Mantra meditation
A while ago Yoga Journal had an interesting introduction to mantra meditations.
Mantra meditations are based upon sounds that reflect the energy of our authentic or divine nature. The word mantra comes from the combination of two syllables: "man," meaning "to reflect," and "tra," meaning "agent of."
Mantra meditations are a good way to introduce yourself to meditation.
Try the following Mantra Meditation every day for 40-days:
Find a comfortable posture for meditation. Sit in Lotus position (knees bent with legs crossed and feet on the opposite knee) or simply sit cross-legged or in a chair with feet on the floor. Place your palms facing up on your knees with forefinger and thumb touching. Bring your attention to the breath.
Begin with the simple mantra “So hum” ("I am that"). On the inhale, silently say “So”, and on the exhale, silently say “hum”. Keep your focus on the sensation of your breath while silently repeating the “So hum”.
If you would rather chose your own mantra - select a favorite word, phrase, prayer, or fragment of a poem. Ideally, a mantra is composed of only a few words or syllables, so you can repeat it easily, without getting lost in a long phrase. Choose something uplifting that inspires you and engages your heart. Avoid words that stir up thoughts or disturb your mind.
Let your mind come to stillness. There is no place to go, nothing to do.
If a thought arises, come back to the mantra “So hum”. Practice it for 5 to 20 minutes. Come out of the meditation by taking a few deep breaths and then sitting quietly to see what you feel. You may feel calm and centered. Or you may be flooded with old thoughts and feelings from your subconscious, which might be uncomfortable.
Regardless of your immediate reaction, take comfort in knowing that regular practice has immense benefits: It enables you to experience the present moment more fully and to make conscious choices instead of falling into habitual reactions.
Have a joyful day!
Courtesy of Anxiety Support http://blog.holistictherapyoc.com
Giving and Taking Meditation
This is a nice meditation to increase compassion to others. This meditation is from "The Tibetan Book of Yoga" by Geshe Michael Roach
Time: 3 minutes
- sit comfortably at the front of your yoga mat, after finishing your breathing (pranayama) practice
- bring your mind into the spot between your eyebrows. This time, move your focus up from this spot half an inch towards the top of your head. And then go about in inch into your head. This is a perfect place to gather your concentration.
- now bring your thoughts down to your heart again. Go very deep into the heart, to a place an inch or two in front of your backbone
- see there the diamond in the rose. it has always been there. Smell the fragrance of the flower, and gaze upon the sparkling clearness of the crystal
- next think of someone you love-friend or family- whom you know is going through some kind of physical or emotional pain right now. Try to picture clearly the room in which the person is sitting
- not imagine that you have gone to sit just in front of this person. You are invisible; they can't see you, but you can see them
- now pretend that all the pain this person has, in body or in mind, has gathered into a little pool of darkness at her or his heart. It looks like a small cloud black ink, about the size of a coin.
- pause here for a few moments and think about how the pain feels to your loved ones. Think of the different worries that must be going through her or his mind right not; Be specific, get into the details. Your mind will want to wander off -bring it right back to their problems.
- think about how wonderful it would be if you could take away the pain. But what if the only way to do that were to have this same pain yourself? Decide that you would be willing to do even this; it is the kind of decision that brings true meaning and happiness to our whole life together on this Earth
- decide then without any doubt or hesitation that you will take the person's pain away and take it upon yourself. We do this by taking several deep in-breaths. Each time we breathe in, the little cloud of darkness moves a little farther, carried by this gentle wind. It slowly moves up our loved one's throat and then out of her or his nose is a black stream, like a cigarette's smoke
- this stream of darkness collects in a little cloud again, just in front of your own nose. Pause and take a few quiet breaths, to get ready for one last in-breath. This is the one that will actually bring all the pain into you. Be brave and decide again that it would be better if you hurt than them
- the one last moment to look at the diamond in the rose. The diamond sparkling, radiant with light and power. It can destroy anything that touches it.
- it is absolutely crucial at this point that you think about how the power of the diamond is going to destroy all the darkness, in the very same instant that you breathe in the little cloud. This is because our very willingness to take on someone else's pain destroys all that pain forever, for both them and ourselves. Never think for a moment that any of that darkness will be left inside of you
- with a single breath in now, see the darkness come into your nose like a stream, it collects in a tiny ink-black cloud just in front of the diamond; and then it touches the diamond -all in single in-breath
- the moment that the edge of the cloud touches the edge of the shining diamond, there is a sudden explosion of golden light throughout the inside of your body. it's as if a very powerful photo flash has gone off within you, at your heart
- after the flash, all you can see is the diamond, lying lovely within the rose, glistening as it always does. You see a tiny wisp of white smoke vanish into the air, and all the pain is gone. It is very important to see that all of the pain is gone. Nobody will be hurt by this pain now, ever again.
- sit for a few moments more, quietly, until the time is up. Again you are sitting in front of that same friend or family member, and you are still invisible. Just rest here for a moment, silent, and enjoy the look on the person's face. Suddenly all the pain and trouble your loved one has been having is completely gone. They don't know why, but they don't really care. How good it feels now! Enjoy your loved one's happiness, and be proud of yourself, that you had the courage to take their pain away.
Time: 3 minutes
- sit comfortably at the front of your yoga mat, after finishing your breathing (pranayama) practice
- bring your mind into the spot between your eyebrows. This time, move your focus up from this spot half an inch towards the top of your head. And then go about in inch into your head. This is a perfect place to gather your concentration.
- now bring your thoughts down to your heart again. Go very deep into the heart, to a place an inch or two in front of your backbone
- see there the diamond in the rose. it has always been there. Smell the fragrance of the flower, and gaze upon the sparkling clearness of the crystal
- next think of someone you love-friend or family- whom you know is going through some kind of physical or emotional pain right now. Try to picture clearly the room in which the person is sitting
- not imagine that you have gone to sit just in front of this person. You are invisible; they can't see you, but you can see them
- now pretend that all the pain this person has, in body or in mind, has gathered into a little pool of darkness at her or his heart. It looks like a small cloud black ink, about the size of a coin.
- pause here for a few moments and think about how the pain feels to your loved ones. Think of the different worries that must be going through her or his mind right not; Be specific, get into the details. Your mind will want to wander off -bring it right back to their problems.
- think about how wonderful it would be if you could take away the pain. But what if the only way to do that were to have this same pain yourself? Decide that you would be willing to do even this; it is the kind of decision that brings true meaning and happiness to our whole life together on this Earth
- decide then without any doubt or hesitation that you will take the person's pain away and take it upon yourself. We do this by taking several deep in-breaths. Each time we breathe in, the little cloud of darkness moves a little farther, carried by this gentle wind. It slowly moves up our loved one's throat and then out of her or his nose is a black stream, like a cigarette's smoke
- this stream of darkness collects in a little cloud again, just in front of your own nose. Pause and take a few quiet breaths, to get ready for one last in-breath. This is the one that will actually bring all the pain into you. Be brave and decide again that it would be better if you hurt than them
- the one last moment to look at the diamond in the rose. The diamond sparkling, radiant with light and power. It can destroy anything that touches it.
- it is absolutely crucial at this point that you think about how the power of the diamond is going to destroy all the darkness, in the very same instant that you breathe in the little cloud. This is because our very willingness to take on someone else's pain destroys all that pain forever, for both them and ourselves. Never think for a moment that any of that darkness will be left inside of you
- with a single breath in now, see the darkness come into your nose like a stream, it collects in a tiny ink-black cloud just in front of the diamond; and then it touches the diamond -all in single in-breath
- the moment that the edge of the cloud touches the edge of the shining diamond, there is a sudden explosion of golden light throughout the inside of your body. it's as if a very powerful photo flash has gone off within you, at your heart
- after the flash, all you can see is the diamond, lying lovely within the rose, glistening as it always does. You see a tiny wisp of white smoke vanish into the air, and all the pain is gone. It is very important to see that all of the pain is gone. Nobody will be hurt by this pain now, ever again.
- sit for a few moments more, quietly, until the time is up. Again you are sitting in front of that same friend or family member, and you are still invisible. Just rest here for a moment, silent, and enjoy the look on the person's face. Suddenly all the pain and trouble your loved one has been having is completely gone. They don't know why, but they don't really care. How good it feels now! Enjoy your loved one's happiness, and be proud of yourself, that you had the courage to take their pain away.
"I am" meditation
I like this meditation because you will feel uplift and encouragement after the practice.
- Sit in any comfortable position (can be in Sukhasana crossing your legs in front of you with 1 ankle in front of the other)
- Place your left hand on your thigh facing up and join the index and thumb together forming Jnana mudra
- Place your right palm on your chest at the heart center and close your eyes
- Concentrate on your breathing in, breathe to your heart and visualize the heart open up like a blossom flower (can be rose or lotus or any other flower you connect with), and as you breathing out, visualize that you are letting go negative energy from your body and mind
- As you recite "I" bring your right hand slightly away from your chest and as you say "am" bring the right hand back onto your chest. Keeping your let hand on your left leg
- After 2 minutes,as you bring your right hand away from your chest, think about the special qualities you have such as kindness, helpful or patience. As your hand back onto your chest, feel that qualities with your heart and be grateful of that blessing
- Do this for few more minutes and then sit with both hands in Jnana mudra on your legs and be quiet. Just breathing and sending gratitude to yourself, then send the gratitude to all beings that receive and invite those qualities you have.
This meditation is very affirmative and giving support to one's practice.
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
(May all beings are free from suffering and seeds of suffering, May all beings are close to happiness and the seeds of happiness)
Hari Om Tat Sat
(May all that)
- Sit in any comfortable position (can be in Sukhasana crossing your legs in front of you with 1 ankle in front of the other)
- Place your left hand on your thigh facing up and join the index and thumb together forming Jnana mudra
- Place your right palm on your chest at the heart center and close your eyes
- Concentrate on your breathing in, breathe to your heart and visualize the heart open up like a blossom flower (can be rose or lotus or any other flower you connect with), and as you breathing out, visualize that you are letting go negative energy from your body and mind
- As you recite "I" bring your right hand slightly away from your chest and as you say "am" bring the right hand back onto your chest. Keeping your let hand on your left leg
- After 2 minutes,as you bring your right hand away from your chest, think about the special qualities you have such as kindness, helpful or patience. As your hand back onto your chest, feel that qualities with your heart and be grateful of that blessing
- Do this for few more minutes and then sit with both hands in Jnana mudra on your legs and be quiet. Just breathing and sending gratitude to yourself, then send the gratitude to all beings that receive and invite those qualities you have.
This meditation is very affirmative and giving support to one's practice.
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
(May all beings are free from suffering and seeds of suffering, May all beings are close to happiness and the seeds of happiness)
Hari Om Tat Sat
(May all that)
Gratitude
- Sit in any straight comfortable position (could be lay down if you have any condition or restriction on sitting)
- Placing your right hand on the right thigh facing up and do Jnana Mudra (touching thumb and index finger) while the other palm on your chest
- Slowly taking time to breath and focus on the movement of your breath....inhale....exhale....
- Start noticing the sensation around your nostrils....what would you feel when you inhale? and what about exhale? is there any different?
- As you get inwards after 5-10 minutes here, slowly release the left hand and do Jnana Mudra (same as the right hand)
- Now, as you are sending your breath to parts of your body, also sending your gratitude to that part. Such as, breath to the sole of your feet, feel it is breathing with you...expand and sinking...then send gratitude that you can feel it and you are able to walk everyday
- Breath to your calves and knees, visualize the bones and joints that work together and send respect to these part. If it has some pain, send some healing energy and spend some time here. Visualize and believe in yourself that you have the light and energy to heal from within. Promise to yourself that you will not push this part too much during your asanas practice but you will take variations to heal or not to jeopardize it.
- Slowly you scan each part of your body and start re-connecting to your body through the bridge of your breath
- At the end, you will reach to the crown of your head, Sahasrara Chakra, sending the gratitude to your spiritual teacher that guide us in this path. Good or sorrow, believe that Guru will always be there to guide and you will find a way to your own Karma and Enlightment.
Sabbe Satta Bhavantu Sukhitatta
- Placing your right hand on the right thigh facing up and do Jnana Mudra (touching thumb and index finger) while the other palm on your chest
- Slowly taking time to breath and focus on the movement of your breath....inhale....exhale....
- Start noticing the sensation around your nostrils....what would you feel when you inhale? and what about exhale? is there any different?
- As you get inwards after 5-10 minutes here, slowly release the left hand and do Jnana Mudra (same as the right hand)
- Now, as you are sending your breath to parts of your body, also sending your gratitude to that part. Such as, breath to the sole of your feet, feel it is breathing with you...expand and sinking...then send gratitude that you can feel it and you are able to walk everyday
- Breath to your calves and knees, visualize the bones and joints that work together and send respect to these part. If it has some pain, send some healing energy and spend some time here. Visualize and believe in yourself that you have the light and energy to heal from within. Promise to yourself that you will not push this part too much during your asanas practice but you will take variations to heal or not to jeopardize it.
- Slowly you scan each part of your body and start re-connecting to your body through the bridge of your breath
- At the end, you will reach to the crown of your head, Sahasrara Chakra, sending the gratitude to your spiritual teacher that guide us in this path. Good or sorrow, believe that Guru will always be there to guide and you will find a way to your own Karma and Enlightment.
Sabbe Satta Bhavantu Sukhitatta
