Before we jump right into the water….
I decided to make this post simply because I’d like to share my experiences and of course my personal view. It’s an unbiased post, detached from any religious beliefs. I’ve tried different ways during the last years, passive and active meditation, this is just „my way“.
There are several known ways how to meditate, how to achieve the „desired state“. I’ll only talk about the one I figured out to be the most powerful and effective one. For me. That’s important. Maybe you’ll find your own preferred way. Maybe you have it, I’m very curious to hear about it!
Let’s take a quick look at the meaning of „meditation“ itself.
Meditation is derived from there latin word “meditatio“ respectively „meditari“. It means to cogitate, contemplate and reflect. The general purpose, let’s say the general goal is to soothe your mind, actually your spirit. We live in a world where our mind is controlled by our thoughts. And not just our mind but also our lives. Thoughts control everything – if you allow them to take control.
I’m in the same situation, no doubt, thoughts dictate the way we organize our day, the way we treat our partners, the way we act. And the result is pure unrelenting stress. But we’re used to it. Sad but true.
So if you are among those who want to break free, even if it's just for 10 min a day, this is destined for you. And I’m pretty sure, if you achieve to brake free for 10 min, you’ll be hungry for more :)
And everyone can do it. YOU can do it. No matter what your job is.
So let’s take a look.
Rule #1: There are no rules.
I’ll talk about possible steps, it’s not a must. If you feel uncomfortable, please leave it. And there’s is no failure. You can’t fail. This is not a test for anything.
It took me a while to get used to it myself. So don’t expect wonders. It’s a process.
I experienced it to be most effective and feasible in the morning when you wake up (before you actually get up) and in the evening, before you go to sleep. So just right after you open you eyes for the first time in the morning and right before you close your eyes again to go to sleep. Any other time during the day is very welcome as well of course. Maybe just too hard in the beginning as we try to learn to do it.
The biggest challenge throughout this whole process will be:
Don’t let the thoughts take control. Don’t think about anything.
You should be able to cast your thoughts away. Just focus on yourself.
Step 1:
Try to find a place where you are not distracted by anything else (doorbell, partner, radio, traffic noise…whatever)
If you do it in bed in the morning or in the evening you’re already in such a place, hopefully :). I even do it when my partner is lying next to me, no problem.
Step 2:
Please try to lay flat on your back, arms extended and pronated (please don’t grab anything if possible) and close your eyes.
Step 3:
Start to breathe carefully, preferably try abdominal breathing.
Try to focus on every single breath.
Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth.
Overflood your body with awareness, that means „try to be aware that you’re just breathing“
Do that for as long as you think you need to do it – to be able to relax.
Step 4:
Pay attention to your single body parts, one by one.
I'd recommend to do it simultaneously, that means right and left part of your body together, not one after another e.g. feet or hands.
- feet
- shinbones
- thighs
- belly
- chest
- hands
- arms
- head
Focus about 15 seconds each on every part I just mentioned, starting from 1 to 8. Try to feel the vital energy that flows through you.
Let’s take the hands for example:
Try to feel your hand (don’t grab something). You’ll feel it, just the energy that flows through it. It’s not like you’ll feel every single finger like when you touch something, it's amorphous, like energy uses to be. But you know „there’s something“, an energy.
Make a countdown! It’s that easy.
I always count from 15 to 0. If you need more than 15 seconds, try 30 or even 60. It doesn’t matter. The positive side-effect is that you’ll concentrate on the numbers and your body part and not of something else that could possibly distract you. Visualize the numbers from 15 to 0 and move on to the next body part.
My experience is: You’ll start to recognize a certain „feeling“ in the body part you pay attention to. Don’t start to describe that feeling, just leave it be. You can’t describe it by the way, words can't do that. You’ll get distracted by thoughts, just by thinking about it.
Some words that will come up to your mind will possibly be:
- tickling
- vibrating
- buzzing
Just leave it and feel it. Hopefully enjoy it.
And that’s the vital energy that flows through every body part. You’ll feel it in your feet, then shinbones, then thighs, belly…. etc, until you reach your head.
And if it doesn't work at the first try, please don't give up. No one is born a master.
Step 5:
The Wave
You now have payed attention to every single body part and experienced this „new kind of feeling“. Now imagine a wave that runs from the top of your head down to your feet and back again, slowly. Like a real wave, slow-paced. Back and forth. Maybe 5 to 10 times, whatever feels comfortable for you. Let if flow through your body parts again on its way up and down.
Feel you inner body, this vital energy, in its entirety.
The single body parts aka the single energy fields will literally melt to an overall feeling, to an overall awareness of this energy.
Step 6:
Intensify
The more you concentrate on this feeling the more intense it can get. Try to be present in ever single cell of your body. Let this feeling be, just let it be – for as long as you enjoy it.
– Just a quick reminder: We still don’t think of anything else here. Pretty cool ey?
All the problems are gone, no work, no job, no stress! –
Congratulations: You achieved to not think of anything for at least 10 min. You were free.
No please ask yourself: Have you ever been in this state of thoughtlessness?
Note: Your mind will try to end this. Your mind tries to draw your attention to something else. Well, let it happen, no problem. As soon as you recognize it, just bring back your awareness and bring back the attention to you inner body, your inner most.
Step 7:
How to end this?
If you decide to end it please try to open your eyes slowly and try to get used to your environment again, slowly. Don’t get up too fast, you won’t be able to anyway :) Experiences will be different of course, just don’t rush things.
The greatest relief and biggest gift is and will be the state of thoughtlessness.
That’s what meditation is about. For me.
What are the significant benefits for myself when I do it?
It's simply invigorating.
I feel relaxed, I feel charged in every way. I feel my body in a different light, in a new light. I work a lot, up to 20 hr a day, I don’t do it on a daily basis lately, I used to do it twice a day though.
I feel very comfortable after the meditation, somehow re-charged, it’s such a good feeling and has definitely an energizing effect to me. I don't set myself a limit on how long the meditation will last, time does not exist when you meditate, you lose the illusion of time as well. I do it as long as I think I need it, it varies from day to day. Sometimes 30 min, sometimes 2hr. I didn't have any bad experiences at all. Maybe someone of you feels uncomfortable with it. We're all different. (yet the same.)
Meditation does not only have a positive impact on our mind and spirit but also on our body itself. When I get the feeling to get sick, the very first indications of a cold for example, I meditate as described above, it helps. :)
The more often you do it, the faster you’ll be able to eliminate your thoughts and feel the vital energy in your body. Even if you don’t have the time to do it every day, even if you don’t do it for weeks or months, you can’t unlearn it :)
Maybe it inspires you to give it a try. To give yourself a try to eliminate every single thought, at least during the meditation.
Happy meditating.
Happy to hear your experiences!