More and more studies are showing the benefits of meditation. But it can be difficult to simply begin on your own, without some guidance. We have designed this program to introduce you to various styles and meditation practices. The best study is to explore meditation, and experience the benefits for yourself. After this 10 days, you should have a good idea of what practice suits you best, and what you want to continue with going forward. The jewels of meditation are often found in repetition.
Our advice as you begin : there is no right or wrong way to meditate; there is no successful or unsuccessful meditation session. Meditation is simply about training the mind. Some days you may find an abundance of stillness, and other times your thoughts may run wild. Both are good and ok. Just creating the space in your life for meditation is already a huge step, and we are curious as to how you will find your exploration.
This is a short and accessible meditation practice that focuses on using sensations in the physical body to create more space and awareness in the mind. It’s the first of a three-part meditation series. Each practice uses a different focus or ‘support’
This is the second part of this ten-minute meditation series that uses the breath as the anchor or support for the mind. Distraction is a normal part of meditation. What matters is the moment we notice we are distracted, and guide the gently back to being aware of the natural breath.
The sense of sound can be a useful support for your meditation. In this last 10 minute guided practice, you will use the sounds around you to help steady the mind and find more inner stillness. Sounds are often seen as a disturbance to our meditation practice, but when you use them as a support, it can greatly alter your experience.
This practice helps to further cultivate a sense of true acceptance and observation. As you begin to embrace whatever is happening within and around you, it creates loving distance and space, and helps you to find a deeper sense of inner peace and happiness.
Sometimes, our thoughts and emotions can be quite wild and disturbing during our meditation practice. But this guided meditation will help you remain calm amidst the inner storm.
This is a mindfulness meditation, where you will simply observe and be mindful of the natural movements of the breath and other sensations in the body, mind, and emotions. It helps you develop a compassionate and less critical mind.
This is the full version of the meditation on twin hearts, or the meditation on loving-kindness. The way the meditation is structured helps the practitioner cultivate the energetic conditions necessary for illumination, and awakening of our true kind and compassionate nature. We also have a bite-size version on the meditation which you can practice at any point during your day when you have five minutes.
As we go deeper into meditation, it can be very useful to complement our meditation practice with reflection and character building. In the yogic tradition, this is called developing the yamas and niyamas. Doing this can help create inner consistency and the integration of our time on the mat meditating into our actual lives. Non-violence or harmlessness is a foundational virtue of the yogic path. Hector explains a bit more about it here.
An interesting meditation technique to explore is chanting or mantra. This video will help you understand the different ways you can do this. To understand a bit more about the practice of chanting, you can watch Govinda’s talk here.
This meditation with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, stems from the Tibetan tradition. And helps you cultivate stillness in the body, silence in the speech, and spaciousness in the mind. Bringing your more in contact with the unbounded nature of your being.