Meditation & Posture (Asana)

Have you been to a meditation class and struggled with relaxing or had difficulty stilling your mind?

There are many different meditation traditions and each of them have their own ideas about the most suitable posture. I've come to the conclusion that there is no universal correct posture for all beginners.

One of the first things I recommend to anybody learning meditation is to experiment with the best posture for you. It doesn't matter what everybody else says they do. By all means pay attention to their advice and suggestions and then make sure you adopt the posture that works for you. This may mean trying a few different ones for a while.

You may be familiar with the lotus position, which can be a great posture for meditation. However it is not great for everybody. There are many alternative postures for sitting on the floor, e.g. the simple crossed leg position. There are also a variety of props to help you. You can use blocks or cushions. Or you can lean against the wall to keep your back straight.

You don't even need to adopt a seated posture on the floor at all. Why not try one of the kneeling postures. These can be very comfortable, especially to start with. Just make sure you don't kneel if you have any knee injuries.

While you are on the floor you can even try shivasana (corpse pose), lying on your back, arms beside you, palms facing upwards, legs slightly apart. It is best to do this without any cushion under the head, unless you have neck problems. (You can also use a cushion under the knees if you have knee problems in this posture.)

Some people like to sit in a chair when first learning meditation. This can be great for getting the basics of meditation. Just make sure you find a comfortable chair with adequate support for your body.

Many of my students particularly enjoy standing in meditation. This is a terrific way of getting the body fully aligned, enjoying visualisations of the chakras and focusing on the flow of prana (chi, mana, energy) through the energy channels in the body. It is also an interesting way to develop a connection between the earth and the heavens through your body. You might be surprised by how long you can stand in meditation and how deeply you go. This is a very good posture for people who have tended to sleep during their first attempts at meditating. It is much easier to stay awake when you are standing, isn't it.

Have fun experimenting. Feel free to post your comments and questions on this blog or contact me for further advice and information.

Author: Andy Lucas, Spring to Mind Meditation Brighton and Hove

Meditation & Yoga Nidra - Reminder

Quick Reminder:

My Yoga Nidra / Meditation Classes continue tonight. Here are the details:

What does it cost
£8

Where - Shoreham Chiropractic Clinic
1-3 Ham Road, Shoreham By Sea, West Sussex BN43 6PA

How to book
Call the clinic on 01273 461155

Many people I meet are looking for ways of relaxing, calming down, switching off and/or stilling the mind. Some people find themselves thinking too much or having excessive internal chatter whilst others want to learn ways of tackling feelings of stress and anxiety.

Regular meditation is an excellent way of training the mind to develop healthier ways of thinking and feeling.

Yoga Nidra / Meditation - Shoreham nr Brighton

Exciting News!!!!

I have started teaching a brand new Yoga Nidra and Meditation Class here In Shoreham-by-Sea every Tuesday 7.30pm to 8.30pm. Full details of how to book and where to go are on my website: http://www.advancedtherapy.co.uk/meditation.php

YOGA NIDRA: a unique practice (no postures or movements), incorporates relaxation, meditation & the state of yoga nidra, 'conscious sleep'.

How I teach
I guide the practice with techniques and meditations from Bihar School of Yoga & from methods used in NLP (neuro linguistic programming). I find this combination accelerates deep relaxation & stillness of the mind.

What is Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is an amazing practice. It's more than just relaxation. In fact it is more than just meditation. Some people liken it to a hypnotic trance. Others say it is a state of total integration between the consciousness and unconsciousness. Some people don't say anything at all about it, because sometimes there are no words to describe deep and profound experiences.

Where does it come from
The practice itself is based on techniques and a philosophy going back thousands of years with roots in the vedic teachings and the self realisation traditions of India. The specific style taught nowadays was developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati of The Bihar School of Yoga based on extensive studies of ancient texts and by following the principles of Raja Yoga and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

What are the benefits
In my experience Yoga Nidra can be a very healing experience. It can enable you to live more consciously and gain greater control and insight into emotional and thought processes, especially if you allow it to become a daily routine.

As you become experienced in the practice of Yoga Nidra and meditation you can enjoy working with your chakras (energy centres) and discovering a natural ability to maintain greater control over the emotional states experienced in daily life, replacing old automated unconscious behaviours and responses with something more graceful and stable - a kind of superconsciousness.

This is just what I think today of course. Ask me tomorrow and I may say something completely different. The best way to truly understand Yoga Nidra is to try it.

Meditation / Yoga Nidra - Shoreham, West Sussex

GREAT NEWS!!!

I am now launching some new meditation and yoga nidra classes starting in September at Shoreham Chiropractor Clinic. This is a lovely purpose built venue and it is literally around the corner from the station, so it is very easy to get to.

Yoga Nidra is a unique practice incorporating relaxation, meditation and the actual state of yoga nidra itself i.e. “conscious sleep”.

I use a unique approach to guiding the practice by incorporating techniques from the Bihar School of Yoga and from NLP to accelerate the process of relaxation and to build a routine available to you for the rest of your life.

Here are the details:

When - Tuesdays 7.30 - 8.30
Start: 15th September 09
Half-term: 27th October 09
End: 8th December 09

What does it cost
Payment for 13 week course:
£96 in advance (1 week free)
or two instalments of £52 (2nd instalment payable before half-term)
or £8 taster session

Where - Shoreham Chiropractic Clinic
1-3 Ham Road, Shoreham By Sea, West Sussex BN43 6PA

How to book
Call the clinic on 01273 461155

Let me know if you need any more information. Just post your general questions on this blog and I will post answers for everybody to read. If you have more specific questions please contact me using the contact form on my website by following this link: Yoga Nidra Queries

And please feel free to pass this information to anybody you know who may be interested.

I hope to see you at the classes.

Meditation Class (7) - Huna

Notes on Class (7) - 13 January 2009

Todays class started to explore applications of meditation from shamanic traditions and in particular from Huna (Hawaiian  shamanism).

THEORY

The Seven Principles of Huna according to the Order of Huna International are as follows:

1. IKE - The world is what you think it is
2. KALA - There are no limits
3. MAKIA - Energy flows where attention goes
4. MANUA - Now is the moment of power
5. ALOHA - To love is to be happy with
6. MANA - All power comes from within
7. PONO - Effectiveness is the measure of truth

It would be helpful to research these principles in more detail and to contemplate what they mean to you.  They can form an excellent foundation for applying meditation and higher consciousness to your daily life.

It is also helpful to remember the huna belief in three levels of consciousness.  The first two levels resemble western theories of consciousness i.e. the notion of a subconscious and a conscious.  However, the huna teachings also include a third level called the superconscious.  

Here is a very brief explanation of the interaction between the three levels:

• The conscious focuses attention on something 
  
• The subconscious treats the focus of attention as an event and retains a memory of it
• The superconscious uses the memory as a pattern/blueprint to create an equivalent physical experience
• The more attention you give to something consciously or subconsciously, the more it manifests in your life
• Conscious attention is a matter of choice, subconscious attention a matter of habit

PRACTICE

In the first part of today's practical we practised observing each level of consciousness as the mind became stiller (see previous weeks' notes for the process of stilling the mind).

When "level 7" was reached we practised a technique known as "centred awareness":

• Either visualise or feel a point of light at the navel
• Experience this point of light as the source of unlimited energy, power and love
• Allow the light to vibrate at a high frequency, radiating outwards so you eventually become surrounded by that light
• As you inhale you can focus on drawing in more light
• As you exhale you can intensify the light and allow the vibration to become stronger
• Throughout this practice maintain your awareness as long as possible

This centred awareness and the ability to work with light forms a good foundation for many applied meditations, including meditations for specific purposes such as personal change, healing, protection, spiritual development.

Recommended reading:  Mastery of Your Hidden Self (A Guide to the Huna Way) 

by Serge Kahili King

Blog posted by: Andy Lucas, Spring to Mind Meditation Brighton