Spiritual Solutions

The following questions were asked by a reporter for an article that she is writing regarding meditation and creating an at-home retreat. I really enjoyed corresponding with her and I thought that the Q&A would be helpful to anyone interested in guided meditation and visualization. I hope you enjoy it, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

Hello,

1) What is meant by guided meditation? The practice of meditation requires a place to focus one’s attention. The breath, a candle, a mantra or even looking at a blank wall is what is often used as the focus for one’s attention. In guided meditation, the instructors voice and use of guided imagery act as the focal point for the student. The sound of the instructor’s voice, the instruction given, and the guided imagery act to bring the student’s attention away from stressful thoughts and feelings, and into a very pleasant stress-free state.

2) How does meditation work to minimize stress? Stress arises from our erroneous perceptions about reality and from focusing continuously on the past and/or future. For example, each day that you leave for work you encounter traffic on the 405 freeway. As you drive towards the freeway you may begin to feel a sense of anxiety or dread because you are anticipating (future) the traffic. As you sit on the freeway, you begin thinking to yourself, “This is ridiculous. Why are there so many people in California? This shouldn’t be happing to me. I better not be late,” and so on. You may think that it is the traffic that is creating stress, when in reality it is your thoughts about the traffic that is creating your stress. Of course the argument can be made that if there wasn’t any traffic, you wouldn’t be feeling stressed. But the truth is, is that there is traffic in the moment that you are on the freeway. Meditation teaches us not only to be present to whatever is happening “now,” it also helps us to clear the lens of our perception so that we can see reality accurately. We become the watcher of our thoughts which empowers us with choice…either we can continue to complain about the traffic until we feel so badly that we make ourselves sick, or we can choose to just see reality as it is, “I am sitting in the car, there are other cars around me, my hands are on the wheel, my breath is deep, the sky is blue.” When you place your attention on what is actually happening now, the incessant chatter in the mind about what should or shouldn’t be happening stops and you begin to feel better. Without the practice of meditation, it would be difficult to have the presence of mind to watch your thoughts in this way.

All humans have what’s called in the east “monkey brain,” meaning our minds jump around continuously like a monkey. I have found that for the beginning student guided meditation is a wonderful tool that trains our ability to stabilize our minds. It also gets fast results. For the continuing student, guided meditation is fun and is a wonderful tool for self-healing. It’s important to note that when the mind begins to worry, for example, about the past or future the body does not know that the event isn’t happening now. That is, as you are anticipating and thinking about the potential traffic on the freeway, your body begins to react as if you are on the freeway now. Your heart begins to beat faster, your stomach begins to churn, your adrenal glands begin to release adrenaline, your thyroid begins to react etc… In the case of guided meditation, we use this principle to train the mind to create a sense of ease in the body. For example, if I am imagining that I am on the beach with my feet in the water and the sky is blue, my body does not know that I am not at the beach. In other words, my body will react to whatever stimulus my mind feeds it. Amazing!

3) What other benefits does meditation have? (ie, health, weight loss, etc.) How so? Deep breathing can lower blood pressure, improve digestion and help you to lose weight by oxygenating the blood and regulating the metabolism. It can help to improve brain function because deep breathing also oxygenates the brain. Deep breathing through the nose can also reduce the frequency of colds and flu because the air is warmed and filtered through the cilia in the nose, (Mother Daughter Wisdom, by Christine Northrup M.D.) There is evidence that a consistent meditation and mindfulness practice can re-wire the brain. For more information see: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02791/self-healing Also a consistent practice is wonderful for a better night’s sleep, again because you are learning to reduce the brain chatter (which is what keeps most American’s up at night). For more information please read my article “How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep,” at http://www.myspiritualsolutions.com/blog/ Also, guided meditation and visualization can help the body to feel very relaxed, so relaxed that it will stimulate the body’s natural healing response.

4) How does meditation make people who practice it happier? Simply, a positive outlook on life and a relaxed body and mind are two key ingredients for a happy healthy life. Meditation and Mindfulness practice helps to create both conditions.

5) How can someone who lacks mediation experience try out a meditation practice during a one-week at-home retreat? I always encourage my students to create a sacred space at home. A sacred space is a small area made especially for their practice or study/reading. In this space there may be a special cushion or chair, a shawl or blanket to wrap themselves in and maybe a table where they place a candle and maybe some incense. If they haven’t meditated before they can purchase a guided meditation CD (I have one for sale at the gift shop on the first floor of the BCHD building) to guide them into a space of calm and relaxation.

Would you please walk me through a simple meditation how-to? Meditation can be frustrating without the guidance of an instructor, so I like to give my students a very simple exercise when they are just beginning: Before beginning a formal meditation practice, try this: Turn on some pleasant music, dim the lights and lie on the floor and place your hands on your stomach. Inhale slowly through the nose allowing the belly to rise on the inhale and hold the breath briefly. Next, exhale slowly through the nose, and hold the exhale briefly-that’s one round. Do 5 to 10 rounds, focusing your attention on the feeling of the breath and the rise and fall of your hands on your stomach.

I hope you find this information useful.

Many blessings,

Krista

Popularity: 33% [?]

“Like the body needs sleep the mind needs rest also”–Swami Adiswarananda Guided Meditation, Visualization and Mindfulness with Krista Magidson 

Commonly Asked Questions about Meditation and Mindfulness 

1. “What is Meditation?”  Meditation is simply the practice of being here now.  It is the practice where we learn to release ourselves from the burden of past and the anticipation of the future. 
2. “How does ‘being here now’ create better health and wellbeing?”  Stress and anxiety come from our mind’s tendency to be focused on thoughts and images about our past and/or the future. When we move our attention away from these thoughts and images then what’s left is no-stress, just the present moment. 
3. “Is Meditation Religious?”  Typically the purpose of meditation is two-fold:
   1. To use it as a tool to help you manage everyday stress—these are short term solutions where you’ll learn various breathing techniques, toning, simple stretching exercises and affirmations and/or to use it as a tool for personal transformation.  However, meditation in and of it self is not religious and it is non-dogmatic, although you could use it in conjunction with an already established religious practice.
4. “What are you going to teach us in this class?”  My intention with this class is to address both aspects of meditation, with specific emphasis on explaining and experiencing the three aspects of mind: Ego (Reactive/Thinking Mind), Personal/Witnessing Mind and Impersonal/Higher Mind, to teach the methods of acquiring long term stress relief, how to be deeply relaxed and yet alert, to enhance your knowledge of the body/mind, to deepen your natural intuitive abilities and to activate the body’s natural resources for self-healing.  It has been my experience that guided meditation and visualization are not only enjoyable but are extremely helpful to center even the most active mind.
5. “What if Guided Meditation and Visualization doesn’t work for me?”  It is important to note that there are many forms of meditation practice and practitioners so it’s perfectly alright if this class and this method doesn’t work for you. 
6. “What topics will we cover?”  Topics will include: 
   1. The nature of stress—Closing the Stress Gap
   2.  Thoughts, Emotions and the Physiological Loop
   3. The three fold nature of the Mind (ego, witness, higher mind)
   4. How to build and support a consistent meditation practice at home.
7. “I have trouble keeping my mind focused, so making my mind go blank seems impossible.  Will this interfere with my practice?”  Meditation is not about willing your mind to go blank…this will create tension and stress in the body/mind.  In this practice you learn very simple techniques that will help you to move your attention away from the thoughts and into the refuge of the body and the sanctuary of the breath.  The guided visualization portion of this class will be especially helpful in training your attention to remain in the present moment as well as helping you to feel really good and relaxed. 
8. “What if I fall asleep during class?”  It is normal to dose-off during class.  However, if you find that you are falling asleep consistently, then practice keeping your eyes slightly open during the meditation and sitting in an upright position.
9. “Sometimes I feel discomfort while meditating.  Am I doing something wrong?”  It is also very normal to feel discomfort during meditation.  You may feel anxious, your limbs may fall asleep and your back may hurt from sitting. In addition you may find it difficult to concentrate or to follow the flow of the meditation.   This is normal and will ease as the class goes on. 

10. “What is Mindfulness?”  St. Theresa of Avila said that, “mindfulness is not the same as thinking.”  To be mindful is to be aware, when we practice mindfulness we practice doing one thing at a time.  For example, when you are eating you pay attention to each bite, when your child is speaking you look her in the eye and listen, when you are driving you are not talking on the phone, etc… Mindfulness is surrendering to each moment, moment by moment by moment.  In time this surrendering becomes a way of entering into the arena of life thoughtfully, compassionately and joyously.  With mindfulness practice the entire world becomes the object of your practice. 
11. “What are the benefits of Guided Meditation, Visualization and Mindfulness?
    1. Relaxation
    2. Stress Reduction
    3. Clearer thinking, focus and concentration
    4. Emotional stability
    5. Physical well being
    6. Compassion
    7. Empathy
    8. Joy
    9. Freedom from the burden of the mind
    10. Inner Peace

A few comments on proper breathing… 

1. “What is the proper way to breathe?”  In this class we practice the yogic style of breathing.  You always inhale through the nose allowing the belly to expand first, then the ribs and then the chest.  On the exhale the chest falls, ribs collapse and belly moves towards the spine.
2. “It’s easier for me to take a deep breath when I suck in my stomach and puff out my chest.”  This is a very common comment.  In yogic breathing the idea is to reconnect with the natural way of breathing.  If you watch a baby while she’s asleep her tummy rises and falls.  Her breaths are full and deep and easy.    Shallow breathing is a learned behavior.  If you are mindful, you’ll notice that you hold your breath throughout the day especially when stressed.  Shallow breathing is synonymous with imbalance, while natural breathing is synonymous with balance.
3. “But it feels uncomfortable when I breathe in this way.”  This is because you are not used to utilizing your full lung capacity.  When you breathe deeply and fully, you have to stretch your intercostal muscles (the ones between the ribs) to expand your lungs fully.  Balance is natural for you.  Within a couple of weeks deep breathing will once again be second nature.  
4. In short, please breathe in and out through your nose, taking the breath all the way down to the belly unless otherwise directed (there is a technique where we exhale the mouth).
5. “Are there any other reasons why I should breathe in and out through my nose?” Yes, breathing through the nose: 
   1. Makes exercise mush easier because it restores sympathetic/parasympathetic balance so that you finish a workout energized, not exhausted.
   2. Keeps the rib cage flexible.  As a result, lung capacity is optimized and you can oxygenate your body and brain more efficiently.
   3. Minimizes occurrence of colds and sinus infections, because air that is breathed into your lungs through the nose has been warmed and filtered by the cilia in your nasal passages.
   4. Improves metabolism because the better aeration of the lungs oxygenates the blood and burns calories more efficiently.  (Mother Daughter Wisdom by Christiane Northrup, M.D.)

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Presently I’m teaching a series of classes based on the book, ”The Amazing Power of Your Emotions,” by Ester and Jerry Hicks.  During one of the class sessions, someone asked how the concept of karma relates to the Law of Attraction.  More specifically, she wanted to know how does all the baggage we carry with us from life time to life time (i.e.,  the typical Western view of karma) affect the idea that we can of think our way into better health, better relationships and more wealth.  In other words, what happens to all of our emotional and psychological and spiritual baggage? Do we just think it away?  Or does it continue to haunt and pester us no matter how positively we think?  This is such a fantastic question, one that will clarify the role our past has in creating a happy future. 

 Karma means action in Sanskrit.  Unfortunately, karma is often seen from a perspective that limits it to a kind of fate, ”my car was stolen because I must have stolen someone else’s vehicle in a previous lifetime…it’s my karma.” The Law of Attraction on the other hand, seems to discount the very popular notion that in order to understand the present and create a better future we need to delve into and understand our past. It appears then that The Law of Attraction is always leaning forward and our karma keeps us with one foot in the past.

Working with Our Karma 

Karma is the habitual ways  in which we view ourselves and the world; it is the unconscious modes of behavior that we have inherited.  Biologically we have  inherited many traits and habits, for example inheriting your Grandmother’s temperament as well as her eyes. We also ”…inherit the eyes that we are seen with,” as Dr. Stephen Cope discusses in his wonderful book, “Yoga and the Quest for the True Self.”  That is, in addition to our biological inheritance,  how we see ourselves and our world is determined by how we are seen by those closest to us and by how our society sees us also.  How many African American men have you heard say that when they walk past a woman she grabs hold of her purse? If a young black man is seen as a menace by society then that world view often times becomes a filter for how he sees himself and the world he lives in.  Contemplate how it would feel to walk by someone who  looked at you with fear and suspicion? Would you feel angry, indifferent, defiant? Or would you implode taking it all in allowing it mold your deepest feelings about who you are?  Then ask yourself what action (karma) would arise from those feelings, from that viewpoint, from an unconscious sense of self derived from an outsiders view of you?  Perhaps there is a situation in your life that is more personal and immediate, one that allows you to see that who you think you are, is really tied to the things that your mother or father has said about you and to you. The truth is, is that we all share in this reality and this is the basis for most of our personal and collective suffering, wrong view. 

Karma is also the energy that moves through us and like a magnet it attracts more of the same to us.  We call this aspect of karma, the Law of Cause and Effect, what comes around goes around, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  According to this law,  if we are silently or not so silently indifferent, we will, through our actions, attract that same indifference to us.  We will create for ourselves a world of apathy where nothing every moves, or breathes or lives. If on the other hand we are aware of our feelings of indifference and separation or whatever, then we become the master of our destiny…we now can exercise the supreme gift of choice.

Working with Our Karma and The Law of Attraction 

Choice is the energy that drives the use of the Law of Attraction.  Like karma, the Law of Attraction is often over simplified and misunderstood.  The Law of Attraction is not just positive thinking.   Positive thinking is meaningless if we do not understand the habitual patterns and beliefs (i.e., our karma) that motivate our thoughts and actions.  This is how these two concepts of the same reality, karma and The Law of Attraction, can work together.  If you desire better healthier relationships, then you need to become aware of how you feel and you behave in your relationships.  If you desire love and support, ask yourself, “Am I loving and supportive?  Or do I have a habit of undermining myself and others in my relationships through my neediness, my anger, my sense of unworthiness?”  The Law of Attraction tells us, that we must become what it is we desire.  The Law of Cause and Effect demands it since we can only attract what is like our view of ourselves.  How can we create peace through anger and resistance?  How can we attract love when we undermine or belittle ourselves or our loved ones.

 At the core of The Law of Attraction is action, we must become, we must do, we must create the container that will hold our desire.  If you desire to lose weight, you must eat more healthfully, exercise more regularly, and create a positive mental atmosphere about your sense of well-being now.  When you do this, your body takes over, it responds to your thoughts, intentions and actions.  You don’t tell the body how to shed the pounds, you just create the conditions for the intelligence of the body to take over.  It is the same with this Law of Attraction.  You must be the architect of the container to hold what it is you desire, then the intelligence of the Universal Body will take over… and your cup will overflow with all the good you can stand!

Popularity: 100% [?]

My goal with this blog is to write a post each week, but since I’ve been busy with kid stuff (progress reports came out this week), volunteer activities at the church and new classes, I missed a week of writing.

In the past, I would allow myself to become so busy that eventually I would be lost in the momentum of all the doing. I wouldn’t eat well or sleep well and quality time with my family would suffer. But like a spinning top on an uneven surface, I would lose momentum, sputter, wobble and eventually fall over.

Subconsciously the only thing that would stop the mania was a bad cold or a flu. Consciously I knew, as many of us A-type personalities do, that I was feeling ill because I allowed myself to get run down. Eventually however, I became very aware of the feeling of relief that accompanied the cold or flu. I became aware that being sick was the only time that I allowed myself stop…I could just lie around in bed, sleep and recuperate. In other words the cold/flu cycle was part of a very predictable and larger unhealthy cycle and served a great purpose for me. Whether it’s a cold, a bad back or a migraine my intuition is that this cycle is the same for many, many people.

The other part of this cycle is how our sense of self is tied up in what we do, what we have and what group we belong to. Material gratification is transient or short lived. You get the house it’s beautiful, but eventually you have to fix this or that, or you need new furniture, or you need to knock down a wall and expand the kitchen. There is nothing wrong with having beautiful things; the problem is when the mind says, “Now I am happy,” or “Now I am somebody.”

The key phrase is “I am.” “I am” is a declaration of being. When we say “I am” in conjunction with something that we’ve earned or didn’t earn or something that we have or don’t have, we are setting ourselves up to continue this cycle of “doing” and then “burning and crashing.” I believe a Buddhist would call this the cycle of samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth. But all spiritual seekers beware! As one of my favorite spiritual teachers points out even spiritual pursuits can become another form of ego, “I am a spiritual seeker.”

Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, ‘I am.’” Nothing more needs to be said about who we all are, except “I am,” then everything else will be “added onto you.” That is all the material stuff, relationships, food, clothing, transportation, work, and creative outlets, all flow forth from the great “I am.” So over the course of the next week or more, let’s contemplate together “I do because I am,” and break the unhealthy cycle of “I am because I do.”

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Everyone has a sleepless night here and there; however, persistent sleepless nights are your body’s way of telling you to either change your behavior, your thinking or both.

The body and mind are not separate entities rather they are one organism, the body/mind. Your beliefs, thoughts, and attitude directly affect how you feel emotionally and physically. Your thoughts and feelings affect what you do and what you do manifests in your environment. Your perception of your environment reinforces your beliefs, thoughts and attitude. I call this The Physiological Loop.

The inability to fall asleep and/or to stay asleep is a stress related symptom, and all stress is mental in nature. Your body is a master teacher and always reflects your conscious and unconscious beliefs about yourself and the world. If I believe that the world is unsafe, then according to the physiological loop, I will feel unsafe in the world (nervous, anxious, afraid etc…). In turn I will be drawn to negative stimulus, such as the evening news, which will feed my belief that the world is unsafe. (more…)

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I notice that when I spend my day hurrying through one project or task in anticipation of another, I will begin to have trouble sleeping. I’m lying in bed awake and thinking (anticipating), the next day’s tasks and chores. Living life in constant anticipation is why many Americans medicate themselves with prescription and non-prescription drugs, alcohol or food simply because it helps to temporarily shut off the mind. As many of you know, however, these unhealthy habits will not help you to achieve the kind or rest or quality of life that all of our running around is trying to achieve in the first place. Here are some of the ways that I use mindfulness practice to achieve a better healthier way of life and a good night’s rest when it seems there are more things to do than hours in the day:

• While you’re at work, running errands or doing chores around the house stop and take a deep breath and ask yourself, “What am I doing?” This simple practice will bring you back from wherever your mind is to the task at hand thereby creating presence. Being present throughout the day will go a long way to creating a peaceful night’s rest by relieving the stress of anticipation.
• Have reasonable expectations of what’s doable during your day. Being reasonable with you is an act of self love that will do a lot in easing the burdens of a too busy life style.
• Make a “to do” list before bedtime. It should be as extensive as you need. For example, if you’re anticipating a difficult conversation or job interview, it is extremely helpful to jot down what you’re going to say to the person. This will relieve the mind from the burden of having to remember everything.
• If at bedtime, you find that you have a habit of worry about things that you have no immediate control over, take a deep breath and ask yourself, “Is that happening now?” This statement will snap you back into the present moment almost immediately. It is a very powerful tool that I use with great success with my five year old.
• * Make a bedtime routine for yourself by having a glass of warm milk, or a calcium pill and half a banana. This will help to calm the nervous system thus helping you to relax. You can also try chamomile tea or valerian root tea also.
• * DO NOT WATCH THE NEWS. Local news is filled with negativity. Instead limit your news watching to reputable network shows for no more than 30 min. per day, preferably in the morning or afternoon, or better yet read the paper selectively.
• Meditation. Try meditating at least 15 min. before bed time every day. Meditation combined with any of the above practices is a powerful combination that will help you to achieve peace of mind and the overall well being that you’ve been seeking.

I read recently that Americans today are working one month more on average versus Americans in the 1950’s. This is due to the misuse all of our many technological advances (cell phones, emails, fax’s etc…). We are constantly available and online literally and figuratively. It is important to our collective wellbeing that we don’t become slaves to our technological lifestyles, but that we use our free-will and technology wisely to help support a mindful and happy lifestyle.

Namasté,

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