Meditation has been defined as "The closed or continued thought; the revolving of a subject in the mind." To meditate is to focus mentally on one thought, idea or concept. It may also mean to revolve an idea in your mind so as to change the way in which you think of that idea. Meditation is therefore, a tool with which you may manipulate thought in an organized manner.
Many people view meditation as a very difficult thing to learn. In reality though, we do it often without even knowing it. When you daydream or find your mind fixed on one thought that is a form of meditation. Have you ever watched a bird in flight or stared up at the clouds in the sky or maybe even found yourself watching a stream of water flow by? If you have and at that moment the rest of the world around you has seemed removed from your mind, then you were in a state of meditation. The real key to this practice is to be able to exercise control over your thoughts and awareness of the world around you.
Talk Yourself Through It
For the first exercise, sit or lie comfortably with your spine straight. Close your eyes and just breathe through your nose. Do not try to block out any thoughts. If a thought pops into your mind acknowledge it and then let it pass through. Breathe deeply at a pace that is comfortable for you.
Now as you breathe, become aware of the fact that you are breathing. Every time that you breathe in, say to yourself “breathe-in”, then say to yourself “hold” as you hold your breath and “breathe-out” as you do so. Concentrate on that, “Breathe-in”, “hold”, “breathe-out”. It is a good idea for you to use these steps as a warmup for every meditation that you will ever do.
Luminous Guidance
The next exercise starts in exactly the same way as but after you have done a minute or two you must start to see the words that you are saying to yourself in your head in an appropriate colour. For Example, when you say the word “breath-in” imagine it being a luminous white sign board in your head.
White symbolizes purity and new fresh revitalizing energy; this is what we are breathing in. When you say “hold” see a luminous grey sign board in your head that says hold. Grey is a neutral colour, this symbolizes the “resting” period of holding in your breath. When you breathe out see a luminous brown sign in your head that says “breathe-out”. Brown symbolizes our stresses our pains our issues and negativities. We rid ourselves of these things as we breathe out.
Cheerful Things
When you have concentrated on your breath and you are at peace reflect on things that cheer you up, things that lighten your mood and things that opens and expands your mind and heart. These may or may not include people. After you have done this exercise write your experience down it down in a notebook or on the internet, where you’ll also find best promotional games to play online. If this is not possible, give thanks for the experience, in your heart.
