Take a Risk on You: Meditation Methods
written by Lisa Gniady
Why Meditate?
Relaxation
Stress Reduction
Happiness
Peace
Tranquility
Clarity
Focus
Just to name a few...
These benefits are wonderful, but not the only reason to meditate.
Meditation is NOT about “getting” something at all.
IT IS...a journey into a deeper connection to yourself and “all that is”...
Meditation is about...
—-dissolving
——- surrendering
——and allowing
Meditation is about finding internal peace.
When you can “still your mind” to a point of receptivity, you begin to see the unseen, and hear the unheard.
In that moment, the stress of the world dissolves, you completely let go, and a sense of inner clarity comes.
In the yogic tradition, this withdrawal of the senses is known as pratyahara.
What does that mean?
It means sitting patiently, waiting to find that spot of nothingness and everything that lies within you.
When you find it, you awaken to an inner knowing that has escaped many of us for too long.
Meditation Methods
There are so many ways to meditate,
so many paths, styles, and modalities.
Chanting, Sound, Breath, to name a few.
Chanting—using the voice.
When you chant, you vibrate your individual sound current.
Through repetition of the sound current, or naad, you can clear blocks and align the body to a higher frequency.
What you chant is a personal choice.
There are many ancient mantras to choose from that can be used to elevate your state of consciousness, or you can chant English words if that resonates more with you.
The key is to practice. It is important to choose a chant that makes you feel comfortable, one that encourages you to take the time to sit still.
If you are one that does not like to chant, then you can mentally vibrate the mantra for a transformational experience as you sit in your meditation practice. Adding scents of essential oils can assist in elevating your frequency higher to deepen your meditative experience.
Sound
Sound healings have a powerful effect on the energetic body. Using Gong, singing bowls, drums, rain sticks, chimes, bells, etc., can deepen your experience. These external vibrations dissolve away blocks to bring you into a deeper meditative state.
The Breath
Breath is another tool for focusing the mind to assist you in your meditation practice.
The inhale is the “drawing in” of Prana or Life Force, and is the true connection to your Inner World. The exhale is the “releasing of transformed energy” to the external world.
The breath is a metaphor for the “me versus the we”. It reminds us that we are individuals sharing this journey of life with others. We traverse the outer world, the one we share with others, but must be comfortable in our own inner world, our inner sanctuary. Meditation reminds us to take the time to tap into our own essence, and in doing so, we strengthen our connection with all.
If none of these options resonate with you, you can just sit in stillness, stare at a fire, watch the waves and gaze at the setting sun.
One final thought about the difference between meditation and focus: these practices are only tools to bring you to a meditative state. They are not actually meditating. They are the focal point of attention, in yogic terms called Dharana. From that state of focus you move to Dhyana, or meditation. First you focus, then you meditate. Eventually you will dissolve the doing, then the action and inaction, merge into one. There you find the space of completion and freedom, Moksha or liberation.
But ultimately, in any form, You sit with you. You work towards quieting your mind, and in that silence, you awaken…
Go there to reach a greater understanding of all and nothing.
It is peaceful.
It is bliss consciousness.
It is home.
Meditation is the key to internal growth.
In the stillness you find the interconnectedness of all humanity.
