how to meditate
Just as a musician prepares by playing scales, a meditator begins with familiar rituals. Find a quiet place, loosen constricting clothes, and…
Sitting on a chair or in a comfortable, cross-legged meditation pose, with your head, neck, and trunk in alignment, close your eyes.
Turn your attention to the touch of the breath in the nostrils, observing it for several minutes. Feel the cool touch of the inhalation, and the warm touch of the exhalation.
As the breath changes direction, keep your focus—this is a time when it is easy for the mind to wander. Relax and follow the breath, sensing each inhalation and each exhalation as well as each transition between breaths.
Let the feeling of the breath become a resting place for your attention, and gently relax your mind.
Now silently recite the soham mantra in coordination with your breath. Inhaling, think the sound so…. Exhaling, think the sound hum…. Let each sound flow smoothly into the next.
Other thoughts will come and go, but they are not the focus of your attention. Simply continue to follow the flow of the breath at the nostrils, letting the sound soham flow in your mind.
When your mind is refreshed, slowly open your eyes into your palms and draw your awareness outward once again.
adapted from Yoga International by Rolf Solvik May/June 2007
meditation tools and timers with chimes
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