Meditation is a practice of being with what is. It is an art of calming our being so that we can feel

the essence of soul’s innate equanimity and wisdom. It allows us to tap into infinite well of blissful love beyond the racing

thoughts of our never ending “to dos”. For a busy mind, within a highly stressful culture, meditation can seem nearly impossible to accomplish. But after working through my own resistances to meditation, I have found it to be so worth the effort to create a consistent practice.

Meditation has numerous benefits. It invokes the parasympathetic nervous system, which creates calm in the body/mind. Over time, your practice will nurture your overall health and well-being. Research is showing that there is a positive impact on reducing blood pressure, anxiety and cortisol levels. It improves immunity, ability to concentrate and enhances concentration. It accelerates spiritual growth and supports intuitive development. My primary reasons for meditation are the spiritual connection and intention it sets for my day each morning and the well of calm it allows me to access throughout the day.

There are many styles of meditation including mindfulness, concentration, shamanic journeying, transcendental and so on.

Meditation Basics

 

  • Sit in a comfortable position, with your spine upright and open.
  • Rest your hands on your lap, palms face up.
  • Close your eyes or find a place to focus your eyes.
  • Begin with three deep cleansing breaths. Breathe deeply into your body, pause, then elongate your exhale three times.
  • Normalize your breath.
  • Rest your tongue on the roof of your mouth.
  • Bring your attention to your breath and allow your attention to remain focused on your breath. It may help to focus on a specific aspect of your breath: the in-breath, the feeling of warmth at your nostrils, the rising of your belly or chest. Allow your attention to remain on your breath, without attempting to control its intensity or rhythm.
  • Suspend judgment. Simply witness your breath.
  • If your mind wanders, bring your attention back to your breath compassionately.

I began this practice for three minutes when I first started to meditate. Three minutes grew to five and five grew to fifteen and so on. Meet yourself where you are, without judgment. Let yourself practice meditation and do not compare one experience of meditation to another. Some days you will witness your breath with great ease, others you may wander many times and kindly bring yourself back to focus.