I could write a whole book on Meditation.  There are so many different kinds of meditation that can be used for different reasons. For the purpose of this blog and simple effective practice however, I’m mainly going to refer to a type of medication called concentrative meditation but also with some reference to open awareness meditation.

So, let’s just deal with the misconception that during meditation you have to empty your mind … come on, seriously? This is almost impossible! As I’ve mentioned before, it’s helpful to see your conscious state as a vast ocean and the thoughts as the waves that are constantly present. Of course, our sea of consciousness can be quite choppy, due to the weather (we all have to weather the storms of life), and the waves (thoughts) often come crashing in with great force. We can sometimes barely keep our heads above water to take a breath and stop ourselves from drowning. Other times, our sea of consciousness is quieter and more peaceful.

The aim with meditation is to take a journey to a more peaceful state of consciousness, but the aim of mindfulness is to notice exactly where you are, but without judgement, while extending kindness towards yourself, which then helps to bring a level of acceptance. It doesn’t mean we accept when we’re spiralling into a negative mindset, but we simply notice it with kindness and acknowledge the reasons why it’s occurring, and if possible clear the negative energy that has connected itself to that experience for you. 

Simple reflective awareness can often be all that we need to enter into a conscious awareness of freedom. I find EFT Tapping an invaluable tool to use with meditation as when we notice what rises up for us, we can tap on the issues to clear them, resulting in a sense of freedom and a peaceful state of being. The vocal prompts in EFT also validate how we’re feeling, which is often all we need to be able to feel understood and then move forward. We simply need to self-validate that this is how this situation made us feel, and that’s ok. Although the feelings may not have been ok, and it may not serve us very well  to continue to respond in a certain way, if we don’t acknowledge what was actually happening then we’ll struggle to move on from it and clear that negative reaction. If, for example, we’ve had a negative reaction to the way someone has acted or something they’ve said, then only we can do something about that. Often, people who speak carelessly or hurtfully won’t be targeting you personally, as the individual will probably behave like that with almost everyone. They can only function from the level of self-awareness that they have and may not yet have the insight and ability to change their behaviour. They may also be aware of how they are responding but simply feel unable to change their behaviour at this point in their lives. We’re all on a journey!

Meditation may well bring to light behaviours that you also have that you weren’t aware of. When you do suddenly gain conscious awareness of your own unhelpful behaviours, you may also find that you’re not able to change those behaviours straight away either. That’s ok though, as awareness unlocks the key to our field of consciousness and then our empowered ability to move towards positive change.

Meditation enhances our inner ability to respond to situations in life. What or who you meditate on is what can make the difference for you. Maybe take a moment to reflect on this in your own experience. Who or what is at the centre of your life? Do you have someone or something that anchors you?

When you practice meditation, it can be a purely secular and practical experience, or it can be an avenue of spiritual awareness or connection as well. In my case I experience both. As a Christian I believe that God is at the centre of everything I do, as my awareness of God is first in my mind and my behaviour influenced by Jesus’ teaching and example. Jesus told his disciples that after him God would send a ‘comforter’ who is the spirit of God within, who gives enlightenment, or the awareness of God, and direction to our lives if we want or need it. I might therefore meditate on the words in my Bible, in prayer for myself and others and sometimes just be still and experience some degree of what the bible describes as God’s peace which passes all understanding. I also meditate to regulate my general response to life’s stressors, better manage my emotions and improve my mental and physical wellbeing.

If you have spiritual awareness, then no doubt it is an intricate part of your daily living experience. You don’t need to meditate to access it but it’s a very welcome addition to a meditation practice as you can transcend your natural experience to a deeper and higher spiritual realm

Open awareness medication

So, let’s look briefly at open awareness meditation. It is sitting quietly and being aware of what you can hear, feel, smell and see (whether your eyes are open or closed).  Avoid attaching any judgment to what comes to mind, just simply notice it. Open awareness is effectively letting the world in rather than focussing on a specific object, sound, phrase etc.  This will help you to remain peaceful despite what you encounter.

For example, I’ve sat down many a time to meditate and a neighbour at that very moment cranks up their noisy power tools. As perfect as it is to have a peaceful environment, it’s not always possible, so we also need to learn to be at peace regardless of any noisy distractions. As a result of us letting the world in whilst in a relaxed state, open awareness meditation produces more creativity within us.

Concentrative meditation

Concentrative meditation combined with open awareness is concentrating on an object, phrase (mantra), sound etc whilst allowing yourself to be aware, with acceptance, of what is happening around you. So, why don’t we practice that now?

• Sitting comfortably on the floor or in a chair. You can sit however you feel comfortable; it does not have to be the lotus position. Use cushions to support your comfort. Try to sit with good posture. A nice straight spine with shoulders back and down. It can feel uncomfortable to start with as we’re used to slouching when we sit, so sitting up straight needs to be done with intention.
• With or without some gentle background music start to take a few deep breaths in and out. Use your breath to initially anchor yourself to the present moment.  It’s good to start with the therapeutic breath technique I mentioned in an earlier blog to centre yourself. Then throughout the meditation if you find your mind wandering you can return to your anchoring breath. Otherwise, once the meditation has started then you can let your breath enter and leave the body naturally. The more you have practiced your breathing, the easier you will find it to connect to and it will slow down quite naturally as soon as your meditation starts.
• Choose what you are going to concentrate or focus on. It can be a mantra such as ‘I am at peace’ ‘I am loved’ ‘I am confident’.  Always repeat the phrase as though it already is. Not ‘I wish I was peaceful’ or ‘I want to be confident’. Speak it out or think it as though you already are so you can speak it into every fibre of your being!
• Or you can repeat a sound or word in another language. Like ‘Shalom’.  Shalom means peace in Hebrew and the sound ‘Om’ at the end is said to signify our connection to the Universe and everything within it. “Nothing in life has any meaning except the meaning you give it” so connect with yourself and only practice what YOU feel comfortable with.
• You can also light a candle and gaze at the candle flame. It’s a beautiful practice called ‘Trataka’ where you bring your gaze to the flame and use that as your focus. Try not to blink but don’t worry if you do, just keep gazing. Daily candle gazing not only helps your meditation practice to develop but can bring similar results to meditation as improved memory, clarity of thinking, calmer responses and improved eye health. It’s a fabulous mindfulness practice and one of my personal favourites.

You only need to aim to do this for 5 minutes each day to start with and then build up to 5 minutes three times a day. If you find you can go longer then great but it’s better to do shorter daily practices, then just one long practice a week. Consider on a Saturday or a Sunday to set apart a specific longer time. If you work weekends, then consider your day off in the week. Remember this is a special time FOR YOU! Don’t view it as a chore!

Look forward to this time, be patient and you will be surprised at what you will experience given time and practice.

It’s really important that you don’t compare the meditations. Just be curious about what rises up for you and be ok with it. I’ve had meditation sessions where I have been bombarded by thoughts (a real tumultuous stormy sea experience) and other times I have been enlightened with such peace and connection with myself and God that it has been nothing short of transcendental. Light illuminates my whole body, mind and soul and suddenly everything within myself is touched by a deep sense of peace and love. Do I compare the experiences? No!

I accept where I’m at on any given day. Sometimes I’m sad and I cry, sometimes I’m numb, sometimes I’m peaceful and happy and sometimes I’m overcrowded! Really, it’s all good and that’s life. Don’t judge yourself harshly! Cultivate kindness to yourself and others.

I hope you’ve found this helpful, and I’ll see you next week!

Love & blessings,

Sam xx

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