Meditation and finding your Breath.
Meditation practice is the process of becoming familiar with one's being.
Meditation is a great tool which helps you connect to yourself and to your spirit guides. It brings about inner peace and understanding.
There are several forms of meditation you can try...with each one, you will find your own comfort level. You will know which one works best for you, or you may enjoy practicing them all at different times! Try it out! You may just find your perfect oasis!
Tranquility Meditation : The purpose is to still the mind...bring about the mastering of concentration. To detach, concentrate, and let all else fall away to ultimately bring about a state of pure self-possession and equanimity. So find a quiet place, even if it is in the shower. Begin with a few minutes, and work your way up to what ever feels right to you.
Insight Meditation: Is the realization of important truths. one who practices Insight Meditation, hopes to realize the truths of impermanence, suffering and "no-self". Insight meditation centers around the notion of mindfulness. While mindfulness is related to concentration, it is still different. When concentrating, one’s entire focus is on the object of concentration in an almost trance like state. To be mindful of something is to think about it and observe it carefully, and comprehend its content. It is not only to block out all but your breathing; it is to observe what the breathing is like and attempt to learn something about it. Two types of meditation to gain this skills of mindfulness are Walking Meditation and Sitting Meditation. Again, find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted.
Walking Meditation: Find a quiet place to walk, take a moment to relax, then attempt to focus on the myriad of movements and sensations associated with walking. If your mind strays, make note of it, put it aside and begin concentrating on your steps again.The more you practice this, the easier it is to lose yourself in the activity, not even realizing how long you have been walking! It is quite blissful in and of itself, but it also brings you closer insight into the fundamental truths of "no-self" and impermanence.
Sitting Meditation: Allows you to focus on your breath. Its movements in and out, how your body moves with it. Your abdomen, how it goes up and down.
With practice, you become distracted less and are more aware about the object of observation, the breath. while this practice brings about tranquility, the ultimate goal is to begin to realize for yourself, the Buddhist truths of no-self, suffering and impermanence. You can do this in your garden, on a bench, at the beach, in a park, in the forest, in your room, in your car( turned off of course! ) Anywhere you can have quiet and not be interrupted for a little while.
Loving Kindness Meditation: Loving-kindness meditation is to develop the mental habit of unselfish love for the self and others. It is the perfect way to practice sending love to others as well as self. You want to do it in this order...
Send love to yourself, then someone you admire, then a beloved, then someone neutral, then to someone with which you may have some issues. You want to evoke feelings of loving kindness for each person beginning with you. Simply visualize the person, reflect on their positive qualities or their acts of kindness, and then say a little mantra to yourself or out loud. It can be as simple as "Love, Kindness, Peace to you."
Then send out feelings of love and kindness and peace to the 4 directions. You will eventually move yourself into a state where you are radiating those feelings of universal unconditional love and kindness in your everyday life.
Meditation is a great tool which helps you connect to yourself and to your spirit guides. It brings about inner peace and understanding.
There are several forms of meditation you can try...with each one, you will find your own comfort level. You will know which one works best for you, or you may enjoy practicing them all at different times! Try it out! You may just find your perfect oasis!
Tranquility Meditation : The purpose is to still the mind...bring about the mastering of concentration. To detach, concentrate, and let all else fall away to ultimately bring about a state of pure self-possession and equanimity. So find a quiet place, even if it is in the shower. Begin with a few minutes, and work your way up to what ever feels right to you.
Insight Meditation: Is the realization of important truths. one who practices Insight Meditation, hopes to realize the truths of impermanence, suffering and "no-self". Insight meditation centers around the notion of mindfulness. While mindfulness is related to concentration, it is still different. When concentrating, one’s entire focus is on the object of concentration in an almost trance like state. To be mindful of something is to think about it and observe it carefully, and comprehend its content. It is not only to block out all but your breathing; it is to observe what the breathing is like and attempt to learn something about it. Two types of meditation to gain this skills of mindfulness are Walking Meditation and Sitting Meditation. Again, find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted.
Walking Meditation: Find a quiet place to walk, take a moment to relax, then attempt to focus on the myriad of movements and sensations associated with walking. If your mind strays, make note of it, put it aside and begin concentrating on your steps again.The more you practice this, the easier it is to lose yourself in the activity, not even realizing how long you have been walking! It is quite blissful in and of itself, but it also brings you closer insight into the fundamental truths of "no-self" and impermanence.
Sitting Meditation: Allows you to focus on your breath. Its movements in and out, how your body moves with it. Your abdomen, how it goes up and down.
With practice, you become distracted less and are more aware about the object of observation, the breath. while this practice brings about tranquility, the ultimate goal is to begin to realize for yourself, the Buddhist truths of no-self, suffering and impermanence. You can do this in your garden, on a bench, at the beach, in a park, in the forest, in your room, in your car( turned off of course! ) Anywhere you can have quiet and not be interrupted for a little while.
Loving Kindness Meditation: Loving-kindness meditation is to develop the mental habit of unselfish love for the self and others. It is the perfect way to practice sending love to others as well as self. You want to do it in this order...
Send love to yourself, then someone you admire, then a beloved, then someone neutral, then to someone with which you may have some issues. You want to evoke feelings of loving kindness for each person beginning with you. Simply visualize the person, reflect on their positive qualities or their acts of kindness, and then say a little mantra to yourself or out loud. It can be as simple as "Love, Kindness, Peace to you."
Then send out feelings of love and kindness and peace to the 4 directions. You will eventually move yourself into a state where you are radiating those feelings of universal unconditional love and kindness in your everyday life.
