First Meditation

I just finished my first attempt at meditation. I started with music, a couple of Imogen Heap songs, but they quickly became annoying as I was focusing more on the lyrics than my breathing. To meditate properly, one has to get the hang of deep, from the belly to the lungs, rhythmic breathing. This I am not very good at yet and I get really annoyed like "This is stupid head stuff!" Plus it's very hard to relax by focusing on the breathing because my lungs are still slightly sore from an illness I had last December which makes my lungs feel like over-inflated balloons with any type of excersion. My back hurt and I began to wonder "Do I really have such terrible posture that even the lotus position is painful, or do I have some curvature of the spine? Then my left knee hurt from being folded and again I was like "This is stupid!" But I ventured on in my journey into the mind. I practised letting go of my thoughts so I could quite the noise from my mind. One does this by focusing first on breathing, then on the body,thus reigning in all the thoughts to the present until one's entire being is completely in the moment. It's hard to achieve mental blankness when your body is annoying you so. I kept thinking of 1. the last episode of Bones I watched and how a nine year old could kill another nine year old and act like nothing happened. 2 What I was going to say in this blog today. 3 How uncomfortable I was trying to keep my back perfectly straight. 4 Why do I feel like there is a presence watching me? 5 What the hell is that cat up to? I kept releasing these thoughts and thinking on my object which today was my boyfriend. I'm not sure how good of an object he made because I wasn't clear on what type of object one should focus on and whether it should be a physicalone or not. So I would bring my thoughts to rest on his face and it was pleasant. I don't think I made it through the entire initial 20 minute session the beginner's are supposed to start with but I do feel a bit over-all relaxed and more able to concentrate. The sunlight beaming red against my closed eye-lids felt good and happy. The relaxed, un-engaged parts of my body felt empowered as if by focusing my attention solely on them my whole essence could be delved into for access to more of my untapped potential. I can certainly see how great things can be done here- in meditation. Clearing away the mental cobwebs, clearing away the inner noise one can re-realize how mighty a human being is. How mighty oneself can be if one calms down long enough to get to know themselves thoroughly and fully engage themselves and their mental awareness.



Here the form I used today from yogabasics.com:

Yoga Meditation:

"Sit in a comfortable position, either cross-legged on the floor or in a chair. Sit up tall with the spine straight, the shoulders relaxed and the chest open. Rest the hands on the knees with the palms facing up. Lightly touch the index finger to the thumb. Relax the face, jaw, and belly. Let the tongue rest on the roof of the mouth, just behind the front teeth. Allow the eyes to lightly close.
Breathe slowly, smoothly and deeply in and out through the nose. Let the inhale start in the belly and then rise gently up into the chest. As the breath slows and deepens, let go of any thoughts or distractions and allow the mind to focus on the breath. Feel the breath as it moves in and out of the body, feeling it move through the nose, throat, windpipe and lungs. Feel the body as it rises and falls with each breath. Bring as much of your awareness and attention to your body and breath as possible with each moment. As the thoughts return to the mind, let them go, and return the focus back to the body and breath.
Practice this meditation for 10-20 minutes. To end, gently let the eyes blink open, inhale the palms together in front of the heart, exhale and gently bow. Take a moment or two before moving on with the rest of your day."