Two Ways to Start Meditating Now

In less than ten minutes

In evenings of hot summer days when I was a kid, the cricket chirps filled the air. Maybe you remember them too. They always made me feel a certain calmness and good feeling. Did you hear the crickets last night? One of my goals in meditation is to be able to hear things that made me feel calm and that good feeling and filter out what doesnt.

The science around meditation is clear: as the mind is focused goes the body. If you focus your mind on things that are appealing and nourishing, you can feel in your body that same nourishing feeling.

I know however that Meditation (and crickets for that matter) is not for everyone. Everyone who doesnt meditate has their reasons.

This is not however for them.

1) Meditation one: Find a sound in your midst and start exploring it with your mind. At this moment, there is a buzz sound from a sander off in the distance (on my roof deck so it is not too loud or too soft) pick a sound that fills enough of the airspace around you. If you cannot find a sound, see if you can hear your heart beat. Avoid sounds that are piercing loud or upsetting. With your eyes closed, can you envision the sound as a breeze flowing around you or near you. Can you draw your attention to the sound as a form or even as a sound wave? Maybe it transforms from moment to moment. Maybe it shape shifts into a person or an animal? Or colors?

Step one: after you have identified a sound, take a slow breath into your nose and as you do feel the sound travel inside your nose and into your sinuses and head. Go ahead, imagine the sound as the vibrations that it is and inhale them. Now slowly exhale from your mouth and imagine seeing the sound coming out of your mouth, up your throat and over your lips. Imagine the sound vibrate your vocal chords and lips even for a moment.

Step two: really explore the feeling of the sound in your body where ever you feel it most. Give the sound or vibration space by saying to yourself “open up” or “give it space” and do it by speaking gently to yourself. It is essential to develop a self talk that is curious and soft with yourself.

Step three: with each slow in hale and exhale, introduce the sound starting at your toes. Literally say “toes meet my heart beat” and even if you cannot feel your sound or heart beat there, imagine yourself saying “toes, one day you will meet my heart beat (or the sound).”

Step four: do not rush up your body fast. Stop at each muscle group or joint you can find and introduce the sound there. If you can actually feel the sound at a particular spot now, feel free to start where you feel it strong. For example, I can feel the buzz not only in my ears but also in my neck and shoulders.

Step five: stay with the sound and your body. What I mean by this is that you could imagine placing your minds eye right at the connection of the sound and the body. Envision the sound as a blanket or a cool breeze on you or over you. Can you envision and feel the sound wash over your body?

2) meditation two: for this meditation, set your clock to ten minutes. After you have identified a sound, now it is dogs barking in the background that actually drives me nuts, repeat the words “I’m ok” as you inhale and “Im ok” as you exhale.

After the third or fourth inhale it is perfectly normal to drift away into thoughts but when you remember, take an inhale, see if you can find your sound and say “I’m ok.” Now slow down your exhale and repeat Your mantra as many times as you want or can as you exhale and even at the pauses between breaths. Do the same on your next inhale, repeating like a machine gun is fine but pay attention to your sound too.

See if you can maintain a dual focus on your mantra and your sound. Maybe your sound has drifted far away or is silent. Pick a new sound even for one i hale or exhale. What can you explore in your body as you focus on the sound. For me, I just be came aware of my ear lobe and that my normal shoulder spot got tense.

As you drift away, be curious about where your mind is when you find yourself having drifted and be gentle with yourself. See if you can smile when you find yourself “away” and smile internally as you resume your inhales, your mantra and attending to your sound.

If you enjoyed this, check out my podcast thru www.thepanicproject.com