Maestro Reiki

Meditation is sometimes thought of as the art of contemplation because during relaxation the mind starts its own information seeking. Many people view it as a very difficult thing to learn. In reality, we do it often without even knowing it. When you daydream or find your mind fixed on one thought, which is a form of meditation. Have you ever watched a bird in flight, or stared up at the clouds in the sky, or maybe even found yourself watching a stream of water flow by? If you have and at that moment the rest of the world around you has seemed removed, then you were in a state of meditation.

The real key to this practice is to be able to exercise control over your thoughts and awareness of the world around you.

TO BEGIN

You should pick a place which is as private and safe as possible. If you are at home, with other family members or friends present, ask that you not be disturbed and that all other noise in the house be kept to a minimum. When you have found a place suitable for meditation, you may begin.

If you are lying down, be sure your back and neck are properly supported so as not to fatigue the body. If you are sitting, be sure that both feet are flat on the floor and that you are sitting as erect as possible without being too stiff or strained. You should have your arms resting comfortably in your lap with palms up.

Learning to control and pay attention to your breathing is the next step. A pause is normally placed before and after inhalation and exhalation. This focuses your attention on your breath. Inhale though the nose, hold the breath, exhale slowly through the mouth, and then pause again. Try beginning with a 5-5-5-5 count pattern. Inhale through the nose for a 5 count, hold it for a 5 count, exhale through the mouth for a 5 count, and pause for a 5 count before continuing, then gradually increasing this count to reach deeper levels. If you are having difficulties with this try starting with a shorter count then gradually increase it to a 5 count if you need to.

EXERCISE #1

Position your head, neck, and chest straight in order to avoid pressure on the nerves of the spinal column. This first posture is a natural one, but you can change your postures later if you choose. For this exercise, breathe in though your nose and exhale though your mouth. Count on your inhalations, your pauses, and the same on your exhalations. This establishes a rhythm that generates newer energy and makes you focus on your breaths. Try this once in the morning and then again in the evening for a couple of days.

EXERCISE #2

After mindful breathing, try visualizing the breaths being distributed throughout your body and feeling like a massage. Start feet and toes on the first breath, and then move to ankles for the second breath. Move up to knees, buttocks, abdomen and internal organs, chest cavity, shoulders, muscles and tendons, upper arms and elbows, forearms and wrists, hands and fingers, throat, lips and jaw, cheeks and lines around eyes, then forehead and scalp.

As you are doing this, exhale all tensions. This is a relaxing meditation for when you feel stressed, getting ready to study, or before meditation.

EXERCISE #3

The next step in meditation is visualization. This is the time that one moves on from the art of contemplation to begin information accessing. Visualization aids this process by using your imagination to align yourself with certain aspects of your psyche. This is the part that will take your time and patience to start working the skill base that has brought you to this point.

Light a candle and place it in a safe place, out of harm of being knocked over. Look at the candle flame, watch it move and listen for the sounds it makes. Keep doing this for a couple of minutes, then close your eyes. Did the flame appear, or did you have to recreate it within your mind?

After you feel that you have made the image appear to your satisfaction, open your eyes. Now try this again, but get your hands close enough to the flame that you can feel its warmth. Close your eyes and bring up the image again, but also add the warmth of the flame to the image. Then open your eyes.

The purpose of the above exercise is to recreate the item within your mind in all of its forms and sensations. This stimulates your imagination, and at the same time develops your recall and transfers your physical sensations into the mind. It forces you to activate your will and disconnects you with your environment for a short time. Visualization is different than meditation but there is an overlap regarding recall and the use of physical sensations during both of these skills.

IN CLOSING

A very important part to remember is that you can not force yourself into a meditative state. You must flow into it and surrender to it calmly. The most obvious use of the techniques you have learned is relaxation. During the course of the day, many of us have moments when the pressure becomes almost too much. When this happens, we often can’t deal with other people or projects the way we should. The breathing exercises you learned can help at these times.

It doesn’t require a lot of time or absolute quiet as does your meditation practice. All that is required is about five minutes and relative privacy. At these times, begin doing your rhythmic breathing and visualize a place which is calm and refreshing. This simple and quick exercise, can work wonders to help you regain control in a hectic situation.

One final use I will suggest is visualization. Meditation can be used as a tool for problem solving. While in a meditative state of mind, you have the ability to take any situation and manipulate it. By that I mean you can mentally play out the situation using several different solutions. Then, you can pick the one which seems to best solve the problem.

While the use of meditation can help you deal with problem solving more effectively, it is not infallible. All it can do is allow you to think more clearly and concisely about the problem at hand.