Hi,
My name is Glenda with Pathways to Serenity with Glenda.
I'd like to share with you a simple meditation technique today involving a mantra.
A mantra means basically vehicle for the mind.
It gives us something to focus on.
When I was learning to meditate,
I found it quite challenging to simply follow my breath.
I found my mind would start to wander more.
I hate to say it,
I would get bored a lot more easily and I would just get a lot more fidgety.
So I found at that time it was much easier to use a mantra.
Now I can easily sit and just follow my breath and just sit in silence.
But when I was learning it was hard.
So the mantra gives us something to come back to because our mind is going to think.
That's what it's made to do.
But what will happen is we'll start to think.
The mind will start to go to what we need to do later in the day.
When we realize that we can bring it back to the mantra.
We repeat the mantra,
Our mind starts to drift away.
When we realize it we come back to repeating the mantra.
So we have this back and forth that happens throughout.
On some days it's a really gentle drifting.
On other days if you've got a lot going on or a lot on your mind,
Sometimes it's a little bit more like the stormy seas.
But it's all okay.
So let's try it.
Simply close your eyes gently if that feels good for you.
If not just have a soft gaze or look down at a point just a few feet in front of you so that you don't have something drawing your attention.
And we're just going to silently repeat shanti.
Shanti is a Sanskrit word that in English means peace.
And in these busy times that we live in we can all use a little more of that.
So close your eyes if you haven't already done so.
And just start repeating shanti,
Shanti.
And when the mind starts to go,
Which it will,
Just bring it back to shanti.
And it may speed up,
It may slow down,
It may get mixed up.
That's all okay.
And eventually what may happen and what often happens the more you practice is you aren't repeating the mantra as much as hearing it.
Or it becomes like that mist on the water.
You know when you're looking at a lake and it's a misty day.
Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
I'll watch the time and when you hear my voice just continue to sit with your eyes closed.
Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
You can begin to release the mantra and stop repeating it while you continue to sit quietly with your eyes closed and just let yourself come back to this moment.
And when you feel ready you open your eyes and just take notice.
How do you feel?
Do you feel a little more peace?
Just a little more calm?
And this can be used at any time throughout your day when you just need to have a few moments of ease.
I'll see you on the path.
Thank you for joining me today.
Namaste.
