How to meditate and centering meditation
Research has shown the following to be true for people who meditate on a regular basis:
- Increased peace of mind
- You will get to know self
- You will be Calmer
- Intuitive capabilities will open up
- Lowered blood pressure
- Reduced heart rate
- Ability to concentrate and focus
- Improved grades
- Improvement in moral values
- Closer connection with nature
- Desire to preserve nature
- There will be more beauty in the world – things will begin to look shiny and beautiful
- Improved relationships
- Easier to see the Truth that pervades all
- Deeper understanding of all that is
You will notice the miracles that come into your life.
Warning: you will get to know yourself
How to Meditate:
There are many forms of meditation below is one way to do a sitting silent meditation based on the vipassana style.
Posture: Sit with your back straight, in a chair is easiest for most people, with your legs uncrossed, unless you are sitting on the floor. Use a shall or blanket if you like, especially if you get chilled when sitting.
It is best NOT to meditate in bed as it is too easy to just fall asleep
Location: Find a special place. Build an alter (it maybe as simple as a candle), have a special room or chair where you will not be interrupted.
When: Same time every day – first week every morning (allocate 30 minutes), 5 to ground, 20 to meditate and 5 to re ground
After the first week meditate twice a day for twenty minutes. After about two years you can change to meditating forty minutes once a day by adding 5 minutes to the morning meditation and taking 5 minutes from the evening meditation. Do this over the course of 6-months or so (or whatever feels right to you). Then meditate for life. The above time line is a general rule of thumb for a first time meditator. Adjust the duration and instructions based on your own past practices.
Process: First create a ritual to be your process. For now you can use the following:
- Go to a quiet, special place and ground (imagine your feet sinking deep into the earth)
- Light a candle and set the intention to meditate as you do so
- Sit in posture (see above) and take two deep breaths, very slowly
- Say a prayer to set your intention (I wish my mind to be quiet for the next 20 minutes)
- Enter a sacred space mentally
- Notice the in-breath
- Notice the exhale
- After 20 minutes – very slowly come back into the room
- Re ground
Ending the Meditation: If you come back too quickly or do not ground afterwards you may get a headache and be cranky or experience light headedness. Give yourself time and space.
Meditation is about slowing down and going within – not going to sleep; mentally you will be in a heightened state of awareness not unconsciousness. If you find yourself going to sleep during meditation then you need to get more rest so that you will be able to meditate effectively. That said, some studies have shown that twenty minutes of meditation are worth about two hours of sleep.
Anchors on how to do centering meditation
Anchors are the focus of a meditation. They can be the breath, a mantra, silence, a mandala, motion, or any thing that keeps the left brain occupied so that the right brain can be receptive.
Types of Anchors:
- Breath – notice the breath, notice body functions, notice thoughts
- Silent Prayer – Clear the mind and notice what happens
- Mantra – this is a repetitive phrase or word
- Moving Meditations – waking with purpose, Tai Chi, and many other martial arts and dance styles
- Visual journey to a place – like a garden or a beach (you can use prerecorded media for this or create your own journey)
- Drums and rattles – can use our own drum or rattle or you can use a tape or CD
- Music – chanting, Bach, Metaphysical, didgeridoo…
Mantras
Mantras are another form of anchor. They bring in the energy of the mantra being chanted. Using modern mantras will create unpredictable results as they do not have the test of time to ascertain their affects. Using established mantras will create predictable results. Use your inner guidance as to which mantra is best for you.
AUM or OM
Pronounced ‘OM’, is a very ancient and sacred sound. It is the all-encompassing, uncreated, unchanging essence. It is the “mind” of the Universe. The original nature of Buddha.
OM AH HUM SOHA
This mantra functions on many levels, below is a rudimentary explanation:
OM, AH and HUM represent the three bodies of the Buddha. Where OM, is the universe, the universal, the all-encompassing, the uncreated, and/or the unchanging. The “mind” of the Universe. The original nature of Buddha. While AH, is the Truth embodied, the Word and “speech” of the Universe or Dharma. HUM is the fruition, and refers to physical manifestations i.e. the “body” of the Universe or Sangha. SOHA is the termination of the mantra. This mantra is the trinity.
In Buddhism, OM is the universal Buddha mind. It is enlightenment or Nirvana. It is simultaneously the source and the destination of everything. From the center, out to all sorts of individualities and then back to the center again.
AH represents the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (Buddhas to be), such as Shakyamuni Buddha, founder of the present day Tibetan Tantric Buddhism.
HUM would be correspondent to Siddhartha Gautama, the human being who became Shakyamuni Buddha. It is the fruition, and refers to physical manifestations, i.e. the “body” of the Universe or Sangha.
“SO HA” means something like “amen”, “so be it”, or “let it be”.
Most Tantric mantras have the format of “OM AH HUM SOHA”
OM Mane Padme Hum
Everything has many levels of meaning – those presented here are only one view. Roughly Translated: OM, salutations to The Jewel of Consciousness (the mind) which has reached the heart’s lotus.
OM – seed syllable
Mane Padme – “Jewel in the Lotus”
Hum (Sanskrit) / Hung (Tibetan) – seed syllable
The Jewel in the Lotus is frequently taken as a reference to Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, known in Tibetan as Chenrezig.
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There are many different meditation techniques, but all of them have one thing in common: they all cause you to become more self-aware, more watchful of your thoughts, feelings and physical sensations.
Some techniques are still: for example, you sit and watch your breath. Others are active, asking you to move, dance, make sounds, etc.
One meditation technique is called gibberish. Make all kinds of sounds, as long as they are not a real language. Pretend you are talking in a language no one knows. Make loud sounds, soft sounds, angry sounds, sad sounds, just create any non-word sounds you like. Really get into it! And move your body around too.
After five or ten minutes, stop, and sit silently for five minutes, becoming aware of your thoughts, feelings, or sensations. Just watch. Do not try to change or fix anything. Do not try to stop the mind. Love yourself, and accept whatever happens from your heart.
This is a great meditation to throw out all of the stuck energy that creates the depression, so go ahead and give it a try…
The way I learned to meditate was by getting a CD of soft ocean music or any type of relaxation CD’s.
I found that they sell these at Walmart or Target at a reasonable cost. I lie down and use deep breathing exercises while to music is playing. Before I know it my whole body and mind has relaxed.
I also talk a walk and listen to Mother Nature.
Best of Luck!
In order to meditate you need a quiet room with low light and no distractions. Some people find soft music helpful, some find even that a distraction.
Practice deep breathing. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, quietly. Sit comfortably. Try to sit on the floor with legs crossed, on a rug or pillow. Breathe in as much as much air as you can, then breathe out as much air as you can expel. Then breathe again.
Within a few moments you will feel your body relax. If your mind strays, keep bringing it back to your breathing. Think of nothing, concentrate on keeping your mind clear. If you focus inward to what your body is feeling and not words you are trying to think, you will eventually relax to the point where you are meditating.
it will take you a while to master the breathing techniques, but it is so worth it.
hi alex, am no expert on this but I can share with you my experience. I came to realize that every thing/every situation out there have some roots somewhere-what id call a trigger. this could be the environment at home school, something you don’t like and you cant avoid it, boredom/monotony( doing the same thing all the time. my assignment to you is to take a day off from everything sit down somewhere and thing write down all the things you like and dislike. separate the positive and the negative. the goal here is to stay away from anything negative and stick with the positve – if you feel that one of your friend is a negative person, better loose them than have a negative person around. remember strangers are friends in waiting. and before I forget try and keep yourself busy, surprise people, be ahead of everybody. don’t let your mother ask you to clean your room, dont let your teacher ask you to hand in your assignment-be afew steps ahead in everything you do. exercise more and eat right (anything you want but in moderation. good luck Alex