~ Meditating for Well-Being ~

Hi B&G

That link was very good - it would be excellent to follow that through.

(For me) It took several years to really be able to meditate well on my own .. You know, all that back chat and stuff you do to distract yourself, not always easy to remain focused. It was much easier to find a group to learn with .. I attended weekly meditation and visualisation classes and did Hatha Yoga (which includes meditation and using the breath consciously) for quite a while .. but still found it was not easy when at home. I wasn't disciplined .. and I would sometimes find excuses not to do it (very easily done) .. or not wake up early enough so I knew it would be quiet enough (having 2 kids running around ... and now a dog)

I came to realise that setting a routine is of prime importance (for me) to make meditation really work. It takes enormous commitment and discipline. It sounds so easy to sit still for 20-60 minutes, but it is truly hard work! I am not trying to put you off in any way - but just wanting to be real :-) A path to enlightenment can seem painful at times .. but when we start getting the results, it becomes all worthwhile. The benefits of increased vitality along with peace is something worth working for. In time, it doesn't feel like work. It's like starting anything new, it takes much effort to stay centred and focused, but then something clicks in and you can go on auto pilot (like driving a car) .. and that's when the beauty begins, when there is a natural flow.

Also, there are so many forms of meditation. You need to find what type suits you. Some prefer visuals, some prefer to be lead by others (e.g. auditory instructions to keep focusing on the breath/using CDs) ... some like mantras etc. Some prefer group work (the power of a group can really help to lift you) and some prefer to be on their own.

I don't know if you'd ever have the opportunity to take 10 days off. But if you do, then Vipassana meditation is amazing:
http://www.dhamma.org/
but it was HARD!! The first 6 days or so, I thought I would go mad with the silence .. I had so much mental chatter. For 3-4 months after that retreat, I just oozed vitality and peace .. my BIG mistake was not to make the commitment of keeping it up for an hour + each day .. I let it slip and with that I slipped back into mental chatter and the world of polarity.

Vipassana helps train the mind and spirit to connect with the Oneness - unity, peace & cooperation .. it was very beautiful, really I find it difficult to have words for the experience. And when this place of peace (in which anyone can connect to given the right conditions) is accessed, your whole life just seems to fall into place. I remember for weeks afterwards how people commented on how my face looked so glowing, smooth and blemish free (having had Acne for many years, that was quite fantastic). I felt a renewal .. again, not easy to find the right words here.

One of my mediation heroes is Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) - he has a great book called "Journey of Awakening"
http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Awakening-Meditators-Ram-Dass/dp/0553285726/ref...
Read the testimonials on Amazon and it will give you more info. Half the book is a directory of almost all the meditation societies in America and Canada - so that's very useful if you live in one of those countries.

Ram Dass used to be a Harvard professor.. and he went on a deep spiritual journey, starting off with taking psychedelic drugs (LSD) until he got kicked out of Harvard .. and ended up in India .. and it's an amazing journey from there onwards in search for true enlightenment. All the proceeds of his books are donated to charity.

"Be Here Now"

http://www.amazon.com/Be-Here-Now-Ram-Dass/dp/0517543052/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-...

was his original book - and explains his story before getting there - really profound book. I read that over 20 years ago and never got the message. It's only in the last couple of years I understood the real message in it.

My deep meditation technique of choice right now (which seems to fit well for me) is called Japa meditation. They are mantra based and use the sounds of Ahh and Om (Aum) .. Ahh in the morning, which connects with setting up ones intentions for the day and channelling root to 3rd eye chakra clearing, so I can manifest what I intend. Then at night, I use the Om to offer gratitude. I do around 20-30 minutes each time. I add visualisation to this as well. (You can make it up as you go along, as long as you get the result, you know you're on the right track)

This book and CD by Wayne Dyer is wonderful - a very good place to start and he does the japa meditation:
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Gap-Conscious-Contact-Meditation/dp/140190131X/...


I also find doing some exercise before meditating beneficial - just to work the body so it is relaxed. So, I get on the rebounder for a few minutes, follow that with yoga and tai chi movements .. maybe 20-30 minutes in total and then settle to the meditation.

Sometimes, just before meditation, I briefly read my intentions/affirmations to myself - I have a whole list that I have written and re-write as and when. Such as "God, make me an instrument of thy well-being" .. "I intend to be a source of inspiration for others self-healing” .."I substitute feelings of love and forgiveness whenever anger arises." Sometimes I will focus on a picture of someone I would like to emulate - such as Buddha, Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa, Ghandi .. an intention to emulate those who have the high vibration qualities you seek becomes your reality in the meditation and thereafter.

Now, in order for me to make this practise a reality, I have to wake up at around 5am, takes me around 40 minutes to organise myself - brush teeth, drink water, quick shower etc. then 50 minutes for the exercise and meditation - so we get to 6.30am - then I take my dog for a walk and get home by 7.45am .. then get the kids ready for school. Then work or whatever I'm doing that day.

Organising it so you can fit it all in is important .. and you don't need to worry about being tired later, because meditating for 30 minutes is like giving yourself an extra few hours of sleep. The day manages itself and there is a sense of increased vitality combined with peace that emerges when this is done as a daily practise.

The evening meditation I have not managed to give a specific time to. I have to wait for the kids to get to sleep first and make sure all is quite. There have been some occasions when I have not been able to fit this in, so I just make a quick connection mentally and then chant silently to myself while doing whatever it is I need to do.

The above are just my suggestions on what works best for me, you will need to adjust things to suit you so that you can find the best connection/method/technique. There will be some trial and error. Be very patient with yourself. Just acknowledge you are doing your best and congratulate yourself for any steps you take.

I encourage you to look at some local classes, start reading up etc. and when the time is right, if it suits, you will find yourself using whatever method you need to make conscious contact with the Source/God/Creator, so you can create the peace, vitality and well being you seek.

One of my intentions is to inspire others to self-heal, I hope my post holds some resonance for you and helps to plant the seed that has treeness in it.

Best wishes
Maya
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