steps.

11.) Clear your mind. The objective of this step is to be thought free, not to manipulate any changes occurring in your body or thinking of the errands you need to do throughout the day. This step is about the maintenance needed for the mind, body and spirit. For beginners it may take some time to get to this state, so your first objective is to learn how to focus on a single thought. This can be done by visualizing yourself laying in a body of water looking up at clouds as they pass by or visualizing random thoughts being burned up by a ball of fire and my favourite method is observing changes in my body from the state of tension to relaxation.

When transitioning through each body segment take note of any tension and release it. Breathe in through your nose and into your stomach and out through your mouth. Meditation is not something that you rush; it is a process for preparing your body and mind for a spiritual experience. Meditation can be done while lying on a bed, couch or floor or in a seated position. I suggest that it is practiced in a seated position until you are able to balance your mind between subconscious and consciousness or you may fall asleep. For anyone exhibiting high stress or insomnia meditating before bed will help with releasing tension and induce sleep.

When coming out of a meditative state make sure not to move abruptly. Take a minute or two for your body to acclimate to the changes brought about from the meditation. Abrupt movements can cause further blockages within your body’s energy system causing pain, pressure, headaches or light headedness. If this does occur run through steps 1 to 11 again until the symptoms subside. Note that light headedness is a common affect because you are triggering your body’s sympathetic nervous system by telling it to become active for movement again.

I meditate religiously every day in one fashion or another. I can personally state that if it weren’t for meditation some of the potential stressors that I’ve experienced over the years after learning how to meditate may have pushed me over the edge. If I didn’t think that it wasn’t worth learning I wouldn’t have spent the time examining the potentials of meditation or creating this post to help others.

I believe that meditation should be practiced at least 60 minutes per day, but if you are unable to do so a minimum of 30 minutes per day can help rejuvenate and revitalize you by boosting your energy and focusing your mind. For more information on the Benefits of Meditation or how to do a 2 minute meditation refer to my blog. So for now Namaste.