Exercises to help you
start meditating without much effort and almost instantly start
enjoying the benefits of meditation
Beginners Meditation Course
by Pieter Heydenrych
The
definition of to meditate is to focus one's mind for a time for
relaxation or spiritual purposes, or to think carefully about
something.
As I suspect you already
know, this is easier said than done. Once mastered, however,
meditation will make for a most amazing pastime, and it remains
without a doubt a worthy pursuit. It is with this in mind that I
have written this meditation course which will show you, step by
step, how to meditate with the help of some exercises and aids.
To this end you will also
find that this course has been developed to enable beginners without
much effort to start almost instantly enjoying the benefits of
meditation. It will also serve as a refresher or perhaps offer a
slightly different perspective for those who already have a
background in meditation.
There are numerous benefits
of meditation, including: better physical health, better mental
health and abilities, reduced stress, better sleeping habits, and of
course they could also include personal spiritual growth, even if
not philosophically associated, and many more not mentioned here.
As a start I would suggest
that we begin with a fairly important aspect of meditation. An
aspect which will have an impact on your meditations in the
future...
Seating Arrangements
Whilst most teachers will
insist that you take up a lotus position, I have found that there is
very little limitation to potential positions which are suitable for
meditation at this level. Essentially, there are three things to
consider:
1. It must be a position in
which you would be able to sit (or stand) for at least 5-10 minutes,
and with reasonable comfort, ensuring that you reduce discomfort,
and following fidgeting to a minimum.
2. It must be in a place where you will not be
disturbed for the duration of your meditation. (There is little as
unpleasant as being rudely awakened in the middle of a meditation
session.)
3. It must be a comfortable
position, but a position which is not conducive to sleep. Trying to
meditate lying down on your bed is the easiest way to fall asleep
rather than meditate.
For the sake of ease, I have found that simply
sitting fairly upright in a normal chair is fairly suitable. It is
OK for the chair to have armrests and soft cushioning as this will
likely increase the comfort level by just enough to keep you going.
If the chair has no armrests of course you could simply rest your
hands in your lap.
Of course you are welcome to
attempt a lotus position, as this will likely eventually prove to be
a suitable position, however I have found that not only is it a
difficult position to take for normal folk, but unless you are a
seasoned meditator, you are likely to find that you get distracting
aches in places which will force you to fidget
To avoid this I have found
that a partial lotus (only crossing one foot over your leg, and the
other underneath, or one foot across and the other not totally
underneath) with back support makes for a comfortable position for
most meditations.
Again I must state that it
remains unimportant whether or not your are able to sit in this
position or not, and at this stage I would suggest that you can give
up perfection for comfort, as this will have very little (if any)
impact on the success of your meditations...
Oh, and do not be afraid to
stop reading to try finding a comfortable position right now.
Pieter Heydenrych is a Reiki
master who has developed a resource for guided meditations and
meditation course material which is not tied to any specific
religious philosophy, making it more accessible to all who wishes to
practice meditation. The resources is also focused on offering
substantial benefit from meditation in minutes, and is growing
continuously at
http://www.letsmeditate.net
Our Ultimate Reality - Highly acclaimed reference for
meditation, health, wealth, Astral Projection, Spiritual evolution
and much more. Over 600 pages!
|
