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There are many different styles of meditation. The following is a good foundation for general practice. It is a basic meditation for self awareness and being present.

Meditation is a practice because it takes a few sessions to get the rambling thoughts in our mind to calm down as we progress.

Starting to meditate is easy when you make time for it. To meditate only requires a few moments of your time. Only 5 to 10 minutes are needed to begin practicing.

Don’t have time for 5 to 10 minutes? Choosing to find time is possible with intention.

Getting Started

Set aside a time to practice and clear away a space for you to sit calmly without distractions. Turn off the television, turned down the telephone, turn off the stereo.

Start by sitting on a comfortable cushion, a pillow, or whatever you have nearby to create a comfortable sitting arrangement. It is recommended not to lie down, as you may drift off to sleep. Sitting upright provides you with the need to be attentive.

You may want to place a mat or blanket below you as well to provide comfort for your legs.

In the seated position you may cross your legs for a standard posture. Imagine a string from the base of your spine out the top of your head is pulling you in an upright posture to prevent slouching. However, do not force the position. Do not be militant about your posture, feel supported and comfortable, allowing your shoulders to rest.

Rest your palms face down on your thighs, not your knees, so your arms are comfortably at your side.

Pick a spot about 5 or 6 feet in front of you on the floor, so your eyes gaze slightly opened in a downward direction while keeping your head straight ahead. Do not get fixated on a spot, as this is forceful and requires the mind. Be gentle with yourself. Allow your eyes to gaze seeing the whole space, being fully present.

Keep your mouth open slightly so that your teeth are not clenched. Allow suppleness in the face. Feel relaxed.

You may breathe naturally through your nose or mouth or both, whichever comes most naturally to you. Do not force the breath, just let it flow.

Notice your physical body and surroundings. Bring your attention through your body from your feet, up your legs, into your abdomen, into your arms, face, head, be present with your whole body. Take it slow without rushing. Now that you’re focused on how you feel in your body, let it go, just be.

Sit here for a few moments focusing on your breathing, with focus on the outward breath with each natural cycle.

When you notice your mind thinking on various subjects, return to the breath. Saying something like “let it go” when you catch your mind chattering can be helpful to break the cycle of thoughts and return back to the breath. Of course, “let it go” are words and thus thinking, but it is a good step to focus your thinking rather than have it wander off into a lot of random subjects. You may need to say it a lot, like a mantra, if you notice your mind wandering frequently. Choose something that is a positive mantra for you to stay focused and attentive to the moment.

Do this for a few minutes, gently without judgment. Do not put labels on any of the experiences you are having or the thoughts you are having. Be at peace with them and let them pass like clouds, dissolving away whenever you realize you are getting caught up in them. Do not worry, do not try to be perfect, enjoy the process and be easy on yourself. Feel yourself at peace, content, aware, and loving who you are, right now in this moment.

Important points of beginning practice and awareness.

The Word Meditation actually meant ‘frequent’ in latin. This points to the importance of practice. Regular, frequent meditation is an important part of the process of letting go and gives you more opportunities to treat yourself to “You Time“. Detaching ourselves from thoughts does take time because our minds are so used to being absorbed into our thoughts unconsciously, suddenly realizing we have wandered off once again with our thoughts leading the way.

There is no goal in meditation, having expectations is only a distraction. You should have no preconceived notions of your meditation experience. Remember meditating is about letting go, and that letting go also means letting go of your ideas of what should and should not happen. Just simply be who you are in the moment, chattering thoughts and all without judgment. If that’s who you are right now, accept it, experience it, become aware of it.

When we be kind to ourselves and allow ourselves to observe the moment that is enough. Do not wish for a mystical experience. Do not ‘try’ to experience something profound. This is precisely what your chattering, desiring mind would want. Remember to let all that go. The real magic is living right now.

Meditation teaches us to enjoy the journey rather than living for the future goal or expectation. When beginning the journey of meditation you may feel that meditating is actually making your mind wander and chatter more than it does regularly. However, it really isn’t, you are really just becoming aware of how much your mind actually does race. You’re not alone, it happens to all of us. Observe this rather than labeling it. In these early stages of meditative practice you may notice you can not help from following these thoughts with much frustration. This shows us how little control we have over our mind including our thoughts and emotions when we are living without self discipline. When thoughts are out of control it may also be a reflection of how our lives may be out of control.

Stumbling through the clouds. Breathing in the mist.

When you stumble, pick yourself back up gently and lovingly. Don’t replay in your mind what you’ve done, that you’ve got lost in thoughts. ‘Success‘ occurs when you let go of the desire for success. You’ll notice you’ll have moments of emptiness, and likely many more moments of chattering. It’s ok. It’s all part of the process towards self awareness.

When the thoughts wander just observe them as clouds passing by, without getting attached to them. Thoughts really can be as unpredictable as weather patterns. Meteorologists can study the weather for years with sophisticated equipment and computer analysis, and still not know what’s happening outside their own window until it’s happening before their eyes.

The best way to come back to the silence is through the breath. The breath represents our connection to our bodies, the outer world and the life force that runs through us. Our breath is both under unconscious and conscious control just as our thoughts are. By working with the breath we realize our ability to be conscious of our interaction with the external world rather than being directed mindlessly. Focusing the mind on each breath offers a connection to the moment. Feel the breath, be present with it.

Take time for yourself whenever you have an opportunity.

It’s a busy world out there, and a busy world in our minds.

By meditating frequently, every day if you can, you will likely notice it becoming an essential part of feeling connected and grounded. When you connect with this deeper, inner self you will eventually awaken to seeing the external world in a different light and your connection to others will be brighter because you are becoming lighter within.

What could be more important than taking time for your self? Letting go of stress and connecting with your true self, the inner witness, is necessary for a more peaceful inner and outer world. Everyone in your life will benefit from you getting to know yourself better. When you become more of who you are, you have more of yourself to offer.

“We could say that meditation doesn’t have a reason or doesn’t have a purpose. In this respect it’s unlike almost all other things we do except perhaps making music and dancing. When we make music we don’t do it in order to reach a certain point, such as the end of the composition. If that were the purpose of music then obviously the fastest players would be the best. Also, when we are dancing we are not aiming to arrive at a particular place on the floor as in a journey. When we dance, the journey itself is the point, as when we play music the playing itself is the point. And exactly the same thing is true in meditation. Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment.”- Alan Watts

Originally written for Eternal Bodhi, this article has also been shared with SymbolicLiving.com

© Eternal Bodhi

Yoga is an ancient practice with no confirmed date of origins, but stone seals found dating to 3000 B.C.E. depict yoga poses (asanas). The ancient sacred scriptures of Brahmanism – The Vedas are loosely dated as being written between 3000-1500 B.C.E. The Vedas contained mantras, rituals, spells, incantations, sacrifices and offerings to the gods in constructed teachings of how to transcend the limitations of the mind to connect with Ultimate reality. Yoga is one of the six branches of philosophy mentioned in the Vedas.

Later around 800-500 B.C.E. the texts of the Upanishads are an expansion of the Vedas teaching a more philosophical and mystical approach to liberation, focusing on an inner journey and universal consciousness.

The term Upanishads derives from upa “near”, ni “down” shad “sit” and refers to the aspiring student to be taught one on one with a guru. The sacrifice turned from outward actions to inner release of the ego. The Upanishads teach the yogic path of universality through oneness (union) with Divinity (Brahman) and the soul of the self. The connection of the body and mind through the breath and mantras, meditation, renunciation and concentration developed later into the eightfold path. The cycle of Karma still applies in the Upanishads with inner changes affecting the karmic cycle.

Bhagavad Gita is said to be dated to around 500 B.C.E. and is the most famous text of yoga. It speaks of the eternality of the soul and explains transcendence of ego, detachment to materialism, self discipline through actions and devotion, meditation and knowledge. The Gita expresses a unification of three yogic paths – Bhakti yoga (loving devotion), Karma yoga (service), and Jnana yoga (knowledge, wisdom, contemplation). Through the story of Krishna ’s teachings to Arjuna in the Gita, we learn of detachment to outcomes, thus living in the moment, an important aspect of yoga practice.

The Yoga Sutra is a series of compiled aphorisms by Patanjali dated between 200 B.C.E. – 400 C.E. and is considered to be the first organized layout of yogic practice. He developed the basis for Raja yoga / Ashtanga yoga, the eight-limbed path of liberation combining Karma yoga (hard work) and Jnana yoga (meditation, knowledge). His eight-limbed path is a focal path of many modern yoga schools of practice; however, his dualistic perception of reality has not largely been accepted over non-dualistic reality.

Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit work Yuj “yoke” or “unite”. It is a Divine Science in a system of union of the self, body, mind and soul encompassing a diverse range of methods of working on our subtle energies, heightening consciousness, realizing the self and elevating our spiritual self while developing our faculties of perception. Yoga improves health, balances the energetic system, fosters body wisdom, control of psychic energy and ultimately leads to liberation, transcendence and enlightenment, realization of oneness, and unity with the Divine.

In Yoga we learn to feel the moment, to be present. The most common association of yoga in the western practice is in the use of asana’s. In the practice of postures it is not about how far one can stretch or how long one can hold a pose; it’s about being present, aware, and experiencing consciousness. To compare oneself to another’s abilities in yoga is to be falling into the ego self and thus is not union at all but denotes separation.

In Yoga one lifts the veil that separates our consciousness from the self allowing for realization and awareness of the inner self, the flowing life force energy and the presence of Divinity. Attention to the experience of the present moment in time becomes noticed, detaching oneself from extraneous thoughts, clearing thinking, focusing the willpower, and stabilizing the minds attention span.

Postures are an integral part of yoga and affect patterns of thinking. Consider ones posture when depressed, shy or self conscious. The head is usually down with shoulders hunched forward, low energy, lack of will and motivation. This reflects an external manifestation of the internal. When one is joyous, feels connected, grounded and open, the posture is upright, eyes looking outward, projecting a higher energy level and motivation. This is the power of yoga to change the energy levels of the body, mind, and emotional state. By placing the body into postures, we reverse the process and the experience of energy levels change on many levels. Learning, growth and realization of the self unfold, and spiritual, metaphysical energies change.

When we are unaware, living unconsciously; stress, anxiety, and negative patterns of thinking shows up in our body, our personality, and in our spiritual lives. We feel disconnected, breathing may be short, hindering the flow of life force energy, reflected in our low energy, sore neck and shoulders, tight muscles, as the tension of the mind unconsciously controls the body.

The system of yoga is an inner discipline of self transformation, self knowledge and awareness of the Absolute. It turns the attention inward merging with the soul energy awareness, and realization of all aspects of the universal Prakti “matter” and Purusha “spirit”. Yoga leads a journey of Kaivalya “freedom” from karma of cause and effect.

Summaries of the more common types of yogic practices in the west

There are numerous practices of Yoga. In the west, the mainstream media displays a limited view and a very narrow margin of what yoga is, mainly focusing on the act of Asana’s only. The mainstream view point by those unaware of the actual practice of yogic practice largely interpret yoga as a form of exercise for physical health in the form of strength, endurance and stretching with an overall result of well being after a session. Below is some insight into the diversity of yoga practices.

Kundalini Yoga: The dormant pranic life force at the base of the spine which can be awakened through practice. Focus is mainly on the psychic centres of the body through the sushumna (psychic channel) from root to crown. The three main channels running along the spine are ida, pingala and the sushumna.

Hatha Yoga: Balancing of positive and negative energy forces in the body through focus on physical form, asanas and breathing. Ha (hakaram) means sun and Tha (thakaram) means moon, pointing ones macrocosmic and microcosmic nature. Sun salutations are the common starting point of this yogic practice. Often perceived as preparation for higher experience. Hatha is a form of Raja yoga. Hatha yoga has offshoots including Bikram and Iyengar.

Bhakti Yoga: Devotional yoga, immersing ones self in the emotional heart and loving devotional pathway to Divinity. From the Sanskrit root bhaj meaning “attachment to The Divine.” Bhakti is unselfish, pure, sacred Divine Love which focuses on the single minded attention to the growth of supreme love for Divinity with the acceptance of attainment of Divine Grace.

Ashtanga Yoga: Often referred to as eight-limb yoga, is an active, vigorous form of flowing movements also known as power yoga. Focusing much on physicality a manifestation of Raja, asanas and pranayama are practiced with strength, flexibility and agility being primary components. Internal heat causes sweating, detoxification and increased circulation, results in a clearer, purified body and mind.

Pranayama Yoga: Control of breathing – Prana (life force), Yama (control) is usually combined with asana’s but is also practiced alone through a system of various breathing techniques. It is the fourth limb of the eight-limbs of Raja yoga. It is used to clear the body and mind, prepare for meditation, focus, and enhance the life force and vitality of the body.

Tantra Yoga: Connection with Absolute through channeling the force of creative energy. Cosmic energy in Tantra relates to awakening the spiritual self as in raising Kundalini energy. The focus is on balancing and harmonizing the male and female energetic aspects within to attain spiritual awakening.

Mantra Yoga: Ritual repetition of words and sounds during meditation, allows for single pointed thinking to attain Samadhi. Mantras – from the Sanskrit “mantrana” means advice or suggestion. The mantras are vibrations to awaken the inner forces used to focus the mind from distractions, heal the body, alter the states of consciousness, and bring one closer with The Divine. Mala beads are often used to keep track of the repetitions.

Yantra Yoga: Meditations on the drawings of symbolism, often intricate, divinely inspired images with much meaning and revelation representing aspects of the Divine. A yantra is used as a focal point for concentration and attainment of higher consciousness through geometric patterns that allow one to tune into the higher realities of the universe.

Purna Yoga / Integral Yoga: Sometimes called supramental yoga, it works towards surrender to higher consciousness through transformation of the entire being in relation to inner and outer self. Integral Yoga combines yogic practices of Hatha, Raja, Bhakti, Karma (actions of cause and effect), Jnana (attainment through study and knowledge of scripture), and Japa (repetitive mantra meditation practices).

Bikram Yoga: Composed of two breathing (pranayama) techniques and twenty-six poses in a hot, humid room. The heat encourages detoxification of the body in a 100-105 degree atmosphere. Developed by Bikram Choudhury as a form of hatha yoga.

Kriya Yoga: Is meditative pranayama energy yoga that revolves around cosmology, with spinal energy centers relating to the zodiac designed to quickly develop ones spiritual evolution.

Kripalu: Is a flowing yoga working with prana and is a form of kundalini yoga in working with the life force energy. In practice, spontaneous movement through poses is in the act of being connected with and feeling awareness of the energy with freedom.

Originally written for Eternal Bodhi, this article has also been shared with SymbolicLiving.com

© Eternal Bodhi