Guide to Simple Meditation

By Joseph K. Ferguson

Index
Forward......................................................................................3 What is Meditation?...................................................................4 What are the Benefits of Meditation?........................................4 How Much Time Should be Devoted to Meditation?................4 What Should I Wear when Meditating?.....................................5 What Religions can Practice Meditation?..................................5 Getting Prepared to Meditate.....................................................6 The Start of Meditation..............................................................7 Breath Counting Meditation.......................................................8 Problems People Experience with Meditation...........................9 Conclusion.................................................................................10

Foreward
My name is Joseph K. Ferguson, and I am an American who has lived in Asia for nearly 15 years. I have studied meditation with masters of Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism from such countries as India, China, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. However, I do not consider myself a master as such. Instead, I believe I'm just a practitioner of an exercise that means a great deal to me. I've written this small guide in hopes that more people take up the art of meditation. It has had dramatic effects on my own life, and is an art that I will continue to practice. I wrote this guide from my own personal experience and what my own teachers have taught me, so what you are reading is my own words and thoughts on the subject of meditation. I honestly don't want this guide to be wordy, but instead I want it to be concise and easy to read. My goal is to give enough that a beginner may start his/her meditation practice, and then learn more from more experienced teachers. However, the exercises I've written in this guide are complete, and a person can use them to their fullest without seeking extra guidance. I do hope that you, the reader, find this guide informative and helpful. I thank you for taking the time to read this guide and incorporating its exercises into your life. Yours in Peace Joseph K. Ferguson

What is Meditation?
Meditation is the purposeful act of being still and calming the mind. It is an activity that any one can do as it is a simple process, and yet, it is an activity that can be extremely difficult. Especially if one has no guidance in the process. Many will claim that meditation can be enlightening or one can transsend the chains of the mortal world. But this guide does not talk about that subject. Instead, the guide promotes meditation as a way to reduce stress, relieve mental tensions, and to learn more about yourself (which IS a form of enlightenment).

What are the Benefits of Meditation?

Studies have resulted in some significant health benefits by performing meditation daily. Some of the mental benefits of meditation include: Reducing stress Easing symptoms of depression Easing panic attacks Reducing Anxiety Helping cope with phobias Reducing irritability Improving memory Improving confidence

Some of the physical health benefits of meditation are numerous. Studies are being conducted all the time on the benefits of meditation, and new benefits are constantly being found. Here are a just few of the benefits: Helping ease pain Reducing risks of heart disease Reducing symptoms of Asthma Helping cope with PMS Reducing high blood pressure Reducing cholesterol levels Strengthening the immune system

How Much Time Should be Devoted to Meditation?

Many Asian masters of Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism may spend hours in meditation. Some stories tell the tales of masters spending weeks or even months in meditation without food or water. Lucky for us, we don't need to spend that much time in our practice. While those masters were looking for enlightenment, we common laymen are simply looking for relaxation. And that can happen in as little as 5 minutes.

Meditation can offer us a great amount of benefit should we simply devote 5 to 15 minutes of daily practice. In fact, a beginner may not be able to sit still for more than 5 minutes, as the mind are unused to being still for any great length of time. It is recommended that each beginner start by devoting 5 minutes a day in silent meditation. In this time, the goal is to quiet the mind. It is difficult, as thoughts are constantly flowing, and the beginner needs to learn to not entertain those thoughts. As a person becomes more proficient in the exercise, the time spent meditation can be increased. The amount of time spent in meditation is completely at the disgression of the practitioner.

What Should I Wear when Meditating?

Meditating can be done in any type of clothing. If you are at work, and you have 5 minutes, then you can easily sit still in your chair and meditate in whatever clothes you wear to work. You can also meditate in jogging pants, shorts, or even a suit and tie. If you are at home, it is recommended that a person wear something comfortable. But what type of clothing you wear is completely up to you. If you feel the need to meditate naked, you can do that too, so long as you close the blinds.

What Religions can Practice Meditation?

This question is asked a great deal, and many people refuse to meditate simple because they believe that the act of meditation is against their religion. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. It is true that meditation came from the Eastern cultures. We often associate meditation with Buddhism or Hinduism. And we often see people from these religions meditating in front of a icon of their religious deity, but the truth is meditation, itself, while adopted by these religions, is actually nonreligious. Think of it this way. When we go jogging or lifting weights, we are practicing a exercise designed to help our bodies be healthy. We build muscle and improve the cardiovascular system. It is an exercise that is not associated with any religion, and any person, no matter what religion they may be, can practice. So, too, it is with meditation. Meditation is an exercise designed to still our minds and promote calmness, as well as aid in mental and physical health. It is merely and exercise, and has no religious bearing what-so-ever. Any person may practice meditation as it is merely a healthy exercise, much like jogging or lifting weights. With that being said, many people have experienced a strengthening in their own religious beliefs after taking up the practice of meditation. For example, many Christians have experienced a renewed energy in their faith to God through meditation. And because of this strengthening of their faith, have opted to meditate while concentrating on doctrines of their belief. It does not matter what your faith is. Meditation is an exercise of the mind, and therefore is really the same faith as the person meditating. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

Getting Prepared to Meditate

The first thing the practitioner usually does, is figure out a time in which they can devote to their meditation. You will want to choose a time that you know you won't have any distractions. Remember, you only need 5 minutes. As you progress in your practice, you time spent meditating will increase. It is often beneficial to be able to meditate at the same time every day (beneficial, but not necessary).. Now, you'll need a place in which to meditate. Again, you want a place that will be free from distractions. Many people choose their bedrooms, but if you have a quiet living room, that can work as well. Where ever you choose to do your meditation, make sure it is free from clutter. It is hard to calm your mind when the area around you needs cleaning. There are several positions that one can take while meditating. The easiest, by far, is to simply sit in a chair with your back straight and both feet on the ground. This is a good sitting position for a beginner, as it is comfortable and allows the practitioner to focus on their meditating. Other ways to meditate would be to sit on a nice soft cushion with legs folded into what is called the half lotus position (see illustration below). Of course, you can sit in this position on the bed or couch if you prefer. You don't actually have to get on the floor. But, just as sitting in the chair, you want your back straight.

(Half Lotus Postion)

In both meditation position, either sitting in a chair or in the half lotus position, you will want to keep your back straight, but your shoulders relaxed. Many people find that they tense their shoulders, so be mindful of this. Tension in the shoulders transfers to the mind, and this will stop you from relaxing fully. Your hands can rest on your thighs or knees, palm upward. Just let the hands relax and keep their natural curl. You do not need to make any special gestures with your hands. The chin should slightly point downward. Do not tuck the chin into the chest, but a slight downward slant is preferred. The tip of the tongue should touch the alveolar ridge, which is just behind the upper teeth. The lips should be slightly open, and the upper and lower teeth should not be touching. Just let the bottom jaw hang freely. The most important aspect at this stage is to ensure you are comfortable. Don't be afraid to move a bit to find where you are most comfortable.

The Start of Meditation

Now that a comfortable position has been found, the body must lose all tension. The easiest way to do this is to focus your thoughts on different body parts. You simply think each part relaxed, and let it happen. Here is a simple list you can follow when relaxing each body part. Start with the head and go through each part in order. Top of head forehead eyes jaw neck chest, lungs and heart shoulders upper arms forearms hands stomach and internal organs waist and hips thighs knees shins feet calves hamstrings buttocks small of back upper back back of neck back of head

Notice, if you will that when you relax each part, your thoughts are moving through your body in a circular motion. You start at the top of the head, move your thoughts down the front of the body, and up the back, meeting back to the top of the head. You do not have to spend a great deal of time on each part. Just move your thoughts there and think that body part relaxed. You will feel that part relax, and then move to the next body part. When you have each body part relaxed, you may now begin meditation proper.

Breath Counting Meditation

Breath counting meditation is the simplest meditation to do. But don't let its simplicity fool you. This is a meditation that even masters continue to do. It has wonderful benefits, and is simple to learn. But even this simple meditation can be difficult for the beginner. The process is to simply count your breath as you inhale or exhale. Counting your breath has one major function. It helps keep the mind focused on something other than random thoughts. Random thoughts will still occur, but do not entertain those thoughts. Let it happen and then continue your breath counting. And if you do actually entertain that random thought, don't get discouraged. It happens, and that's why meditation is practiced daily. So that we get better at keeping the mind calm and still. It is recommended that the beginner start by counting their exhales. The practitioner counts each exhalation up to 10, and then begins the count over again. For example; inhale, then exhale while counting 1 (breath in, breath out while thinking ooooonnnnneee for the duration of the exhale). Inhale again, then exhale while counting 2. Continue this until you have reached the number 10, and then start again at 1, while maintaining your normal breathing pattern. You do not need to change your breathing pattern at any time. Do not pause in your breathing or hold your breath at any time. Keep it normal and natural. You will find that in time that your breathing will become slower and deeper. This is a good thing. By taking slower and deeper breaths, you are actually utilizing more of your lungs than under normal circumstances. This is great for helping the lungs to function better. Over time, you will find that your breathing becomes easier, and that you can fill your lungs with much more oxygen than you ever did before. After a couple of weeks of exhalation counting, you can also to count the inhalations. For example, you can count 10 exhalations, and then switch to counting 10 inhalations. You can also count inhalation and exhalation together as one unit. To do this, you perform an inhalation while starting the count of one, then you exhale and finish the count of one. Let your mind drag out the count until you have finished the exhale.

Problems People Experience with Meditation

While there is no real danger to meditating, some people do experience a few problems. The first, when counting the breath, is generally the feeling of becoming light headed. This light headed feeling, or dizziness is caused by the fact that we have forgotten how to use our lungs to a lager capacity. We are flooding our body with oxygen, and our body has forgotten how to cope with so much. If this were to occur, simply stop counting, open your eyes, perhaps stretch a bit, and then continue when you are not dizzy any more, or perhaps at a later time. This feeling does go away the more you practice. Another issue that people complain about is the pins and needles feelings one gets when sitting on a leg too long. This occurs mostly in the half lotus position, where the leg in question is having the blood flow blocked by the weight of the other leg. If this happens to you, then perhaps switch to sitting in a chair. That feeling isn't dangerous, but it can be uncomfortable. This too goes away the more you practice your meditation. Random thoughts is one of the largest problems a beginner faces. They just pop into the head, and sometimes they are hard to let go. This is the sign of a mind that doesn't know how to relax. There is always something that needs to be thought about or figured out, and we all face this. Remember, when you start your meditation session, it is your time to calm the mind. These thoughts can enter the mind, but you should let them fly out as freely as they come. Any problems you had before you started your session will be there when you end. And if you stop letting them take control of your thoughts during the session, your mind will better be able to deal with them after.

Conclusion
Meditating is an excellent way to promote harmonious thoughts, as well as keep the body's cardiovascular system strong and healthy. Many people use meditation to combat the stress of daily life. It is the perfect way to get a little me time when the world demands so much. Medical science is constantly finding more and more benefits from the practice of meditation, and many of the popular magazines are picking up on this. You can find all kinds of references in magazines that tell us to meditate, but many people are simply lost on how to get started. I sincerely hope that this little booklet helps you in your quest for inner peace. I also hope that my words inspire you to continue with the practice offered. It may be simple, but it can have powerful effects that can only benefit you. Should you wish more instruction, I highly recommend seeking out a professional who can help you continue on your chosen path. Good luck to you, and may you find the inner peace you have been seeking. Namaste, Joe Ferguson