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Is Meditation Right For Me? 4 Indications That It Just May Be

And specifically, is THIS meditation practice right for me?Meditation

This is a common question for anyone starting a new meditation practices.  And it’s a great one! It can be challenging to tell, as your experience while practicing my fluctuate quite a bit! While your yoga practice can be seen as moving meditation the practice was originally developed to allow you the ability to sit still in relative comfort.

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Meditation is for anyone seeking to experience a deeper connection with their inner most self.

Or said another way, meditation is for anyone desiring a more fulfilling and meaningful life experience.
There are as many ways to meditate as there are people in the world.  If your intention is clear, it is literally impossible to do it wrong.  We all have unique personalities and will connect to meditation practices differently.

The important thing, is to keep exploring until you find one that works for you...but how will you know when that is?

Here are four indications your meditation technique is in alignment for you:

meditation

1. While you are practicing, your body relaxes and feels lighter.

2. More often than not, you feel uplifted and inspired after practicing..

3. During your practice you may have a subtle or very obvious inner experience of love, inspiration, clarity, peace or gratitude.

4. At first you may find yourself incredibly excited to practice- this is a great sign! Then a few days or weeks in you might experience some resistance.  This is great too! Most often, resistance is an indication that your ego is getting a little worried.  Meditation can have the effect for many people of creating an identity shift.  One that leans toward the permanent, intangible nature of who we are, and away from the labels, or temporary identities that we or others have given us.  Our ego doesn’t know much about our intangible nature and identifies completely with the roles we have taken on.  So when we begin to shift our awareness from one way of recognizing ourselves to another, our ego often freaks out!  And the way this can show up, is as resistance. So keep going with your practice.

….and yes, I hear the inevitable question: how will you know if resistance is really a sign that you should stop?

Here is what I recommend- If you are experiencing resistance today, meditate anyway.  And in those few moments after your practice, tune into that quiet space inside and ask yourself if your meditation practice is serving you.  Listen inside.  Be still.  And then truly honor (to the best of your ability!) whatever information comes forward.

If it’s time to explore a new practice, there are some great ideas on the Ultimate Yogi website, or check back here soon for an article exploring different meditation techniques.

And one more thing – we are constantly bombarded with images of people sitting in meditation and looking really peaceful. Don’t let them fool you – there is a battle raging within. A battle you will only experience once you are experiencing it. It is a worthy battle though and one that will make every other part of your life less of one.

Is Meditation Right for Me?  Posted by Aila Coats, M.A.

Meditation

 

April 23, 2013 THE MEDITATION, Uncategorized 30

5 Ways Meditation will Enhance your Yoga Practice

5 Ways Meditation will Enhance your Yoga Practice

5 Ways Meditation Enhances your Yoga Practice

The Benefits of Meditation

There are so many wonderful benefits to meditation, and here are a few that will directly enhance your yoga practice.

1.    Meditation Decreases Muscle Tension

 This is an obvious one!  With less muscle tension going into your yoga practice, your body will be able to relax deeper into each pose, maximize it’s potential for strength and power during your practice and will naturally balance itself throughout your practice, thus reducing injuries.

Studies show that meditating directly after a yoga practice (or any arduous workout) allows for your muscles to integrate the growth and changes that they just went through- Much like we sometimes need a little space to process a big life change, our muscles need the same consideration.  Without taking the time to be still inwardly and outwardly, we may be inadvertently robbing our bodies of the full benefits of the work that it just went through during our yoga practice.

2.    Meditation Enhances Sleep

You will find it easier to fall asleep and your sleep is deeper- More sleep and more rest, equals more energy and willingness to participate in your yoga practice.   I know for myself, it is so much easier to get on the mat when I am rested and rejuvenated.  It is also easier to stay awake and enjoy the sweet sensation of shavasana, at the end. (Not that falling asleep the wrong thing to do!) Shavasana just feels so good that I never want to miss out on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual yummy goodness that happens during the end of my yoga practice.

3.   Meditation Enhances the Immune System

Yoga naturally enhances your immune system, and how great that meditation does as well!  By practicing any type of meditation you are feeding the fire of health and vitality, rather than creating an opposing force within yourself.  With a strong immune system, you are spending less time ill and more time operating at an optimal state of health.  This not only allows you to practice yoga more frequently, but also gives you the opportunity to fully experience the benefits that are available through yoga.

4.   Meditation Increases Focus and Concentration

Being able to stay mentally present to your breath and body during a yoga practice is definitely where so much of the juice is.  Yes, your body will likely feel great at the end, whether you are aware of your body or not during your practice. BUT the more able you are to concentrate on your breath and body, the less prone to injury you will be, and you will be able to enjoy those intangible gifts that come from a yoga practice- a deeper connection with your loving, more compassion, and a greater sense of purpose in your day, and in your life, just to name a few!

5.    Meditation enhances communication between the two brain hemispheres

When your left and right brain are communicating, life and yoga are simply easier!  It is easier to be in your yoga practice, to hear the guidance you are receiving- either from your teacher or from within yourself, to move your body in a graceful and efficient way, and to stay present to the entire, unfolding moment.  When communication between your two brain hemispheres breaks down, that is when we often feel suddenly uncoordinated, or mentally agitated and out of sorts.

5 Ways Meditation will Enhance your Yoga PracticeYoga was invented to allow practitioners to meditate longer. The early yogis believed that a healthy body equated to a healthy mind. These days we spend more time in yoga asana than in meditation but its an important part of the program. Whether you are doing the meditations included in the Ultimate Yogi Program or meditating in a different way, rest assured that you are not only supporting yourself on a mental and or spiritual level,  and through meditation you are enhancing your Yoga Practice as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Aila Coats -

 

April 1, 2013 THE MEDITATION, Uncategorized 45

The Ultimate Meditative State: The Meditation of Self-Acceptance

The Ultimate Meditative State: The Meditation of Self-Acceptance

The Ultimate Meditative State: Self-Acceptance - Meditation

Meditation

One of my favorite meditation teachers, Dr. Michael Beckwith says that it’s much more personally and globally beneficial for an individual to be living in a meditative state rather than spending time in a meditation practice each day. He would joke about how he would work with people who would go deeply into their practice for those precious moments, and then curse at the doorman on the way out. He always emphasized, the importance of not putting so much attention on the practice itself, but to observe how it carries over into daily life.

However, he did talk extensively about how investing those 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 20 minutes in some sort of an inward process (such as the meditations in the Ultimate Yogi Program), is really the only way for a person to experience what that meditative state feels like and what it may look like in one’s life.

pranayama breathing practice

For many of us, that meditative state feels like an inner peace or calm, no matter what is occurring out the world. For others it’s joy and playfulness wanting to jump out of our mouths and bodies everywhere they go. And for others it’s a softness, and sweetness, maybe equanimity. It’s about a way of being in the world, a way where you are allowing your inner essence to be active in your daily activities.

Meditation in your daily life

Ideally this is how we are living every day, and yet, this can be a very challenging prospect. It’s not always easy to remain positive, or even neutral in the face of adversity…such as on ramps being shut down on the 405, when you are in hurry and can’t seem to find your way! Most people would agree that feelings of upset or anger are not typically the ones they would describe as meditative! Nor would we agree that giving someone the bird on the freeway is a very meditative way of living.  However, I really believe the most valuable meditative state I experience, is when I am in a state of self acceptance.

I feel this is the most important quality that we can meet ourselves with in any given moment in our lives- and the quality that makes the biggest impact. As I said, and as you may well know, it’s not always easy to respond positive or even neutral to life challenges. Sometimes we feel angry and upset and do things that reflect those feelings.  

Here is my proposition: Instead of judging ourselves as wrong, or bad, or un-spiritual in that moment- rather than pushing our upset away- what would it me like to accept ourselves in that moment? To see ourselves through a different set of eyes. To not expect that part that is angry and upset to feel peace, but to bring acceptance to that place inside that is feeling so upset.

This is The Ultimate Meditative State: Self-Acceptance-

This is a practice where you are being with yourself in a way that does not cause more negativity in the world. Feeling angry and upset is a part of our daily life experience, but the way we respond to that is ultimately what creates our most significant inner experiences and the way we feel about ourselves and our lives. Are we punishing ourselves everywhere we go? Or are we able to bring kindness and compassion to ourselves as we are learning to be in this world?

Yes, ultimately it would be wonderful for us to respond to everything that happens out in our world in a positive way- with acceptance. But until we come to that point, the journey really begins inside of ourselves with how we are responding to ourselves.

In the book Loyalty to Your Soul, The Heart of Spiritual Psychology, by Drs. Ron and Mary Hulnick, they talk about how we truly are multi-dimensional beings. We are able to Be with ourselves as we are going through life. In fact, we are always responding to our feelings, thoughts and actions with either love and acceptance or judgment and criticism.

When we are practicing meditation, ultimately the intention, as I see it, is to come into conscious contact with the part of us that exudes love and kindness naturally…and especially to ourselves. Because we all have these amazing and sometimes tricky things called ego’s, it’s not realistic to try to force yourself to stop feeling anger, sadness and fear. We all have the part inside who’s very job is to keep us safe and alive. The way that many of our egos respond to someone cutting us off on the freeway is with a small or large amount of upset, because that action may have ended our very existence as the ego knows it. So, by practicing living as much as possible in a meditative state, sharing  joy, acceptance and love with ourselves and our egos, we are much more able to respond to other people in our lives and challenging life situations in the same way.

So just for your consideration, for today, explore what it’s like to accept yourself no matter what you are feeling, doing, saying, or experiencing. I recognize that this can be tricky.

Here are a few little tips that I use when it’s not so easy to find that loving, conscious space: 

The Ultimate Meditative State- Self Acceptance- 3 TIPS

1. How would you respond to a small child if they were in the exact situation you are in? What would you say to them if you knew they were feeling angry or upset? Angry Baby

2. How would you respond to your best friend or your beloved dog or kitty cat? 

3. Simply remembering that you do not have to agree with the behavior or the words or feelings, but that it is transformational and beneficial to accept and love the one that is feeling those challenging feelings, and/or expressing those behaviors. 

I know that sometimes we were raised to pretend to not feel any negative emotions, especially for those of us who were brought into spiritual community where those things were very often look down upon and shoved into the shadow.  

 

Loving the Angry BabyThis is an opportunity for a redo.

An opportunity to give yourself the positive parenting/role model experience that you always wanted. One where you are accepted as you are no matter what you are feeling. In reality you are not your feelings your thoughts, or your behaviors. You are the being within that is watching it all, observing it all and can respond with immense love to whatever is unfolding in this moment. And that starts with what is happening inside of you. Bringing acceptance to your experience is the most wonderful thing you could ever do for yourself or for those around you. The less charge you have on your own negative emotions, the more compassion and caring you can share with others. This is an opportunity for bringing more loving into your own life, and into the world. 

Give yourself the gift of The Ultimate Meditative State: The Meditation of Self-Acceptance!

by Aila Coats

 

March 23, 2013 HOW-TO, THE MEDITATION 64

Loving Kindness

Loving Kindness AffirmationThe Meditation of Loving-Kindness

When writing this months newsletter I came across this great explanation of the meditation of loving-kindness. We offer four basic meditations in The Ultimate Yogi program. Here is another one to practice should you choose to develop your meditation practice further.

Its a very simple meditation and can be done at all times of the day.

How to do it

The practice always begins with yourself. If resistance is experienced then it indicates that feelings of unworthiness are present. No matter, the practice is designed to overcome feelings of self-doubt or negativity. Then you are ready to systematically develop loving-kindness towards others.

Four Types of Persons to develop loving-kindness towards:

  • a respected, beloved person – such as a  teacher
  • a dearly beloved –  a close family member or friend
  • a neutral person – somebody you know, but have no special feelings towards
  • a hostile person – someone you do not like

Starting with yourself, then systematically sending loving-kindness from person to person in the above order will have the effect of breaking down the barriers between the four types of people and yourself. This will have the effect of breaking down the divisions within your own mind, the source of much of the conflict we experience. Just a word of caution if you are practicing intensively. It is best if you choose people you are not physically attracted to. This is because of the risk that the near enemy of loving-kindness, lust, can be aroused. Try different people to practice on, as some people do not easily fit into the above categories, but do keep to the prescribed order.

Loving-kindness is a heart meditation and should not to be seen as just a formal sitting practice removed from everyday life. Like everything it gets better with execution,  so take your good vibes outside into the streets and into your relationships. Applying the practice to daily life is a matter of directing a friendly attitude and having openness toward everybody you relate to, without discrimination.

Affirmations of Loving-Kindess

Ticht-Nat-haan has these two simple phrases he offers

  • As I breathe in may I cherish myself
  • As I breath out may I cherish the world

The more traditional way of doing it is this

  • May I be filled with loving-kindness.
  • May I be safe from inner and outer dangers.
  • May I be well in body and mind.
  • May I be at ease and happy.

These phrases should be repeated for all the people you are focusing your loving-kindness on.

February 1, 2013 HOW-TO, THE MEDITATION 109

Raising the Bar with Meditation

Raising the Bar with Meditation

Beginning a Meditation Practice

I began meditation at what I consider to be an early age. It was during high school when I discovered a book called The Mental Athlete. I can’t really recall what compelled me to read a book at that time, but I did manage to finish it once I realized that starting a meditation practice would help with my performance in sports. During my youth, I played basketball, tennis and ran track, but my favorite activity was pole vaulting. I found it to be exhilarating and extremely challenging, mentally and physically. But it seemed that the physical aspects of the activity were quite easy to master over time yet the mental aspects of it were extremely challenging. The first feat to accomplish to be a successful jump is to learn to block out everything that does not pertain to the jump. The competition was aware of this, and though most were nice enough, there were some guys that would try to psych each other out in an attempt to throw each other off their mental game. This was when I realized how the steadiness of mind was just as important as the physique of the body in this sport, and also when I was convinced that a meditation practice could really take my sport to the next level.

You mind on mindfulnessAt the time I really did not know much about meditation. I read what books I could find on the subject, but I really couldn’t dive into the deep states of mind that I was expecting. I eventually found guided meditation on audio and gave it a try. One try turned into two, three, then another and so on, and eventually one day, something happened. It was in the midst of being talk into a state of complete relaxation where I felt like my thoughts were completely clear and without anxiety. Though this was not meditation, I felt like I had actually accomplished something. So, during these moment of extreme calm, I began to visualize the same process of pole vaulting, over and over, in slow motion, backwards, frame by frame, feeling every muscle and the movement of air over my body as i was hurled upwards and the swoosh of the wind in my ears as I fell back to the earth. Over the course of weeks, I had learned to emulate the entire process in my mind. It got easier and easier.

Meditation in Action

Looking back on this experience I realize that the meditation was not happening when I was practicing this visualization. The process of meditation was happening when I was running down the Meditation in Actionapproach at full speed carrying a thriteen foot fiberglass pole. The meditation began when I was sixteen full length strides away from being catapulted vertically, upside down into the air. I was truly meditating, when I was no longer affected by the distracting remarks of my competition, the noise of the crowd and my own nervousness. All these factors simply became part of the experience as I had practiced visualizing and had become powerless over my mind. I learned to disengage from anything but the athlete and simply be aware of the task at hand and drop into that deep relaxing ocean of calm and reside in the moment. This was meditation in action. The crowd being loud was “noise” the distracting comments from my peers, “competition”, my own anxiousness of failure or injury “doubts” feeling the blood rushing through my veins, my heart pounding, the white knuckle grip and muscle energy rising up from my feet throughout my body, the ecstacy from the endorphine rush “Motivation”. From the moment I took that first step, the world around me dissapperaed. The sounds of people clapping and cheering fell silent,  the jeers of my competitiong faded into indistinguisable sound, everything but the elevation of a twelve foot high target fell from my vision, and within a matter of a second, my kinetic energy and momentum is transferred from the horizontal axis to the vertical axis, I’m upside down looking backwards, a little twist once the apex is reached and momentum is lost, then gravity brings me back to reality. The thud on the padded mats indicates my moment is over. A successful jump.

Balance and MeditationThe early years of this practice had such a profound effect, I continued to meditate. The method changed slightly. Initially, it was the relaxation technique paried with visualization of my performance that actually led to proper meditation. I often find that people new to meditation or those who desire to start a regular practice sometimes sit with an intention. Though this is fine, and actually beneficial, it’s more contemplation or visualization. A meditation practice is quite simple in theory and explination. You sit, you breathe, and you allow the current of thoughts to flow without jumping into the stream. Why do we do this? How can this be beneficial?  Anything we practice often, we tend to do naturally. When  a person can disengage from the torrents of the mind in practice, the process comes much easier in the daily routine, or in difficult situations where one would actually require mental focus and clarity (or bliss). Aside from any improvements one may gain from a meditation practice, being able to simply exist, breathe and experience life in moments is a commendable goal. Give it a try, see where it leads you.

to read more posts by Scott please visit his website at www.thoughtsonyoga.com
August 14, 2012 HOW-TO, THE MEDITATION 210

Breath Watching

The Meditation of Focus

Breath and your mind

Breath watching is one of the simplest forms of meditation and if you are brand new to the practice its always a good place to start. In Sanscrit it is referred to as Vipassana Meditation which directly translates to focus. Its a very powerful technique to help you quiet the mind. To do this type of meditation, find yourself a quite place and a little space. Sit in a comforatble position with your back straight and bring your attention to the tip of your nose. When breathing in notice “I am breathing in”, and when exhaling notice “I am breathing out” When the mind starts to wander, and it will, bring it gently back to the breath. The breath is your focal point, let it be the current that takes you through the entire practice.

Be an ObserverBreath

If some of the meditations in the Ultimate Yogi program don’t resonate with you, then this is a perfect substitute, in essence the only one you need. It is also known as the meditation of wisdom. Thich Naht Hanh, a famous Buddhist monk, described it in a very simple analogy. He likened it to sitting on a tall skyscraper in the middle of the night and watching traffic stream below. Your mind is the observer, and the cars below are your thoughts.  When you slow down your mind – the thoughts slow down too. Eventually you will recognize the make and model of the cars below you. What happens with a consistent practice is that you recognize that most of the cars you see are the same ones and they have been driving round and round the block your whole life. This type of meditation is a way to clear your mind of the traffic, so that eventually you will be sitting on top of the skyscraper and seeing an empty street beneath you.

Be a Warrior

There is a misconception that meditation is peaceful and serene and that it is something other people are good at, just not you. There has never been a concept further from the truth. Bodhidharma the monk who was rumored to bring buddhism to china, described it as going into battle. Anyone who has sat for an extended time with their knees screaming at them, and their mind chattering endlessly, will confirm this. Be resolute – its not easy but the peace and serenity that are the pictures of meditation are actually the result.

Reclaim your Life by watching your Breath 

What you will find, is that you become less reactive to things and are able to move through the vicissitudes of your life with ease and grace. Its not a magical practice that makes life easier, its just a technique to help you cope with the incessant crap that life tends to  throw your way.  Modern science tells us today that over 80% of the diseases we have originate are psychosomatic. This is a hotly debated topic,  but if it is true, then meditation is the healthiest thing we can do for ourselves. The Yogi’s in India have known this for the longest time. In fact, if they were to see us practice yoga today, they would laugh. Ninety percent physical, ten percent mental ” what a joke-they have it backwards!” Perhaps we do, but hopefully at one point our wisdom will overtake our vanity and we will reverse the order. By simply watching our breath we will become healthier and happier and then fulfill the goal of The Ultimate Yogi Training.

July 19, 2012 HOW-TO, THE MEDITATION 195

Your Mind on Mindfulness- Meditation and Science

Bridging the Gaps-Meditition and Science

For a long time there has been a healthy degree of skeptical debate between  the scientific and spiritual communities. Recent research in the study of mindfulness has begun to bridge these gaps. A study done by neuroscientists Amishi Jha (University of Pennsylvania, Britta Holzel and Sara Lazar (Massachusetts General Hospital) on mediation have shown positive results of the practice.

While most of the work of science has been focused on outer space (things seen, heard, or felt),  the work of spiritual teachers has been turning our attention to the inner space.

The two schools of thought have put down their clubs in the last few decades and have begun to engage into some serious dialogue. Most notably a Harvard medical team has instituted a study of your brain on mindfulness, using some very advance magnetic resonating imaging of the brain to display the effects of meditaiton on the brain.

The results have confirmed that meditation increases focus, decreases stress, and improves memory.

The Science behind it

The areas of the brain most affected by meditaion are the pre frontal cortex, the area associated with decision making and planning and the insula, which is responsible for emotion and sensation. Although it is difficult to isolate any specific area of the brain these findings are in congruence with many meditators direct experience. Meditation directly affects our relationship to the world. It keeps us out of trouble and provides emotional stability.

Another discovery affirmed by scientists is the fact that meditators have thicker grey matter in the brain. The grey matter is the undeveloped brain cells and the thicker it is the quicker the synaptic messages move from cell to cell. This is actually surprising, because common theory states that sometime after twenty five or thirty the brain is finished with growth and development and begins to deteriorate. But in as little as eight weeks a test group of twenty meditators confirmed that this is not the case and that the brain can continue to develop.

Perhaps this should not be as surprising as it is because we all know that when we exercise a muscle in the gym it gets stronger and the same should apply to all aspects of our lives. Its just that in the western world with so much focus and attention going towards how we look – how and what we think has been neglected.

The Reasoning

If we needed more than common sense to convince us that mediation is a good practice and will help our daily lives in many ways it is finally here. Both the medical and the psychological fields have been doing an impressive job of scientifically proving what the sages have known for years.

Many consistent practitioners will confirm that it is not an easy habit to get into and  that it will require diligence and consistency. Once you do you can see positive results in as little as eight weeks.

Discover more from The Ultimate Yogi!

June 19, 2012 THE MEDITATION 201