Meditation-Mind Blog

“The farmer channels water to his land.
The fletcher whittles his arrows.
The carpenter turns his wood.
And the wise man directs his mind.”
                      — The Buddha

“I am not a disbeliever in those who have told me they went to bed in the evening with an unresolved problem on their mind and woke up to find, waiting for them there in their consciousness, the correct answer.”
                                               —- Dr. Jean Hanson
 

 

   

 

I once heard a German friend tell his young niece who had just bumped her knee - it’s OK, little one, it will be better by the time you get married. Her sobbing calmed to sniffling as she considered that idea. And moments later, she was up again, running and laughing with her sister.

What a neat thing to watch. What happened there? A slight shift in perspective seemed to have made quite a difference.
We can find ways to relieve our stress, as well, by just changing our own perspective a little.

Next time you’re feeling stressed by something (and that may be when you’re feeling rushed, easily irritated, pressured, impatient, your throat is feeling tight, your voice has risen in pitch) try asking yourself if this will matter by the time you get married. Or some appropriately distant time in the future.

Will this distress you’re feeling over this (fill-in-the-blank) matter 10 years from now? Or, for some specific examples, will this distress I’m feeling over this (broken dish or traffic jam or slow checkout line or infuriating editorial) matter 10 years from now? It’s not likely.

And when there’s a moment to sit down, try making a list of 10 things you were stressed about last year at this time.

How do they seem to you today? Is it possible you have reached that someday when you can laugh at them?

Now make a new list of things that are bothering you currently and ask yourself whether they’re likely to still be problems next year at this time.

Or the year after that.
Or 5 years from now.
Or by the time you get married.

Can you let yourself feel a little shift in perspective? And maybe a little sense of release? And the beginning of calm?

And you might be starting to think it will be OK. Could you be ready to laugh?
Perhaps not yet, but chances are pretty good you can recognize it’ll be better by the time you get married. And that little shift can be enough to make all the difference.

The experience of meditation and self-hypnosis can be quite similar in most respects - both are focused states which can be entered by putting attention on breathing or gazing at an object and both can leave you feeling calm and relaxed, as well as lowering your blood pressure, and helping you more easily manage stress.

I like David Harp’s brief and to the point definition of meditation - “Meditation is the art of mental self-control.” And the purpose of developing a meditation practice, then, is to learn to notice, understand and gain control over your thoughts. With practice, this skill will be available to serve you in even the most difficult circumstances. Along the way, you will be benefiting from the peaceful, relaxed state you experience regularly. In short, it feels good!

Self-hypnosis also needs to be practiced and offers a regular experience of a peaceful, relaxed state. It’s purpose can stop there - helping you to relax and calm yourself. It’s very valuable to learn for that purpose alone. By combining a focused, meditative state with specific suggestions, self-hypnosis is also commonly used to help people help themselves with all kinds of things they might want to change in their lives.

In addition to relaxation and stress management, a short list of the many possible effective uses of self-hypnosis include support for weight loss and quitting smoking, handling the fear of public speaking, controlling pain, enhancing performance in sports, music, stage and on the job, easing childbirth, improving memory, sleeping better, preparing for surgery, enhancing learning, accelerating healing, improving self-confidence and calming a fear of flying.The list goes on and on.

So, the chief difference between meditation and self-hypnosis seems to be your purpose in practicing them. Both are highly beneficial and while a person can practice both of them, if one calls to you more than the other, I’d encourage you to go for it. It’ll be good.

 

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
                                                        —Marcel Proust

Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you.
                                                        —Nathaniel Hawthorne

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.
                                                        —Sophia Loren

Conditioning Your Mind and Body To Relax

I guess you could call progressive relaxation a classic method for entering into a meditative state. I first remember learning it as part of the natural childbirth classes my husband and I took before our first child was born. The key then, as is still the case, was to practice regularly so that relaxing became second nature.

Practicing relaxation with a partner was very helpful, I found, especially because part of that particular process included a test. After relaxing all the muscle groups, the birthing partner was asked to test the mom-to-be by lifting her wrists or ankles and seeing whether they were kind of floppy or whether she was still helping to lift the arm or leg. It provided an added incentive to let all the tension go.

Another very helpful part of our practice was to add touch - the birthing partner would gently rest a hand on the mom’s shoulder, for example, and lovingly say - relax your shoulder. Or, if during the testing, the wrist and arm were still tense, the hand would rest on the arm and her partner would suggest that she relax her arm. Soon, just the touch of the partner’s hand would trigger the relaxation response. Many years later, when I studied to be a hypnotist, I learned that that was called anchoring. And to help you know just how powerful anchoring is, even now, if my husband rests his hand on my shoulder, I instantly relax.

During my early training as a hypnotist, our instructor taught us all kinds of inductions, and I always find them fun to learn. There are many paths to reaching the deep meditative state we call trance. But she also let us know that the induction that she used most often was progressive relaxation, largely because her clients loved it.

I would guess that one reason it’s so popular is that it leaves you feeling good. If you have a headache when you begin,  it’s very likely to have vanished completely by the time you finish. Worries dissipate, tensions ease, stress is relieved. If you practice this before bedtime, you’re likely to have an easier time falling asleep. If it’s used for a break in a stressful day, you’re likely to find things a little easier to deal with after your practice.

Generally speaking, progressive relaxation is a process which consists of systematically relaxing muscle groups throughout the body until you reach a state of deep relaxation. By focusing on each muscle group, you also keep your mind from wandering off into the worries of the day. So, by the time you have completed the process, not only is your body relaxed, but your mind is beginning to relax, as well.

A progressive relaxation can be approached in several different ways. You can start by relaxing your feet and move up the body to the head, or begin at the top of the head and move down the body to the feet or you can alternately tense and relax muscle groups in whatever order you want. Try whichever route appeals to you most.

Because part of our purpose here is not only to reach a relaxed state but to condition the mind and body to relax at will, it’s helpful to choose a method and to practice that same method at least once a day until it becomes automatic.

The script that follows begins at the top of the head and moves all the way down the body to the toes because it’s the version I happen to like most.

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Progressive Relaxation, The Process

Let yourself get comfortable either sitting or lying down. Let your eyes gently close. Allow yourself this time to let go.

Breathe out. You can sigh as you exhale if you want to.

Now slowly breathe in to the count of 4 and then breathe out completely to the count of 6,  just taking your time and letting go.

Slowly breathe in - 2 - 3 - 4 and out - 2  - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

And breathe in - 2 - 3 - 4 and out - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

and again, breathe in - 2 - 3 - 4 and out - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

Allow yourself for a moment to pay attention to what tension feels like and then to notice how good it feels to release it. This time after you take your slow breath in to the count of 4, hold your breath to the count of 4, while making a fist at the same time. Then release and once again, breathe out slowly to the count of 6, noticing how good it feels to let go.

Then return to taking a long slow deep breath in - 2 - 3 - 4
and slowly breathe out once again - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

Now let yourself feel a soothing, relaxing sensation starting at the top of your head and spreading down over your scalp. Let it spread down over your forehead and your eyelids and the tiny muscles around your eyes. Feel them all relax.

Now let the soothing, relaxing sensation spread over your cheeks and into your jaw. Feel your cheeks and jaw relax and go loose.

Now feel the soothing, relaxing sensation soothing and relaxing the back of your head and your neck and moving down into your shoulders, releasing all the tension and helping you feel comfortable and relaxed. Feel your neck and your shoulders relaxing even more.

Notice the soothing, relaxing sensation move to your upper arms and your elbows, your lower arms, your wrists and palms and into your fingers all the way to the tips. Feel your arms and your hands relax.

Now let the soothing, relaxing sensation spread over your chest and down your back. Feel your chest and your back relaxing and growing more and more comfortable.

Now feel the soothing, relaxing sensation spread down over your belly and your lower back. Just let go and feel your belly and lower back relax.

Now feel the soothing, relaxing sensation spread down through your hips, letting those muscles go and feeling your hips relax more and more.

And notice the soothing, relaxing sensation spreading down to your upper legs and to your knees, releasing any tensions there. Feel your upper legs and your knees relax.

Now feel the soothing, relaxing sensation moving down into your lower legs and into your ankles, to your feet and all the way to your toes.  Just let go. Feel your lower legs and ankles and feet and toes relax.

Now let yourself just enjoy this pleasant, relaxed feeling, as you let yourself rest and be completely supported, relaxing even more deeply. Know that anytime you choose, you can experience this pleasant, relaxed feeling easily, just by thinking about it.

Now just for a moment, bring to mind someone you love. Thank them for being there. Notice where you feel these warm feelings of love and gratitude and let these feelings spread throughout your body. Just let yourself feel good, feeling very loved and very loving. Know that anytime you choose, you can experience this good, loving feeling just by thinking about it.

And now, if you choose to fall asleep, go ahead and have a sweet, peaceful sleep and awaken at the desired time feeling well rested and very good.

If you choose to awaken now instead, just start to notice the sounds in the room around you and begin to count from 1 to 6, stirring a little, and letting yourself become more and more awake with each number, still feeling very good and very relaxed and waking completely at the number 6 with a stretch and a smile and a sweet feeling of well being.

 

 

Would it surprise you to know that you’ve been in a trance before? Not just once, but many times.

Here are just 10 examples of commonly occurring trance experiences:

1. That relaxed state we experience in between waking and sleeping, just before falling asleep and just before we fully awaken is one.

2.  Daydreaming, a natural occurrence healthy people experience many times a day, is an altered state, as well.

3.  Gazing out a window

4.  Or gazing into a campfire can induce one.

5.  Getting absorbed in a really good book can do it too.

6.  Being so intensely focused on a football game on TV that people can talk to you without getting your full attention

7.  Or seeing a thriller at the movies that keeps you on the edge of your seat can both provide you with a trance experience.

8.  Anyone who has arrived home without fully remembering driving there has experienced it.

9.  Watching and listening to something rhythmic and repetitive like windshield wipers moving back and forth in the rain

10. Or watching the scenery passing by to the steady click-clack of your train can induce it too.

All of these are everyday examples of times when you may have experienced an altered state of consciousness. I mention this to pull back the curtain on some of the mystique surrounding the trance state. It’s not really as woo-woo or weird as it’s sometimes made out to be. Instead it’s something rather familiar and commonplace and not at all threatening.

What happens in self-hypnosis or when listening to a guided meditation, is that we can learn to enter that familiar, very focused state intentionally whenever we choose to do so. So instead of it being a random event which happens without our recognizing it, we learn to recognize it and choose when we wish to enter it. In fact, it’s sometimes described as “deliberate daydreaming.”

By relaxing our bodies, focusing our minds and giving ourselves suggestions in that very focused state, we can accomplish some very beneficial things. As I mentioned in a previous post, the short list includes: relaxation and stress management, support for weight loss and quitting smoking, handling the fear of public speaking, controlling pain, enhancing performance in sports, music, on stage and on the job, easing childbirth, improving memory, sleeping better, preparing for surgery, accelerating healing, enhancing learning, improving self-confidence and calming a fear of flying. All that from a little “deliberate daydreaming.”

All in all, it may help you to know that when you practice self-hypnosis you will just be intentionally doing something you have done countless times before.
 

“This is what I want from now on: a slower pace, a more centered existence, and the feelings of perfect happiness to be found in the moments I come home to myself.”
                                                 —Linda Weltner
“What lies behind us and what lies before us, are small matters, compared to what lies within us.”
                                                 —Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Each day affirm that there is nothing in this world that can stop you from transforming your life, opening your heart, loving yourself and sharing your love with everyone you encounter.”
                                                 —Yogi Amrit Desai

 

 

 

Counting your breath sounds like it might take quite a while. In truth, it’s a technique you can use for just a few minutes or continue for an hour, if you choose. Breath counting is a very simple meditation technique which provides excellent practice in keeping your mind focused. Practicing this technique offers lessons in maintaining concentration, noticing your thoughts without judging them, and returning your mind gently to its task.

Once you get the hang of it, this is an excellent meditation technique to use in any situation when you need to calm yourself. Visiting your dentist? Try a few rounds of breath counting. Just heard your bank bounced your check? Breathe and count.

The idea here is to count each breath for a series of 4 breaths and then to repeat that pattern of counting each breath for another series of 4 breaths, continuing until you reach 5 rounds of counted breaths.

The Technique
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As with any meditation, begin by getting yourself in a comfortable position. Close your eyes if that’s appropriate for your surroundings.

Now as you breathe in slowly, think “one” to yourself and then repeat “one” as you breathe out.

With your next breath, count “two” as you inhale and repeat “two” as you exhale.

Continue by counting “three” as you breathe in and repeating “three” as you breathe out.

And complete the first round by counting “four” as you breathe in and repeating “four” as you breathe out.

Go on to your next round of breath counting in the same way, counting “one” as you breathe in and repeating “one” as you breathe out and so on, repeating the pattern: In-1 — Out-1, In-2 — Out-2, In-3 — Out-3, and In-4 — Out-4.

Proceed with each round of breath counting until you’ve completed 5 rounds.

If you should lose track of your count at any time or you notice stray thoughts entering your mind, just let the thoughts float on by and gently return your mind to focusing once again on counting each breath, beginning again with “one”.

You can’t lose with this technique. During the process of learning to maintain your focus for longer and longer periods you also learn to look at your thoughts without judging them each time you gently return your mind to counting each breath. It’s all practice, no matter whether you’re maintaining your focus or learning to gently return to focusing.

As with all meditation techniques, you can modify this to suit your tastes. You might want to count to 5 or 7 or 10 instead of 4, for example, before you repeat the pattern.

Or, instead of repeating a series of 4 counted breaths, you may choose to set a goal of counting 50 or 100 breaths, noticing how high a number you can reach before you lose focus and return again to one. The task here isn’t so much to reach a high number as it is to give yourself plenty of practice at maintaining your concentration, observing your thoughts without judging them, and guiding your mind to a focused state.

In addition to helping to train your mind, each time you practice breath counting, you may also notice that you’re feeling much more peaceful than when you began.

 

“I close my eyes in order to see.”
—Paul Gaugin

 
“Perhaps the only limits to the human mind are those we believe in.”                                  —Willis Harman 

 

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched…but are felt in the heart.”—Helen Keller

 

 

Sometimes I find that doing simple rhythmic tasks puts me into a relaxed meditative state. Now that it’s autumn, for some people, that could take the form of raking leaves or stacking firewood or gathering the walnuts that the squirrels haven’t already stored away.

At this time of year, I like to round up an assortment of flowerpots and some potting soil and search the garden for some plants that still look happy and might like to come inside for the winter.

So, over and over, I say hello to each plant and tell it I’m taking it inside as I dig it up, tuck it in a pot and press potting soil around it. Parsley, sage, rosemary, (no thyme), a marigold, some impatiens, baby lamb’s ears, some lemon balm. As I work, I take in their pungent fragrances and still-bright colors.

Experiencing the rhythm of the task, marking the earth’s change of season and feeling the joy of communing with each of these living things becomes a calming meditation. Just a short time playing in the dirt is a peace-inducing experience that takes me far away from any stresses I may have been feeling.

By the time I have all the plants settled into their new home in the kitchen window that gets the most sun, I’m feeling very relaxed, very peaceful and very good.

All winter long, each time I look at them, and each time I water them, I’ll let them remind me of the power of our minds. In the words of Albert Camus: “In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.”

For more thoughts on meditative experiences in our everyday lives, you might like to have a look at this article on meditation at Mystic Eye.