Learn to Meditate Session 1

Meditation & Posture

Key ingredients for a Great Meditation Posture



Tree like, strong & grounded base

Cushions supporting your bum, back,
& knees if they are up too high.

Back is straight yet supple and comfortable

Allowing the weightiness of your body
to drop into your sit

Posture that maintains alertness and receptivity

Comfort is a friend!



For a Conducive Meditation Session...

Either sit on the floor cross legged & supported by
cushions,

or on a chair with soft padding and back support.


Feet should touch the ground fully

when sitted on a chair to stay grounded.


Avoid lying down as your body thinks its getting ready to sleep
and its easy to trigger off just that! ZZZzzzzz....




When cross legged you can either choose
the full lotus position


with your hands resting in the middle
and on top of each other .










- yet this lady might need a cushion under each knee -

Or you can choose the subtle variation of
your hands resting gently on each knee.


- Again more cushions under the knees for those who want to -





Beanbags are great for and adjust around your
meditation as they hug shape i n a perfect,
your whole body luxurious way :)



Adjustments

Feel free to adjust and move your body before starting your
practice, it's the best way to work out what works best for you.

It can often take some time to find what position suits us the most
and it is normal for the body to rebel on 20 minutes of sitting still,
especially at the beginning of your practice.

Don't let that put you off, just be patient with a period of adjustment
until you find what posture your body prefers.



Simplicity

Having said that, on each week we encourage you to aim and
lessen your movements as you progress into meditation practice,

as continuous external movement can also be a way of resisting to
concentrate and go deeper into our practice.




And by the way nobody expects you to do this !


Image by Beni Ishaque Lut hor



Creating Conducive Conditions for Practice



Meditation is not about shutting off
the hustle & bustle of life, but making peace with it

YET we think It's helpful that...

whilst learning and until you get a good grounding of the practice,
you create a conducive environment that is going to help you make
the most of your meditation sit.

Besides... by minimising external distractions, it is easier to spot
the internal ones! No?



Things to do that will help your focus...
Switch off your phone.
Notify others in your home that you will be unavailable for the
next 30 minutes or so, so that you don't get distracted.
Set up a personable space-altar of inspiration that supports
your intentions in meditating, i.e a candle, a flower or an
image to support your connection.
Keep a notebook near by in case you need to make notes or
write down any reflections once you come out of your sit.
Have a glass of water for before or after your sit.
Keep an extra layer of clothing by you, for warmth and
cosiness or for changes in temperature.
Perfect!
Body Scan
When
scanning...
We always start from our
head at the top and finish with our
feet.
We simply place our awareness,
focus and attention to the different
parts of the body...
feeling any physical sensations,
textures & energies, simply
acknowledging what is there
presently.
* Body scans offer us the perfect
opportunity to slow down
gradually and gather ourselves, before we start our
practice.

Body scans are like a warm up exercise and a great ice
breaker in meditation. As the mind starts to bring its
attention on the external, we are slowly gathering ourselves
by gradually focusing on our internal experience ...
A body scan can help us stay grounded through the
meditation that is to follow.
It is like paying our respects to our body and preparing
ourselves for the practice and the magic to begin.

Attitude in Meditation practice
To help you understand what we actually do in meditation, I like to
use the analogy of the ocean and its waves.
Picture this.....

You are standing by the shore, facing the big wide ocean
In its totality, the big ocean is a metaphor for your big, expanded
and relaxed mind. The mind you access in deep meditation.
The small waves are your small mind with all the chatter and
thoughts, at times pleasant, at others not so much.

As a meditator, you are standing by the shore relishing and
enjoying the big wide ocean (your big mind),
whilst witnessing the smaller waves (the small mind) expressing
themselves and eventually surrendering into the big mind...









image by Beni Ishaque Luthor
Just like the small waves dissolve into the big ocean, so our mind's
noise also has a natural capacity to surrender itself to a bigger,
wider space of higher consciousness....
a place where noise simply ceases to exist...

In our busy modern lives
we somehow unlearned that surrender...

The aim of meditation is to help us remember that vital
function of surrender...

So in other words we're aiming to not attach to
the small mind chatter and all it carries with it in your life...


As you see the waves break in front of you without touching
your feet, similarly you observe and notice your thoughts by letting
them wash away..

Simply surrendering your every thought to a bigger space
within your being, without getting hooked into their story...
Just like that, notice the thoughts that arise and choose to let
them go.
To do that, simply chose to identify with the big ocean, the
expanded mind, instead of the small waves, the everyday mind.
And allow the small mind to wash away & surrender to
the big mind..
THIS is the aim of Meditation


The 3 stages of Mindfulness Meditation

Stage 1

After taking a couple of deep breaths, we allow our normal
breathing to take over and take us into our practice. Whilst
breathing, we mark each of our out-breaths with a number starting
from 1 all the way to up 10, one number at a time and
consecutively. When we reach 10 we start again from 1.

Stage 2

At this stage we drop the counting and simply deepen our
concentration by noticing the breath as it comes in and out of our
body. We simply let our breath be the anchor of our awareness.

We develop an interest in the breath itself, whilst still retaining our
awareness and focus on it. We feel the textures, energies and
sensations in our body whilst we are breathing.

Stage 3

At this stage, we continue our natural breathing, yet we're taking
our concentration and awareness of the breath even deeper by
making note of a physical point in our body, internal or external,
where our breath is felt. It could be the tip of our nose, back of the
throat etc.

We allow that spot to be the focus and object of our attention for
the rest of this session, letting everything around the breath, simply
fall away.




Remember....

At stage 1 of the practice

If you find yourself forgetting where you are in the counting
simply start from number 1 again,

If you find yourself having exceeded number 10
simply start from number 1 again.


As a basic rule and at ALL stages of the practice

ANYTIME you get distracted by ANYTHING whilst meditating,
simply notice it, accept it and without dismissing it,
bring your awareness back to your breath.

This is not intended to punish or discourage you!


It simply acts as an effective reminder that the aim of practice is for
your awareness to stay focused and absorbed into your breath,
and the counting of numbers is there to remind you that and bring
you back into track.


If in any doubt at any time at what to do in
meditation....


FOLLOW THE BREATH!


Be Intrigued by it

Absorbed in it

Love & Enjoy it



Play task for the week

Build or maintain a regular and
consistent meditation
practice and keep a key
highlights diary to record
reflections & observations on your
practice if and as they come
up...

It's up to you how long you
meditate for ...


Why do I say that?

Well, if I was to ask you to meditate for 20
minutes and you don't then you are just going to spend
your mental energy judging yourself on not doing as you were
suggested.

And that is not the point....

Remember, you are your own boss here.

However as a guideline, between 15 - 20 minutes is a good start
for week 1 if you're a beginner and need a structure to work with.

Also know.... better to do some meditation than do none.

The first week we like to keep things simple...

You are mainly aiming to enjoy your sits and practice your
attentional muscle of shifting your awareness from distractions to
the breath.

What to Notice...

General concentration levels
Depth of breathing
General emotional and mental quality in each sit.
How connected you feel within your body.
Be aware of sensations, energies, physical nuances.
Coming out of your practice take 2 or more minutes to
ground yourself.

And don't forget to have FUN whilst at it!
Learn to Meditate Session 2

Meditation & the Mind


image by Beni Ishaque Luthor


This session's AIMS:

To engage and meditate on the mind's activities

Identify the abstract mental activity taking place

From abstract mental activity to specific mental activity

Understanding impressional descriptions

From impressions to stories and storylines

From small mind to Big Mind

Observing the 'ocean' not getting wet


THE M I N D
When Meditating...
We treat our mind like an unfriendly force, or an unruly child that
we wish to discipline. JUST for the purpose of meditation.


Helpful qualities: The mind is
useful and helps us make
decisions, be discerning and
make progress in life.
We 're lucky to have the capacity
to think and act logically.



Unhelpful qualities: The
mind can often distract us with its
chatter and as a result we often
stop being present in the
moment.
Also we tend to believe all bunch
of stuff the mind tells us, not all of
which is true.

Aim of Meditation: to quiet down the chatter, silence the mind
and access a calmer, wider space that lies underneath.
Then all the mind's helpful qualities can really shine through!
Meditation is NOT a time to be used for thinking or for
making plans.
Meditation can eventually help us access the mind's
helpful qualities and eliminate the unhelpful ones.

Dealing with Mental Distractions ....
Mental distractions in meditation can be things like


Thoughts from the day
Memories
Replays of the day's events
A conversation we had with someone
A shopping list we need to compile

and the list goes on....

Lies the Mind can tell us...
We are NOT good enough
NOT creative enough
NOT working hard enough
NOT good looking enough
NOT tall enough
NOT clever enough and so on!
The point is for us to develop our discriminating wisdom in knowing
what's constructive criticism and what down right judgement.

The tone, energy and quality of the thought
will give you a clue!



Constructive Criticism..

Though not the best presentation
I have given, I did cover some
good points that I needed to get
across and the client seemed
intrigued by some of the
proposals.





Judgemental Thinking..

That was the worst presentation
ever! I totally failed, im such a loser!

I should have prepared much more, but I was too stupid
to think clearly.



Feel the difference?

See what difference these 2 points of views and approaches

can make?

It is easy for the mind to give us the harshest interpretation ever,
and one of the purposes of meditation is for us to notice where that
takes place and soften our edges with our awareness...

Again with this week's meditation session, consider anything
you might need to set in place or bear in mind so that you meditate
with ease and comfort.

This is part of your...


Creating Conducive Conditions for Practice


Body Scan
We will again start our session with a body scan, always starting
from head all the way down the body and ending with your feet,
legs or base.
Body scans can take anything from 5-7 minutes, just take what you
need to allow the dust to settle in order to become present in the
space ready to start your meditation sit.

Meditation Guidelines

As usual we follow the 3 stages of mindfulness meditation as
covered on week 1, though for the purpose of this week the focus
is on the mind and so we are to incorporate the following
reminders throughout the 2nd stage of the practice.


We notice the area around the head and brain

as well as the feelings and sensations around it.

Notice the abstract qualities around the head first,
the less specific and more generic aspects.



Look out for any activity throughout the body that offers...


A sensation,
A feeling,
A vibration,
A texture.

These are the more abstract qualities.


Use your attention & awareness

gently and in a relaxed way,

letting the impressions wash away as they come by and through
you.

Allow that quality of your mind to show you an
impressional description of what it embodies.


Does the Quality of your Mind Feel...

Light or Dark ?

Warm or Cool ?

Calm or Busy ?

is there a Colour ?

Do you sense a Texture ?





Be aware and get in touch with your mind's qualities, whilst

continuing to be the witness.






Then from the abstract qualities,

we move into

the more specific qualities.

Notice now all thoughts and images forming into your mind and
playing out their story.

These are storylines

You are not to buy into the mind's story or get sucked in,
just observe it as usual.

Witness your mental activity
without letting it pull you in.


What NOT to do in Meditation ...

We do not get involved in the mind's content,
We do not delve on it as we would do in daydreaming,
We do not try to enjoy it OR not enjoy it,
We do not indulge in it OR not indulge in it..

We simply allow it to be and express itself without obstructing it,
whilst we remain the witness,


unattached .. non judgemental .. observing ..




How the WITNESS Affects our Day to Day Life



The more we become a witness of our own mind, body, emotions
in our daily meditation practice & in a relatively non-attached way,


the more we are able to bring the same witness
in our day to day life.


We do that, not in a cold way that is lacking interest and attention,


but in a full and rich way

that becomes a container

of the whole spectrum of our constantly changing experience

within & without.

We are therefore slowly and gradually becoming ONE with that
fullness and perspective that encompasses all smaller movements
and experiences.


As we become BIG Mind, we identify more with its spaciousness...
and we naturally begin to lose interest in the chatter & neurosis of
the small mind.


Play task for the week


Please spend some
allocated time each day,
anything from 15 mins to an
hour if you wish,

either in a break or within a
consistent activity and as
part of your daily life where you
just either make a mental note
or set an intention to notice
and enjoy the following:



Day 1: Colour
Day 2: Sounds
Day 3: Textures
Day 4: Light/ dark as a shade and luminosity
Day 5: Smells
Day 6: Noticing pleasing qualities in things and people
Day 7: Witnessing all senses without attachment

The intention of noticing is more important than anything else
when doing this play task, so don't worry if you do this whilst busy.

Simply allow yourself to become aware of these qualities, as
mentioned above, at anytime throughout the day as you go along
and whilst going about your daily business.

Alternatively, if you have time and feel inspired feel free to simply
sit and observe when doing no other activities.

Either of those is Great!

Also do continue with your daily meditation practice whilst
writing in your diary should you feel the inspiration or need to
do so.

Hope you enjoyed this meditation course. To learn & go over
more aspects of meditation, you can find us at
www.thespiritportal.com and look at our meditation e-course.
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