 |
 |
|
|
|
|
1) Choose a relatively quiet place and sit in a comfortable position that will allow you to meditate and breath easily for up to twenty minutes, relax and close your eyes.
2) You now need to release any muscular tensions you may have. To do this, tense and relax your muscle groups, starting with the right side then the left. Start by tensing and releasing the muscles in the right foot, then the left. Continue in the same manner to the calve muscles, knees, thighs, buttocks, lower back, upper back, abdominal area, chest, hands (clench and release a fist), forearms, upper arms, shoulders, neck, face, scalp. By tensing and relaxing the muscles, you ensure that you release any tension within those muscles that you may not have been aware of.
3) Now mentally scan your body inwardly and release any other subtle tensions that may remain, by tensioning and releasing the muscles in that area as before.
4) Take a deep breath and let it go with an audible sigh. Let your stomach area relax to give the breath room to move. Now mentally explore the movement of the breath within you and revel in its motion. Do not try controlling this motion, let it be spontaneous.
5) Now start breathing in the 4-2-4-2 rhythm as practised in the introductory section. Whilst inhaling think 'I am breathing in positive energy', and whilst exhaling think 'I am breathing out negativity'. If you can, visualise this energy flowing in and out of the body as you breathe. Images such as pure golden light flowing in and grey contaminated light being exhaled are possible suggestions. You do not need to examine the specifics of this positive and negative energy the inner/higher/wiser self will take care of that. If you do not want to work with the energy visualisation it is not necessary, but it does help enormously.
6) After ten to twenty minutes emerge slowly from the meditation. Sit quietly with your eyes open for a minute, do not rush to get up as you may feel unsteady.
Whilst performing this technique, you may find the mind wanders. If you find this happening, simply return to the meditation without annoyance. If you are easily distracted examine each breath intently, if you feel sleepy open your eyes a little or sharpen up your posture. Have a background awareness of the sensations of heaviness/lightness, and how the body and mind feel. Allow the body to 'sleep' if necessary, but remain mentally awake.
If using this technique before bedtime, feel free to let your body and mind fall asleep, do not be worried that you have not 'completed' the meditation.
