HOW TO MEDITATE

Breathing Meditation

Our minds are constantly active, always jumping from thought to thought, emotion to emotion.  Getting in touch with the Soul (Subconscious Mind) requires finding a way past the fog of distracting thoughts that typically hide it from our awareness. If we are quiet, we encounter moments of pure Silence – thought “gaps” – and through these gaps we can glimpse the deeper level of the Soul. Each glimpse increases our awareness, and eventually our consciousness becomes expanded.

Controlling the flood of thoughts is very difficult for most people. The purpose of meditation is to stop thinking for a time, and experience the Spirit within.  The goal is to release all thoughts, quietly and passively.  A common way to begin meditation is to Gently Focus on Breathing.

1. To begin meditation, sit in a comfortable chair, with your feet flat on the ground.  Place your hands in your lap with the palms facing upward.

2. Close your eyes and begin witnessing your breath.  Observe the inflow and outflow of your breath without attempting to control it in any way.  You may find that your breathing spontaneously gets faster or slower, deeper or shallower, and may even pause for a while. Observe the changes in your breath without resistance or anticipation. 

3. Whenever your attention drifts away from your breath to a sound in the environment, or a sensation in your body, or a thought in your mind, gently return your awareness to your breathing.

4. Once you become comfortable with simply sitting quietly and focusing on breathing, you can add the simple mantra “so-hum”. This is the sound of the breath; if you observe your breathing you’ll hear “so-hum” as air moves in and out of your lungs.  As you inhale, the sound of that vibration is “so”.  And as you exhale, the sound becomes “hum”.

5. With your eyes closed, inhale and think the word “so”; on the exhale, think the word “hum”.  Gradually both the breath and the sound will become quieter and quieter; after a while the breath becomes so quiet that it almost seems to stop.  By quieting your breath, you quiet your mind.

6. When you transcend, the mantra “so-hum” entirely disappears, and your breath pauses momentarily. Time itself comes to a stop and you are in the state of Pure Consciousness, or Spirit.