A Beginners guide to meditation
Meditation is the foundation. Be in trust, in love. Attention will follow intention-following us through-out the day. I invite you to create an intention, what is your heart calling in?
Lets learn to slow down.
The most challenging thing for a woman to do is slow down. When we step back into ourselves, when we slow down the breath, we can tap into this space of our cosmic womb, this safe space where all is one.
Beginning a meditation practice can maybe seem overwhelming. However it is quite straight forward. I would say the hardest part is the commitment. Once you are there, all you need to do is start. My meditation practice started in 2016, when I first went to India, and initiated into the Sattva meditation practice. To be honest it has been a bumpy ride. I can go months meditating everyday, and then something changes in my day to day life, that my practice gets knocked off course. I’ll go some time without it, until i’ve recalibrated. I’ll find my feet and then get back on the train. This is the real life of a mother, being ready for all the waves that present themselves.
What I can say, is that life feels way better when I meditate in my day. I am more focused, more in tune with my feelings, my energy, and just more present. It has become a non-negotiable for me. Life is incredible, and meditation helps you remember that!
How do you commit? Choose a time that is most suitable to you. For me it is early in the morning, and in the northern hemisphere where I live, that generally means when it is still dark outside. I use my husbands alarm as my gauge point. He sets his alarm for 5:30am to get ready for work. And without him knowing, I use it as my get outta bed and meditate alarm. It’s suitable for me, because he leaves the bedroom, leaving me with the space and the silence to be alone. My meditation cushion is already set up in front of the window, where I like to sit. And my meditation beads are ready on a little table next to the cushion. You could say it is my meditation spot, however I have several around the house depending on the privacy and silence I require in that moment. One thing that remains constant, is they are all set up near windows. I like to use a big white scarf to cover my head and my eyes, it help’s with going inwards, kinda of like blocking out other stimulation. Our eyes are so sensitive to movement, even when they are closed, that the scarf is key for me.
When my daughter was younger, the only time I could sneak in a meditation was in the evening after she had gone to bed.
A commitment to the practice is a way in creating trust within yourself. As human beings, we are creatures of rituals. Whether those rituals are being made mindfully or mindless. A meditation practice is choosing to create a mindful ritual. Cultivating rich rituals that uplight the spirit, instead of toxic rituals, like maybe looking at your phone when you first wake up. How can you cultivate healthier rituals for your life?
Okay, so how do you start meditating?
Sit down, either on a cushion, the floor, the bed, the couch, wherever you happen to be, just sit down and get comfortable. We want to elevate our hips higher than our knees to help create a more stable foundation. Sitting comfortably with a good posture is important, it really sets the key for how long you can sit. Try and do this in a space that has limited external sounds, that’s why I prefer early morning, however the more you practice, you’ll realize that you can do this anywhere!
If you have a Mala, (meditation beads) perfect, if you don’t, don’t worry. This shouldn’t be the reason why you don’t meditate.
Mala’s are a sacred tool, made with 108 beads. So why is there 108 beads? This question has many different answers. 108 is a representation of the sacred number 9, representing the trinity. For me, this tool offers us a way for shifting into the direction of silence. So that we can invoke the meditation. The vibration of our meditation, the words we are repeating have a deeper meaning, and doing them 108 times really allow these vibrations to settle into our nervous system and into our cells. The 108 beads are divided by 9, so you have 9 sets of 12 beads, all separated by little knots. I like to use these rounds for keeping track of my process.
There is a 109th bead, this is the “guru” bead.
If you don’t have a Mala, you can use a timer. I have downloaded a meditation timer on my phone. They let you set multiple bells to split up the meditation into rounds, and you can choose a different bell sound for the end of your meditation.
I start the meditation by doing a round, 12 beads, of a breathing technique, Nadi Shodhana, to settle my body into the present moment. This technique will be another post, however you can just start with a simple inhale and exhale on each bead, for one round.
I then focus on the mantra, SO HUM, for another round. SO HUM meaning I AM. (This as well deserves its own post on itself, that I will come back to. )
You can continue this mantra for the rest of the mala, or timed meditation. Or you can choose a mantra that you are resonating with. This is the exciting part, because if you’re into different deities, and what they represent, you can use their bija mantra for your practice.
Examples of this are:
Lakshmi
She represents abundance and prosperity.
Her Bija Mantra is Shrim. (Bija Mantra is a sound that creates vibration).
A Mantra for her is: Om Shrim Maha Lakshmi Namaha
Durga
She represents courage and power.
Her Bija Mantra is Hrim.
A Mantra for her is: Om Dum Durgaya Namaha
There are many many dieties, and many many mantras that we use to invoke their energy and what they represent. We use these as a tool to raise our vibrations, to help us evolve in our daily lives.
During meditation, the mind loves to play games. She will tell you many stories, she will talk to you, tell you your nose is itchy, or you’re thirsty. She will tell you this isn’t working, or the list of the things you need to do today. She does this so that you will well get up and stop, don’t listen to her! This is all normal. My most important key point that I want you to take away is, this is normal! This is why our breath is important, or why our Mala is important, or why our mantra is important. They all bring us back to the present moment, bring us back to our body, and calm our mind.
Meditation practice for me is something that I have integrated and cultivated into my life, it calls to me. For me, I know that all my answers are found when I am in my practice. It clears my mind, and helps me set achievable goals for the day. And most of all, it helps me stay present and patient with myself and my family.
Please feel free to send me a message to ask questions on meditation or how to pronounce these mantras, I am here to help!
