Today’s teaching: About Our Meditation & Meditation Instructions
There are a multitude of styles and traditions of meditation, with as many reasons why we meditate. Whichever style you choose, you will probably have a method. The categories I am interested in could be classified as 'unseeded' meditation vs 'seeded' mediation. This is just one way, it works for me. It might work for you!
Seeded Meditations: use sounds, mantras, visualizations, pictures, breath work, movements, and more to induce a meditative state. The state you reach is healing, whole-ing joy. It's a beautiful method, and one that I engage often, but there's something else more direct.
Unseeded Meditation goes straight to the heart of it, the direct posture of the Unbound State. There is nothing separate for the mind to hold onto. It's not possible for something to be anything other than everything.
In this course we will be making our way to the Great Unknowable with a combination of the two styles.
The purpose of meditation is to awaken you to your deepest Self. You can receive many of the benefits of meditation like, stress relief, clarity, focus, and ease, but you also have the opportunity to become more awake that ever fathomed possible. I invite you to gently set aside any notions of meditation you currently have and make room over these next ten sessions to be radically transformed.
One belief most of us hold or held at one time is that meditation means having an empty mind. The goal of our meditation has nothing to do with your mind. So please, leave your mind alone. You’re so much more! An empty mind may happen in your meditation, but an empty mind is not necessary for being awake.
Instructions:
Posture - Sit in a chair or on the floor and draw your spine up straight, not leaning against a wall or chair back. Keep your head level to the floor. Hands can be however you’re comfortable. Know the limit between pushing edge and pushing yourself.
Be Still - Commit to being absolutely still for the entire session. Like a child pretending to be a rock.
Relax - Let everything be as it is. Completely allow your body, emotions, inner, and outer world and mind, to be exactly as they are. Allow ease in whatever is present.
Pay Attention - We want to be very relaxed, but not loose consciousness. Be Alert.
Have no Relationship - Start by asking yourself what that might mean. It’s good to consider what it would be like to have no relationship to the arising of thought, or feelings. Even though you are seeing your thoughts and feelings, don't dance with them, don’t tempt them.
We will be going deeply into each instruction as we move through our sessions, so enjoy!