1.Find a place where you will be comfortable and undisturbed - this means if you live with other people, you need to tell them not to bother you during your meditation for any reason. (Unless there's an emergency, of course!) Unplug your telephone, as well. Keep your pets out of the room. My cats like to jump up on my lap when I'm sitting, and while I think that's sweet, it isn't very good for my concentration!
2. Dim the lights in the room and light some candles. (Don’t make the place so dark that you will fall asleep!)
3. If you are meditating in your home, play some drumming or other type of soothing, soft music. This helps you focus and it also serves the purpose of drowning out background noises such as neighbor's music (very distracting if you live in an apartment) or traffic outside.
4. You may cast a circle if you wish to. Sometimes this will help improve your focus.
5. Sit upright in a comfortable position, whether in a chair or cross-legged on the floor. I usually find that it's not very effective to meditate while reclining; too easy to fall asleep!
6. Now, close your eyes and begin to relax every part of your body, starting with your feet and moving upwards to your calves, thighs, hips, stomach, hands, arms, shoulders, neck and finally your face. (Be sure to remember to relax your face! A lot of people forget this; make sure your lips, cheeks, jaw and eyebrows are all relaxed)
Focus on each part of your body separately at first, feeling the tension draining away. You should start feeling a tingling sensation throughout your body as you do this, but don't worry if you do not at first. It takes your body time to learn to relax; most of us spend our whole lives in a state of tension except for when we're asleep. While you are doing this, breathe deeply; inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. With each breath, feel your self relax more. Remember to keep breathing deeply throughout the meditation.
7. When you are fully relaxed, begin visualizing a place that is comfortable and serene to you; a beach, a forest clearing, the bank of a river, a cave - whatever feels right to you. Make this visualization as detailed as possible. You should see it in detail first - notice whether it's daytime or nighttime, see the leaves on the trees or the sand on the beach, notice how the water is moving or whether it is still. See the walls of the cave and notice whether they are rock or clay or another type of substance. "Look" all around you, in front, behind, to the sides. See everything that you can see about your safe place.
Once you have the picture in your mind, you can begin to incorporate your other senses. Feel the air on your body - is it warm or cool? Is there a breeze? Feel the sun on your face if it is daytime. Feel the sand or earth or leaves or water beneath your feet. Dig your toes into it and experience how it feels. Smell the air - does it smell salty or fresh? What other smells do you experience in this place? Hear everything around you - the rushing water, the wind blowing in the treetops, the rustle of animals.
8. Stay in this safe place for as long as you wish. Don't worry if your mind starts to wander at first; this takes practice. If you find your concentration waning and your mind wandering, let it wander without trying to force it back to your meditation. It will eventually get tired of that train of thought and you can gently bring yourself back into focus. You may see animals or people while you are meditating. Notice how they react to you. Talk to them if you can or if you feel like it. Don't worry if they don't respond at first. Sometimes spirit guides like to check you out for a while before they talk to you. If you don't see anyone, that's fine, too. Maybe you just need to be alone in this place.
9. When you are ready to return, begin noticing things around you in this plane: feel the chair or ground beneath you; listen to the sounds around you, become aware of your heartbeat and your breathing. Become aware of your body again (because once you become skilled at this, your body may go numb during your meditation). When you can feel and hear things around you, slowly open your eyes and sit there quietly for a few minutes. Release the circle if you cast one.
10. When you are finished meditating, get something to drink and eat - it doesn't have to be a full meal, but definitely drink some milk or tea or something and eat a bite of cheese or bread. This will help anchor you in this plane and ground you so that you don't end up feeling drained or jittery. I would recommend that you start out by meditating for only about ten minutes or so. Don't try to force yourself into an hour-long meditation when you've just begun learning the process. You will only get frustrated. When your mind becomes accustomed to relaxing and focusing for a period of time, you can increase your meditation time.
When you become skilled at this basic meditation, you can use it as a base for meditations to meet your spirit guide, astral traveling or any other type of other-world journey you wish to try.
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