Our first essence meditation is called mindfulness meditation.
This meditation's universal nature,
Plus its simplicity and effectiveness,
Have made it so popular worldwide that many people now use the term mindfulness interchangeably with meditation.
So what is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the awareness of what's occurring in the present moment,
Inwardly and outwardly,
And accepting whatever it is,
Just as it is.
That means not judging it as good or bad,
And not trying to hold onto it or push it away.
With continued practice of this method,
You'll become more and more mindful,
Both in meditation and outside of meditation.
You'll gradually discover within yourself a place of calm,
Accepting,
Non-judging awareness.
This calm awareness is actually your essence,
Your inner self.
Each of our meditations will have a primary object of focus,
Something specific to direct your attention toward.
The primary object of focus of this meditation will be your breathing.
Now let's go over the simple steps.
When you're sitting comfortably,
I'll guide you to direct your attention to your breathing,
And then to simply focus on your breath with medium effort.
Whenever you notice thoughts,
Feelings,
Physical sensations,
Or external sounds,
You'll simply allow them to be there,
Letting them come and go,
Without judging them or getting involved with them.
If and when your attention drifts off of your breathing,
And you notice that you have become involved with your thoughts,
Don't judge yourself,
Don't think that you're meditating wrong,
Simply bring your attention back to your breathing.
No matter how many times your attention drifts off,
It's okay.
You simply bring it back to your breathing.
That's just part of the process.
After I guide you into this meditation,
I'll give you some time to meditate quietly on your own.
It's very important to understand that the power of essence meditations comes from turning your attention inward.
Therefore,
In each of our four meditations,
You'll spend part of the time meditating on your own.
I understand that beginning meditators often feel more comfortable with meditations that are guided all the way through.
However,
Much of this is based on the misconception that you have to stay focused to meditate.
But since we've dispelled that misconception,
That won't be a problem for you,
Right?
I create guided audio meditations,
So I obviously believe in their value for attaining a variety of specific aims.
But it's important to get comfortable meditating without guidance as well.
Now let's meditate.
Put your expectations aside,
And don't worry about doing it right.
Sit comfortably.
You can sit down.
You can relax.
Close your eyes,
And let your breathing be easy and natural.
Take a few moments to let everything settle a bit.
Now bring your attention to your breathing.
With medium effort,
Focus on your breathing.
Notice your breath coming in and going out.
Be mindful of your breath coming in and going out.
Notice your breath coming out.
Notice your breath coming in and going out.
Be mindful of your breath coming in and going out.
When thoughts come into your mind,
Just accept them,
Giving them the space to come and go without resisting them and without getting involved with them.
If you notice any physical sensations,
Emotions,
Or external sounds,
Simply allow them to be there.
Just focus on your breathing and accept any thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations,
Or sounds that may occur.
If you notice that your attention has drifted off and become involved with thoughts,
It's okay.
Simply bring it back to your breathing.
Now continue meditating like this.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
If you notice that your attention has drifted off and become involved with thoughts,
It's okay.
Simply bring it back to your breathing.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
Just focus on your breath with medium effort and accept whatever happens.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
Now take a deep breath or two.
Take as long as you need.
And when you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
It's always good to come out of meditation slowly.
Now let's go over a couple questions that may come up about this meditation.
Question.
Should I breathe in any particular way or focus on any particular aspect of my breathing?
That's not really necessary.
I suggest you just breathe naturally.
Keep it simple,
Paying attention to the basic process of breathing.
Breath coming in and going out.
Question.
Are there any specific benefits which are gained from this meditation?
Yes.
Mindfulness meditation is especially good for helping you maintain a calm awareness and clarity in the midst of stressful or high pressure situations.
In our next lesson,
We'll be learning the inner light meditation.
As I mentioned in the intro,
Each meditation will be a little bit more powerful than the previous one,
Tapping a little bit more of the positive healing energy from your inner wellspring.
