03. Meditation Tips & The Fundamentals Of Mindfulness

Get all the tips that you need to create a joyful meditation practice. Meditation may feel like one of the most difficult task, but it is actually the easiest thing in the world. Instead of trying to do or achieve something, or get somewhere, just fully relax into your being and stop everything you are doing.

Transcript

Namaste.

In this video I would like to teach you a few tricks,

Tips and techniques that can help you to make your meditation practice more successful and more enjoyable.

First of all,

I would like to discuss the mode of sitting.

How should we sit?

Preferably,

I would recommend to sit in a cross-legged position if that's possible.

It can be half lotus when you place one leg or one foot on top of the other.

You could keep a leg in front of each other.

You could come to,

Let's say,

A usual cross-legged pose.

You could use different kind of props if you feel this is uncomfortable.

I would recommend to sit on a cushion or maybe two so you elevate the pelvis.

So the pelvis can be higher than your knees.

If you notice that the knees are quite high like this and then your pelvis is lower,

Then it will be really difficult for you to feel comfortable for an extended period of time.

You could also try kneeling when you bring the knees together and then you sit on the heels.

You could place a block between the legs or two blocks,

A cushion.

If you have a bolster,

You could use that too.

Some people use these Japanese meditation seats,

Tiny little benches that you can place behind just over the heels so you are sitting on a bench so that will take some pressure away from the knees.

If sitting on the floor is really out of the question and you really don't feel comfortable,

You could sit on a chair.

A chair is about the height of the length of your shin so the legs are not hanging but it's also not quite high up.

Try not to take the back support.

So sitting tall,

Elongating the spine is quite important to have the spine and the vertebrae aligned.

The reason for that is then you connect or you align your chakras with the center of gravity.

So the gravity is coming downwards and then eventually you want to work with moving your energies upwards so the chakras are all along the line of this gravitational force.

Compared to when you lay down,

That alignment will be quite the opposite.

So that's one reason why not to lay down.

The other is it's really easy to fall asleep.

But if you are quite certain that falling asleep is really out of the question and you are unable to sit on the floor or on a chair,

Then you could also lay down.

However,

I would recommend to avoid it as much as possible.

So find a comfortable seat that works for you.

Cross-legged,

Maybe kneeling.

And have the spine nice and long erect.

So elongating the spine,

Backbone lifting the chest,

Relax the shoulders,

Lengthen the back of the neck.

Imagine there's a string attached to the crown of the head and you're being lifted upwards.

Take a deep breath and exhale to soften the shoulders.

For your hand position,

You could keep the hands resting on the knees.

You could turn the palms facing up.

You could place one hand on top of the other and join the thumbs.

You could interlace the fingers and join the thumbs.

If you place one hand on top of the other.

For male,

It is recommended to have the right hand on top.

For females,

It is recommended to have the left hand on top.

But if for some reason it doesn't resonate with you and you want to do the opposite,

Just go with that.

Whatever feels right for you.

You could also join the first fingers and thumb.

Basically,

There's a continuous energy emanating out of the fingertips.

And then whenever you connect them,

Then you create an energetic circuit.

So this will run the energy back into the brain,

Which will help you to meditate.

It will slow down the brainwaves.

So maybe join the fingers and thumb.

You could do the same thing as you turn the palms down or place the hands on top of each other.

Basically anything that serves you.

I recommend to create a safe space where you can be alone in a quiet corner.

Have a meditation cushion,

Maybe a seat,

Maybe lay down a blanket,

Have the same cushion.

So you create a little bit of a routine for yourself.

A bit of a ritual.

It is the best to meditate early in the morning straight after waking up.

Going into the bathroom,

Refreshing yourself,

Changing your clothes.

And before everybody else wakes up,

Or before you start your day,

Then make yourself a routine.

So create a habit.

It is not easy at the very beginning,

But once you spend about a week or two,

Then it will be enough for you to get accustomed to the habit of getting up,

Maybe a little bit earlier,

Before everybody else does,

Or before you need to go to work.

So if you want to meditate for 15 minutes and then your time is really tight,

Then you may need to wake up 15 minutes earlier,

Which may involve going to bed 15 minutes earlier so you don't miss out on sleep.

So important thing,

Finding a comfortable seat,

Having an area where you meditate,

And then set the time.

So the more regularity you can create,

Then the easier it will become for you to meditate.

Because you create a habit in the body,

And the mind will be accustomed to the action of meditation.

So that will be not so much of a challenge,

But the mind will just surrender.

It will know that it is time for now to sit down and meditate and be quiet.

Also,

Early mornings are best because the mind is refreshed.

You're after a good night's sleep.

And also,

Most of the thoughts,

Memories have been recycled overnight.

So the mind is continuously thinking,

Going back into the past,

Or going into the future,

Figuring stuff out.

But in the morning,

It's still in a quiet state.

You could also meditate in the evening.

If you have trouble falling asleep,

I would recommend to just meditate right before going to bed,

Or right before trying to fall asleep.

But if you fall asleep rather easily,

I would recommend to meditate at least about two hours before you go to bed,

So you don't go into this kind of dozing off while you are trying to do your practice.

So these are the major key points that I would recommend to pay attention to.

Find a comfortable seat,

Have a position or a place where you can meditate,

And set a certain time.

You could even do it early morning and early evening as well.

Especially if you don't meditate for very long,

Like you can carve out 15 minutes of your time in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening.

It is really not that much.

I know we all have a really busy life.

However,

If you think about how much time you spend on,

Let's say,

Social media,

Or reading newspapers,

Or just scrolling down the feed in any kind of social app,

Or just spending time on the laptop,

Or YouTube,

Or Netflix,

Or whatever you are into,

Basically,

If you are really honest with yourself,

You do have 15 minutes.

So find your comfortable seat,

Elongate the spine,

Find a position for your hands,

And then close with the eyes.

Begin to pay attention to your breath.

You don't need to alter the breath in any way.

Simply just pay attention to it.

Keep your mouth closed and continuously breathe through the nostrils.

Pay attention to how the air is traveling through the entrance of the nose.

Slowly coming in,

Flowing down the back of the throat,

Going all the way down into the lungs,

Making the chest,

The side ribs expand.

If you breathe deeper,

Even the belly,

The lower back will create a bit of an inflation.

On the exhale,

Allow the diaphragm to relax,

Pressing the air outside.

And eventually the air leaves the body through the nose.

And again,

Just observe how the air is coming in through the nostrils.

Notice where the air is traveling to.

Notice where you feel expansion.

And where do you feel contraction on the exhale?

Is it your chest or is it your belly that is inflating more when you take a deep breath?

If you feel that it is your chest that is predominantly expanding,

I would recommend to check out Science of Breath course.

There are some free videos where I teach how to activate the diaphragmatic breath so you can breathe predominantly into your abdomen,

Which is really important in terms of your overall well-being and also to meditate because it will nourish and slow down your nervous system tremendously.

So you will have a lot more success compared to continuously having shallow and rapid breath that only goes into your chest.

But for now,

Don't worry about it.

Simply just observe,

Pay attention to the breath,

How it is coming in and how it is going out.

Pay attention to any sensation that you may experience,

Anything from the grossest sensation to the more subtle ones.

Slow inhale,

Slow exhale.

Keep your attention on the breath and the breath alone.

And when you catch your mind wandering off,

Gently bring it back to the breath.

The moment you realize that the mind has wandered,

You are immediately back,

Back to the present,

Back to noticing whatever is happening.

It is the nature of the mind to go and wander.

So if you feel that the mind is continuously running away,

That's okay.

Just keep reminding yourself to come back.

If it goes away a hundred times,

Bring it back a hundred times.

The important thing is not to get frustrated by the distraction that the mind is wandering.

It is its natural tendency.

They call it the monkey mind.

Because the monkeys are continuously jumping from branch to branch.

They are continuously looking for new,

Newer excitement.

So the mind just does the same.

It follows one thought,

Then the next thought,

Then thought,

Leads to another thought,

And that thought leads to another one.

So it's almost like an endless flow of thoughts.

However,

You can break that.

You can become aware of this flow of thought and you can start observing it.

And yes,

They are your thoughts,

But they are not you.

There is a higher intelligence that can observe these thoughts.

You can become conscious of your own programming.

You just see what kind of program is running in the background.

You need to pay attention to it.

And whenever you pay attention,

You are back in the present.

You are no longer the program.

You are the one who is observing the program,

Which is a big difference.

Be the observer.

Observe your breath.

Feel the breath coming in.

Feel the breath going out.

When you get distracted,

Remind yourself to come back.

This is it.

This is the technique.

Keep paying attention.

Be present.

Keep observing the breath.

Keep focusing.

.

Pay attention to the length of the breath.

Feel the bottom.

How deep is the breath going?

Where do you feel the most expansion?

And which part of your torso is contracting as you exhale?

Are you able to stay with the breath?

The mind is chasing after some random thoughts.

Are they random?

Are there certain thoughts that are repeating themselves?

Maybe the mind is trying to show you something that you should pay attention to.

If you would like to continue with your meditation,

You are always welcome to stay longer and keep observing the breath.

And if you feel it is time for you to finish it off,

Then slowly take a deep breath in.

Slowly exhale and draw the attention back.

Come back to the present.

Feel the body.

Maybe introduce some gentle movements.

Whenever you are ready,

Just open the eyes.

Namaste.