Carving out space and time for a deep meditation experience requires 2 decisions to be made by you… “where and when”. Experiment with a time and a place that can support you best. You have options.
Will it be the start of your day OR… Will it be the end the day? Or … Will you take a ten or fifteen minute break in the middle of your day to remember to let go and reset? Will it be a serene outdoor setting in a garden or by the sea or a lake. Or a favorite chair or pillow in a quiet corner of your home that you will reserve for meditation. Be creative; it’s your choice. Once you decide when and where… be regular about it. This will serve you well.
- Begin by focusing on your breath, allowing it to deepen with each inhalation and each exhalation. Allow the out breath to be longer than the in breath. This will help you clear your mind and let go of any concerns or worries… knowing they will be resolved. With each in breath, breathe in feelings of faith and trust in a higher power… with each out breath, breath out any concerns or worries.
2. Observe your body from a far off distance as if you are looking down from the silence of eternity. Reflect upon how temporary and changing anything material or physical is. Feel your mind being soothed and cooled by a white light pouring in through the top of your head, visualize this light filling you up and relaxing your mind and body with feelings of ease and comfort.
3. As you shift deeper into this place of peaceful comfort …with each moment… allow yourself to feel a loving detachment from thoughts in the mind and the physical senses of the body.
4. There may be sounds around you … but you do not have to listen; your body may have some discomfort that is there, or one feeling or another… but which you are no longer governed by. In this state, you realize you have a choice where to place your awareness. Allow you eyes to be softly opened as turn your awareness inward and upward… you are in the far off distance above your body and the place where it is sitting.
These first 4 steps are your preparation for meditation. The next 4 steps are how to talk with yourself during the meditation. And the 9th step which is journaling about your meditations is optional.
5. In this step, you start to reflect upon something that will uplift your spirit … instead of trying to make your mind stop thinking. Focusing your mind upon a quality or virtue you would like to experience in your life is a great place to begin. As you reflect upon goodness in the form of a virtue, you are cultivating it within yourself. This is happy-making because there is a powerful link between virtue and true lasting happiness. Take it slow and steady. As you meditate (reflect) upon each day’s virtues, they start to blossom within you. You may wish to reflect upon the same virtue for 2 or 3 days in a row, or for even a week.
6. Start out with full attention on your chosen virtue for 2or 3 minutes. If any other thoughts come to mind, allow them to move through like clouds passing across a blue sky, and gently return to reflecting upon your chosen virtue. By the way, some virtues will be easier than others to contemplate upon. Some suggestions for beginning virtue reflection are: appreciation , kindness, peace, and detachment. ( Examples of the kind of inner dialogue you can have when reflecting upon a virtue, for example “kindness” are: Kindness is such an important virtue; receiving/ or giving an act of kindness at the right time can make or break my day. Kindness makes a huge difference in life, yet can often be overlooked. Kindness can make a huge difference in a relationship, it can really help in getting over the rough spots. Let me think about a time when someone did something kind or supportive to me and how uplifting that was…especially when it was genuine. Kindness is nourishing , both to the giver and the receiver. Let me think about a person who I could be more kind to…especially someone I conflict with, and who I have trouble seeing the goodness in.. Let me focus right now on one beautiful quality of that soul. I see them acting from that quality and I have appreciation for them in my mind. As I do this I notice how much more comfortable my heart feels and how I feel safe around them to be myself. I enjoy the deeper sense of peace and ease I feel in my own being.
7. Allow yourself to feel these feelings …bask in them as they arise. Stay immersed 100% in feeling yourself as a being of kindness, for at least 2 or 3 minutes, or for as long as you wish. You may become aware of how being kind feels very natural to you, that It is your natural nature.
8. ~ As you become immersed in the feelings being generated, silently take note of any other details of your experience. This can enhance your awareness of what you are feeling and help it to become very stable.
Some examples of this are:
a. I feel my heart softening towards that person who cut me off while I was driving this morning.
b. As I feel more kindly, I begin to focus more on others’ beautiful qualities.
c. As I deepen this experience of kindness, I can navigate life’s ups and downs with a feeling of peace and contentment . This is an example of how virtues are threaded together and bring along other virtues with them. Contemplating upon one virtue will often emerge other virtues as well.
This is a very wonderful stage since you are now basking in pleasant and familiar feelings and expanding your awareness to include other virtues. As all internal resistance vanishes, you feel stable and secure in this powerful state of kindness, peace and contentment which nothing can shake, unless I forget this awareness and allow myself to be shaken.
9. This is an optional Step ~ You may wish to keep a journal or chart of your mediation experiences and discoveries.
You may wish to note your favorite themes/virtues, the ones that take you deep, and/or the ones that you can easily practice and bring into your daily interactions.
You may also enjoy noticing how a particular thought of a virtues transforms into a related virtue and how those feelings help you navigate the different scenes or people in your life.
Journaling or charting your experience gives you an opportunity to reflect on how you are changing because of your meditation practice.
This kind of practice, over time, allows you to naturally become more of who you truly are a wonderful soul full of virtues!
ENLIGHTENED ANSWERS 