Once you begin your journey into meditation, you’ll soon discover the power that it has to reveal truth and peace in your life. In a fast-paced world where everything keeps getting faster and more complicated, it’s important to deepen your practice with meditation.
With regular practice, you’ll find that you’ll be able to go deeper into meditation without much effort. As you practice, you’ll be better able to deal with distractions and achieve a certain depth of meditation in a shorter period of time. If you practice for just 30 minutes per day, you’ll be able to go deeper each time.
Deepening Your Practice
You may be wondering what it means to deepen your practice. It’s definitely a topic that’s difficult to put into mere words. It’s similar to talking about how to deepen your love. If you’ve been in love you’ll know in your heart what it feels like to experience the depth of love. The same is true when you meditate, you’ll know what it feels like as your practice deepens.
Tactics For Deepening Your Practice
If you want to go beyond regular practice to deepen your meditation skills, you can try these other tactics.
Consider these suggestions as you deepen your practice:
1. Focus
A big part of deepening your practice is working on an improved focus. Find something that works for you.
First try experiencing eyes open meditation. Meditate with a small focal point and don’t let your gaze go astray during your session. You can also try eyes open meditation without the need for a strict focal point; this may help you to keep your focus within.
Alternatively, you can explore the option of eyes closed meditation. Many people enjoy the aspect of shutting out the visual sense, while others think it’s too much of an escape from true life, so do what feels right.
2. Your breath
Your breath is also a part of your focus. It’s how you break up your life into a series of moments. Take a moment to breathe in the good and a moment to exhale the bad. In order to deepen your practice, experiment with different breathing techniques.
Work on the length of your breaths. Some people decide to work with their moods when they work on breath length. It’s a way to just go with how you feel, instead of deciding on a set pattern of breathing.
Use a mantra. There are many mantras to choose from or you can even create your own depending on how you feel or what you like.
3. Your posture
Your posture also has an impact on how deep your practice will go. Choose a position that’s comfortable for you.
During sitting meditation, it’s always a good idea to maintain good posture. This means: Don’t slouch! The location of your legs usually doesn’t matter as much.
If you maintain a good posture without hunching over, you tend to maintain your alertness and you’ll be less likely to fall asleep. Remember that your goal is to remain in the present moment and not merely to relax.
Keep Up Your Practice
The most important thing you need to do is keep up with your practice. You can then tweak any other aspect of meditation that you feel needs adjusting. However, you may find that you simply evolve without much effort as you continue your meditative journey.
I remember the first time I heard one of his quotes and I was blown away by the depth of thought, knowledge and love in just a few simple words. The irony is the experience was so powerful that I completely forgot what that quote was!
But that was the start of a love affair with the work of this 13th Century Sufi poet. One of the greatest spiritual masters of all time and what a blessing that his work is shared so widely today.
In a world where there is much fear around religion, and hate crime and terrorism it is beautiful to simply share words of love regardless of race or religion.
Rumi’s words are loved by all faiths and in honour of his work I have recorded my reading of one of his beautiful poems. The Guest House.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
You can listen to the poem here at Insight Timer completely free, as well as millions of other meditations including some healing and life transformation meditations from me.
So our month of Mindfulness is nearly over with just two days to go. Today it’s about noticing the joy in the simple things of life.
That could be:
The smell of fresh coffee
The smile of a loved one
how the sun glints off the windows
how your body feels in a warm bath
jumping in a puddle like a kid
The sharp taste of a freshly cut lemon
It can be absolutely anything you want at all, just be really aware of the joy you feel. The experience and how that feels in your body and relish in it. There are so many beautiful joyous things that we can open our hearts and eyes to given the chance to truly think and see. So try it and see what you could find joy in today.
Today, we are focusing on the body again. One thing we are usually really good at doing is self-criticizing. When we do something wrong, or something doesn’t go the way we wanted then our internal critic can take over. Today, by going inside and just tuning into ourselves without judging we are effectively giving our internal judge permission to stop.
Our internal critic, that nagging voice in your head that tells you that you are stupid, or complains when you make a mistake actually serves a purpose. It comes from a primal part of the brain and its role is to protect us. To protect us from doing anything that could get us expelled from the tribe. In order words, it’s main goal is to make sure we don’t die. Kinda makes sense that it’s nagging us all the time.
But there is a way we can deal with this internal critic or judge or whatever you want to call it. That’s by simply acknowledging it, and letting it know you are safe. When it complains, just take a deep breath, tell yourself all is well and breath out. Today go inside and notice any feelings that come up and don’t judge them.
Today is all about you. It’s about doing something fun that you love that’s creative. Now if you get stuck here, you don’t need to be a Picasso or a Mozart to create something.
Creativity comes in many forms! You could:
Paint
Draw
Write
Cook
Dance
Sing
Film
Design
Whatever you want there are so many options for doing something creative, it’s entirely down to you. Plus the bonus here is it doesn’t need to be seen by anyone or done with the intention of doing anything other than creating. Don’t worry about what others may or may not think of your creation, just do it and enjoy it.
Personally, I have never been a great artist but I do love doodling. I followed some videos on YouTube around doodling and started creating my own. Now when I want to zone out and create something, I draw great big doodles. I don’t care if people see them or not, I just enjoy doodling. It’s a great form of meditation that I enjoy. I’m sure you’ll find something creative to enjoy today too.
Thank you… this was a wonderful way to start my day.
MoiraBurnstown, Ontario, US
Very good feeling after this meditation. Something you can do anywhere .
Thank you namaste
JohnToronto, Canada
This is wonderful! Very healing and calming at the same time. The mantra really gets you out of your own way and has an amazing effect. Thank you
MartieWeaverville, NC, US
Plenty of neutral distractions to calm the mind. I continue to LOVE your Ho’oponopono meditation!
Thank you
CynthiaIdaho, US
I like the time to focus on the mantra in my cadence. This was a great way to start the day, connected. Namaste’
LisaGermany
Wonderful balance of guidance and quiet practice. Namaste ??
JudithPhoenix, Arizona, US
Really appreciate this meditation – I loved learning about the origins of the mantra, the meaning, and being given silent space to practice it. I also loved the closing of the meditation – thank you! I’ll be incorporating this into my daily practice.
RachelSeattle, WA, United States
So beautifully done. The music, the sequencing, the resting at the end, and your lovely voice. Brought me to tears as my heart reviewed all the Beings that I wished to reconcile with. Thank you.
FredericBoulder, CO, US
This was incredibly helpful for me. Eye opening. Thank you.
