Meditation

"Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom".

"Love yourself and be awake -today, tomorrow, always".
Buddha 568-488 BC, Founder of Buddhism

buddha

I couldn't start talking about my meditation technique without thinking about Buddha and his spiritual teachings.
"Be aware/Stay awake" is basically the main concept in a conscious and active meditation.
Meditation is thinking. We actually think all the time. Our brain functions never stop. We are in constant meditation, active or inactive.

"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts.
"With our thoughts, we make our world". Buddha

My Meditation Technique

The best meditation technique is combining physical with mental activity. By doing this, we reduce stress and increase the power of concentration. The result is a general well being feeling... we can have quiet days even in the middle of the storm...

After my hysterectomy, I needed to increase my physical activities, to exercise and recover; what better way is to do that than walking? I started to meditate while walking. Being a very organized woman, I planned my walks, chose my itineraries and monitor my results. As simple as the following steps:

Concentrate - Start being aware of the way you breathe.

Listen to your breathing. When you have stress, you have the tendency to breathe fast and superficial. This is not good for your health, or for your inner pace. Breathe in deeply. By concentrating on your breathing you are telling your body, mind and spirit, that you are ready to go into a different state of mind, a different space, a different world. This way you are leaving behind all your problems. You need to forget about these problems during your walk.
Connect with nature - Concentrate on your surroundings.

What is the season? Summer? Spring ? No matter where you are, countryside and city, give yourself a few moments to listen... hear the noises around you. Look at the sky, trees, buildings, birds, animals, people that happen to be around you. Realize you are a part of the Universe. Picture yourself at that moment, at that place, like a drop in the sea. This connection with natural world will help you find your own path, literally or metaphoric speaking.
Connect with your inner self - Concentrate on your own body.

Start by analyzing how tensioned you are. The main parts of your body where stress is accumulated are the neck, shoulders, stomach, back and legs. Try to relax the tensioned zones and visualize the energy that goes out of your body, straight to earth, where is transformed in another form of energy.

Do you remember the first law of Thermodynamics? Energy changes form and moves from a place to another, but the total amount of energy never changes. Energy is neither created nor destroyed...

Now pay attention to your posture. Walk in a comfortable way, don't slouch. Make your walk natural, one step leading to another. Concentrate on your legs muscles contracting and relaxing. Feel the breeze on your face. Open your mind as much as possible, all those stress thoughts will come back and try to distract you. Allow those thoughts to come back, observe them and let them go. Release yourself from those thoughts, let them go away.

Keep walking... and when you reach back home, make time to reflect about the experiences you had.

This meditation technique will take you out of your daily routine for a short period of time, but it is well worth it in the long run. Try It!