Hi and welcome to this week's meditation.
My name is Linz and I'm going to take you on a journey into a variation of mantra meditation.
Mantra meditation is a great practice,
A really good all-rounder,
And it's especially beneficial for those of us that have a busy mind.
I love it because it gives the thinking mind a job to do,
Something to really focus on.
Now with practice it's less likely that the thinking mind will wander into the past and into the future.
It's really simple.
All you will be doing as we practice together is finding one word that resonates with you and repeating that word in the mind's arm over and over again.
So let's get to it.
All you need is a comfy seat,
An open mind,
And the awareness that everything you need is within you.
Begin the process of bringing the body into a state of rest.
Find that comfy seat.
Move around,
Wiggle the body until you feel like you can drop into a sense of physical stillness.
As you take your comfy seat,
Start to feel into the parts of the body that are connected.
What do you feel beneath you?
Maybe something behind you,
And the hands resting in the lap.
Whatever it is that's supporting you,
Allow it to fully support you now.
Give your weight to your seat.
If you've not done so already,
There's an invitation to allow the eyelids to softly close.
If not,
Just soften the gaze down towards the ground.
Bring in the awareness to the breath,
Taking in a few deep cleansing breaths.
Feeling the breath coming into the body and the breath leaving the body.
With the focus fully on the breath,
Take a deep breath in through the nose,
And when you take your exhale,
Open the mouth and sigh out.
As you breathe in,
Fill up the entire body with just enough breath.
And as you breathe out,
Allow your body to soften,
To relax,
Release,
And let go of any unnecessary tension.
Repeating this way of breathing for as long as you like.
Steady,
Soft,
Inhale and exhale.
It's time for you to find your mantra,
A single word that comes right from the centre of your heart.
With your full focus on the breath,
Begin to direct the breath to the heart centre in the chest.
While you keep the focus on the heart centre,
Listen to the words I'm about to say.
And the word that resonates with you the most at this particular moment in time will be your mantra for today.
Are you ready?
Calm,
Peace,
Spaciousness,
Happiness,
Joy,
Freedom,
Love,
Oneness,
Confidence,
Bliss,
Courage.
This is a positive statement,
Something your heart would like to feel,
Something your heart would like to cultivate more within your life.
Choose only one word and begin to softly whisper it in your mind's eye,
Saying it to yourself in a very gentle and compassionate way.
No need to try and create the feelings you feel associated with this word.
For now,
Just use the mantra as a focus point for the mind.
Softly repeating the word over and over again.
If you need to create some extra focus,
You can bring the word together with the breath.
So as you inhale,
Gently feel a lift in the body and as you exhale,
Repeat your mantra.
And carry on doing that for as long as the mind will allow.
When the mind wonders,
Which it will,
Just keep drawing back to your mantra.
No judgment needed.
There's no way of doing this meditation wrong.
Sometimes the mind is just busy and that's perfectly okay.
Focus,
Repeat and allow the mantra to turn down the volume of the habitual thoughts.
No need to turn them off or make them disappear.
Gently repeating your words and your mind's eye,
Slowly and compassionately.
Where is your awareness now?
Is it here on your mantra or has it wandered off?
Now is the time to start to draw this meditation practice to an end.
Begin to release the mantra and take a little time to tune in and notice how you feel this question,
How am I?
Direct the awareness back to the breath,
Feeling into your seat,
Being present with the physical body.
Begin to deepen the breath focusing on the inhale as you invite some light,
Some light,
The sense of waking the body up into your experience now.
Keep your eyes closed for a little while if you're enjoying the feeling.
If you're busy and need to go about your day,
Then gently start to flutter the eyelids open,
But do take a moment to reflect on your experience today.
I'll catch up with you again very soon.
Thank you.
