Welcome to Week Three
Meditation: How and Why?
,Hi and Welcome to the third week of 'Worry to Wonder'. Last week we deepened our understanding of gratitude.I hope you have continued to enjoy putting all 3 practices into practice and promoting your happiness, peace of mind and confidence Your job this week is to keep going with all three practices. This week we will deepen our understanding of meditation. .Developing a meditation practice is one of the three foundational practices which are guaranteed to help you take control of creating the causes for your contentment, confidence and peace of mind. Lets learn some more about it.
REMEMBER to keep doing all 3 practices - Gratitude, Meditatiom and Kindness and continue record them in you Workbook each day this week
Meditation / Contemplation; Each Day
1. About Meditation
The information presented here is a summary of the information in the 'Meditation All you need to know to get started' blue booklet you received with the Workbook. Spend some time this week reading the blue booklet and the information presented here.
Meditation means habituation. Meditation habituates the mind to concentrate. We all have that ability, for example, when we watch a good movie or can’t stop thinking about how someone has hurt us. However, the sort of meditation we are recommending here is to habituate the mind to concentrate on something that will help us to lead a happy life.
2. The Benefits of Meditation
Meditation has many benefits for our health and well being including
Please take some time to consider the benefits of meditation. What do you find personally motivating? Record them in your Workbook.:
3. A Plan for Meditation
Review the plan for your meditation you made in week one.
Where?
When?
How long?
How is it working out? Do you need to make any changes to support your meditation practice?
It takes 21 days to form a habit. Make a commitment to start a meditation practice, or to continue the one already established. Sit for 8 minutes each day this week to start with and then build up slowly.
This will train the mind to be more concentrated and peaceful.
When you meditate each morning the positive effect of your morning meditation lasts throughout the day.
We all have 8 minutes each day to do this, but it takes commitment and discipline to develop the habit. Once established you will look forward to this peaceful time.
Continue to do your meditation and record your practice in your Workbook each day.
4. Preparation for Meditation
a. Sit in your special meditation space
b. Review your posture. Keep a straight spine with a relaxed body
c. Take three deep breaths, inhaling through the nostrils and exhaling through the mouth
d. Do the ‘Here and Now Meditation’ and mindfulness breath meditation recorded below
5. The Here and Now Meditation and Mindfulness Breath Meditation Transcript (both these meditations are on the 8 minute Audio Here )
a. Pay attention to where you are. You are not where you were previously or where you are going next. You are right here (where you are meditating)
b. Become aware of the present, the ‘now’ which is the only time there is and is constantly changing. Stop thinking about what has already happened and what you
think might happen in the future and BE HERE FULLY NOW
c. Notice and sense firstly the sounds of now. What can you hear?
Next the sensations of now. How is the body feeling?
Lastly the sensations of smell. What can you smell?
Experience these sensations without grasping, rejecting, or going on a thought excursion with them. We are just noticing them. We are tuning in, like being a
witness or car passenger
d. Be fully present in the here and now. Understand that everything is just fine in the present. Our fear and anxiety are in times that do not exist. The past has already
been and the future has not yet come
e. Do the ‘Mindfulness Breath Meditation’ following
The Mindfulness Breath Meditation – Begin by doing this for at least 5 minutes
a. Now put the attention on the breath, which is our anchor in the present
b. Bring the attention to the sensation of breath at the nostrils. Feel the sensation of the in-breath as it moves in through the nostrils,
the gap and the sensation of the out-breath
c. Keep the attention on the sensation of breath and allow the breath to lead you to that place of peace and open awareness that is always there, just unnoticed
When the mind becomes distracted by thoughts, feelings or sensations gently and kindly bring it back to the breath. Be like an encouraging friend, not an angry
taskmaster. The nature of the mind is to be distracted so don’t worry, this is normal. Being aware you have strayed from the breath is meditating. You can feel
pleased you have noticed and continue to gently and kindly bring the mind back
e. Continue to keep the awareness on the breath, bringing it back when it wanders off. This habituates the mind to be in present, which is free of fear
f. Remember every meditation is the perfect one for that day. Don’t be discouraged initially as often when we start a meditation practice we notice for the first time how busy our minds are. We are all like this. Regular practice of meditation will allow us to control our busy monkey minds
Please click the image below to get the 8 minute audio of the The Here and Now Meditation and Mindfulness Breath Meditation
REMEMBER to keep doing all 3 practices - Gratitude, Meditatiom and Kindness and continue record them in you Workbook each day this week
Meditation / Contemplation; Each Day
1. About Meditation
The information presented here is a summary of the information in the 'Meditation All you need to know to get started' blue booklet you received with the Workbook. Spend some time this week reading the blue booklet and the information presented here.
Meditation means habituation. Meditation habituates the mind to concentrate. We all have that ability, for example, when we watch a good movie or can’t stop thinking about how someone has hurt us. However, the sort of meditation we are recommending here is to habituate the mind to concentrate on something that will help us to lead a happy life.
2. The Benefits of Meditation
Meditation has many benefits for our health and well being including
- increased attention,
- improved memory,
- emotional balance and well being,
- happiness and peace of mind.
- It also helps reduce our tendency toward anxiety, depression, anger, pain vulnerability and illness.
Please take some time to consider the benefits of meditation. What do you find personally motivating? Record them in your Workbook.:
3. A Plan for Meditation
Review the plan for your meditation you made in week one.
Where?
When?
How long?
How is it working out? Do you need to make any changes to support your meditation practice?
It takes 21 days to form a habit. Make a commitment to start a meditation practice, or to continue the one already established. Sit for 8 minutes each day this week to start with and then build up slowly.
This will train the mind to be more concentrated and peaceful.
When you meditate each morning the positive effect of your morning meditation lasts throughout the day.
We all have 8 minutes each day to do this, but it takes commitment and discipline to develop the habit. Once established you will look forward to this peaceful time.
Continue to do your meditation and record your practice in your Workbook each day.
4. Preparation for Meditation
a. Sit in your special meditation space
b. Review your posture. Keep a straight spine with a relaxed body
c. Take three deep breaths, inhaling through the nostrils and exhaling through the mouth
d. Do the ‘Here and Now Meditation’ and mindfulness breath meditation recorded below
5. The Here and Now Meditation and Mindfulness Breath Meditation Transcript (both these meditations are on the 8 minute Audio Here )
a. Pay attention to where you are. You are not where you were previously or where you are going next. You are right here (where you are meditating)
b. Become aware of the present, the ‘now’ which is the only time there is and is constantly changing. Stop thinking about what has already happened and what you
think might happen in the future and BE HERE FULLY NOW
c. Notice and sense firstly the sounds of now. What can you hear?
Next the sensations of now. How is the body feeling?
Lastly the sensations of smell. What can you smell?
Experience these sensations without grasping, rejecting, or going on a thought excursion with them. We are just noticing them. We are tuning in, like being a
witness or car passenger
d. Be fully present in the here and now. Understand that everything is just fine in the present. Our fear and anxiety are in times that do not exist. The past has already
been and the future has not yet come
e. Do the ‘Mindfulness Breath Meditation’ following
The Mindfulness Breath Meditation – Begin by doing this for at least 5 minutes
a. Now put the attention on the breath, which is our anchor in the present
b. Bring the attention to the sensation of breath at the nostrils. Feel the sensation of the in-breath as it moves in through the nostrils,
the gap and the sensation of the out-breath
c. Keep the attention on the sensation of breath and allow the breath to lead you to that place of peace and open awareness that is always there, just unnoticed
When the mind becomes distracted by thoughts, feelings or sensations gently and kindly bring it back to the breath. Be like an encouraging friend, not an angry
taskmaster. The nature of the mind is to be distracted so don’t worry, this is normal. Being aware you have strayed from the breath is meditating. You can feel
pleased you have noticed and continue to gently and kindly bring the mind back
e. Continue to keep the awareness on the breath, bringing it back when it wanders off. This habituates the mind to be in present, which is free of fear
f. Remember every meditation is the perfect one for that day. Don’t be discouraged initially as often when we start a meditation practice we notice for the first time how busy our minds are. We are all like this. Regular practice of meditation will allow us to control our busy monkey minds
Please click the image below to get the 8 minute audio of the The Here and Now Meditation and Mindfulness Breath Meditation
6. The ‘3-Breaths' Meditation’ Exercise
This is a very useful practice to help us deal mindfully and wisely with tricky emotions. It allows us to break the habit of responding in unhelpful ways when we have a difficult emotional response to a situation. Unhelpful responses like expressing an emotion like anger in a rage or equally unhelpfully trying to suppress it. Breaking the habit allows us to gain peace of mind and freedom from unhelpful habits, of body speech and mind. This mindfulness meditation exercise can be used on the go, throughout the day.
This exercise involves learning to stay with the energy of a negative emotions and allowing it to pass, without expression or repression. We can learn to allow these emotions and use them as friendly reminders to act in wise ways. This frees us from unhelpful habits. We cease to be a victim of habit. Emotional responses such as anger, frustration, stress, hurt and jealousy are like a button being pushed. When, for example, someone criticizes us, we feel our anger button is pushed. This feels physically and emotionally uncomfortable.
We can often recognise this physical response to the button being pushed. It may be a tightness in the chest, jaw tightening, clenching our teeth, tummy unease. Recognizing this unease or button being pushed is our mindful reminder to do this '3 breaths' practice and to break our habitual response. Because this physical response often feels uncomfortable we unknowingly develop unhelpful habits to deal with it. These unhelpful habits include expressing our anger in outward rage or, equally harmfully, suppressing it or turning it inward on ourselves.
This tendency to try and get rid of the uncomfortable feeling harms us physically, destroys our peace of mind and strengthens the habitual response.
For example, in the case of criticism or anger we may feel physical and mental discomfort. The habit might be to try to get rid of this unease by expressing criticism outwardly. Equally unhelpfully, we might suppress it and try to pretend it is not affecting us. We can also just as harmfully, turn it inward on ourselves with self criticism. This is like replaying a critical soundtrack in our minds. An habitual thought pattern is associated with this button being pushed. The first critical thought we have can be likened to buying a ticket for the negative thought train. Believing and hopping aboard this thought train can lead to more unhelpful thinking, and onto speaking and acting in unhelpful ways. Over time we unconsciously strengthen these habits of body speech and mind. The discovery that our brains are changeable (neuroplasticity) allows us to understand how we can break unhelpful habits and form new helpful ones. Awareness and practice are the keys.
The ‘3-Breaths' Meditation’ Recipe
A. Acknowledge button - feeling and thought. What is it for you?
Feel the discomfort of having your button pushed. How does it feel? Perhaps a vague jaw tightening? A slight tummy churning? Chest tightening? Be aware of acknowledge and allow the feeling.
Experience the energy and emotion. This can feel uncomfortable but you’re learning not be seduced by the momentum of habit and create future pain. This feeling has come as a friend to remind you to be present. Be aware of the first thought related to this feeling. And...
B. Breathe, - Pause and take 3 Mindful breaths - do not speak or act - this allows for stillness, space and wisdom to arise naturally
1. Breathe One - brings us to the present
2. Breathe Two - Please do not Believe that thought (blame and criticism of self or others)
3. Breathe Three - Connect with Kindness, to yourself and others
You are not suppressing or expressing the energy. Instead you are staying with it and being aware to breathe, not believe that first thought and refrain from acting or speaking. The feeling will pass. Stillness, space and wisdom will arise naturally. You have gained freedom from your habitual response
Do what presents to Do from that wise spot that is free of habit. It may be helpful to consider what someone you admire would do in that situation, and do that.
Summary The '3-Breaths' Meditation’ Recipe
This mindfulness meditation can be used on the go, any time during the day.
A. Acknowledge feeling & thought
B. Breathe, - take 3 mindful breaths and Please do not Believe that thought (do not speak or act from that unhelpful habitual spot)
C. Connect with Kindness,
D. Do Kindly
Meditation/Contemplation Bottom Line
Things to do this week
1. Continue to do a mindfulness breath meditation for 5 minutes each day - record it in the Workbook
2. Do the '3-breaths' Meditation’ during the day
This will help you gain peace of mind and freedom from unhelpful habits
3. Read
4. Email Maree maree@pom-melbourne.com with any questions or to tell me how you are going
This is a very useful practice to help us deal mindfully and wisely with tricky emotions. It allows us to break the habit of responding in unhelpful ways when we have a difficult emotional response to a situation. Unhelpful responses like expressing an emotion like anger in a rage or equally unhelpfully trying to suppress it. Breaking the habit allows us to gain peace of mind and freedom from unhelpful habits, of body speech and mind. This mindfulness meditation exercise can be used on the go, throughout the day.
This exercise involves learning to stay with the energy of a negative emotions and allowing it to pass, without expression or repression. We can learn to allow these emotions and use them as friendly reminders to act in wise ways. This frees us from unhelpful habits. We cease to be a victim of habit. Emotional responses such as anger, frustration, stress, hurt and jealousy are like a button being pushed. When, for example, someone criticizes us, we feel our anger button is pushed. This feels physically and emotionally uncomfortable.
We can often recognise this physical response to the button being pushed. It may be a tightness in the chest, jaw tightening, clenching our teeth, tummy unease. Recognizing this unease or button being pushed is our mindful reminder to do this '3 breaths' practice and to break our habitual response. Because this physical response often feels uncomfortable we unknowingly develop unhelpful habits to deal with it. These unhelpful habits include expressing our anger in outward rage or, equally harmfully, suppressing it or turning it inward on ourselves.
This tendency to try and get rid of the uncomfortable feeling harms us physically, destroys our peace of mind and strengthens the habitual response.
For example, in the case of criticism or anger we may feel physical and mental discomfort. The habit might be to try to get rid of this unease by expressing criticism outwardly. Equally unhelpfully, we might suppress it and try to pretend it is not affecting us. We can also just as harmfully, turn it inward on ourselves with self criticism. This is like replaying a critical soundtrack in our minds. An habitual thought pattern is associated with this button being pushed. The first critical thought we have can be likened to buying a ticket for the negative thought train. Believing and hopping aboard this thought train can lead to more unhelpful thinking, and onto speaking and acting in unhelpful ways. Over time we unconsciously strengthen these habits of body speech and mind. The discovery that our brains are changeable (neuroplasticity) allows us to understand how we can break unhelpful habits and form new helpful ones. Awareness and practice are the keys.
The ‘3-Breaths' Meditation’ Recipe
A. Acknowledge button - feeling and thought. What is it for you?
Feel the discomfort of having your button pushed. How does it feel? Perhaps a vague jaw tightening? A slight tummy churning? Chest tightening? Be aware of acknowledge and allow the feeling.
Experience the energy and emotion. This can feel uncomfortable but you’re learning not be seduced by the momentum of habit and create future pain. This feeling has come as a friend to remind you to be present. Be aware of the first thought related to this feeling. And...
B. Breathe, - Pause and take 3 Mindful breaths - do not speak or act - this allows for stillness, space and wisdom to arise naturally
1. Breathe One - brings us to the present
2. Breathe Two - Please do not Believe that thought (blame and criticism of self or others)
3. Breathe Three - Connect with Kindness, to yourself and others
You are not suppressing or expressing the energy. Instead you are staying with it and being aware to breathe, not believe that first thought and refrain from acting or speaking. The feeling will pass. Stillness, space and wisdom will arise naturally. You have gained freedom from your habitual response
Do what presents to Do from that wise spot that is free of habit. It may be helpful to consider what someone you admire would do in that situation, and do that.
Summary The '3-Breaths' Meditation’ Recipe
This mindfulness meditation can be used on the go, any time during the day.
A. Acknowledge feeling & thought
B. Breathe, - take 3 mindful breaths and Please do not Believe that thought (do not speak or act from that unhelpful habitual spot)
C. Connect with Kindness,
D. Do Kindly
Meditation/Contemplation Bottom Line
- Meditation means to habituate your mind to concentrate on something that will help you lead a happy life
- Meditation has many benefits for your health and well being including increased attention, memory, emotional balance and well being, happiness and POM. It also helps reduce your tendency toward anxiety, depression, anger, pain vulnerability and illness
- A morning meditation routine will train your mind to be more concentrated and peaceful and the positive effects of your morning meditation will last throughout the day
Things to do this week
1. Continue to do a mindfulness breath meditation for 5 minutes each day - record it in the Workbook
- Make sure you have a plan for your meditation practice this week - where, when and what meditation?
- Choosing the same time and place assists greatly to develop this helpful habit.
- We all have 5 minutes each day to do this, but it takes commitment and discipline to develop the habit. (It takes 21 days to form a habit)
- Once established you will look forward to this peaceful time
2. Do the '3-breaths' Meditation’ during the day
This will help you gain peace of mind and freedom from unhelpful habits
3. Read
- The Meditation 'All You Need to Know to Get Started' blue booklet and
- The information presented here
4. Email Maree maree@pom-melbourne.com with any questions or to tell me how you are going
Have fun processing gratitude, meditation and kindness over the coming week. Enjoy deepening your meditation practice
Have a great week ahead
I will look forward to hearing from you and emailing you next week.
Maree xx
Have a great week ahead
I will look forward to hearing from you and emailing you next week.
Maree xx