Basics of Meditation
Meditation Definition
med·i·ta·tion [ˌmedəˈtāSH(ə)n]
NOUN
med·i·ta·tion [ˌmedəˈtāSH(ə)n]
NOUN
- the action or practice of meditating.
"a life of meditation"
synonyms:
contemplation · thought · thinking · musing · pondering · consideration · reflection · prayer · deliberation · study · rumination · cogitation · brooding · mulling over · reverie · brown study · concentration · speculation · cerebration- a written or spoken discourse expressing considered thoughts on a subject.
"his later letters are intense meditations on man's exploitation of his fellows"
- a written or spoken discourse expressing considered thoughts on a subject.
The 3 Main aspects of Meditation I find to be most important are:
- Breathing
- Openness/Receptivity -OR- Intention
- Location
Any form of Meditation Practice requires deep, relaxed breathing. You can tell your breathing is relaxed when your breath feels deep and easy. You will find your stomach and chest will rise and fall with each inhale and exhale, as if your are asleep. When your belly rises and falls it is an indication your diaphragm muscle is expanding and retracting, a muscle that is activated when deep breathing occurs. For me its a challenge to not start to let my mind control the experience, but to simply allow myself to exist and be present and focused in the experience.
When I meditate with the intention to receive information and messages from the unseen I open myself to the silence and relinquish my thoughts in order to explore myself freely. When I meditate with the intention of relaxation I will often choose an activity I love because it is hard for me to sit in silence and do nothing or I will choose to focus my attention purely on my breath and the way I experience my breath and how it feels entering and exiting my body. Some people choose to repeat a mantra. However your choose to meditate there are truly no limitations on how you do it.
Many people put restrictions on what meditation is allowed to be or what it should look like. But those limitations and restrictions come from what they were taught, what they know and what they perceive meditation to be and not be. However, I personally believe the act of meditation is just as limitless as the world you access within meditation. You can choose to have someone guide you or guide yourself. You can put on music or have silence. You can have a million distractions around you, none or somewhere in between. What's most important is what you need in the moment. If you need a quiet room and a comfortable pillow, give yourself that. If you need to lay down and close your eyes, do it. If you need some incense, a funny hat on your head and your most comfortable socks, GIVE THAT TO YOURSELF.
For me, meditation becomes difficult when I allow expectation to keep me from what I need to do for myself. The expectation that its not meditation unless or because. Excuses of "I can't meditate right now because the sun is in a certain position and my feet are sweaty and I don't have the special limited edition hemp-filled meditation pillow". That was just a silly example, but seriously, we set ourselves up for not doing the very thing we want to when we decide "this can't happen right now because"... Which is kind of funny because our spirit could care less! Our spirit doesn't need the fancy meditation eye pillow, rose quartz point or the hemp filled pillow. Yes, these things can be tools to help aid us in what we are trying to accomplish, but there is certainly no Big Book of Meditation Rules telling us that we need these things or we aren't really meditating. These tools can become a hindrance to your life and connection with yourself if you allow them to stand in the way between You and Yourself (Soul).
Ask yourself the reason you want to meditate or begin a meditation practice.
I asked myself that question and found that I was just longing for a deeper connection with myself, which for me was not about starting a lifelong meditation and yoga practice like I thought it was. That was just what I thought leading a spiritual life was about, but it was an illusion (simply not true!). What IS true for me is all I need is a daily 10 minutes of peace, which can be achieved in ANY way I see fit, in ANY activity I find that brings me peace. I fully realized and came to terms with this personal truth in a clairvoyant reading I had with the lovely Natalie Cormier. If you feel pulled to inquire about her services or get a reading/healing from her follow this link: Intuitive Reading and Healing with Natalie
Below are a few links I've provided to find your own path through meditation if that is what you desire for yourself. This is by NO means an all-inclusive list and there are countless great resources out there for guided meditation, meditation practice, meditation music, techniques and more! Its important you do your own research and find what calls you and feels good to you.
Again. The links I've provided are a frame of reference for you to develop your own meditation practice and personalized techniques. Meditation is simply a way for you to get in touch with yourself and/or the world beyond that which we see with our eyes (energy), though you and that world are not separate. No one knows you better than you. Feel what works for you and what doesn't, but also remain open and determined. Most rewards do not come easily and the benefits of meditation or your comfort and ability should not be demanded to be swift either. Give yourself time and patience and everything you need, you will have.
EternaLove