Why meditate? Besides feeling calm, research tells us that meditation can offer an array of benefits from good sleep, improved communication, supporting our nervous system to name a few. Even you as an adult could benefit from pausing for a few minutes in your day to sit quietly. Meditation can be more than just that but pausing for a few minutes is great in itself.

So why not share this great practice with young kids? Recently I had someone inquire with me about meditation steps for their 3 year old, wanting to do a family meditation. I absolutely loved hearing about a family practicing together.  You may wonder, is 3 too young?

Acceptance can be a powerful and transformative tool but it doesn't happen automatically. Different situations may present more challenge to accepting. 

What is acceptance?

Acceptance is the ability to see things as they actually are in the present moment. Acceptance does not mean you have to like or agree with how things are. It does not mean you cannot work to change the circumstances of a situation in the future. Acceptance is the willingness to see things as they are right now, to let go of the expectation that you want things to be different or that you wish for things to be different. 

Learn more about what acceptance is, read Understanding the Power of Acceptance.

How to Practice Acceptance

1. Develop awareness around non-acceptance. Notice when you are not accepting. Develop the awareness of your thoughts, actions and patterns. How often are you wishing things to be different? 
2. Be curious. Once you notice when you are not accepting, you can begin to ask yourself “are there certain situations that I more often than not am not accepting?” “Why am I not accepting right now.” Are you more accepting of others than yourself, or vice versa or the same. Begin to notice.
3. Practice. Meditation practice helps us practice focusing our mind and noticing when thoughts arise. We can apply this practice of awareness to noticing when we are not accepting. 

Join us in the practice of meditation. Mondays, 8pm ET/5pm PT on Zoom. Or in-person in NYC beginning May 23rd. Classes are freely offered with the option to donate. Each weekly class is 30 minutes long with 20 minutes of a guided meditation and 10 minutes of a mindfulness learning. Check out the class schedule here.

Photo Credit: Photo by Pawel Czerwinski

Spring brings new life. Flowers begin to rise up from the ground. There is a renewal of life seen in the fresh buds emerging from tree limbs. As we observe nature beginning to emerge new after a winter’s sleep, how will you emerge renewed this spring? What aspects of your life need a refresh?

Before you jump down to see the exciting five things shared for bringing renew into your life, why not pause and see what naturally may arise for you. 

Mindfulness can help us have a more positive outlook on the world. It doesn’t mean if you practice mindfulness you will embody this trait all the time but through practice, it may become easier to be and feel more positive, calm, peaceful, balanced, emotionally regulated and less stressed.

Mindfulness is the practice of focusing our awareness in the present moment, without judgement and the part I love – with compassion. In short:

Focus Meditation or also known as Focused Attention Meditation is the simple exercise of focusing your attention, your mind on a single object. This object can be a physical object, word or sound.

If you feel stressed or overwhelmed, this can be a useful practice. At times of stress, it may be challenging to sit quietly in meditation with ourselves. That is when using an object to focus on can be helpful. 

Photo by Michael Walk on Unsplash

A physical object can be something in your home like a candle, plant, prayer beads, or favorite object. Outside your home, the object could be something in nature like a tree, flower or water. 

Music can be an aid in meditation. While we typically think of meditation as quiet, sitting cross-legged, the use of sound with meditation is written in the ancient texts. It is referred to as Nada Yoga, the yoga of sound. It is utilizing sound to harmonize the body and align one's energy with its natural vibration.

Why is music beneficial in general but also in meditation?

Music can actually lower your body’s levels of cortisol, your fight or flight response hormone to danger. When danger, stress, life challenges appear, this hormone goes into action. Given our modern way of living, many of us are stressing this hormone more than we need to. Regulating this hormone can have a hugely positive effect on the body.

Music can help focus the mind on getting into a relaxing state, and is helpful in lessening other distractions around us. For instance, if you find yourself in a busy place like an airport or full household, music aids in draining out these distractions.

Music andYour Brain

"According to researchers, listening to music can alter brainwave speed, producing brain activity that has a therapeutic effect on the mind and body." [source]

Slow rhythmic music can alter brain activity and help create a calm, relaxing and meditative state. 

What music is best for meditation?

Soft relaxing music with no words can be ideal music to begin with. Here are a few options to consider:

Nature Sounds

Head to the forest or tune in at home by listening to the sounds of nature. Waterfalls, creeks, birds chirping, a rain forest - choosing a sound that is soothing for you and not distracting. If you have been dreaming about going to a rainforest in Costa Rica, picking a rain forest could be good or distracting if you might find yourself lost in thought of what you would do on holiday. 

Nature sounds to listen to at home.

Chants (Vedic or Gregorian) 

Chanting is reciting and repeating word, phrase, script in a monotonous tone, making a melodic sound with the voice.

Vedic chants are hymns from the ancient scriptures of Hinduism, the Vedas. Dating back 3,000 years, Vedic chants are considered the world's oldest continuous vocal tradition.

Listen to a Vedic Chant.

Gregorian chants began during the Middle Ages and are most chants are derived from the Latin Bible. “Gregorian” refers to Pope Gregory I, who was head of the Catholic Church during this time. 

Listen to a Gregorian Chant.

Instrumental Music

Flutes, gongs, singing bowls, drums, chimes and string instruments comprise many instrumental, meditative music.

Sounds Baths are becoming increasingly popular. Performed in a venue, musicians play an array of these instruments to create a calming and healing ambient. 

Check out this instrumental music for your next meditation.

Another nice option for meditation.

Meditating with Music

1. Select your music. Have fun choosing a style of music that resinates with you.

2. Find a comfortable place to meditate. This can be seated in a comfortable chair or on a floor pillow. Another option is to be in nature with headphones, standing with a focused gaze on an element in nature like water or finding a log to sit quietly upon.

3. Use a timer. At times it is helpful not to have to think whether you have meditated long enough or too long. Use a soft sound alarm on your watch or device.

4. See how you feel. After your meditation, take a moment to check in with yourself. How do you feel? Did the music you chose help you focus? 

Photo Credit: Photo by Adrian Korte

Visualization meditation, also called imagery meditation, is the practice of using an image in your mind to rest your focus. A peaceful and serene image is used to rest your focus on. This can be practiced on your own or in a guided mediation.

Why practice visualization meditation?

When we visualize a positive scene or image, it can help us relax, feel more at ease and at peace. By focusing our mind on something visual like a serene image, it can help us focus on positive, calming throughs which can alleviate stress or fear and help us cope with a challenging situation. 

How to Practice 

A guided visualization meditation can be very powerful and helpful in leading through the process of visualizing and focusing. On Monday, March 21st, you can join us for a guided visualization meditation. 

To practice on your own, here are some helpful steps. Begin by getting into your meditation practice: close your eyes or lower your gaze and quiet the body.

1. Select an image that you find peaceful and serene. A place that brings you a sense of calm and ease. It can be a place you have visited or a place you imagine in your mind. 

2. What do you see? As you sit quietly focusing your mind on this image, see all the possible details as possible. For example, a mountain. Is the mountain tall and jagged? Rock or trees or both? Is there water? Do you see animals?

3. What do you hear? If there are animals, can you image their sounds? What. is the sound of water or trees?

4. What do you smell? Is it the smell of fruit trees, nature, water?

5. With this image in mind, what taste comes to mind? Is it a berry you pick from a bush on the mountain? Is the food you enjoy when you go to this place?

6. How does it feel when you are at this serene place? How does it feel to be focusing your mind's attention on this place? Feel what is happening in your body in this very moment, from the feeling in the legs to the stomach to the heart and mind.

When we spend time focusing our mind on a serene image, we begin to adopt the energy of what we imagine. Feelings of equanimity and calm.

Just as the image is a place that we can feel, hear, taste, listen and smell, each element does not fully comprise us. Just like our own feelings. They are a part of us but they do not have to completely comprise us.

The image can help us practice seeing all of these things but not becoming lost in them. With the practice, we come to know a deeper silence and wisdom. 

Where to practice?

Like breath meditation, visualization meditation can be practiced anywhere. To start try a quiet place in your home or a bench in the park.

Join us for a guided imagery meditation this Monday (March 21st) at 8pm ET/5pm PT on zoom. It is a small group, meeting on Zoom (your video is optional). More details here.

Photo Credit: Photo by Agnieszka Mordaunt

Depending on who you ask or what you google, you will find there are many types of breath meditation. Shared here are three breath meditations that are among the simplest to try and a great introduction to breath meditation.

1. Breath Focus Meditation

If you are new to meditation, this is an excellent practice to begin with. The Focus Breath Meditation can be done standing or seated.

Begin by straightening your spine.

Feel your feet connecting with the ground beneath you.

Either close your eyes or soften your gaze fixing your focus on a single point in front of you.

Feel your breath moving in your body, noticing how the chest rises and falls.

If you mind wanders into thoughts, bring it back to the breath.

Continue to observe your inhale and exhale.

2. Digital Breathing (also known as Dirgha Pranayama) is the practicing of counting the inhale, retaining or holding the breath, then releasing. An example of this is Dr. Andrew Wiel’s 4-7-8 Breath Technique. This can be done seated, standing or laying down. This is a great tool to help you fall back asleep at night.

Begin by getting comfortable and relaxed.

Inhale for a count of four.

Hold the breath for a count of seven.

Exhale for a count of eight.

3. Alternate Nose Breathing (also known as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama) is the practice of breathing in one nostril and releasing through the other nostril. This practice is typically done by your right hand closing and opening each nostril.

Begin by sitting comfortably.

Bring your right hand to your nose, placing the right thumb on the right side and the ring finger and pinky on the left side of the nostril.

Inhale slowly through the right nostril, then close it with your thumb.

Pause, retain, hold the breath for a moment.

Exhale slowly through the left nostril.

Repeat this process, rotating back and forth for 15 minutes. Worth mentioning there are other variations of this technique.

If you are interested in joining others in the practice of meditation, Jen leads a guided meditation every Monday. Each week offers a practice in a different type of meditation. Sign up here.

Photo credit: Photo by Annie Spratt

Our breath is with us everywhere we go, and there are days we might not even notice our breath. It is an automatic function of the body. It is interesting to give thought to how vital breathing is to our bodies yet we don’t often give much attention to it.

This is all the more reason to practice a breath meditation. A breath meditation is very powerful because of its benefits: decreasing stress, instilling calm, lowering heart rate and blood pressure, and can be down anywhere anytime.

Breath meditation is an excellent practice for beginners of meditation, and is also practiced by long-time meditators.

What is Breath Meditation?

Breath meditation is focusing your attention on your breath, focusing on the inhale and exhale. This can also be referred to as conscious breathing.

It sounds simple. Many find the difficult part in the “focusing”, keeping your mind focused on the breath rather than the passing thought or other activities going on around us.

Ways to Practice Breath Meditation

Focusing on the breath is one way to practice breath meditation. Another way to practice breath meditation is to control the breath. This can be done by counting the inhale to a set number, as well as retaining or pausing the breath.

In yoga, the practice of controlling the breath is called pranayama. Prana means breath, respiration, life, vitality, or energy or strength (B.K.S. Iyengar, “Light on Prānāyāma”). Ayāma means stretch, expansion, length, restraint or control.

Qigong a practice that originated in China, utilizes the focus of the breath in combination with movement. The Buddha taught the importance of being still and silent in order to go deep within to experience the breath.

While breath meditation was born in the east, it is practiced worldwide. The name of a breath meditation could carry a different name but be similar in nature to other breath meditations.

Interested in practicing, check out our article sharing three Breath Meditation practices.

Photo Credit: Photo by Scott Webb

In Awareness of Mind’s Meditation Series, each week we explore a different element or practice of meditation. In the fourth part of our series, we explore mantra meditation. The Sanskrit translation is "instrument of thought." Looking at the two parts of the word: man and tra, man means mind and tra means the heat of life. 

What is Mantra Meditation?

A mantra is a repeated word, phrase or sound. A mantra can be repeated silently or aloud. Initially and still today, mantas are aids in meditation and spiritual devotion.

Why practice Mantra Meditation? (the benefits)

The repetition of a word, phrase or sound is used to clear the mind, instill concentration, revitalize the body — and help you enter an even deeper state of meditation. Repeating a word, phrase or sound helps you focus your attention.

Some enjoy the repetition of a mantra because they enjoy the feeling of the vibrational sound in their body. The vibrational sound of a mantra subdues the erratic mind patterns and energy in the body. A mantra can be deeply calming, aligning your subconscious with the intention of your mantra.

The repetition or chanting of a manta for extended time can help you become more alert and in tune with your surroundings, helping you to experience greater awareness.

When to practice Mantra Meditation?

If you don’t practice mantra meditation regularly, it is particularly helpful to use a mantra in meditation on days when your feelings and thoughts are overwhelming, making it difficult to concentrate. A mantra in meditation helps to shift the brain from the feelings and thoughts to something else.

How to practice Mantra Meditation?

• Choose a word, phrase or sound that resonates with you, or speaks to whatever you are wanting or needing in your life in this moment.
• Decide if you will repeat the mantra silently or aloud.
• Begin. Repeat that mantra over and over again for a few minutes.

If you get distracted with throughs, noises, anything around you, redirect your focus back to your manta. Continue to repeat it. Each time you are distracted, come back to your mantra. Remember, we all get distracted. This is a practice. Keep practicing. Be kind to yourself if you get distracted. It’s okay. You are not alone – we all get distracted at times.

Photo credit:  Jonathan Meyer