So you've heard it before. In films, articles, posts and from hemp-wearing, incense-infused, yogis chatting over their mushroom coffee and raw banana bars.
Do not be intimidated by the term. Meditation is really just an exercise of the mind.
When you go to the gym to work out, you always have to stretch before and after to ensure the muscles don't cramp up after strenuous activity.
The brain is a type of muscle that works the same way. It exhausts itself with information bursting from neuron to neuron all day and night. And it needs to stretch and heal as well. The mind tends to take care of itself overnight while you sleep, but to be honest, even then some minds have too much to process and it exhausts itself through our subconscious dreams and such. It needs help. How?
Well, we can stretch and relax our body with stretches, massages, hot baths etc. But to relax and work out the mind? Sorry kids, you're going to have to do that on your own by using your own power of thought. That's where 'meditation' comes in.
Meditation is, to try and sum it down, the practice or exercise of calming the mind and/or directing it through specific exercises to work through different thought patterns, emotions, mental difficulties and, in our case, our chakras.
You're basically taking the keys away from your usually auto-driven mind and giving it a break by 'taking the wheel'.
You'd be surprised how much of what you do and think of are automatic responses your brain has developed over the years through pattern and repetition.
That's why people find meditation so hard. We are so used to having it take care of itself, becoming aware of our mind and taking over is so jarring, so unnerving that it can throw people off, make them edgy or even irritated. No one likes a sudden change in years of mind-forming habit.
So don't be discouraged if you can't do it right away and find yourself getting bored, fidgety and just plan annoyed. It takes practice. Whether or not you're willing to put in the practice, is up to you.
But lets' say you are! Then here we go!
There are 4 basics to meditation:
SPACE
TIME
POSITION
BREATHING
SPACE
Make sure you find a place you wont be interrupted and you feel comfortable. That can be at home, in a park, a meditation studio, anywhere you will be able to meditate without any interruptions from your phone, pets or others. A place that feels relaxing and you can be calm in.
You may choose your space to be completely silent, or perhaps find calming music to play. As long as it's very subtle and soft, without sounds that could alter your concentration like a random chirping bird or thunderstorm. There are even recordings of specific frequencies that actually tap specific chakras!
TIME
Allow yourself the appropriate amount of time to meditate. Even if it's 5 min, 20 min or 1 hour. Allow yourself uninterrupted time. Give yourself more than you might think. Especially when starting out, it could take longer then you think to calm your mind and be able to start meditating. And having more time than less is always best.
POSITION
I find this to be the hardest part. Getting into a proper and comfortable position is what will make or break a good meditation session. The idea is to be in a seated position in such a way that your spine forms a straight line, or as straight as you can manage while feeling comfortable.
Starting from the base, push hips back and waist forward.
Push chest slightly out, so that lower back gets pulled in.
Drop shoulders back and down.
Lift chin and level head out as if you are looking comfortable straight ahead.
You can manage getting into this position in a few ways:
By sitting upright, feet planted on the floor in a comfortable chair.
By sitting cross legged on a small cushion no the floor.
By sitting cross legged directly on the floor on a yoga mat or carpet.
There are many different designs of cushions, chairs, and positions out there. Play around and find the one the works best for you! Remember, you will be in these positions for long periods of tie. Proper position and comfort is very important! All the concentration in the world won't help if your legs cramp up or fall asleep. Pins and needles are not fun!
Your hands need to find a comfortable position as well. It's best they rest on your knees.
Either palms down, cupping your knees. Palms up, or in one of many finger positions. Choose whichever feels connects with you. When working on chakras, there are specific hand positions that actually work for each one!
NOTE: It is not suggested to sit on a bed, sofa or any other larger item that has too much 'give' in it. You might not notice it, but you could lose stability. The body needs to be in a solid position.
It's also not suggested to meditate lying down, unless you are doing so to fall asleep.
When meditating, you will need to be able to hold onto the exercise in your mind and go through the complete practice, and come out again. That'll be pretty hard to do if you're unconscious.
BREATHING
Breathing is important no matter what. But did you know different breaths work differently on the body? Some wake you up, others calm you down, other could straight up harm you! The breathing you will want to practice while meditating is slow, steady and deep.
Here's a basic good breath:
Take a slow, long and steady breaths through the nose. Usually 4 seconds long, or as long as your meditation instructor suggests.
Imagine you're pulling air in through your nose in a straight stream and it's reaching down to the chakra or body part in question and letting it sit there as it adds up.
When ready to release, part your mouth slightly and let it come out naturally from the back of your throat, without any force. Meaning, don't form an "O" with your lips like a whistle, where you tend to push the air out through your lips. Instead, your mouth should open in it's natural straight line and the air comes out on it's own as it's pushed from wherever you had it stored inside you.
Do it in an equally slow, steady and controlled stream. It should make a soft "ahh" sound.
This breathing technique will be the same one used when chanting your chakra sounds such as "yam" or "vam"
Want a deeper breathing experience? This is my favorite:
Same as the above, pull the air through your nose and let it accumulate in your chakra.
Once ready to release, keep your mouth closed, (not forced, just comfortably resting) and push the air from the back of your throat up through your nose again.
Your body will automatically make a soft vibrating "hmm" that you should feel in the back of your head, all the way over your scalp, in between your eyes, and and back out your nose.
The sound will mimic that of a gentle wave flowing back and forth over a soft sandy beach.
So with these 4 basic steps, you can put yourself in an ideal state to begin meditating.
There are so many tips and tricks on how to meditation and "clear your mind" I will try to simplify it as best as I can since each mind is very different and needs different techniques.
CLEAR YOUR MIND...
When you are in your comfortable position, place all your thoughts on your breath. Imagine the air flowing in and out of you. Pay attention to the sound it makes and how it feels.
Give yourself a moment to get used to a steady breath and slowly close your eyes when you feel ready to dive deeper.
Once your eyes are closed, you will continue with simply breathing in and out. Choosing whichever breath technique of the two you like.
Start with small breaths. Breathing in 4 seconds, and out for 4 seconds.
Once that is comfortable, make it go longer. 5 seconds. 6 seconds. Maybe even up to 8. But don't force or rush it. Find which one works for you.
You'll find you'll get uninvited and annoying thoughts in your head. Problems from the day, things you need to remind yourself to do, emotions you're dealing with, etc. Don't get frustrated or angry with them. Let them calmly come when you breath in, and say to them: "Ok, I understand. I'll get back to you on that later" And then let them flow out when you exhale. Even if you have to do that over and over again, keep doing that until they get bored with coming back at you and kind of disappear on their own.
But your mind will want to focus on something right? Your breath. Until you are ready to follow a meditation and begin to visualize, keep imagining your breath as it moves in and out of you. Picture how your chest is rising and falling. How your shoulders are relaxing. How the air around you is resting on your skin.
Simply...let go.
When you're ready to come out, don't open your eyes quickly or jump up. You could give yourself a nasty sensation of vertigo or nausea.
Slowly begin to become aware of where you are again. Start to gently move your fingers in slow circular motions. Move you shoulders gently by rolling them back and forwards.
Slowly, gently, open your eyes through fluttering motions until they're opened.
Once opened, give yourself a quick big breath in, bringing your shoulders up to your ears, then drop them and blow out loudly through your mouth.
You can reach your arms out over your head and give yourself a nice stretch, then bring your palms together, like in prayer and rest them against your forehead or heart and offer thanks to yourself and the universe.
So there you have it! Now that you have the basic blueprint that you need to comfortably put yourself into a meditative practice, work with it to find the perfect balance of position and space.
I suggest, before actually following a guided meditation or before working on your chakras, to practice just getting into a comfortable state.
Practice your breathing, your posture, and calming your mind. Try to do this for a solid amount of time, say 10-20 min or so. Then, when you are ready to begin meditation, follow the instructions your guide will give you, or go into your own planned practice.