These are the results of meditation that can specifically support you in liberating yourself from the influence of the complaining, critical and condemning mind, as well as enhance your over all experience of life and well being.
Develop concentration,
develop discriminating wisdom,
metabolize and release emotion,
reduce overwhelm,
strengthen the observer and witness,
train yourself in non-resistance,
train yourself to redirect your attention,
cultivate presence,
practice "conscious hesitation",
learn patience,
strengthen your will and self-control,
disengage from your complaining, critical and condemning mind,
expose unconscious patterns,
begin "story control",
open intuitive channels,
manage and reduce obsessive thinking,
redesign you self-perception and learn to fall completely in love with yourself.
Ultimately giving us the foundation to naturally and consistently create, sustain and express love in all its forms,
We have an amazing opportunity here to experience magic and beauty, even amidst the truly tragic and painful consequences that come along with being alive. Meditation is how we can gain conscious control of how we perceive and interpret life, which is the reference point that creates how we feel as we go through all of its twists and turns.
Bryans simple starter meditation instructions. All you need to know to begin.
10 to 20 minutes every day is preferable. Commit to only a reasonable attempt.
Find the time that will be the most convenient to start.
Perfect posture is not essential for this. Any comfortable position that keeps you upright and alert is fine. Please do not lie down or get too comfortable or you may fall asleep.
Close your eyes, let your body settle, rest the end of your tongue on the back of your top front teeth,
unless you find a more comfortable place.
Rest your hands on your thighs regardless of what position you are sitting in and relax.
Explore and become familiar with your physical sensations as you breathe in and out. Breathe through your nose if possible with your mouth closed. The main point and direction of the practice is to keep returning your attention "to the sensation of your breathing" as you inhale and exhale air in and out of your body.
Choose where you will try to focus. Your nostrils, your throat, your chest, or wherever you can experience the feeling of the air moving through your body the most obviously.
Please notice I said, " keep returning to your breath". You cannot expect yourself to stay focused on your breath or to get rid of your thoughts. This is not supposed to happen and it is not the goal of the practice. The result may include this but it is not a marker for success. So much more is happening that is more significant.
When you have been distracted by a thought or emotion or physical feeling,
notice this has happened, identify it as thinking,
intentionally make a gesture to let it go of it or release it,
then find your breath again and start over.
Unlike Yoga, do NOT try to control the breath. Rest your attention on the sensation of your breath. See if you can watch it and not get caught up in controlling it. REST your attention on the breath, as your breath breathes itself.
A deep breath is not preferable over a long one in this practice.
Thinking will continue to occur and distract you from keeping your attention on your breath. This is normal.The goal is not to keep your attention from leaving your breath, but to return to it when it does. The goal is not to get rid of your thoughts.
The goal is to simply return to feeling the sensation of the breath after you have noticed you have been carried away by thinking, and start again without any resistance to this process as it repeats itself endlessly.
When you notice that you are telling yourself some story (thinking), or realize that you have been so immersed in one that you've lost awareness of the fact that you were meditating, simply bring your awareness back to your breath and start over.
Attempt to meet any part of the process with love and compassion. It is often the fear we have of ourselves that keeps us from looking deeper. But now that we will no longer believe any attempt to punish ourselves with guilt for what we find, we are free to explore. Every moment of awareness must be met with unconditional acceptance. Do not let your CCC get away with criticizing what you find, or try to create shame, guilt or regret. This unconditional acceptance is called equanimity.
Expect your mind to be busy and expect yourself to only come back to your breath occasionally. If you do come back often or stay longer that's a plus.
REMEMBER: Paying attention the content of your thought or the reason for your feelings in this practice, is thinking and not meditating. You already do that all the time. If you just let yourself think because you want to, you have been distracted from the instructions. There is another time and place for contemplation. This is meditation.
If you have difficulty focusing on your breath, you can count your breaths. Just identify the breath with a number after it is over and before the next one starts. When you get to 10, just start over again at 1.
Have patience with yourself, and please don't let your CCC talk you out of trying!
Best wishes and peace to you,
Bryan
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