What is meditation ?

 Meditation is” The Art and science  of doing nothing.
 Meditation is therefore very easily explained
however is incredibly difficult to master unless you are committed 100%.
There  are many roads to meditation.
 I  have settled on 5 easy techniques,
directly and indirectly from PATANJALI’S Yoga Sutras.
 These 5 techniques are not new. I did not invent them.
I make no claim to them.However I have studied and
practiced them thoroughly and taught them for over
2 decades thus they have with~stood the test of time in my humble opinion.

1/ PRANAYAMA  –  Breathwork

Pranayama is the precursor to meditation.
  Prana is a  sanskrit word for ‘life force’ also known as chi.
  Yama is a Sanksrit word meaning for
expansion, extension,  extend,  lengthen.
Breathing isn’t rocket science, We’ve all been doing
it day and night for our entire lives.
The question is to what extent does
mouth breathing,
  shallow or erratic
breathing  lead to
oxygen deprivation of vital organs
and eventually disease.
Pranayama is often referred
to as controlled breathing.
I Like to call it ”loving breath”.
When practicing  pranayama yogis are extending or
expanding (ayama) the vital life force (prana)
throughout the body. Pranayama will result in
an alpha theta  meditation if
the mind is able to completely surrender .
Benefits  of regular pranayama
~soothes nervous system~ manages pain by reducing
inflammation~can create a sense of joy~balances brain
chemistry ~ balance hormones ~ promotes concentration ~
  promotes healing ~creates easy problem solving ~
strengthen lungs ~ manage asthma~
remove impurities from lungs~
strengthen immune system~oxygenate the blood ~
function of vital organs are improved ~
detox lymphatic system.
A simple and very useful  breath work exercise is.
breath in via yr nostrils for 3 counts
then breath out via your nostril for 3 counts.
Seems easy but takes great
  concentration and commitment
to sustain for up to 10 mins.
This is how I begin every yoga class .

2/   DEEP LISTENING  –   Suni-Ai

Pronounced  soon e i.

   Our  world is  full of interesting sounds.
By simply listening to   music, prayer, birds,
traffic, mantra, air conditioning units  etc etc
we can  easily stop thinking and enjoy stillness.
Listen to anything
with intensity  is a distraction to your mind.
This can take years of practice so its a good
idea to find music that you absolutely adore
and practice listening to that.
For this reason
I play really beautiful meditation sound
in my yoga  room. I feel like a spiritual DJ
some times .   Listening withdraws the senses
from the  outer world allowing us to  focus on
 the tiniest of  sounds.
listening to mantra, prayer
or nature sounds is excellent
practice and will  lead to a quiet mind.

3/ FEELING –   Pratyahara.

pronounced   prat e a hara .

  Withdraw  the senses from the outer world.
Focus on the smallest of physical sensations
  like the weight of your body
the temperature of the air as it enters
and then leaves the nostrils.
the heart  as it beats 
maybe furiously at first then
it begins to slow.
By observing our natural
rhythms we learn to be patient with the body.
We learn to be more gentle  and aware of ourselves.  .

4/COUNTING as MANTRA

The meaning of Mantra  is  to control ones own mind.
Prayer has been used for millennia as mantra
  to prevent us from worry
and anxiety born from over thinking.
I’ve used prayer as mantra
  for many years . It needs little explanation .
What is fascinating are the results is I get from just counting.
I consider counting very similar to mantra.
Certainly it’s not prayer nor affirmation so
has poor cymatic ( vibrational) value but it can slow
the mind
and the physiology very nicely.
 I count to 8 (infinity ) or 9 (a Divine number)
slowly over n over to prevent me from over
thinking or rushing in general. The number
8 represents infinity and feels very good
when I repeat it slowly  for a while.
The number 9 is more potent
according to ancient yoga philosophy.
Pythagorus agreed with the idea
that 9 is a Divine number.
Mala beads (yoga prayer beads) have 108 beads.
  9 x 12(1+2=3) 3 being the holy trinity)=108.
This math  is where my counting fascination began.
I believe numbers create  a chemical shifts .
Counting to 108 or repeating
anything 108 times is potent work .

5/CREATIVE VISUALIZATION 

Any creative visualization,  fantasy or  day dream
is useful. Imagine this ~  You are doing a yoga
class on a massive yacht on the French Riviera.
You smell french  Vegetarian Cuisine being cooked
by the gorgeous chef, all the yogies are  your age..
all on the same page.. you have so much in common
with them…u feel as thought you have met your tribe….  it’s just awesome.

 

INJOY

LIB