Meditation: How To Reduce Stress, Get
Healthy, And Find Your Happiness In
Just 15 Minutes A Day
By Rachel Rofe’
http://www.YourBestMeditation.com
All rights reserved. No portion of this ebook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic or mechanical, including email, forums, photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage or retrieval system without the express written, dated and signed permission of its authors.
This program contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties and may not be reprinted or distributed for any purpose.
© 2010 Rachel Rofe
DISCLAIMER
Yes, I know disclaimers aren’t fun. But they’re a necessity and this one is no different. For starters, I am not responsible for your actions or lack thereof. I have used my best efforts in preparing this book and make no representation or warranties with respect to its accuracy, applicability, or completeness. In real- speak: I don’t know you, and I don’t know your medical conditions. Hence, if anything seems uncomfortable to you, please ask your doctor first.
I, Rachel Rofe,, shall in no event be held liable for any loss or other damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Discovering Everyday Meditation ..................................... 6
Examining Meditation’s Long History – and Its Myths ........................... 8
Discovering the History of Meditation ............................................................8
Debunking the Meditation Myths...................................................................9
Myth #1: You need to be able to twist yourself up like a pretzel. ...............10
Myth #2: Meditation is a religious experience. ..........................................10
Myth #3: Meditation is about letting your mind go blank. ..........................11
Myth #4: Meditation results in crazy experiences. .....................................12
Myth #5: Meditation is just self-hypnosis..................................................12
Myth #6: True meditation means sitting cross-legged and chanting “om.” ..13
Myth #7: Meditation is difficult. ...............................................................13
Reflect......................................................................................................14
Reaping the Many Benefits of Meditation............................................. 15
Physical Benefits .......................................................................................15
Emotional and Psychological Benefits ..........................................................19
Spiritual Benefits .......................................................................................21
Reflect......................................................................................................23
Choosing the Best Meditation Technique ............................................. 24
Distinguishing Between the Two Main Types of Meditation ...........................24
Concentration (Structured) Meditation......................................................24
Mindfulness (Unstructured) Meditation .....................................................25
1) Activity Meditation .................................................................................26
2) Concept Meditation................................................................................28
3) Yoni Mudra Meditation ...........................................................................29
4) Basic Breath Meditation .........................................................................30
5) Death Meditation...................................................................................31
6) Energy Meditation .................................................................................33
7) Dualistic Meditation ...............................................................................34
8) Transcendental MeditationTM.................................................................34
9) Mantra Meditation .................................................................................35
10) Body Scan Meditation ..........................................................................36
11) Eating Meditation ................................................................................37
12) Writing Meditation ...............................................................................38
13) Chakra Meditation ...............................................................................39
14) Zen Meditation ....................................................................................41
Reflect, Plus Which Type of Meditation is Right for You?...............................43
Getting Started: The Basics of Simple Meditation ................................ 44
Approaching Meditation: Attitude and Mindset .............................................44
Motivating Yourself to Meditate ..................................................................49
Tip #1: Make a list of your reasons for meditation. ...................................51
Tip #2: Stop yourself when you make excuses. ........................................52
Tip #3: Keep a meditation journal. ..........................................................52
Tip #4: Create a ritual. ...........................................................................53
Tip #5: Just do it....................................................................................54
Tip #6: Meditate for short periods. ..........................................................55
Tip #7: Try activity meditation. ...............................................................55
Tip #8: Use tools like guided meditation scripts (recording). ......................56
Tip #9: Find someone to hold you accountable.........................................56
Reflect......................................................................................................57
Preparing to Meditate ........................................................................... 59
Setting Aside Time to Meditate ...................................................................59
Selecting a Quiet Place to Meditate .............................................................61
Creating the Mood .....................................................................................62
Choosing Comfortable Clothing...................................................................63
Reflect......................................................................................................64
Learning the Basics of Meditation ........................................................ 65
Choosing Your Position ..............................................................................65
Sitting Positions ......................................................................................65
Lying Positions .......................................................................................68
Standing Positions ..................................................................................70
Activity Positions.....................................................................................70
Breathing Correctly: The Power of Breath....................................................71
How Do You Breathe? .............................................................................72
Breath Awareness...................................................................................74
Breathing with Your Diaphragm ............................................................74
Becoming Aware of Your Breath............................................................75
Advanced Breath Awareness .................................................................78
Learning Breathing Techniques .............................................................79
Weighted-Abdomen Breathing Technique............................................80
Alternate Nostril Breathing Technique .................................................80
Walking Breath .................................................................................82 “The Bee” Technique .........................................................................82
Ujjayi Breathing Technique ................................................................83
Skull Shining Breath Technique ..........................................................83
Breath-Slowing Technique .................................................................83
Breath-Mantra Meditation ..................................................................84
Reflect......................................................................................................85
Focusing Your Mind............................................................................... 86
Tamping Down the Perfectionist .................................................................88
Strengthening Your “Focus Muscle”.............................................................90
Reflect......................................................................................................93
Handling Unexpected Body Sensations and Other Feelings ................. 94
Dealing with Unexpected Body Sensations...................................................94
Handling Pain .........................................................................................94
Handling Other Sensations During (and After) Meditation ..........................95
Physical Sensations ..............................................................................96 “Energy” Sensations .............................................................................99
Dealing With Unexpected Feelings ............................................................ 101
Handling Unpleasant Feelings ................................................................ 101
Opening Your Heart to Unconditional Love and Forgiveness .................. 103
Love and Forgiveness Meditation...................................................... 104
Dealing With Other Unexpected Feelings ............................................. 106
Enjoying Pleasant Feelings .................................................................... 108
Reflect.................................................................................................... 110
Incorporating Meditation Into Your Everyday Life ............................. 111
Fitting Meditation Into Your Life ............................................................... 111
Choosing a Practice That Suits You ........................................................... 113
Structured vs. Unstructured? ................................................................. 113
Guided Meditation vs. Self Meditation? ................................................... 114
Reflect.................................................................................................... 115
Enhancing Your Meditation Sessions .................................................. 117
Meditation Clothing.................................................................................. 118
Meditation Timers.................................................................................... 118
Meditation Stools, Mats, Pillows ................................................................ 119
Mood-Setting and Other Meditation Tools.................................................. 119
Guided Meditation Recordings and Scripts ................................................. 120
Advanced Meditation Resources................................................................ 122
Conclusion: Taking the Next Step on Your Journey… ........................ 123
Introduction: Discovering Everyday
Meditation
Just say the word “meditation” to most folks, and they’ll conjure up an image of people sitting cross-legged, chanting mantras and contemplating life. Or maybe they’ll imagine Buddhist monks in long robes, dutifully meditating to get closer to their god.
Ommmmm… (You can almost hear them chanting, right?)
What you don’t imagine is a professional man (with the high-stress job) stretched back in his favorite recliner meditating. And you don’t imagine the single mom who gets someone else to watch the kids for a few minutes so she can meditate. Yet these are the folks who can benefit the most from meditation.
And these are people just like you.
That’s why I created this book. You see, I’m not a yogi. I haven’t devoted my life to meditation. I don’t sit around on mountaintops doling out wisdom or leading people to their bliss.
Instead, I teach everyday people – people just like you – how to reap the benefits of simple meditation in as little as 15 minutes per day.
I’m not going to tell you to seek out a guru (unless you want one) and I’m not going to tell you to go on a pilgrimage to a far off place (unless you want to).
Just stick with me, and you’ll learn everyday meditation from an everyday kind of person.
Here’s just a small sample of what you’ll discover inside this book:
• You’ll discover what meditation really is – and you’ll find out what’s true and what’s just a myth.
• You’ll discover the physical, emotional and spiritual benefits of meditation.
• You’ll find out the two main categories and ten subcategories of meditation. (And you’ll learn which one is right for you.)
• You’ll learn the quick and easy way to get started meditating as soon as today.
• You’ll find out how to control your breath, thoughts, body and your feelings like never before.
• You’ll discover how to incorporate simple meditation into your everyday life.
• You’ll get a list of tools you can use to enhance your enjoyment. And much more.
Look, by the time you finish this book you won’t be levitating or going into any death-like trances. But you will know the secrets of leading a healthier, happier life by incorporating meditation into your daily routine.
Let’s get started…
Examining Meditation’s Long History – and
Its Myths
Before we rush into this subject, let’s define meditation for our purposes:
Meditation is a relaxed state of awareness. It’s a mind-control technique that results in you feeling calm and relaxed.
TIP: If you asked a yogi or a Buddhist monk for a definition, you’d get a slightly different one. That’s because those who practice certain types of meditation do so almost purely for spiritual reasons. For example, monks may use it as part of a spiritual awakening. And so any definition they give you would include a spiritual component.
For our purposes, we’re going to view meditation primarily in light of its emotion and physical benefits since that’s something everyone can appreciate. And for those who’d like to take it a step further, you can reap the spiritual benefits as well.
Discovering the History of Meditation
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment in history when meditation started. We just know what people have been meditating for thousands of years.
Some experts suggest that ancient people first became aware of meditation as they stared into the dancing flames of their fires. The meal is over, people are relaxed. The kids fall asleep next to their parents. The conversation dies down and everyone stares into the fire, focusing on the flames dancing and leaping.
Thoughts of the day’s hunt fade away. Thoughts of tomorrow’s hunt don’t even enter the mind of the person staring into the fire. His full focus is on a single flame.
He relaxes. He has no desire to pull his eyes from the flame. And suddenly he becomes much more aware of everything – his body, this thoughts, the greater world around him. He enjoys a relaxed state of awareness. And once he realizes what caused this awareness (putting forth 100% of his attention on the flame), he’s able to replicate and teach the experience.
While the above is mere speculation, we do have recorded Indian scriptures
(called tantras) that mention meditation techniques. These tantras date back
5000 years!
Around 500 B.C., one of the most well-known proponents of meditation entered the scene: Buddha. Buddha’s teachings quickly spread across what is now the Asian continent, with different practitioners tweaking the techniques to suit their own preferences. Even today, the original Buddha-inspired meditation and its derivatives are some of the most popular forms of meditation.
It took a few thousand years for meditation to reach the West. Even after it arrived, it didn’t immediately gain a foothold, perhaps due in large part to the myths surrounding meditation.
For example, many people in the U.S. believed that meditation created a state of catatonia. And since catatonia is typically associated with people who have schizophrenia or other mental illness, you can see the reluctance of people to
pile onto the meditation bandwagon!
Eventually folks did come around and warm to the idea of meditation. By the
1960’s and 1970’s, respected people like college professors were talking about, researching, teaching and then praising meditation and its benefits.
Side Note: Incidentally, people in the U.S. came to appreciate the altered state of consciousness they could achieve through meditation right around the time they were appreciating the altered state of consciousness achieved with recreational drugs like marijuana. Coincidence?
From there, meditation continued to grow in popularity. Groups sprung up all around the Western world to help others teach and reap the benefits of meditation. And that brings us today, where the everyday person has now discovered how meditation can help bring about feelings of peace and a healthier body.
Debunking the Meditation Myths
I’ll be honest: The myths surrounding meditation still exist.
If you don’t believe it, just tell all your friends that you’re going to start meditating. If all your friends are already enlightened about the benefits of meditation, then tell all your coworkers. Tell the guy next to you in line at the post office. Tell the cop who stops you for speeding.
Go ahead – tell as many people as you can and watch their reactions. You’ll see eyebrows pop up like a child’s Jack-in-the-box toy. You’ll witness the smirking “Mona Lisa” smiles of those who’re trying to keep a straight face. And you’ll hear the laughs from those who think you’ve gone all “Twilight Zone” on them.
SIDE NOTE: Maybe you’re not even completely sure about this whole meditation thing. Let me ask you this – Is this book sitting on your desktop so everyone who walks by your computer can see it? Or did you tuck it away into a folder so no one would see what you’re reading? If you’re feeling a little weird about even owning this book, then this next section is for you.
Forget about what everyone else thinks. Pat yourself on the back for doing something good for you. And then read these seven myths so that you know what to tell someone the next time they flash that smirky smile at you…
Myth #1: You need to be able to twist yourself up like a pretzel.
You’ve probably seen some people meditating in positions that made you think these folks must have legs made of rubber. Just looking at them sent shots of pain down your legs and made you wish you had a morphine drip hooked up. It’s enough to turn you off from meditation forever.
Wait, hang on… come back!
Here’s the thing: You don’t need to sit in those sorts of unusual positions. Some people do. But then again, those people probably have been sitting like that since they were children. What looks painful to you is probably rather normal to them.
But that doesn’t mean you have to sit like that to meditate. Not at all. If you want to recline back in your favorite Easy Chair, go ahead. If you want to sit on the floor, great. If you want to lie down, that’s fine too. The choice is yours.
Myth #2: Meditation is a religious experience.
Because people like Buddha (and the Buddhist monks) popularized meditation, and because religious people who meditate do describe it as a religious experience, many people believe that you must be religious to meditate.
Not true.