Life doesn’t slow. You have deadlines, emails, and messages. The stress creeps in before you notice. But in the middle of all this chaos, there is always a still point—a space of quiet within you that is beyond stress and confusion.
The world needs compassion more than ever. The world is in turmoil, and many people are suffering. We can help by being compassionate and attempting to understand their situation while also being open to listening and learning from them. In this musing, I introduce the meditation practice of Tonglen.
Sound can be a distraction during meditation. Noises can pull you from the state of calm that may come with meditation. But the goal of meditation may not be to distance yourself from what is around you but to create awareness of your external and internal environment.
Thoughts often get in the way of your meditation practice, but trying to force them away won’t work. You can train your brain to watch your thoughts, your stories, and even your emotions from the place of the observer.
Your mind is either present to the moment through your senses or lost in thought. It can't be in both places. There is no past or future when viewing sensations, only the now. Conversely, the internal monologue of thought will block sensations. When you are not aware of sensation, the moment is lost.
Nine Round Breath is a form of alternate nostril breathing, where you cover and breathe in and out of one nostril.The practice is composed of Nine rounds of alternate nostril breathing. One round of breath is an inhale, and an exhale.
Yoga Nidra is sometimes called yogic sleep. During Yoga Nidra you allow yourself to enter into a deeply relaxed state. While in this almost sleep-like state your mind may experience dreamlike experiences. But unlike sleep, there is awareness.
While in this deep relaxation, you can connect with your deeper consciousness. During this connection, deep healing and manifestation can occur.
RAIN is an acronym for a mindfulness meditation practice that brings awareness, and compassion to the sensations, thoughts, emotions, or whatever arises during the practice. The practice is not meant to try and fix anything, but to bring compassionate awareness to your experience.
A five-minute meditation can go a long way toward resetting your brain, but if your mind has been racing, or you are not in a quiet place it may be hard to settle into meditation.In this video, Using the breath and counting can help focus your mind.
One of the most difficult things to deal with while meditating is thoughts. You think about 60,000 thoughts a day and can’t just turn them off when you want to.
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” Alan W. Watts. The new year is a time when I find myself looking back at what was, trying to imagine the path ahead. But one thing I know, everything changes. Each year, each day, each moment, brings something different. Nothing stays the same forever, and I can’t cling or hold onto what was.
