A Sitting Meditation for Beginners

Dancing with your Dragon: The Art of Loving your Unlovable Self

I was first introduced to meditation in the mid-‘70s and have been practicing various forms of meditation since then. Meditation is the art of stilling the level of mind that includes superficial thinking and chatter (sometimes known as the monkey mind) so that you can drop into a deeper level of inner awareness and relaxation. In my personal experience, meditation brings you into silence, silence connects you with spirit, and spirit brings peace, a feeling of oneness and a deep connection with all that is.

One dictionary definition of meditation is to think deeply on a subject, but I prefer to use the word contemplation to describe a practice that involves thinking. For me meditation is the art of “no-thinking.” In order to understand “no-thinking” it’s important to become consciously aware of the constant “train of thoughts” that tends to pull our consciousness this way and that way on a moment-to-moment basis. The thought process will often go something like this: “ Wish I didn’t have to work this morning. Where are my gray slacks? I liked those pants Sue was wearing yesterday. What was that movie she told me about? The popcorn at the theater was so salty last time. I’m hungry. I really need to go to the dentist again. He’s so expensive. I wish I had a better job. And on and on and on.” These types of “thought trains” consume huge amounts of our energy on a daily basis. But with practice, you can learn to distinguish your inner field of awareness from the thoughts that are moving through that field and begin to choose where you want to focus your attention and your power in any given moment. You can choose silence, peace and relaxation rather than worry, anger, frustration, resentment or even mindless chatter. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you for the choice.

There are many forms of meditation that involve moving, shaking, catharsis, dancing, chanting and other ways to disengage yourself from the mental world of the “thought train” by focusing your attention in either the physical, or emotional worlds. These are also helpful practices and I address some of them elsewhere, but this particular exercise is designed to help you develop your ability to become consciously aware of your thoughts while expanding the part of you that can see your thoughts, but is separate from them. This type of meditation leads to what is called “the witness” or “witness consciousness” in a variety of spiritual teachings.

You can practice meditating anytime, but it’s said to be easiest first thing in the morning or right before you go to bed at night. If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, meditation can be a restful way to spend some time before going back to sleep. The spiritual realms are said to be easier to access during the wee hours, and I find the hours between 3 AM and 5 AM to be a wonderful time to meditate. But of course the most important thing is to choose a time that works for you and to practice regularly.

It’s helpful to read the instructions all the way through at least once before trying them.

• Find a place and time where you won’t be disturbed for at least fifteen minutes.

Eventually your body will know intuitively when fifteen minutes is up, but in the beginning it’s useful to set a timer so that your mind can relax about the passage of time. Longer meditations are fine, but fifteen minutes should be the minimum.

• Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your spine erect. If you are comfortable sitting cross-legged, you’ll find it to be a helpful position for keeping your spine straight. If not, sit in a straight back chair with your feet flat on the floor. If possible use your own muscles to hold yourself up straight without resting on the back of the chair.

• Place your hands in your lap close to your belly, palms facing up with one hand resting on top of the other (place the one on top that feels the best) and the tips of your thumbs touching to create a circle above your palms. (This hand position, known as a “mudra,” is just one of many that you can use while meditating. I find it to be the most relaxing.)

• Ask that you be surrounded and protected by the blue light of peace.

• Now you will begin to intentionally relax your body. Start by placing your attention in your feet and internally saying the words, “My feet are relaxing now.” Then move up and repeat the process in your calves, knees, thighs, buttocks, lower back, stomach, mid-back, hands, wrists, forearms, upper arms, chest, neck, face, ears, back of your head and top of your head. You may notice that different parts of your body begin to tingle as you invite them to relax. If you don’t notice anything, that is fine too.

From this point, for the next fifteen minutes your job is to simply be awake and alert to what is happening inside of you. You are to watch and notice without judgment, expectation or condemnation. Just watch. There are many ways to do this. I’m going to offer a few possibilities and you can choose the ones that you find easiest and most beneficial.

• Become aware of your breath as it enters your nostrils. Stay with it as it moves into your lungs and down through your body. Stay with it as it turns around and becomes an out breath. When ever your mind wanders simply bring your attention back to your breath.

• As you breathe, hold your attention at the area between and slightly above your two eyebrows. This is known as the Ajna Chakra or the third eye. If your mind wanders, simply bring your attention back to this point. Do it over and over again.

• Watch your thoughts. Become aware of the thought train that is happening in your mind without actually getting on the train. Notice the gap that happens between each individual thought. Allow your consciousness to fall into the gap.

• Place your attention in the center of your spinal cord and feel your breath moving up and down within it. Feel yourself becoming light. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back.

• Just sit quietly and notice what’s happening inside. Become conscious of the thoughts and feelings that arise within when you make no effort to control them. Don’t energize any of the thoughts and feelings. Just notice them, like you are watching clouds in the sky. You recognize their shape and then wait for the next cloud.