Before we begin, lets try to keep in mind some main points of encouragement that meditation ignites:
Meditation encourages:
our ability to focus calmness and equanimity awareness insight into what is going on inside us
Compared to how we normally conduct our lives, meditation can be a complete contrast for beginners. Similar approaches are taken by many meditation techniques— they encourage you to focus on something specific such as the breath, a candle, or a mantra (called objects of meditation). Of all that happens, our main intention during meditation is to remain focused on the object of meditation. Thoughts will arise in the mind and sensations in the body, but rather than getting caught up with these distractions, the idea is merely to observe them, not commenting, and return to the object of meditation. In time, it is possible to become a passive observer of all the feelings and sensations that come and go — not attaching to them — which creates a calm acceptance of the way things are.
Meditation Benefits:
"In recent medical and psychological studies, meditational techniques have proved effective in skilled practitioners in controlling pulse and respiratory rates and effective to varying degrees in the symptomatic control of migraine headache, hypertension, and hemophilia, among other conditions."
Source:
Learning to Meditate
When first beginning to meditate, we recommend you choose a time that doesn’t create a rush to finish.
1. Use a posture that will allow your back to be straight without strain. This can be in a straight-backed chair or in a cross-legged position on the floor. Make sure that you are comfortable.
2. Allow your eyes to close.
3. Gather your attention and move it slowly down through your body, starting at your head, making sure that there is a sense of calm and relaxation as you go. If you notice areas of physical tension, try to let them go as you exhale.
4. Allow your thoughts, ideas, and memories to drift in and out of the mind without following them.
"If you let restlessness move you, you lose touch with who you are." Lao Tzu
5. Focus your attention on the breath, and allow it to come from your lower abdomen. Notice the rise and fall of the abdomen as the breath comes in and goes out. Focus your mind on the sensation of the breath, on the movement of the abdomen, and see how difficult it is to keep your attention on this simple process. As soon as you notice that your mind has wandered, return your attention to the breath and the movement of the abdomen, using the words “in and out” or “rising and falling” as the breath comes in and goes out — this can help focus the attention more sharply. Meditation written by: Catherine Sutton
It has been commented that this specific meditation increases mindfulness, patience, and insightful understanding.
"The mind is like a pond full of water: if you stir up the water it looks muddy, cloudy, and opaque; likewise, because we are constantly agitating it, the mind becomes cloudy and busy. If you take a glass of muddy water from the pond and let it rest on a window ledge for twenty minutes, the silt will sink to the bottom, leaving clear water. In the same way, if you sit for twenty minutes without agitating the mind, your thoughts will slow down, and some clarity will emerge." Catherine Sutton