Hello Kelly H here! Today my good friend Becky is back on the blog and she is talking Meditation. Now I have to admit I don’t know that much about meditation, I did a lot of deep breathing exercises for my Hypnobirthing before Dexter was born and it did help me keep my mind calm and relaxed. However full on Mediation I have never really practiced, so when Becky told me about her new meditation experiment I was intrigued. I have known Becky since I was 8 years old, so I know how much this mediation has helped her stay calm and unstressed. I hope you find her story as interesting as I do.
I’ll pass you over to Becky……….
I have practised what I thought was meditation for a few years now – not consistently – but mainly when I needed a mental, emotional or physical lift. However recently I was given a lesson by a master: Jon Pearson, the founder of Calderdale Yoga Centre, Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. Jon has studied various forms of mediation and yoga over the last 25 years and has really delved deep inside in his own mind and body. As part of my yoga training course I was blessed to spend an afternoon with him. He covered the background of mediation and walked through a guided meditation.
I’m very good at relaxing – it’s one of my favourite things – but during this afternoon I was taken to another level. I learnt how to totally relax whilst being in an unsupported seated position. I do know that meditation should be seated instead of horizontal, but I have generally chosen to ignore this piece of advice and opted for lying down as my preference. Occasionally I have sat for meditation practice, but this always felt forced, and was never relaxing. Jon explained that when seated our energies are able to flow better. Again I knew this, but in my experience it was simply hard work and not as rewarding as a horizontal practice.
This all changed after my afternoon learning from the master! I was taught how to sit properly; how to align my spine correctly, including my head. With the spine in correct alignment the muscles don’t need to support the body and the body can let go of tension.
Then we walked through an example of ‘how to meditate’. I know how to let go of thoughts and focus on my breath, but this advice, taught me to move even deeper until I was focusing on something specific within my body, e.g. a mantra echoing from the third eye (it is the space in your head where your thoughts occur – a place you will find when you meditate!).
I have since meditated for 20 days using his advice; not consecutively but over a period of about 25 days. It is hard to put into words such an encounter within my own body. And to be honest, it sounds silly to write it in words. My best attempt at describing it would be to say that I felt fully aware of my inner body; connected with my muscles, my breath and my organs.
However weird the experience sounds in written word, in reality it created a warm glow inside. I had days in which I struggled to totally let go, mainly when I was tired, but on most occasions I was able to totally focus on my mantra or chosen inner body part and forget all else.
Mediation is known to have so many health benefits. My advice can only be to try it. I now look forward to my meditation practice every day! I have started to experience my body and mind in a new way. This may seem crazy, but it feels like an experiment, and I cannot wait to meditate again to see what else I find! For further reading try Moving Inward, The journey to Meditation by Rolf Sovik.
Or to dip your toe in, start with a guided relaxation app, such as Simply Being. You don’t need to start sitting, but could either lie with your head propped up, or choose a seated place with a back rest if that would help you to relax. Once you learn how to relax, then you can progress to relaxing in an unsupported seated position!
Have a great Day!
Love Becky x
