I need 5 easy meditations please.

[mewtwo]

Hi I am in need of some simple meditation about 5 should do they need to be non religious. What I am trying to do is get a group of people together to meditate who may have never meditated before and I need some meditations for this. I am going to be doing this in a school like setting called job corps thus the reason for the non-religious meditations. Thanks.

 

PS here is the link for job corps if anyone is in trested in finding out more about it.

 

http://www.jobcorps.gov/home.aspx

Edited April 9, 2009 by mewtwo

[Mal]

Loving kindness is one I really recommend

[Iyoiyo]

I'll tell you the simplest meditation I know. I came to it by myself, so it doesn't really have a name. But, for all I know it has been around for a long time and I just never knew. Anyways, getting on with the idea. We'll call it "eyes open meditation" for now.

 

Often beginners in meditation are instructed to simply close their eyes, relax in such and such an order, and think of absolutely nothing. This can be very difficult in the beginning, I think the "eyes open" way is easier. Now for the principles behind it.

 

The goal of centering on "emptiness" is not really to center on emptiness, the goal is a still mind. For this purpose "one thing" will do just as well as "emptiness." Centering on any other one thing will produce the same stillness of mind.

 

The thing is, keeping their eyes closed and relaxed at the same time is difficult for many beginners. So is finding emptiness." Isn't it often the case that we end up trying to see emptiness with our eyes? There are difficulties inherent here, and usually the mind is scattered.

 

Therefore I recommend "eyes open." Keeping the eyes open will require no effort for most, the task will not be distracting in itself. Then, looking at whatever is before you, allow that to fill your consciousness. It is one thing, it will still the mind. The confusion of trying to "see" what cannot be seen is avoided.

 

I think this meditation is a good starting point and has potential to lead into other things. It may be that it only works so well for me because I came upon it alone, but I have a feeling that anyone can do this.

 

cheers

[Gerard]

V-I-P-A-S-S-A-N-A.

 

 

It is made of three components: mindful prostration, walking and sitting.

 

Eyes shut during the sitting component and open in the other two, we always meditate like that.

 

Good luck!

[Desert Eagle]

reverse count meditation by park bok nam

http://www.pa-kua.com/fyi10/fyib10.htm

[phore]

inner smile.

new people tend to like this one.

[Aetherous]

Shikantaza. Just sit there.

[markern]

MIndfulness based stress reduction type of mindfulness meditation (google it)

 

Wether six healing sounds is a meditation or a breathing excercise or whatever can be discussed but since you are teaching 5 practices I would throw it in because it is so usefull.

 

Bodyscanning/yoga nidra

 

Inner smile

 

alternate nostril breathing

 

some NLP meditation perhaps

 

check out Lorin Roche

[forestofsouls]

Anapana.

[Adam West]

I agree with Scotty - Shikantaza - easiest, the hardest and the most fruitful!

 

See below original post slightly edited in form for ease of reading.

 

Shikantaza

 

I think it would be useful to elaborate on just sitting.

 

In Shikantaza, we sit in a comfortable erect posture. Then we allow our awareness to be in its natural state - Zen Mind, Original Face, and realize this to be our ordinary everyday mind as it is. What exactly this means is we 'allow' our mind to just be aware in an entirely uncontrived manner. This can be surprisingly difficult for the beginner because most people are unconscious of subtle tensions and "efforts to do, to suppress or not do" something with their mind which are deeply habitual - thinking, analyzing, fantasizing etc. If we can 'just sit' and just be aware of what is, focusing on nothing in particular and allowing our minds to rest, let go and just be aware and rest as THAT - as-we-are - we will notice a sense of awareness opening up, of brightness, of peace and ease. If allowed further, we will notice energy and bliss at some deeper dimension of awareness as Being itself. Taken further we get an increasing, yet subtle sense of infinity and loss of identification with the separate self arising from sensory stimuli.

 

Implicit to this discussion is a distinction between awareness and mind. I am defining awareness as our basic fundamental nature - the Tao itself. Mind in this context, is defined as cognitive activities or functions arising out of the brain and possibly astral levels of being. Mind may be considered a tool like the body. The body rests and just sits there; the mind rests and just sits there unengaged. Awareness as the fundamental nature of 'you' sees both the mind and the body, but is neither mind nor body, nor is it dependent on mind and body for its existence and function. Awareness is prior to mind and body. Awareness is essential and unchanging; mind and body are epiphenomena existing in awareness.

 

The simple meditation practice of Shikantaza is this:

 

Just sit and be aware. The key then is to just be aware with no effort to be aware - no doing, just be natural awareness as it is. If you find yourself trying to be natural awareness as it is, then that is contrived and you have engaged the mind. Simply LET GO, relax, and be aware of what is, but of nothing in particular. In letting go and naturally being aware of what is you will find that natural still point. Allow the mind to ease off and open up. This can be practiced at all time during the day. Just be naturally aware, openly at ease, and spontaneously engaging - whether sitting or otherwise.

 

This is true vipassana. Uncontrived. To see the natural state of reality as it is.

 

We should allow ourselves to notice mind throughout this period of sitting, as with other particulars that arise; as mind is part of reality, and not to be rejected, as rejection is an act of mind, not awareness. Rejection is based on the false premises of mind. In so doing we will notice when we find ourselves having fallen into doing in which we 'try' to be open and relaxed, when this happens we are no longer in an uncontrived state of natural abiding. The whole process requires concentration; that is, being brightly aware of what is. Concentration in this sense simply means being naturally aware and not being distracted by having our attention divided by activities of mind. As concentration wanes, awareness may become dull and one my space out, or more often, one's thoughts will re-assert themselves and we will go off on a tangent of thought. When we notice this we allow the stream of thought to drop by letting go again of the activities of mind, and just rest brightly aware of what is.

 

So, it really is simple, just sit and be aware.

 

A further point. Do not concentrate on sensory stimuli in particular, as that is contrived, it is effort of mind to do something. See this subtle distinction. Awareness is brightly aware as its natural state, there is not effort - no doing. Just be aware of what is - environment and awareness itself - no artificial distinction between external and internal - just the continuum of awareness. This, however, does not mean we are practicing awareness of awareness, that again is a contrived condition, a use of mind to focus on awareness. In such a case we would be privileging one object of awareness over another, and that is a use of mind. Rather, we are just being aware, just sitting. Discrimination in terms of intention, demarcation, effort, judgment are all discursive faculties of mind. Awareness operates entirely through direct knowing or clearly apprehending the nature of what is - it simply sees it for itself. No recourse to the inferential faculties of mind.

 

So, Shikantaza or Dzogchen practice is simple on the surface, but there is much subtly and depth to it. Just sitting does not give it explanatory justice.

 

A final point on the body. Since the body is peripheral to awareness, it does not matter if the eyes are open or closed. Traditionally, they are open. There are merits and problems with both options. My recommendation is conclude this question by what feels natural to you. We do not wish to maintain unnatural, contrived states of body and mind in our practice. Awareness is the practice... drop all else.

 

In kind regards,

 

Adam.

Edited April 10, 2009 by Adam West

[Guest winpro07]

wait for a desire to rise from the heart and for the mind to give a 'yes' and a 'no'. Yes you can and no you cannot.

 

take a breath and exhale -step back in your mind observe the two parts yes and no.

 

again take a breath and exhale stepping back and observe the part of mind that observed the yes and no.

 

repeat two more times

Edited April 10, 2009 by winpro07

[Stigweard]

For beginners I have found that the best intro to meditation is simply a body awareness exercise where, lying down on your back, you simply gently tense parts of the body and then relax them. You start at the head tensing the facial muscles and relaxing, down the neck, shoulders, arms, hands, chest, abdomen, thighs, calves, feet. Follow this with a few minutes natural breathing.

 

The next exercise is to bring awareness to the body without tensing, same progression.

 

You can also include a seated format where you first become aware of the breath, gently rising and falling, then follow body awareness from top of head, face, neck arms, hands, fingers, chest, abdomen, inner thighs, knees, inside of calves, feet, toes, then back up outside of lower leg, knees, outside of thighs, buttocks, lower back, middle back, shoulders, neck, base of skull, back of skull and up to top of head again. Follow this with some deep diaphramatic breathing into lower abdomen, and some full body breathing.

 

Walking meditation is useful as well where you walk with the focus on being really aware of all sensory data.

 

Mindful listening is another good beginning step.

 

Good luck ... let us know how you go and which ones work the best for your group.

 

[thelerner]

I'd start off w/ simple breathing. For example at my dojo the leader would clap and we'd all breath in, clap and we'd breath out ... You can start easy w/ a short cycle of say 5 in 5 out and slowly expand it to 10-10 or beyond if the majority seems comfortable. Its a nice way to start a class.

 

I'd check out free guided meditations Podcasts. Surf around the Itunes store, you can start at Meditation Oasis or Zencast. You'll find many guided meditations available, Zencast has several full classes. They're free and downloadable through the Itunes. You can find simple through complex things there, best of all, if people like them, they can listen to them at home as practice.

 

 

Yours

 

 

Michael

[dwai]

Hi I am in need of some simple meditation about 5 should do they need to be non religious. What I am trying to do is get a group of people together to meditate who may have never meditated before and I need some meditations for this. I am going to be doing this in a school like setting called job corps thus the reason for the non-religious meditations. Thanks.

 

PS here is the link for job corps if anyone is in trested in finding out more about it.

 

http://www.jobcorps.gov/home.aspx

 

Dear mewtwo,

 

This works for me so --

 

* Sit in a comfortable position (on a chair or cross-legged or in vajrasana).

* start by relaxing your body from the crown point to the soles of your feet

* close your eyes or look into infinity without focussing on any thing (if you want cross your eyes a little, so everything seems to hover in your vision but nothing is focussed on).

* bring your attention to your nostrils and observe the breath going in and out.

* Observe the coolness of the in-breath and the warmth/heat of the out-breath

* simply stay there for as long as you can, and if you mind wanders, gently bring it back to the task at hand of breath observation

* do not try to consciously force any breathing, simply observe the breath going in and out.

 

After a while (and with some practice), you will get a sensation of falling within yourself, like transitioning to a deeper space within yourself. And the thoughts will slow down

And as you spend more time in this stage, you will sense another feeling of falling deeper into yourself.

Each of these shifts will be startling. Don't focus on the shift, but remain calm and do the task at hand.

 

You could also do this lying down, in Shavasana (Corpse Pose), but I would recommend doing a sequence of asanas with Ujjayi breath (Victorious breath), slowly, with as much time in hand as possible before trying the Shavasana. Here is a sequence I use, holding each pose and doing 6-8 long, unstrained ujjayi breaths with each pose (note: I don't know english names for some of these asanas, but you can find these easily via google) --

 

* 2 rounds of Sun Salutation

* Uttanasana

* Plank pose

* Chaduranga Dandasana (four posts pose)

* Cobra/Upward dog

* locust

* Downward dog

* left and right side spinal twists in cross-legged position (or Marichi's twist, as your practice progresses)

* left and right side paschimottasana

* paschimottasana

* lie down and do the bridge (setubandha sarvagasana)

* Shavasana (Corpse pose)

 

For Corpse pose, use the same techniques as mentioned for the seated meditation. I can't speak for others, but this sequence helps get into a state of deep relaxation and then fall into meditation easily. This entire sequence will take about 20-25 minutes and then you can spend as long as you wish in the corpse pose. It sounds complicated, but is very simple actually and doesn't have any really negative side effects. Only thing to remember is to not force the body into any pose. Work within the limitations of your physical capabilities. Don't strain and ease into each pose with the help of your breath.

 

Best Regards,

 

Dwai