Lets Meditate

People who are new to meditating often think the goal is to free their minds of all thoughts. To remove thoughts is to tighten muscles, and this makes sitting very uncomfortable. Holding on to thoughts like “I am not going to move,” will also tighten muscles. And keep you busy doing this the whole time. Meditation is not forcing your mind to be quiet; it’s finding the quiet that is already there. If you are serious about releasing and calming the body and mind, you are going to have thoughts. That’s what the brain does, it thinks. The trick is not to mind.

We are victims of our memory. We worry, wish, fantasize, and dream. Behind the screen of our internal dialogue, there is something entirely different: the silence of the mind that is not imprisoned by the past. When you discover the silence in your mind, you no longer have to pay attention to all those random images that trigger worry, anger, and pain.

Sound attracts the mind and leads it, effortlessly and naturally, to more subtle levels of the thinking process.  Mantras are based upon sounds that reflect the energy of our divine nature. The word mantra comes from the combination of two syllables: "man," meaning "to reflect," and "tra," meaning "agent of." Mantra comes and goes in one’s awareness, it begins to seek still subtler levels of thought until eventually all thought is left behind. The mind is no longer caught up in thoughts of any kind; the mind is exposed to its own deepest nature of pure awareness. The silence of pure awareness is very refreshing to the mind, rigid habits of thinking and feeling begin to fall away. When this happens, the mind is actually learning to heal itself. Meditation is taking you deeper and deeper inside yourself, until you reach the area untouched by illness.

Lets Meditate: Find a comfortable posture for meditation. Place your palms facing up forefinger and thumb touching. Bring your attention to the breath. Breathing in and out through the nose, not the mouth. This practice will ensure cleaner air, because the nose functions as an air "conditioner" by humidifying and filtering inhaled air. In contrast, when you breathe through the mouth, the air that enters the body doesn't gain the benefit of this filtration process, so it may be drier and contain more pollutants. As yogis say, "The nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating.” Begin to employ the simple mantra So hum ("I am that"). On the inhale, say So, and on the exhale, say hum. Keep your focus on the sensation of your breath while silently repeating the sacred syllables So hum. the inhale is stimulating, the exhale is relaxing. While the inhale is about bringing energy into the body, the exhale is about releasing stress, toxins, and pain.

Let your mind come to stillness. There is no place to go, nothing to do, So hum, So hum. If a thought arises, come back to the mantra So hum. Practice it for 10 to 20 minutes twice a day.

                                Nancy, Certified Thai Yoga Therapist