Chapter 4 Flashcards
Why prepare to meditate?
Good preparation sets up the correct conditions to ensure you have the best chance of arriving at a state of relaxation and heightened awareness. Preparing well, via a preparation routine, is one of the most effective ways to improve your meditation practice.
You need to prepare yourself physically and mentally.
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How do we prepare physically for meditation?
This involves checking and adjusting your physical posture so that you are relaxed and comfortable but also alert with a clear sense of what is going on. Meditation is a blend of relaxation and awareness, with an emphasis on awareness. You need to find a balance of letting go and being vividly present.
POSTURE OPTIONS:
* sitting cross-legged
* kneeling
* sitting on a chair
TIPS:
* St so that your spine can rise up, creating space between the vertebrae.
* Head - slightly forward and up, then tucked in towards chin slightly.
* Neck - soft
* Shoulders - downwards but not slumped.
* Tongue - supposedly on the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth.
* Hands - resting in lap or on your thighs.
* Don’t slump in the lower back or let your chest cave in, because it makes it hard for the energy to flow.
* Don’t push your chest forward or lift your head, this gives too much energy which causes unnecessary strain and tension.
After some practice you will find a natural posture that supports your meditation that makes you feel grounded, relaxed and full of vitality.
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How do we prepare mentally for meditation?
TUNING INTO YOUR SENSE OF PURPOSE:
* You need to be motivated, you need to tune into your sense of purpose for meditating every time you sit down to do it.
* Ask yourself: What inspires me to meditate today? What inspires me to spend this time with myself?
* Your sense of purpose will change over time and your experience of meditation deepens.
* Your purpose may be general in nature or more specific.
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REVIEWING WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:
* Call to mind the method and mentally review it.
* Or if you don’t need to do that, recall your recent meditations and things that helped you take them deeper.
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CHECKING YOUR INTERNAL STATE:
* Tune in to how you are feeling, your state, your own internal weather conditions.
* Ask yourself: How are you feeling right now? What is the quality of your thoughts? Do you have something specific on your mind? How is your energy? Do you have a full tank or are you running on empty?
* In this way you are establishing a broad awareness prior to focusing on the breath.
* This is helpful in two ways. First, it gives you an idea of the conditions you will be working with during the meditation, and second, it’s a chance for you to engage with yourself and have gained a subtle awareness of yourself.
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Why do we do a body scan before starting a meditation?
As a final preparation before starting our meditation we should bring our awareness to our body and complete a body scan. This helps you get in touch with your physical experience and prepare for deep relaxation. You can scan from the head down or the feet up, however, if you are particularly tired, it helps to start from the feet as a way of energising yourself.
When you do the body scan, do it in an engaged way, actually feeling each body part, rather than just “thinking” about each body part. Once complete, begin focusing on your breathing and begin the meditation.
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