viagra pills width=”268″ height=”300″ />What if you believed that inner peace was your birthright? Plausible enough. You can probably rememer moments of sublime comfort and contentment in the early stages of your development, before you knew enough to worry and stress — feelings that all was well and right and good in the world — and for no particular reason.
You had a sense that just being alive was enough. Your experience of the moment seemed at once to be remarkable and beyond words. You felt as though your being and the being of the entire universe were somehow merged and suspended in time and that there was a reason for the fusion and a meaning to it and what it meant was that nothing mattered and also that everything mattered.
Then someone moved your Zen. Or more likely the world at large is the culprit. The circus of existance swirled around around you and you lost track of serenity amidst the clowncar mayhem. It’s not your fault. Serenity is elusive. Everyone loses it. By now you may feel like your Zen has been shot through the human cannon and all that’s left is a fiery hoop of nothingness to remind you of the contentment and calm you once had.
You can get your Zen back. It’s not gone. It’s only hiding. And probably hiding in plain veiw.
More good news: you don’t have to join a monastary, climb a mountain in Nepal or become a vegan yoga instructor to find your Zen. Unless you want to. If those sound like fun things to do, go for it. But they are not the only routes to inner peace.
Here’s is an easy 7 step method to getting to a happy place through Meditation.
1. Find a quiet spot where you
can relax without interruption.
For some this will be the most challenging element of meditation. Finding the space and time to do it. If your lifestyle doesn’t permit very much alone time, you’ll have to carve it out. This might mean waking up before the rest of your family, or sneaking away to your car or a dark closet on your lunch break. Get creative. Instead of a coffee and cigarette break, take a You-break.
2. Set a timer.
Ok, maybe that doesn’t sound very Zen-like, but we live in the real world which happens to run on a schedule. Knowing how long you’re going to set aside for your Meditation will help you make the most of it. If your mind thinks you have all the time in the world, all the more reason for it to wander — oh yeah, and you’ll probably fall asleep, which is also good for you, but isn’t really the point of the exercise. Start with 10 minutes. You can always work up from there.
3. Close your eyes, and take a deep breath.
Breath is the lifeforce that leads you to back your Zen. Take a deep breath — the kind that makes your belly move, not just your chest — and hold for five seconds, then release. Do this three or four times and then return to a normal breath pattern, only deeper than normal. And bring your focus to your breath coming in and out.
4. Relax your body.
It’s amazing how you can mentally command yourself to relax and it’s a good thing to learn. Well maybe “command” is a strong word. It’s more like a directy focused suggestion you make with your inner voice. Start with your head and work your way down. Try something like this.
“Head muscles relaxed. Tension away. Neck muscles loose. Shoulders heavy. Arm muscles loose and limp.”
Key words are “heavy,” “loose,” “relaxed,” etc.
If you need help getting relaxed, this is where guided meditation might be a great tool for you. I also have had trouble getting relaxed and have listented to many different guided meditation aids wanting to get to a deeper “Alpha” state of mind rather quickly. I, like you, am busy.
There are lots of meditation recordings out there. Of course I’m going to suggest that you use mine, and here’s why. The music is beautiful, the recordings were made in a state of the art studio with the best engineering so the audio is smooth and magical, and I just have a feeling you’re going to like the way I bring you to a relaxing state of mind.
I don’t talk like a weirdo-hypnotist. I send love through my voice and go through the journey to you with you, holding your hand in the most friendly and nurturing way. I really care about your experience and want to help.
So if you haven’t already, I urge you to try one of my guided meditations, either to help you learn to relax yourself or to spice up your meditation practice. It’s free for goodness sake!
5. Invite the Light
Now you’re conscious of your breath, and your body is very relaxed. It will help you at this point to invite a spiritual light into your being. You can do this by imagining yourself stepping into a bubble of white light (or whatever color resonates with you, but keep it warm and soothing.) Another way is to imagine that the light is filling your body or your aura.
Note that you don’t have to believe in a spiritual light to use it. You don’t really have to believe anything about the spirit world or that there even is one. If you’re an atheist, think of this as imaginitive exercise and it will still work.
6. Thought-watch
Some believe that the point of Meditation is to find the space where you’re not thinking thoughts. Well, you’re probably still going to think them. So it may help you to forget that NOT thinking is the “goal” and instead become more of an observer of your own thoughts. Let them drift by like clouds in the sky. Just because they are running through your head doesn’t mean you have to believe them or identify with them. Just let the drift on by like something that’s not really apart of you. The real you is bigger and brighter than your thoughts. The real you can watch from a neutral place, recharging in the spiritual light, enjoying the space.
Now it is certainly enough to be detached and watching your thoughts. But sometimes you are going to want a certain focus to your meditaitons — i.e. you are trying to focus your mind for greater self-confidence, inner power, healing, or maybe even attracting opportunity and abundance to you. A guided meditation can help you focus your thoughts and create mental pictures for your subconscious to, in waking life, recreate for you. Here are some titles to check out.
7. Back to reality.
When your alarm or timer goes off, it’s time to come back to reality. Don’t just shake it off and go about your day though. A gentle transition will help you make the most of your Meditations. Think of this as the “cool down” period after a vigorous exerise when you help your heartbeat regulate to it’s normal pace.
Tell yourself to gently, slowly come back to the physical space you are occupying. Feel the room around you. Move your muscles, open your eyes. Then seal the deal with a nod to the forces of the universe that converged to help you in your Meditation. A quick thank you will do.
Then set an appointment for your next You-time and keep it.
That last part is crucial.
The more you practice Meditation, the better you will become at getting to a happy place and recalling it when you must need release from the stressors of the world.
I wish you peace and happiness in your meditative journeys!
Holiday Mathis
