The most typical image of stillness meditation has a person sitting cross legged on the ground. Their hands may be in a prayer position, or in resting on their knees and their eyes are usually closed. That is an accurate image of how many people choose to sit in meditation, but it is not the only way to do it.
Some people prefer to lie down to practice stillness meditation and others will prefer to sit up in a more comfortable position on a chair. Having a straight body posture (sitting or lying down with a straight spine) and feeling comfortable are the only important points to consider when you are trying out what position will work best for you.
Stillness meditation practices are some of the more challenging types of meditation for many of us due to their very nature. We as humans are simply out of practice of being still. At the same time, this form of meditation is the most powerful practice for dissolving inner blocks and transforming the false understanding you may have of yourself.
I typically recommend a beginner start with three minutes per day of some form of stillness meditation practice. Repeat this twice a day if possible. That may not seem like much time at all, but even one minute a day of complete awareness can work miracles.
With stillness meditation, and all other forms of meditation, it is important to remember that this practice is never about forcing yourself. Gentle persuasion is encouraged.
Set three minutes aside each day and try out one the stillness meditation practices in this chapter until you find the one that feels the best for you. You may find several that work and that is great. You can mix them up however you like.
To keep from sounding redundant throughout this guide, please make a note of this now: Every meditation starts with your breath.
When I start with my breath I notice how the air feels as it passes into my nose, into the center of myself, filling my belly and continuing into my legs and throughout the rest of my body. I feel how there is a gentle breeze as the air enters my nostrils and how my shoulders or other parts of my body gently move as they accept the air.
With an inhalation, you are nourishing and sustaining yourself. With an exhalation you are releasing toxins from your body. This nourishes and sustains the world around you. Sit still and become present to that in-and-out process of breathing. Allow your breath to slow and deepen into a naturally relaxed state.
Mantra meditation can use can be spiritual or secular, it doesn’t matter which way you choose. Centering prayer meditation has a higher emphasis on connecting with Spirit or any religious entity of your choice.
Both of these styles of meditation are the easiest methods of stillness meditations. Choosing one or the other to start your practice with will give you somewhere to focus your attention.
A mantra can be a word or a sentence. OM (Oh-MMMM) is a sacred word and is thought to contain the vibration of “ALL”. Take a slow, comfortably deep breath in and the draw the word out through a natural and relaxed exhalation. Allow a deepening of your breath and the word as you settle into your relaxation. Repeat this for as long as you like, from deep in your voice. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the word.
With centering prayer, you may decide to use the name of your religious entity, or words that resonate with you on that level. You may also choose an emotional word to help you center. “Center” could be your mantra, or “I am at Peace”.
What matters most is how the mantra helps you, so choose anything at all that has a meaning for you.
This is another easier form of stillness meditation, similar to using Mantra, because it gives you something to do. This form also stimulates your imagination and visualization skills. Start with simply relaxing and taking slow breaths.
As you become present to your breathing, visualize that your breath is coming from, and being released, deep into the ground, like tree roots reaching into the earth.
These roots will come from the top of your head down through your spine, down through your hands and feet. Reach deeper into the earth with each out breath, and begin to imagine energy from the earth’s core coming up into your body with each out breath.
Feel how you are connected to the earth and that it is accepting all your stress, worry and other negative feelings. The stress is melted away from the heat of the center of the earth and comes back to you as peace.
Just as your exhalation nourishes the earth, and your inhalation is a gift from the oxygen produced by the trees, energy from feelings creates the same give and take response.
When you release stress, anger, and other negative emotional energies into the earth it acts as nourishment. This energy is then transmuted into positive ions which are then available to you and others. All of that may sound like a bit of a head game for you if you do not have a background in physics.
To put it as simply as possible:
Anything that exists is made up of measureable energy, including thoughts and feelings. Anything that exists can never - not exist. So something will never turn into nothing, it will only change into something else.
With this in mind, the energy of your thoughts and feelings exist. You can feel them in your body and they will affect everything and everyone around you. Therefore, using meditation to transmute negative energy into positive energy is an activity that can improve your mind, body and spirit health as well as improve your environment, including those around you.
As you can now understand: Using centering meditation to help release negative energy through your exhalation, and receive positive energy through your inhalation can have life changing benefits. The more you practice, the more you will be able to do this outside of a formal meditation session. This is an especially essential tool to develop if you suffer from anxiety or depression, or through the occasional high stress moments in life.