A Practical Guide To Meditation That Really Works

Fully Revised and Updated for 2013
A Practical Guide to
MEDITATION
That Really Works
Overcoming the Basic Challenges and

Misconceptions of your Spiritual Practice
A Practical Guide to Meditation That Really Works
A Practical Guide to
MEDITATION
That Really Works
Overcoming the Basic Challenges and
Misconceptions of your Spiritual Practice
Version 2.0 - January 2013
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A Practical Guide to Meditation
That Really Works

Overcoming the Basic Mistakes and Misconceptions
of your Spiritual Practice
CONTENTS
Chapter Page
1. Introduction. 4
2. Part 1: Why Meditate?. 5
3. Part 2: Setting Up a Meditation Space.. 12
4. Part 3: Practical Essentials of Meditation .... 14
5. Part 4: Building Purpose..... 18
6. Part 5: Barriers to Meditation. 20
7. Part 6: Ten Basic Meditations......... 26
8. Part 7: Final Notes... 40
morning but a way of life where every moment

Introduction counts and freedom is awaiting every one of us
within both the mundane and the extraordinary
experience of life.
I first published this guide in February 2011

and, as we enter 2013 I thought it time to bring
it up to date with my current thinking. So much
changes in a year in my life, that I have had
good cause to learn very quickly that nothing is
permanent and to honor that universal truth as
the first step to honoring the nature of ones
own being.
You see, meditation to me is a tool of living

There was never a better time in history for
happily. It is the precursor to applying the
people to meditate. Humanity is reaching a
awareness of meditation to the challenges of
point in our evolution when we must choose
life that lie beyond it. Only when we accept
how we wish to live: in growing awareness or
that the world we make within us is the world
in continuing non-awareness and ignorance.
we will experience outside of us can both the
In ignorance we will simply repeat the world individual begin the process of
problems of the past, the same problems that evolution.
created the recurring suffering of our world
The trick is to start practicing and to stop
today. In awareness we too will have problems,
complaining that you cant meditate. You can.
but we will also be developing the
We all can. It is absolutely essential that we do.
consciousness to know that every single one of
them begins inside you and me. To solve those
problems we must concentrate less on what we Michael Paul Stephens
create and more on who we really are. April 2013
As a somewhat reluctant meditator myself, I

have come to realize the pitfalls of meditation,
as well as the tricks of the ego that would much
rather be watching a movie or bungy-jumping
than listening to my breathing or visualizing
love.
I have experienced the good days and the bad

days, the triumphs of spirit and the ignominy of
ego. I am writing this guide, not because I am
an expert in meditation, but because I want to
share my experiences of how to make the
development of consciousness more that just a
thirty minute routine you might commit to each
the degree to which we suffer and whether we

are in the process of letting it go or
accumulating more and more.
Part 1 Emotional pain, physical trauma, energetic
blockages or mental aberrations: each person
on Earth suffers in our own unique way but all
of our suffering is connected to the same
problem. Sadly, few of us ever become aware
of what that problem is and much fewer realize
that the condition is diminishable and finite
when we learn how to let it go.
The grim truth is that many of us become

victims of suffering, spending our days
desperately attempting to protect ourselves
Why Meditate? from it through shame, blame, justification,
rationalization and insurance! We apply an
Have you ever tried repairing a machine that
inordinate proportion of our life aiming to
you knew nothing about? What if you didnt
negate its impact by accumulating wealth,
even know what it was for? Could you repair it?
possessions and status that distract us from our
Imagine looking upon a car for the first time in
base fears of hunger, sickness, poverty and
your life and someone saying to you, Well?
death. However, this does not remove the
Make it work! It would be difficult, right?
cause sat all. It merely covers up the resulting
Probably impossible. The same thing is true
pain and suffering.
about fixing yourself. If you do not know
yourself, how can you fix you? But what if this suffering had other reasons for
being? What if it played a significant spiritual
The thing is, most of us live in this shady belief
role in the development of each human being
that we do know our self and we know our self
to fulfill their personal potential? What if it
very, very well. But what if this wasnt true at
wasnt a problem to be covered up at all, but
all and the fact that you dont know yourself is
one to be simply starved of the very fuels that
the very reason why you suffer in life?
stoke its flames and build its power over our
You dont suffer, you say? Life is an endless lives?
procession of joy, angels and chocolate ice
All the normal solutions to lifes suffering have
cream? Congratulations!
been tried by people all over the world, again
But perhaps you might consider the possibility and again, across the eons of history but still
that, rather than having no suffering at all, you the pain remains the same.
may simply be unaware of how you suffer and
Lets go through the list...
shrug off your personal woes as part and parcel
of normal life. Well, there is no doubt that You may have tried pleasure as the solution,
e v e r yo n e o n E a r t h s u f f e r s , b u t wh a t but the high only lasts for a short while before
distinguishes one human being from another is the regular discomforts of life come back. In
this way we constantly seek a high that is, purpose and process of meditation begins and
ultimately, unsatisfactory. If it was truly ends. Sadly, an overwhelming majority of
satisfactory, it would never end. people are entirely unaware of this and thus
remain entrenched within ideas that are slowly,
Maybe youve tried buying stuff to ease the but surely, killing them.
desire to be more attractive or the fear of
being behind the times. But no matter how It is true that everything and everyone suffers
much stuff you buy the dissatisfaction always simply because we are physical beings but
creeps back in, as if you were not treating the suffering is a purposeful natural phenomenon.
cause of it at all! It can be both diminished and extinguished in
life by those committed to first rooting out its
Youve may even have tried changing causes and reducing them and eventually
locations and jobs but as soon as you think
eliminating them all together. This is a process
youve got suffering licked, there it is again, that comes from within, not by meeting the
coming back to haunt you like a boomerang
illusory needs that we perceive as coming from
hurled away in despair but eventually
the outside.
smacking you in the head as it returns to
illicit the same painful result. You see, people live their lives obeying only
certain natural laws and completely ignoring
The conventional solutions to lifes problems, others. Imagine if you were to ignore the Law
t h o s e r e c o m m e n d e d by t h e b r i g h t e s t
of Gravity for a day? You probably wouldnt live
politicians, economists, atheists and scientists
through to the end of it. Youd walk off tall
continually fail to fill the unfillable void within
buildings, try to leap wide chasms and catch a
each of us but where are the other solutions?
falling tree or two! Ouch!
There dont seem to be any because the
conventional wisdom of our world is The one law that we constantly fail to observe
irreparably flawed. It has chosen to perceive is the Law of Impermanence. This law is simple.
suffering, not as a choice but as something It says: everything changes. It shouldnt be
inevitable. too hard to live by this law because most of us
already know it as a theory but really, how
This is not only wrong, it is dangerously wrong
many of us actually apply it to our mind, body
and condemns billions of people around the
or energy system?
world to engage, not only in the constant
creation of personal suffering, but also to Application is the only thing that matters
legitimize and engage in systems of economy, regarding knowledge. Knowing without doing
politics and society that reinforce these is useless and even counterproductive. We
conditions in an endless spiral of suffering and begin to believe we are too intelligent for any
spiritual decay. subtle solutions to escape our wisdom. But true
wisdom is only found in doing and as anyone
If we want the world to change, we first need to who observes the world will quickly realize,
understand that you and I are the ones with the
what we are doing on Earth is not very wise at
power to do that. We must expand our
all. Our actions define us and our physical
perception of what creates suffering in the
reality not the theories with which we have fed
world and take steps to remove those causes
our brains. Most of us virtually ignore the Law
from our own lives first. This is where the
of Permanence despite knowing that it contains from these desperation conditions like face
a truth that is ineffable. creams, condoms, drugs, investment plans,
pensions, fast cars and education but none of
A great example of how we ignore it is the way
them really remove the root causes.
in which our minds and emotions cling on to
people, objects, situations and our self image In fact, our reliance upon them and our faith
despite knowing that all of these things will that they do simply elevates the potential
naturally change. Look at the huge sums of suffering to a whole new level.
money people spend on their skin in order to
Why should we fear any natural phenomenon?
avoid wrinkles and cling to their youth?
We should not. Indeed, fear will only arise
Consider the great suffering by a family when a when we are not truly conscious of it and thus
family member dies, despite all of us knowing cannot control it. Fear is only a lack of wisdom
it is a natural process that is no crying matter at dulling our faith that the present moment is a
all. Look at how we crave that new car as a perfect creation of cause and effect.
solution to our problems and then fear it being
scratched or stolen when we finally possess it. Why do we know that everything changes and
yet expend so much of our lives fighting
While these situations may seem very different change? We cling to what we want and push so
to us, each of them is a direct result of suffering hard at what we dont want, as if we are
that arises either through desiring to have or capable of creating a life divided from the very
maintain something or desiring to push away or laws of cause and effect that brought us to this
be free from something. In short, this process of earth in the first place. That isnt wisdom. It is
desire and aversion causes all suffering and yet madness.
it is a process to which the whole world has
become ensnared. Entire societies actually The kind of control that we apply to life is not a
useful one. We try to bend and mold life from
encourage people to participate in an endless
the outside in, changing the external reality as
cycle of addiction to the very causes of
if it will ultimately offer us anything except a
suffering from which we are seeking our
superficial comfort.
freedom!
Consider the huge volumes of suffering But, in a world where everything changes, this
will only ever create temporary satisfaction
generated through this process? For example,
based upon a misconception. Sadly, seven
where do you think fear comes from? It is the
billion people are all trying the same
feeling that arises in us when we expect our
technique, changing the world on the outside
present reality to change in an undesirable way.
Society plays upon this fear suggesting that it is so that they can be happy on the inside. No
wonder the next time you look at the world
a very healthy way to live by fearing sickness,
around you the part you had perfectly in place
unemployment, debt, divorce, being late,
in your life gets moved by someone else and
poverty, criticism, embarrassment, spiders and
the frustration, anger and fear plays out all over
all manner of other projections that stem from a
desire to permanently maintain what we have again.
or permanently avoid what we dont have. Thus This is a way of living that leaves your
we can be sold things that seem to protect us contentment entirely up to the whims of other
people who are also trying to change the world your experience of the unity within it. Of
for their own person expectations. There has to course, when physical problems occur, there
be a better way where everyone can win. will always be suffering. But this suffering is not
helped by thinking of all the terrible things that
What has to change in the world is the idea could, might or may happen, for example. It
that the desire to become something that you
would be far better to let go of all thoughts and
are not will end your suffering. We think:
simply observe what is happening but few of us
When I become rich/a banker/married/ are taught how to do that or why it would be
educated/loved, or whatever, I will be
beneficial. Indeed, most conventional wisdom
happy! when the fact of the matter is plain says we can only be happy once we have
and simple: how do you become a better solved the pain problem but this can very often
person when none of us really knows who we
exacerbate and engender greater pain, not less.
really are now? We dont look. We dont
observe. We have never looked or observed. So When you think about it, every emotion you
how do we know what we should become and will ever experience will be a feeling attached
whether it will serve us any better than who we to a concept in your mind that: the present
already are? moment is somehow imperfect. Reread that
and understand what I mean by it because it is
It is no wonder that our external solutions dont fundamentally important as to why you should
work and have never worked when the person ever bother mediating in the first place.
we really are doesn't really need any of the
artificial solution we create for ourselves in our Take sadness for example. It is an emotion that
desperate pursuit of happiness! chooses to believe that the present moment
would be a better time if what you have lost
The truth of the matter is very simple. You was somehow back in your reality. This reads:
cannot know who you are unless you look in the present moment is imperfect because of
the only place you exist. Where is that?, you
what I have lost. In other words, my egos
may ask. But the question is flawed. When is desire causes me sadness.
that? is a far better question because you do
not exist in a place as much as in a time and Frustration is another good example. This is the
thus, knowing that time with a hitherto emotion that chooses to believe that the present
unattained intimacy is the only way to know moment continues to be less than what you
who you are and what you are becoming. desire it to be. Frustration arises when you
cannot create the conditions that you think you
In a very real sense, the suffering that you need to be well or happy in the present
experience in life through emotional stress, moment.
sadness, anger, bitterness and jealousy are not
problems to be overcome, which is how we Finally fear, as previously discussed, is a great
normally try to solve lifes issues. We think that example of how we project something into the
if I can resolve my conflict or fix a situation, I future and feel a sensation that chooses to
can feel better about life but this is another perceive the arising of that condition through
external solution to an internal problem. the sensation of aversion. We feel fear because
our ego doesnt want that kind of present
You suffer because mostly because your mind
moment to exist, so it tries to push it away.
takes you away from the present moment and
You could go through all the emotional states consciousness, an energy that we all possess
and discover the same message. Emotions are but few of us are truly aware of.
like emails from your spirit telling you that you
One of the fundamentally basic purposes of
are failing to live in the present.
meditation is (read the next part of the sentence
While we can all agree that emotions are an very carefully) to observe without judgment
essential part of being human, we can also who you are in the present moment. There, Ive
agree that fear, sadness and frustration are said it. The secrets out. Its not about becoming
hardly augmentations to lifes experience Buddha, reaching enlightenment, single-
however natural they may be. It is ultimately pointedness or emancipation from the chains of
true that being free from emotional attachment suffering, it is about simply listening to who
would create a better present moment for us all you are here and now.
and, far from creating the kind of robot that we
might fear arises from the process of letting go This is a crucial practice in the task of letting go
of emotional reaction, what is actually created of attachments and emotional suffering as they
is a person who becomes far more sensitive arise. You see, all attachments are born, grow
and aware of the world around them. mature and die within us from moment to
moment. What we can observe in the
From this state arises the natural peace of a development of these attachments are our
mind that refuses to engage in the pursuit of desires and aversions arising and falling.
endless desire, aversions and suffering because However, if we are not conscious in the present
it has realized that the temporary nature of all moment we will be unaware of them and thus
things extends to emotions and suffering, if we allow them to proliferate along with the
can find the mindfulness to let them go rather suffering they generate.
than holding onto them as I, me and mine.
Therefore, meditation is one way of attaining a
Meditation is misunderstood because it is often greater groundedness in the present moment.
seen as being a religious practice by those As sensations are born within you, you can
people who lump together all kinds of spiritual allow them to quickly pass through the stages
pursuits in one homogenous mush. This is like of growing, maturing and dying out again but if
saying that fitness is a religion and if you go to you are unaware, you will allow your mind to
the gym religiously you must be some kind of engage those sensations and start an internal
zealot because who but a fanatic would dialog of shame and blame. This doesnt work
actually plan a work out, visit a location out these emotions. It expands and deepens
especially designed for the practice and work them so that you store them up for another day.
so hard on it that their body actually changes Eventually, the amino acids that you produce
shape, mass, size and all manner of inner when you are emotional will congest in the
workings! body and cause sickness and disease.
Of course, we do not see fitness in this way, nor In a very literal sense then, meditation is not an
should we see mediation in that way either. The act of doing much at all. It is allowing what you
truth of the matter is that if you wish to be have already accumulated to arise and dissolve
present you have to work out the muscles that in the face of your present awareness. It is like
are not fit enough to keep you there. In this removing the ignorance accumulated in your
case, the muscle is not a physical element but
m i n d a n d b o dy by a p r e s c r i p t i o n o f HEART ATTACKS: Meditators over 6-9

consciousness. months showed a marked decrease in the
thickness of their artery walls, while non-
Many people like to think they are in some way meditators actually showed an increase. This
incomplete. They desire self-improvement and change translates to about an 11% decrease
betterment but the truth of the matter is that in the risk of heart attack and an 8% to 15%
everyone is already perfect and meditation is decrease in the risk of stroke.5
designed to allow that perfection to shine
PAIN MANAGEMENT: Relaxation therapies
through. What covers it up are the layers of ego
are effective in treating chronic pain, and can
that we place in its way. Meditation is a process markedly ease the pain of low back
of allowing those layers to dissolve like peeling problems, arthritis, and headaches. 6
an onion, layer by layer.
AGING: Meditation may slow aging. A study
Having said this, meditation is also deeply found that people who had been meditating
connected to our mental and physical for more than five years were physiologically
wellbeing. Indeed, the medical benefits of 12 to 15 years younger than non-meditators.7
meditation are recorded in hundreds of studies
The list goes on and on. The medical benefits of
across the world, so dont just take my word for
meditation are known: you will attain greater
it.
wellbeing by regularly meditating: fact.
STRESS: Meditation decreases oxygen
consumption, heart rate, respiratory rate, and You have spent most of your life to this point
blood pressure, and increases the intensity of practicing being there and then and wondering
alpha, theta, and delta brain wavesthe why suffering keeps popping up its ugly head to
opposite of the physiological changes that remind you to do a little bit more of that and
occur during [stress]. 1 little less of this, but, if you were to listen to the
SLEEPING DISORDERS: 75% of long-term subtle messages and change now, those
insomniacs who have been trained in messages would obviously become less and
relaxation and meditation can fall asleep less frequent. Physical pain would decrease,
within 20 minutes of going to bed. 2 stress would alleviate, emotional pain would
subside, threat of illness and sickness would
BLOOD PRESSURE: Meditation significantly
recede, in short; your life would change and all
controls high blood pressure at levels
because you paused living there and then for a
comparable to widely used prescription
while and started living here and now.
drugs, and without the side effects. 3
PERIOD PAIN: Women with severe PMS Of course, while meditation has many great
showed a 58% improvement in their benefits, it is not magic. It is a practice that
symptoms after five months of daily aligns your entire being in the ways of nature
meditation.4 that most of the world is currently ignoring,
1 Herbert Benson, M.D. Harvard Medical School, author of The Relaxation Response
2 Dr. Gregg Jacobs, Psychologist, Harvard
3 Journal of the American Medical Association
4 Health, September, 1995
5 Stroke Journal, reported in Psychology Today, 2001
6 National Institutes of Health, 1996
7 International Journal of Neuroscience, 1982
hence the sense of conflict between man and

nature. It is the act of watching who you are in
order to learn, without any shadow of doubt,
totally and through to the marrow of your bone,
that everything changes, that everything that
lives also dies, that everything you possess will
one day be lost, that everyday gives birth to a
new one, that every speck of sadness will one
day become joy and that every hope or fear
that can be realized will be realized if you wait
long enough - so, enjoy the journey.
If you do that, life becomes extraordinarily

pleasant.
You cannot enjoy a journey when youre

worried about wholl be meeting you at the
station when you arrive or whether you left the
gas on at home. That is what causes suffering.
You can only be happy now and meditation is
learning the art of being now.
You dont need to focus on creating happiness,

peace, concentration, clear-mindedness or any
of the other barriers to your attainment of them.
Happiness will arise all on its own because
your inner nature is peaceful. Peace will arise
when its ready because your true nature is at
one with everything. Joy will come along when
suffering dies as suffering is merely the
manifestation of your struggle to become.
Thus, meditation is about not trying to become

anything. It is about finally allowing yourself to
be who you are, perfect, light and magnificent.
Its an effortless process that requires just a little

effort.
that you can create them before they will

appear.
Part 2 A good friend of mine said recently that faith is

living in gratitude for everything you have in
life. It is a great way to live. You give thanks for
what you have and meet every event and
person knowing that the universe doesnt do
excess. It is perfectly neat, perfectly
economical, perfectly waste-less. It is a perfect
mechanism of giving back what is put in. So,
living in the present and being grateful for it is a
great way to respect that law.
Faith is the magic ingredient that turns logic

and planning into belief and allows the energy
Setting Up a Meditation of potential to be actualized into reality. This is
Space why, as you begin on your journey of

meditation, it is important for you to build faith
I dont know about you, but if someone had in something or someone that represents your
told me when I was 20 years old that sitting course or the foundations of what you believe.
and listening to my mind, body and energy was
I dont care whether that person is Christ,
the key to my spiritual freedom, well, lets say it
Buddha, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa or
would have taken more faith than I possessed
Sarah Palin, each of us needs a figure who
to believe it possible. So, I understand the
represents the values that we are aspiring
difficulty in changing a mindset that wants to
towards and has demonstrated to us that they
do stuff, change stuff, get stuff completed and
can be lived in the human form. This gives faith
feel as if the effort is towards something.
a face. Then, your personal path becomes one,
For anyone starting anything new, I think it not of wondering whether the goal is possible
takes a little faith. It is sad that we live in a but of allowing it to be realized from within.
world where the preferred view is that faith is
Part of this process of faith is setting up a space
non-scientific, therefore it cannot have any
that meets the needs of your meditation
other value than as superstition.
practice. When you dedicate a particular space
But for me, faith is a vital ingredient in what it to an activity, it is both literally and figuratively
means to be human, whether we believe in it creating space in your life for it. The practice
or not. Think about it. Without faith, you would becomes a part of your existence and the space
never make a choice, start any new ventures, you create will help support your practice
be creative or intuit anything. Indeed, you because of it.
would not get out of bed, cross the road or take
Many people that come to see me and my wife,
any risks whatsoever.
Koong, are ungrounded, meaning that the
What is clear in our world is that you cannot foundations of their life are shaky and much of
wait for things to appear. You have to have faith this is often down to the state of their home. If
you have a home that doesnt feel home, like a have been there before you. You start out
building with weak foundations, this knowing that what they have attained is
complicates your energetic foundation and possible. You can do it. Thats what a shrine
creates great uncertainty. says to me. I hope it will say the same and
more to you.
This can occur if your home is rented, if it is
full of clutter, if you are only there on a It is important that your shrine helps you
temporary basis (like a short-term contract) or if generate the sensation of support for your
you travel a lot and find it difficult to put down practice and that your statues, pictures or
roots. In this case, making a nice meditation objects of faith inspire you in some way to be
space is a great way to overcome many of these committed to the process of change that occurs
issues of groundedness and fashion a home every time you sit and observe yourself.
brimming with nurturing energy.
Of course, you do not need a shrine to
Anyone can set up a meditation space. You meditate, it is just a suggestion.
dont need a spare room or a separate area to
do it. You just need a little ingenuity and
creativity to put things in the space where you
will sit and practice. Of course, if you do have
a spare room, thats fantastic, but dont give up
just because you dont have the space. Its a
bad excuse for doing nothing.
Bring together a collection of those things that

inspire you and find a table, shelf or top of a
cabinet where you can leave them relatively
undisturbed. This becomes your little shrine.
You can add incense and candles (taking care
not to burn down the entire community in the
process) and anything else that kindles feelings
of attainment, aspiration, and motivation.
Our shrine at home in Thailand is a set of

shelves that contain things that Koong and I
respect and admire as spiritual guides and
mentors. We have things from many faiths on
these shelves, from Buddhism to Hinduism,
Christianity to Islam; items of faith that bring us
into our spiritual space. When we look at them
they remind us of something important and
motivate us to want to emulate the values that
the person or object embodies in our mind.
This is a powerful foundation for any practice.
It is hard enough trying to maintain your
practice without also disbelieving that people
a victim of your own self-loathing. It rather

defeats the point, doesnt it?
Part 3 Find a middle path to your practice. Like

working out your body, keeping a regular
practice ensures the effects multiply and grow
but going to the gym three times a day every
day, because it is your duty or a matter of
life or death, well, thats just being zealous
and will result in the opposite of what you are
trying to attain. Peace cannot be created by
being at war with yourself, your time, your
schedule, your space or anything else. Just be
cool.
I like to meditate in the morning. This time is

Practical Essentials of when I am most alert. There is no fixed time for
Meditation it, although the Buddha did suggest between
3-5AM as being the best time! You will find
your own time but book it into that diary of
Times to Meditate
yours. Dont go through your day waiting for an
If you want to change your life, change your opportunity. It will never arrive, and then,
diary. This is the clearest message I can give to neither will you.
you. It is the oldest trick in the book to keep
Before bed is another good time, when the day
telling yourself that you dont have time to
has died down and quiet may have descended
change. It is also a poor excuse. What you
in the house. However, be wary of the
really mean is that you cant be bothered.
tendency to become lethargic or fall asleep. It
Important things get prioritized, that is clear, so
is a barrier to practice and sleepiness can
work out what is important in your life and
create frustration as you will learn in the
then change your diary to accommodate those
hindrances to practice later on in this guide.
things. Hopefully a regular awareness practice
will be among them! Finally, how long should you meditate? Well, it
is up to you, but I would recommend at least
But, dont be too strict or hard on yourself.
20-30 minutes but that is not to say that ten
Make the pledge that you will commit your
minutes is not worthwhile. Any time that you
time and effort, but, if you really dont feel like
commit to the process is better than nothing.
it or have something important come up,
change your schedule. You dont want Whatever time you do decide to commit, make
meditation to become a chore. Just ask yourself sure that you keep to it for that session. You do
what your motivation is. Are you missing your not have to meditate for exactly the same
appointment with yourself because you want to duration each day but be sure to decide before
or have to? If you cannot meditate for some you sit down. If you decide 20 minutes,
reason it is no good at all making yourself into meditate for twenty minutes. This is important
as without a set time the meditation will not be strong sitting position your body should stay
as smooth. upright, especially if you adopt the tougher
sitting postures such as the lotus or half lotus.
Keep a clock nearby so you know what the
These postures offer stability although they are
time is. If you wish to set an alarm, this is a hard to impossible for beginners. If you start
good idea, but make sure it is something gentle
young, however, it is a lot easier!
that will not be a sudden shock. This is very
important. Bringing you out of a meditation It is also perfectly acceptable to use a chair
sharply can be very upsetting for your energy when meditating, especially if you find sitting
and destroy the refreshing benefit of calm in a cross-legged position painful. There are
relaxation that you may attain. also some great meditation cushions that you
can buy from specialist shops, including a
Sitting, Standing or Lying? mediation stool which I have found very useful
when sitting for long periods. More on these in
Yes, is the short answer. To be honest, it doesnt
the next section.
matter which posture you adopt because you
can be aware of yourself in any of them but In conclusion, choose a posture that feels best
there are certain practicalities to be aware of for you. One of your challenges as a meditator
and certain postures are better at certain times. will be to bring your body to a point where the
posture itself is not a barrier to your meditation.
Lying down is more likely to make you sleepy,
In theory, no posture should be a barrier at all,
so avoid it if you are prone to being plagued by
if you are simply observing how things feel in
sloth or torpor. This has been one of my greatest
your mind, body and energy, but in practice,
hindrances, which basically means my mind
few of us want to sit through 30 minutes of
gets heavy and sleepy, so lying down is a
excruciating knee or back pain when there are
position I have rarely used. This is not to say it
easier ways to become acquainted with the
is inferior to other positions and is certainly
practice before moving on through postures
great before bed in order to have that 10-
that may help you attain higher levels later on.
minute awareness check before drifting off into
a wonderful sleep. Again, dont be too strict with this. If you want
to lie down one day and sit the next, do it! Do
Standing is very possible, especially if you plan
what feels right for you at the time. There is no
to open your eyes, and there are some great
right or wrong way. It is much better that you
meditations that make use of it, as you will see.
meditate in one way or another than not at all.
Walking is one of them, especially for those of
When you are sensitive to your needs, sitting
us (yawn :o) who have a tendency towards
when sleepy, lying when needing to relax for
falling asleep. Another is grounding, which can
example, the practice will take care of itself.
be very powerful. If you do plan to meditate
standing up, choose wisely and perhaps learn Getting Comfortable
to meditate with your eyes slightly open, which
will help with balance. Meditation is not a chore. It should be
enjoyable. It should, OK, eventually, be
However, sitting is the favored position for
pleasurable but there are a few tricks that can
many meditators. Some levels of awareness can
be employed up front to avoid some of the
be quite intoxicating and disorientating, so in a inevitable pain that occurs when your body is
asked to sit in a posture that, for the first 92 If you have chosen to sit, there are also
years of life you have singly refused to practice! numerous postures that you can choose. There
are a number of different cross-legged postures
Firstly, dont be cheap on a good cushion. If
that are common but, once again, I urge you to
there is one thing absolutely guaranteed to find the right position for you and not feel that
screw up your back it is a soft, limp, squishy-
there is some accomplishment in being able to
thing of a cushion. You wont notice it for about
sit for an hour with your legs wrapped around
the first 4 minutes but after that you will realize your ears or something like that. This is fine, if
that your body is moving ever-so-slightly with
you are in a circus, but unnecessary for
every breath and pump of blood, causing your meditation.
back muscles to make slight adjustments as the
cushion moves. While these may be the most The old fashioned cross-legged posture you
minuscule, even imperceptible movements, used to sit in while watching TV as a child is
your back wont care. It will just hurt. one of the most basic positions. Try it out and
see how it feel. If you find that your back is
I like to use two cushions, one to place my getting sore, stiff or collapsing in the middle, try
bottom on and the second underneath and
leaning against a wall for support. Over time,
large enough for my legs to rest at a slightly
you will get used to the position and not need
lower level. This posture naturally pushes my the support any longer.
hips forwards slightly, straightening the back
and creating a solid base, when coupled with You can put one leg in front of the other, if you
good, solid cushions, of course. so choose. This is called the Burmese sitting
posture. Another is the half lotus, where you
There are plenty of cushions designed
bring one leg over the other, like the childs
especially for meditation. However, a good, cross-legged position, but end up with the
old-fashioned study chair will do just as well.
bottom of your foot pressing into the opposite
You dont need a cushion at all, if you choose thigh and the bottom of the foot facing up to
to sit upright. Just be sure that chair is solid and
the ceiling. This can be hard on the ankles at
wont move. Dont use your office swivel chair
first, so be warned.
or the Fitball. It wont work.
I wont even go into the full lotus position.
Another great device is a meditation bench,
which you sit on and tuck your legs underneath The final point about creating comfort is to be
the seat, as if you were kneeling. The seat takes aware of the shape of the posture that you have
your weight, not your knees and it gets over the chosen. Stretch your back, swivel your arms,
problem of painful knees and legs, while also move your hips until any kinks are ironed out
helping to straighten the back naturally. and relax into your posture. Sit with your back
straight, but not tight or even forcing it into a
Another part of being comfortable is to wear concave shape. This creates tension and you
the right clothes. Loose fitting clothes are
will feel it as the meditation progresses. Be
probably preferable but you have to be aware
aware of tension in your shoulders, neck,
of climate and temperature of your meditation stomach or any other areas where there should
space. It is also preferable to wear natural fibers
be no tension. Focus on it and let it go.
whenever possible as human-made fibers are
not so cool energetically.
Keep your head slightly back, as if it is resting significant part of your day. It is. It is not
on your next, not pushed forward or artificially something to get out of the way. It is not
back. Due to its weight, having your head something to hurry through. It should be
forward or backwards can unbalance you and respected or it will quickly descend into being
create tension. Be aware of whether you are no more meaningful than taking a pill for your
pushing out your chest too. You shouldnt be. headache. What you are about to do is listen to
the essential nature of yourself. There is really
Breath normally and from the stomach. Be no higher purpose or more powerful act than
aware of how your body moves when you
that. Respect it.
breath. Many people have a tendency to breath
from the chest but you can correct this, which Prior to taking my shower, I like to light a
will help with blood circulation and openness. candle under my oil burner and add the burner
an oil that is suitable for how I am feeling. If I
Finally, slightly open your mouth and push your am feeling a little low in energy, lethargic or
tongue gently to your palette and against your
sleepy I may add peppermint, rosemary or
teeth. It should feel quite natural to rest in there
lemon, for example, or if I want to enhance the
without any effort.
depth of my relaxation, ylang ylang or orminis
flower (camomile) are useful. Then, when I
Creating Ambience
return, the meditation space smells inviting and
None of these things are necessary, of course, if relaxing. Just what I need to get going.
you live beside a beach, in a forest or on a
Some people like to perform a little ritual
mountain. Just go outside and sit down! Nature
before starting to meditate. This is a personal
is the ultimate meditation support as, in effect,
issue as it may relate to a religious prayer or
all flora is meditating at all times. You dont
rite, all of which are cool as long as they get
need better companions than that!
you into that space where your mission is the
However, for those of us who live in the smoke awareness of now. Any methods that help refine
and choke of a city or dont have the luxury of the ambience towards being more aware,
a rock to sit on in some national park, creating concentrated and focussed will help.
the right ambience is a nice way to give your
I like to light incense for my Buddha, respecting
meditation a little boost.
what he attained within the human form. When
I always like to have a shower just before I we look at the attainments of these beings in
meditate. This is important to me because this way, we begin to realize they only did what
meditation is about listening to what is called we too are capable of doing.
your higher self, so I want to respect that.
When you come back next day and have had a
Cleanliness is next to Godliness, my mother
crappy 24 hours, dont fret that you didnt live
used to say, although shell probably claim that
up to the highest values, principles or actions of
I made that up, which I did, but never mind, its
your master. Turn to them once more for
still a fair point.
inspiration and guidance. They will never say
Creating little rituals that are significant to you no. They will never turn you away. Only you
can help to create an ambience and an air that can choose to walk away from them but they
what you are doing with your meditation is a will always give more when you ask to receive.
to grade my effort out of ten and really push

myself towards excellence (thats irony by the
way.)
Part 4 Most skills that we learn are such that you can
expect a learning curve where the
improvement is generally upwards and things
become easier as we practice but what I did
not know was that meditation is not like really
that. It is like peeling an onion. When you get
through one layer, you have a breakthrough but
there is always another layer and the challenges
may come back even harder than before
because the layer is deeper ingrained into us.
So, the next day I expected the same result and

Building Purpose it set me up for failure. After all, wasnt I right to
assume that the more I practice concentration,
the more concentrated I will become? Yes, if
When I was about 24 I read in a wonderful the point of meditation is concentration, but it
meditation book that I should keep a is not. The point of meditation is to use
meditation diary, which I did. It was a good awareness to let go of attachments and
suggestion because it helps us to look back on sometimes, when you are feeling at your
the experiences we have, draw on the strong absolute worst, you may be letting go of far
ones and put the less strong into context. more attachment than when you are feeling
bliss.
However, I took it all a little too seriously.
In meditation, there is always what you might
I started giving myself grades in order to have a call improvement, but it is not improvement
more empirical gauge of my success. in ways that I was gauging my success,. I
Obviously, to my logical brain at least, a thought I had to become more focussed,
meditation with a score of 8 was better than concentrated and therefore, inevitably, I would
one with a score of 4, so it made sense to me attain more and more of these wonderful
that I should keep shooting for 8, 9 or 10! experiences. But that is not the way.
Right?
When you do attain these blissful experiences,
Wrong! What I didnt realize at the time was which if you keep going for long enough you
that such an approach was setting me up for probably will, clinging to them and expecting
abject failure all created by my own more is about as useful as clinging to your
expectations. One day I had one of the most mountain launch pad while hoping to fly. It
amazing meditation experiences. I felt totally becomes the very antithesis of what you are
focussed and I drifted through a world of light trying to do, which is to let go of your
and color that left me full of bliss, on a high attachment to becoming anything tomorrow,
that I assumed had been a product of my next month or ever and simply experiencing
diligence, hard work and the fantastic decision
who you are right now. Sometimes that will be

in bliss, other times that will be in absolute
misery, but it is better to be totally aware of it
and let it go, than to be totally oblivious to it
and prolong the process as if it is really who
you are.
So it is vital that you create a purpose for your

meditation that avoids the usual gauges of
success/failure, improvement/decline or
attainment/non-attainment.
I understand that this may be anathema to

some people. We have trained our minds to be
goal centered and predictive, but this is only
one possible outcome of training, not the only
one.
Meditation is the process of retraining your

mind to live with the true nature of nature, so,
different or abnormal processes or purposes are
bound to feel a little weird at first. You will be
fighting a life-long volume of conditioning that
makes anything outside of that conditioning
feel wrong or uncomfortable but as soon as
you feel this, remember, this is what change
feels like.
Your purpose for your meditation, at least

initially, should be nothing more that
experiencing your own private present
moment. Youre going to take a look at who you
really are and that can be ugly, beautiful,
focussed or splattered all over the place; its
anybodys guess who you will meet on any
given day.
Just sit down being prepared to greet the you

who you are today without judgement, without
emotion, without reaction and you will begin
to realize that whoever you are right now is
good enough.
Indeed, it is all you are and that cannot be

anything less than perfect.
completely noise-free environment. However,

you can reduce interference and interruptions
by doing some very obvious things like turning
Part 5 off your mobile phone, unplugging your land
line, switching off the TV and radio and closing
the door to the room in which you are planning
to meditate. This will help.
However, bear in mind that you are unlikely to

be able to remove every possible distraction.
Indeed, you dont really want to.
As you will learn, including rather than trying

to exclude sensual experience is the key to
meditating without frustration or dashed
expectations.
Barriers to Meditation
Kate, a dear friend of mine and a highly
experienced meditator was encountering all
sorts of external interruptions in her early
Ego is a many-splendored thing. It is more morning meditation, not least of these was
devious than you ever thought possible and it morning prayers at a local mosque blaring out
will throw up countless barriers to make across the neighborhood and a host of early
meditation seem weird, impossible, sleepy or morning delivery trucks and shop shutters
too much effort without even breaking a sweat. being rolled up doing everything they possibly
Heres some of the barriers youre bound to could to distract her from her meditative object.
meet and ways to help get through them. Often, a meditation is about bringing your
mind to an meditative object, like your breath
External Barriers or a candle but frustration can easily set in
Lets start with those external barriers that can when you perceive outside disturbances as
become a huge pain. First of these is finding a being the cause of your distracted mind.
place quiet enough for you to sit and listen to
So, what do you do? Seeing as you cannot stop
yourself and not the neighbors TV or your kid
a mosque from calling its people to prayer or
playing the trumpet.
change the delivery time of the trucks that bang
Of course, you could break off your meditation their doors and rev their engines, you should
mid-way through and scream for your family to deal with those disturbances as a part of your
Shut up! before returning to your meditation, meditation and, rather than focussing on one
but that may be counterproductive in the object of meditation, focus on them all.
pursuit of peace and quiet. This is exactly what Kate did and soon the
Firstly, do what you can with the environment frustration was gone.
that you have. Most of us who live in a city or You cannot change the outside world, and if it
large town will find it very hard to create a
keeps entering your meditation, embrace it
rather than feeling the frustration of continually Thus, we set out on the endless pursuit of the
failing to exclude it. endless experience...
Remember once again, the point of meditation A good example is going out for an ice cream.
is not concentration but observation. When you Once you have had one, you probably dont
embrace this, you will embrace everything that want another. More ice cream would just make
is in your present moment as being essential for you sick. So, even if you crave ice cream, you
your personal evolution. have a real yearning for it, once you have eaten
the ice cream you will feel great. It will have
Sensual Barriers done its job. Now whats next? The excitement
and expectation of the experience is over. Your
Another aspect of external distraction is sensory
senses have been stimulated and you are now
desire. One of those that is most common for a
left with a gap that your senses will slowly
student of meditation is physical pain! When
begin to fill with desire again.
you start sitting cross-legged for a period of
time, you may feel your body screaming for Now I want this and then that and after this and
submission. that I will need these and those. It is never
ending, always borrowing from the universe
Of course, you could always move your body,
and repaying the loan with sadness that it is
which is fine, but we can also use pain as an
gone or emptiness that must be filled again
object of meditation. When you realize that the
with objects of desire.
motivation to be free from pain is aversion,
another aspect of desire, pain actually makes a So, it could be said that sensations are like
great study of how ego works to create more addictions that our mind clings to. We keep
suffering, not less. If you do this, you will note feeding the senses and so we keep going
that pain is not a constant feeling but an ever- through the same cycle of suffering. Of course,
fluctuating one. It has many qualities that we when we start meditating, this conditioned
do not usually recognize in our panic to be rid situations doesnt just stop because we expect it
of it. to. It is not that easy. Your mind will be well
training in grasping at pleasurable experiences
Whatever you are doing in life, your senses will
and sitting without judgment and emotion is
always be in the process of seeking stimulation
certainly not what you would initially call
in one form or another. It is the way we have
pleasant
been trained to think and feel, so during
meditation, why should this process stop? So, thoughts keep coming at us. We are
uncomfortable. We are hungry. We are cold.
Seeking pleasure through the sensual
We want to be at peace. We want to be doing
stimulation is like taking out a loan from the
something else. We are bored. Desire and
universe. As with any loan, you must repay the
aversion is the mind we discover because that
debt with interest. The interest we pay takes the
is the mind we have been cultivating for our
form of suffering which arises when we are
entire life up to this point.
separated from the object of our desire or all
the pleasure from it is used up and we are left During meditation, like a spoiled child, the ego
with that hollow feeling of needing something demands to have the senses stimulated and this
else from which to rekindle the lost pleasure. is what gives rise to emotional suffering.
However, if you simply observe each sensation aware of how and when the mind is straying
as it arises, both desire and aversion, without and gently remind it of your purpose.
judgment, without clinging, without pushing
One of the ways we do this is to imagine the
away, this is the cultivation of a cool mind.
With a cool mind you can eventually mind as a blue sky and when thoughts or
feelings enter that blue sky we make them like
extinguish the fire of clinging and desire that
clouds that slowly fade and are blown gently
perpetuates suffering when it fails to get its own
way. away. This is a calming metaphor and avoids
the tendency of goal-oriented minds to view
Be sure, this takes practice! In fact, a life time any distractions as a failure to concentrate. This
of it. While meditation will have quick results labeling of experience in this way is very
in some areas, the mind will resist being debilitating and will eventually cause more ill
present with as much zeal as you have put into will to grow. You will begin to loathe your
training it not to be present. It doesnt want to practice because you are not very good at it,
give up its pleasures. It must be worked with or keep failing to concentrate.
like you work on your body in a gym. There are
The trick to avoiding ill will against the object
no instant cures or quick fixes. Only when we
of your meditation (I hate staring at that boring
can let go of these sensual attachments can real
peace emerge from the war of desire. old candle! Or My stupid mind cant
concentrate on my breath!) is to develop love
Ill Will for it.
Ill will is like hatred towards people or objects. Many meditations involve watching the breath
There are meditations that are specifically in some shape and form. If you treat the breath
designed to help us grow our heart energy like it was your toddling child, how would you
through love and forgiveness because ill will treat it? Would you stop watching it? Would
can unrest any mind if it cannot treat the object you drop it and become distracted by sensory
of its meditation with love and compassion. desires? Of course, you wouldnt. You would be
diligent and loving. If it did wander off, you
Every meditation that you conduct will have an would gently bring it back to your attention.
object of meditation, that is, something you will
concentrate on. The point of the meditation is Ill will can be quite subtle but it is a serious
not to attain concentration but to be aware of hindrance because of its insidious nature. We
your ego arising to break your concentration. may find it hard to believe we can hate our
own breath or body parts that we may be using
Your mind, like all minds on this earth, will as our meditation object, but we can and we
wander away from a meditation object because may not even know it.
you have never noticed yourself training your
mind to seek out more and more desires almost As you are meditating, treat the object of
by autopilot. As soon as you stop doing this, as meditation with respect and love and it will
in a meditation, it is a shock to the mind and so instantly be easier to connect with.
it resists. Your job as a meditator is not to catch
Energetic Barriers
it, scold it and drag it kicking and screaming
back to the object of meditation, but to be
Having low energy is a barrier to meditation If you are prone to a little sloth, prior to
that has been a particular friend of mine over meditating a third approach is to make sure you
the years. This low energy, perhaps due to have that cool shower to wake you up. Use it
physical tiredness, energetic weakness or lack as a mindfulness exercise, feeling what you are
of motivation, can cause the mind to become doing as vividly as you can. This primes the
easily distracted from the object of meditation mind for the upcoming meditation.
to the point where it is even possible to fall
asleep (not that it has ever happened to me, of Also, quickening the pace of your breathing
during meditation can be a good way to bring
course. Ahem!)
the mind into some active energy. Alternatively,
The point of meditation, if you understand that slow down the breathing and make the breath
the mind has two functions: doing and deliberately long and slow, feeling with greater
knowing, it is to maintain the mind in a state of intensity the breath as it goes in and out of your
knowing but to dull the state of doing so that body. This can build alertness in the mind and
enough space opens up to truly know the shake off any cobwebs.
nature of the object of your meditation.
Perhaps you might try an open-eye meditation,
Tiredness can cause both the doing and the
or a walking meditation. Both of these are very
knowing to become dull and lethargic. Thats
why you fall asleep. effective and certainly get over the problem of
falling asleep.
To overcome the energy barrier of lethargy the
first thing you do with meditation is fix the Finally, think about changing the time and/or
location of your meditations. It may be better to
object of your meditation before you begin and
meditate earlier, before you get tired or in a
set yourself a time limit. This becomes a kind of
goal but without the usual criteria of success place with better or different energy, such as in
the garden or a local park rather than in the
and failure.
confines of four walls.
The second thing you do is approach the object
Good energy for meditation really does make a
of your meditation with the mind of the child.
difference.
To the child everything is new and exciting. My
five year old boy, Jacob, is a perfect example.
Restlessness
Even if hes half falling asleep inside, he will
summon up the energy to force himself to be The classic simile for the nature of mind is it
alert and boisterous if there is something he being like a monkey. It is always grabbing at
really wants to be doing. things that fascinate it; sensory objects,
stimulants, colors, shapes, running endlessly
So, before you kick off your meditation, bring
and seemingly without a break from one things
into your mind the idea that you will be
to next like a ceaseless game of word
meeting the object of your meditation for the
association played all on its own. It is
very first time and you will learn entirely new
restlessness of the mind that, I would argue,
properties about it that you have never
many people find most difficult to come to
experienced before. You are about to embark
terms with because they perceive this
on a journey of discovery! This is how you can
restlessness as a failure to concentrate or to
develop a sense of delight in exploring the
focus. So they give up.
mundane and that is a sensation full of energy.
It is understandable, of course, especially if you undermine the whole intention of your

have been led to believe that meditation is meditation. Prior to meditation, you may
about being calm, focussed and serene. Thus, it wonder, Why bother?, or I hope I dont
is somewhat of a shock for people to sit and have an unfocussed session again which
realize that their own mind, the thing they think instantly places doubt and expectation on the
they know the best about themselves, is whole endeavor.
actually completely out of control and filled
with accumulated junk that they didnt even What is clear is that starting your meditation
with a doubtful mind will impact upon
know they owned.
everything that happens as you begin sitting.
What if you went about your meditation with This is why cultivating compassion for the
the intention of being grateful for what you meditation object, compassion for the mind
have, not desiring what you do not have? that observes it and confidence in the process
Disappointment in meditation is always a of meditation is essential.
creation of trying to be something that you are
not, or discovering parts of yourself that you Many people may find that meditation as a
dont like and dont want to see. True beginner is not as rewarding as they thought it
might be. Others will take to it instantly. It is
meditation is discovering who you truly are
without judgment, without disappointment, crucial that you maintain a mind that is open to
what it receives, which may be bliss, or it may
without expectation.
be frustration. Treating both with compassion
So, the practice of observing whatever it is you and acceptance avoids doubt.
find when you are meditating is crucial to
A second way that doubt creeps in is during the
overcoming the monkey mind. What you must
avoid is trying to force the mind to stop meditation proper. If you begin with plenty of
confidence and good will, this can soon ebb
thinking. It is like pushing against a wall of ego.
The harder you push, the harder it will push away, particularly if your ability to focus on the
back and you will never break down a wall just object of meditation is hindered by other
barriers such as a lack of energy or a monkey
be pushing. It will take time, but you must let
the wall rot away, which it will do if you stop mind. It is easy for the beginner practitioner to
want to give up and scream This isnt doing
building it with more and more energy.
me any good. Its just making more frustrated
Simply observe the monkey mind, observe who than before I started.
you are, observe its changing nature and, over
This may be true. But what you encounter
time, it will calm itself because the energy that
you have fed it over the course of you life thus whenever your mind begins to sow seeds of
doubt, or lurches from object to object or
far will one day be exhausted.
begins to drain energy away from the
And then you will be able to observe what is meditation object, is not a realistic
left. interpretation of what you are experiencing. It
is merely your ego arising with the objection in
Doubt order to demand attention.
The last but certainly not least of the barriers is When you ego desires sensual stimulation it
doubt. This can take many forms, each of which may tell you: Wouldnt it be better if you
stopped this nonsense and went to see a movie Practice anew and take each session as a new
instead. When it seeks to sabotage your effort day, fresh through the eyes of the child and full
it may say: This will never work. How can of boundless potential.
doing nothing create something?
There are many ways for sabotage to occur but

all the barriers to meditation are the ego
placing hindrances in your way, some of which
may seem insurmountable but, of course, they
never are.
You have spent many years in the future, and

many years in the past. Being present is a skill
which is unfamiliar to the beginner and even
some of the more experienced meditators who
are seeking something through their practice,
and therefore it seems a little tough. It is even
tougher when you dont make that connection
between the very real benefits of meditation
and the need to expand them in your present
moment. It doesnt seem possible when youre
in the clutches of monkey mind during your
meditation, that simply observing the monkey
at work is a powerful way by which to diffuse
its energy, but it is indeed.
The ego will always offer you attractive ways by

which to fuel its need for sensual stimulation
and activity but it cannot fuel it if you simply
watch it working away, becoming more and
more tired, more and more exhausted, more
and more used up.
There will, of course, be many, many layers to

your ego and just when you seem to have got it
licked, it comes back renewed, as if born again.
But dont despair, dont doubt. Faith is a crucial
tool in your practice.
Look at your masters on your shrine. They had

difficulties too. They had a monkey mind. They
had doubt. They had ill will. Their greatness
stems from overcoming them. They could do it.
And so can you.
compassionate with yourself and your abilities.

Through love and diligence you will progress
best, not austerity or apathy.
Part 6 The Ten meditation contained herein are:
1. Mindfulness with Breathing

2. Candle Meditation
3. Chakra Meditation
4. Awareness of Being
5. Loving Kindness Meditation (Metta)
6. Walking Meditation
7. Awareness of Doing
8. Grounding
9. Centering
10. Wellness Breathing
Ten Basic Meditations
The following is a description of ten diverse

meditations that I have found very useful
throughout my life. It is by no means an
exhaustive list but is intended to offer you a
nice cross-section of choices when deciding
which meditation will suit you on any given
day.
As you become familiar with them I am quite

certain that you will find some that you like,
some that suit you and others that you dont
like and are unsuited. That is quite normal.
Bear in mind that this will change as your

practice progresses. I have chopped and
changed my meditation techniques over the
years and have begun to know how, eventually,
the different techniques you learn from each
begin to integrate into a single, flexible
approach to meditation that you can allow to
adjust and evolve just as you yourself adjust
and evolve.
Remember, all meditations are best practiced

using a middle path. The mind should not be
too strict or too lax. You should be
mine, as if these things existed in a permanent

state. It is liberation from these ideas that
Buddha attained through observing his
breathing. So can you.
Part 1: Following the breath
I will assume for each of these meditations that

you have gone through your meditation
preliminaries; preparing your space, getting
comfortable and conducting any rites and
rituals that you need to.
The first part of Mindfulness with Breathing is

to observe the breath as it goes into your body
and out of your body. You do this by simply
Meditation One training your mind on the sensation of the

breath passing in through the nose, down into
Mindfulness with Breathing your lungs and into the pit of your stomach,
where the energetic properties of the breath,
called prana, feed the body.
It is said that the Buddha himself attained A good technique to use is to imagine that the
enlightenment through this meditation. breath is a ball, rolling all the way down into
Needless to say then, it is one of the most your stomach and possession a cool sensation
powerful, but also one of the most difficult to before rolling up from your lungs in the
master. That is not to say that the beginner opposite direction as a warm sensation.
cannot use it. Indeed, it is often the foundation
of many retreats and has been for 2,500 years. Watch this process from one breath to the next,
What is often not taught is that there are three returning your mind to the breath as and when
different techniques, any of which you can use it diverts or attaches to a sensation or emotion.
and all of which will help you to attain the
As you observe your breathing, you will
same thing: self-awareness.
probably find that there are gaps in your
The point of following your breath is simple. sensitivity, places on the journey of your breath
With awareness you will begin to gain insight where it seems to disappear. Do not be
into the true nature, individuality and frustrated by this, but keep observing. Over
connectedness of every breath. You will begin time these gaps will be filled as the subtle
to notice that each breath is different and nuances of sensation begin to be revealed to
unique and that the very nature of breathing, you.
and therefore of the person who breaths, is
Also, these gaps will probably move around
impermanent and changing.
from place to place. This is quite normal. Take it
Impermanence is the very antithesis of ego that as another indication of the transient and
holds onto things and says this is me, this is changing nature of living and of life. This is
exactly what you are learning in real time.
Another little trick to start you off, one that you The final part of this technique is to fix your
can dispense with as you become more familiar attention at the point on your nose where the
with the meditation process, is to begin this sensation of breathing is strongest. This may be
breathing by counting the breath in your mind. your nostrils, inside your nose, or even your top
You want to try to get to ten breaths without lip. As you begin breathing, note where the
losing concentration. As you breath in and out, sensation is most vivid and use that point as
thats one. In and out again, thats two etc. If your meditation object. Follow the breath in
you lose concentration, go back to one and and out at that point only, observing the
start again. changing sensations from each moment to the
next and each breath to the next.
This technique is excellent if your mind is really
tending to wander and can help you build up a Yo u c a n u s e t h e s e t h r e e m e d i t a t i o n s
rhythm and some confidence. You might want individually or together, progressing from one
to start a meditation with two or three rounds of to the next as you master each stage or
ten until the mind calms down, or you can choosing which is best for you and sticking
conduct the whole meditation counting. It is up with it for some time. It is really your choice.
to you.
An Additional Technique
Part 2: Observe the Breath Enter, Observe it
Leave (Being the Gatekeeper) Once you have become familiar with the three
techniques and feel comfortable with each,
Once you have become familiar with the first there is a great warm up technique you can use
technique, the second is to learn how to for Mindfulness with Breathing that quickly sets
observe the breath like a gatekeeper. You do up your mind to observe the process of
this by watching it at two particular points in breathing with more care and attention.
your body where the process of breathing
This technique is to practice watching the short
starts and ends.
breath and the long breath.
As you breath in, observe how the breath feels
It will not have passed your notice that different
as it enters your body through your nose. Bring
depths and lengths of breathing affects the way
all of your attention to that point on the in-
breath. the body, mind and emotions feel. For example,
short breathing might be connected to anger or
Then, on the out-breath, shift your attention to frustration, while longer, smoother breathing
the pit of your stomach at your navel, where might be connected with relaxation and peace.
you observe the breath leaving the body.
In this breathing technique you deliberately
This is a variation on the first part in that you manipulate your breathing first to shorten and
are becoming more focussed on particular quicken and then to relax and calm it
areas on your body. It can be a little tricky at lengthening the inhalation and exhalation
first, as shifting the focus can seem to limit the breath to five or six seconds.
sensitivity you are building up, but as you
Each round of breathing (short or long) will last
begin to master this technique, you will see
how it leads to the third part. about a minute or two. You must take care that
the short breath is not too fast in order to avoid
Part 3: Observation of the Breath at the Nose hyper ventilation. If you ever feel dizzy or sick,
lengthen the breathing to a normal, natural

breath for a while before continuing.
When you practice this technique for a few

rounds, next time you bring your breath back to
a natural flow, you may find that the mind is
more relaxed and calm. The technique can help
set up the body, mind and energy to discover a
more harmonious state in which meditation
can reach deeper states of awareness more
quickly than normal.
A variation on this is to use anything on the

floor to focus upon. I have often focussed on a
Meditation Two crack in the floor, a piece of carpet or a speck

of dirt as a meditation object. It became a
popular technique of mine, demonstrating how
meditation objects can be anything that is
available. It neednt be anything special at all.
As long as you maintain the technique of
observing yourself as you observe the object,
the result will be the same: single-pointed focus
and awareness of the ever-changing nature of
reality.
Candle Meditation
The Candle Meditation is a simple open-eye

meditation. All you do is light a tea candle and
place it on the floor in front of you at a point
where your eyes would be angled roughly 45
degrees down to the floor. You then adopt a
sitting meditation position and close your eyes
before slightly opening them to reveal the
burning candle on the floor. This candle then
becomes your object of meditation.
This can be quite effective for the wandering

mind as, in the flame, the mind is observing a
phenomena that is obviously always changing.
This can keep it more occupied that, say,
breathing, which at first can be very subtle or
even fairly numb.
Eventually, as you focus your attention on the

flame, everything around it fades and you begin
to achieve a single-pointedness, However,
dont go seeking this outcome. It will happen
naturally as you surrender to the process.
Simply watch your mind, observe your body,

observe the flame and let what will be, be.
The other five each have locations both

emanating from the front and back of the body.
Imagine that they are spinning cones of light
Meditation Three that feed the aura surrounding your body.
When these energies spin in a healthy way, you
too will be healthy. But, if your energy becomes
depleted in one or other area, this can cause
complications in how you feel and behave.
Technique
Begin your meditation by bringing your

attention to your breathing and conducting
three rounds of breathing mindfully as
described in the Mindfulness with Breathing
Meditation.
Chakra Meditation Next bring your attention to your root chakra.

This is represented by the color red. It is
Chakra meditation is a classic visualization
located at the base of your spine - the coccyx
technique used to clean your energy field and
or tail bone. The root chakra is your
empower your energy body. It is great for
groundedness and is responsive to your sense
developing bodily awareness, your personal
of family & group safety/security, ability to
visualization ability and to realize the power of
provide for lifes necessities and to stand up for
your aura and its effect in your life.
yourself.
In your body you have 7 major energy centers
With every in-breath imagine a ball of glowing
called chakras. These centers respond to your
red energy to be growing at the base of your
emotional, physical and energetic conditions as
spine. With every out-breath, imagine that ball
w e l l a s i n fl u e n c e t h e m . E a c h h a s a
becoming compacted into a tighter and more
corresponding color that, when visualized in
powerful ball. Spend about 2-3 minutes
the physical bodily location of that chakra,
expanding the energy in that area.
helps to open up the energy and nourish it.
Cycle through the other 6 chakras like this:
Each chakra has energetic, physical and mental
properties connected to it. So, if you can learn 2. Sacral Chakra:
how to stimulate the energy in each area and
attain a harmony in all seven, this is a major Color: Orange
contributing factor to good health, quality of
Location: One inch below your navel
life, contentment, emotional stability, even the
opening of opportunities, love or income! Responsive to your sense of blame & guilt,
money & sex, power & control, creativity, and
The Chakras are all located along the spine
ethics and honor in relationships
(kind of!) with the first and the seventh having a
single location at the tailbone of the spine and
the crown of the head.
centeredness, loneliness & commitment,

forgiveness & compassion and hope.
5.Throat Chakra:
Color: Blue
Location: Your thorax
Responsive to your sense of choice & strength

of will, personal expression, following ones
dream, using personal power to create,
addiction, judgment & criticism, faith &
knowledge, capacity to make decisions
6.Third Eye Chakra:
Color: Purple
Location: Between your eyes
Responsive to self-evaluation, truth, intellectual

abilities, feeling of adequacy, openness to the
ideas of others, ability to learn from experience
and emotional intelligence
7.Crown Chakra
3.Emotion Chakra: Color: Golden white
Color: Yellow Location: Crown of the Head
Location: Solar plexus just under the sternum Responsive to your ability to trust life, values,
ethics and courage, humanitarianism,
Responsive to your sense of trust, fear &
selflessness, ability to see the larger pattern,
intimidation, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-
faith & inspiration, spirituality and devotion
respect, care of oneself and others,
responsibility for making decisions, sensitivity to Meditate on each of these chakras or, if you feel
criticism and personal honor particularly drained in one or two areas, focus
on them and invigorate by using the same
4.Heart Chakra:
technique
Color: Green
Location: Center of your breast plate
Responsive to your sense of love & hatred,

resentment & bitterness, grief & anger, self-
If you feel tension, pain, heat, cold, it doesnt

matter , just examine it. There is no need to
Meditation Four push away any sensations, judge what you are
feeling or become despondent if you feel
nothing - just move on to the next body part.
Move to your torso and cycle through your

organs. You may imagine that organs dont have
much feeling, but you will be surprised. They
are all living tissue and you can feel them at all
times, not just when they are hurting. Build up
a picture of your body all the way up to your
neck and down to the tips of your finger tips.
Next, when you move onto your head and

neck, follow the same pattern of expanding
Awareness of Being awareness of every sensation, but this time
include the taste in your mouth, the smell in
Awareness of being is simple, easy to practice your nose, the colors behind your eyes and, last
and applicable virtually anywhere. All you do but not least, the sounds coming in through
is cycle your attention through each area of your ears.
your body, and, as you do so, expand your
Reach out your ability to sense as far as it will
awareness to include all your senses
go beyond the room and across the street,
simultaneously. It is like putting together a
including, never excluding and never judging,
jigsaw puzzle of sensitivity.
every sound, color, smell, taste and sensation
Technique flooding into your body.
Start by concentrating on your toes. How do When you have a complete sensual picture
they feel? Can you feel anything? Concentrate from the soles of your feet to the crown of your
on them, patiently, with intention, until you head, you will have enlivened and become
can. Spend a minute just feeling what is there. more aware of who you really are. This
awareness brings with it a sense of peace in the
Next, move your attention to the soles of your present moment where there is nothing to
feet. Can you feel the blood pumping through worry about or fret over.
your feet, or your socks cutting into your
ankles? Are there areas of your feet with more This meditation is great for a twenty minute
or less sensitivity? Do the sensations change or session, or, you can also learn how to practice
remain constant? it in just 60 seconds! If you practice three of
four times a day like this, you will soon be able
After a minute, move gradually through your to remember the peace and awareness the
body up to your calves, then your shins, and process develops and be able to recall the
slowly work your way through your body parts, feeling instantly whenever you feel ungrounded
becoming more and more aware of where or upset.
tension exists, pain, coldness, hotness etc.
In loving kindness we consciously generate

love from within for three different people.
Meditation Five Sometimes you might to choose three people

before you begin, especially if you have some
forgiveness to practice on particular people.
However, you can also practice this meditation
and see who comes up as you go through it.
You might be surprised.
Techniqueue
Start by getting comfortable, perhaps

practicing 5 minutes of Mindfulness
with Breathing or Being in order to get
yourself in the right zone.
Now, begin breathing green light into

Loving Kindness Meditation (Metta) your heart as you have practiced in the
Loving kindness is known as Metta in Sanskrit Chakra Meditation. Visualize with every
It is the act of growing compassion in ones life. in-breath, green light filling up your
chest. Perhaps visualize a green rose in
Nobody deserves your anger or hatred,
certainly not your poor heart that, each time the middle of heart, opening up each
time you inhale.
you hold onto your hatred or bitterness, stores
up the resulting energy, which will eventually Once you feel relaxed and full of green
affect its health. Why do you think heart light, bring into your heart the image of
disease is one of the leading killers in the a person who you love very much.
western world? No, its not just fast food. Its Visualize them standing opposite you in
slow love. And love in your life surely starts your heart space and hug them with as
with you. much love as you can generate. Feel
What if you could feel compassion for also their love flowing back at you. This
is an important step and reminds you
everyone you meet, no matter who they are?
Wouldnt that make your world a little freer of that you too are also worthy of love and
appreciation by others. Spend about 5
anger, jealousy, frustration and resentment?
minute on this step.
Of course it would, and it is only because we
Next, bring into your heart the face of a
have become so accomplished at holding onto
person who you are emotionally neutral
our judgments about other people that this
seems so idealistic. about. This may be a co-worker,
someone you saw on the bus this
In fact, we can learn to love even our greatest morning, or a relative who you hardly
enemies, if we learn how. All it takes is a little know. It doesn't matter. Bring that
bit of effort and the belief that we can do it. person into your heart alongside the first
person and hold hands in a triangle.
Generate the same degree of love for
the second person as you did for the

first, looking back at the first if you need
to be reminded how unconditional love
feels. Spend another five minutes on
this part.
Finally, bring into your mind a person

for whom you hold onto a painful
emotional reaction. This reaction is just
a learned and repeated response, based
upon judgment and memory. Whatever
you think that person deserves, you
dont deserve to feel pain for them
anymore. So, bring that person into
your heart alongside the first two people
and yourself and practice generating
some love for them. This may be
difficult at first, but so is riding a bike.
Each time you fall off, brush yourself
down, and get back on.
This meditation is cumulative in effect. You

dont just top yourself up with love and go out
and be Jesus for the rest of your life. It takes
continuous effort and practice.
After a while, you may just begin meeting

people with an open mind and, more
importantly for you, an open heart.
2. Place the heal

3. Place the foot
Meditation Six 4. Bend the toes before lift
Take each part of the process in turn, focussing

all of your awareness step by step. Your
intention is to feel every minute detail of
walking using your feet as the meditation
object.
At first, be very deliberate and conscious of the

four parts to the process but as you get used to
the meditation it can begin to flow flowing and
you will see that each part of the practice
actually flows into the next in one fluid
movement.
Walking Meditation This then becomes very practical in your life
and you can meditate walking wherever you
Walking meditation is great for those of us who
are. This reminds us that meditation is intended
have a tendency towards sloth and torpor. It is
to become an integrated part of your extended
far more difficult to fall asleep when walking!
life, not just a thirty minute daily practice.
The beauty of it is that it can be done anywhere
As with all meditations, walking and the
and at any time. If you couple this with
sensation of walking is merely the object by
Awareness of Doing, together they can be a
which you grow awareness of change and
very complete awareness regime that stretches
movement. As Mindfulness of Doing suggests
across your whole day.
in the next practice, Walking Meditation is a
Technique great way to bring awareness into your
everyday movement and personal expression.
At first, walking meditation should be
conducted very slowly. It should be an almost
mechanical, scientific study of the process, as if
you were studying a movie frame by frame.
It is best done without shoes and, if possible,

outside, but this is by no means essential. It is
great to practice walking meditation on the
beach or on grass, as the sensations can be
more heightened than on a plain floor or inside
your house.
When you start this meditation, begin with a

four point process of deliberate feeling:
1. Lift the foot,
there is the potential to be mindful while we

are doing it. Both the Martial Arts and
meditation both serve to realize the same
Meditation Seven insights into the nature of energy, movement
consciousness and the intimate connection
between them.
However, few of us find this learning in the

mundane, preferring to seek more glamorous
pursuits that stoke our desires and pander to
the modern craze of multi-tasking, which is
basically non-awareness turned into a
professional art-form!
I remember well sitting in the departure lounge

of Singapores Changi airport and seeing a
Awareness of Doing window cleaner performing his task with such
skill, awareness and dedication, I could tell that
There is a great line in the 2010 Karate Kid he had found compassion in his object of
movie where the master (Jackie Chan) has been meditation and mastery in its application.
training his student by instructing him to take
off his jacket, hang it up, put in on the floor and On the other hand, how many people have we
all encountered who find only boredom in their
pick it back up again.
tasks when a world of insight, compassion,
After many days of this without explanation, learning and wisdom exists in all that we do if
the student is very frustrated and finally refuses we care to look and use it as such? Sadly, these
to do it anymore. The master begins to fight the are minds that seek sensations, not insight. The
student and the student, by following the mind that seeks insight finds awareness and
instruction of the master to Hang up the coat, compassion in everything.
Put it on, Take it off and various other
instructions, has learned many of the So, the next time you are brushing your teeth,
brush your teeth. The next time you are eating,
movements of Kung Fu and can defend himself
against his master most effectively. eat. The next time you are cleaning dishes,
clean dishes.
When asked how he had learned this by
Start extending your meditative practice into
picking up and wearing his coat the master
explains, There is Kung Fu in everything. your day; application. Your thirty minutes in the
morning is designed to be practice for 23.5
This line stuck with me and profoundly hours of application afterwards.
epitomized the connection between our action
in life and the observation of the consciousness Find the essential nature of each action by
performing it with awareness and you will find
that conducts it.
pleasure in everything that you do, not just
So, just as with Kung Fu, there is meditation in temporary pleasure through sensual
everything. With everything that we do in life stimulation.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, eyes

open, knees slightly bent (not locked) and relax
your body.
Meditation Eight Imagine that you are a tree and roots are
growing from your feet into the ground. With
each in-breath the roots grow deeper, beyond
the floor, into the soil, into the rock, into the
very core of the earth that created your body
and feeds and nourishes you every day.
Imagine that each breath, draws energy up

through the soles of your feet, all the way up
your legs and into your Sacral Chakra, one inch
below your navel.
Maintain this breathing and visualization for a

Grounding
minute or two. Keep visualizing your roots
So many people these days have learned that growing deeper and wider. Feel solid but
they need to solve all their problems using their natural, empowered but in control. In a few
heads. We gather so much information and short moments of grounding you should feel
knowledge that we become very confident that your body calming down, your mind balancing
the mind has all the answers. This places lots of and your emotions subsiding.
energy in the head region.
As you practice this frequently it will be easier
Coupled with the tendency for modern people to bring yourself back to this state creating
to bury their emotions and lose connection instant relief and empowerment. As this
with their family, the energetic comparison is exercise can be easily practiced sitting down at
like having a building with all its weight at the work, on the bus, in the car or anywhere really,
top. The likely outcome is a collapse. This is it is a great exercise to fall back on several
what is called being ungrounded. . times during the day.
If you store a lot of energy in your head and Whenever you feel a strong emotional response
little in your foundation, strong emotional to a situation, simply start breathing in through
events will un-ground you. You will tend to try your feet, come back to the breath, watch the
and work out emotions rather than feeling and way your breathing changes as you become
letting them go. emotionally excited. Soon, by grounding and
breathing with awareness rather than thinking
Grounding is designed to deal with emotions about the emotion, letting your head get
by channelling the energy into the ground involved and justifying or rationalizing it, you
while building a stronger connection to the will regain your composure and the emotion
reality of life on Earth and a better balance will have passed through you rather than
between mind, body and energy. holding onto it as if it was a part of you.
Technique
This is how you learn to transform a learned

reaction, which is automated and insensitive,
into a powerful learning observation, which
occurs with awareness and sensitivity.
The crown chakra is our connection to our

higher self, so playing with this energy center
Meditation Nine without working with the others can create

imbalances. Alternatively, you may like to use
the chakra balancing exercise as a precursor,
for the same reason.
The point of this exercise is not to revel in what

we can do as energy being, but to create
practical ways in which we can create power.
Technique
To begin this exercise you focus your attention

on the crown of your head and imagine that
there is a cord connecting you to your higher
self. Visualize it pulling up upwards,
Centering straightening your spine, creating an uplifting
sensation.
You are an energy being and working with Now visualize that your crown chakra is
energy is what you do. Unfortunately, most of opening up like the aperture of a camera. Feel
us believe we are primarily physical beings and it widening on your head and a bright golden-
work virtually exclusively on developing our white light beginning to pour along the cord
physical energy. Sadly, this eventually weakens and into your head.
our energy body, which places our physical
Visualize that energy traveling slowly down
body at risk of illness however powerful it may your back, feeling it every inch that it travels.
seem to be.
Observe it all the way down to the base of your
While the Grounding Meditation creates a solid spine, traveling between your legs and up into
foundation and connection to the earth, the
your belly where it becomes a colored light of
centering meditation helps create power.
your choosing. Dont think too much about the
Rather than meditating on the earth, this time color. Just let it become the first color that you
we begin to open up the crown chakra that
can visualize. It will be the right one.
connects us with our higher self, and begin to
draw energy into our system through universal Finally, with the in-breath feel the energy flow
energy. into the ball of light in your sacral chakra and
with the out breath feel that energy condensing
However, please remember that this exercise into a greater and greater power.
should always be conducted after the
grounding exercise, as working only with the Once more, this meditation is flexible enough
crown chakra can result in headaches, light- to be very mobile and can be conducted
headedness and out of body experiences in anywhere and included as part of the
people susceptible to such things. awareness of being meditation, including all
your senses. I used to love doing this
meditation riding my motorbike around the

countryside of Phuket, breathing in the
awesome power of nature!
The rule that you should live by if you are

serious about creating change though
Meditation Ten meditation is You will see it when you believe

it not You will believe it when you see it,
which is the motto of most western-minded
people. This not only helps you to overcome
one of the five hindrances to meditation but
empowers you to live life in faith that our
power is just as important as our plan.
Technique
Wellness breathing is very simple. Firstly you

visualize that the room you are in is filled with
a beautiful healing light that is there just for
you. You can make this light any color that you
Wellness Breathing feel you need. It can change color. It can be
multicolored. It is entirely up to what you feel
This final meditation is one that I frequently use you need.
with clients who sees me for a reiki session. It is
Next, visualize that you are breathing in this
a powerful visualization that I learned from one
of my masters and helps with cleansing and light through every pore of your skin. See it
purifying our physical, energetic and mental going into your skeletal system, illuminating
bodies. your bones and joints. See it going into your
organs, your heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, paying
Many meditation beginners will wonder why particular attention to any area where you have
simply visualizing color or feeling is a practical physical issues you would like to resolve. See it
way to create any meaningful change in life but also going into your mind and relaxing you.
you must remember that we are visualizing all See it as if through a microscope going into
kinds of suffering in our lives at all times and your cells and your DNA, until your entire
suffering is exactly what we create. body is glowing with light that is healing a
refreshing.
Why shouldnt we be able to visualize
wellbeing, contentment or happiness? T is no The next step is to continue breathing in this
different than a sports person visualizing their bright, white light but changing the out breath
victory, a technique that has attained proven to visualize smoke being released from your
results in sports psychology. body. The smoke represents anything that you
wish to be free from. It may be emotional pain,
Most of us dont try or dont bother simply
physical sickness, a problem in life, issues at
because we believe, perhaps subconsciously,
work, past trauma, anything at all that you feel
that life is a physical issue that has to be
the need to release.
worked out and solved and that simply creating
feelings cant make a difference. This is wrong. Continue with breathing in light and breathing
It can make a difference and, when we practice out smoke, either as part of a meditation or as
it often enough, it does make a difference. the entire session.
not rocket science. If you want to create light,

you have to burn some things away. You cannot
Part 7 change without changing something.
One of the best ways to keep your meditation

going is to surround yourself with people who
meditate. This may not be instantly possible if
you are generally surrounded in life by people
who believe that meditation is a pointless waste
of time.
Many people will live in difficult environments

where finding ways to divest themselves of the
causes of their suffering is complicated. But, I
guarantee you, doing the same things in the
same way will not get you better results than
Final Notes those you are currently attaining. There is
always a better way, if you are prepared to put
in the effort.
Meditation is not a hobby or a past time. It is
A better way of ensuring success is to create a
no less a part of a well life than eating and
sleeping. We have just forgotten how our community Share Circle. There is a guide to
building one of these on my website. It is an
ancestors used to practice such skills daily and
replaced our faith in these techniques with entirely free and no-strings-attached offering
medicine and repairing our body when it goes from myself to the creation of community-
based wellbeing groups that meet on occasion
wrong.
to share their practices, insights and feedback
Many people will do well with meditation if and by doing so, support each other's
they persevere, but I have found many practices spirituality.
become intermittent if people do not
reorganize their lives, at least a little bit, to There is no reason why there cannot be one of
these on every street in the world. Practicing
create the right environment for different habits
and states of personal expression to become awareness of some sort should be no less
essential than brushing your teeth or taking a
more likely.
shower. It is really that important that we raise
What this means is, if you are an alcoholic and ourselves out of the global and personal morass
you want to stop drinking, you have to stop by, at the very least, being aware of what it is
going to the pub every night, right? that created it.
Likewise, if you are serious about getting to I see the institution of meditation in peoples
know the true self hidden under all those layers lives as, one day, becoming no more strange
of ego, you may have to change some of the than education or exercise. As awareness of
environments that you frequent, people that these practices grow and more and more
you hang out with and stuff that you listen and people realize that they are missing some vital
watch that has created you current reality. It is ingredient to contribute towards a longer term
happiness, some will discover that what they

are missing is appreciation of who they really
are and what they mean. There can be little
genuine happiness without this realization.
I hope this guide has been useful to you. If you

have any further questions or follow up, feel
free to contact me through my website.
Wellness wishes,
Michael Paul Stephens

November, 2013

A Practical Guide To Meditation That Really Works

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Fully Revised and Updated for 2013

Overcoming the Basic Challenges and

Version 2.0 - January 2013

THIS GUIDE IS FREE!

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A Practical Guide to Meditation

That Really Works

2. Part 1: Why Meditate?. 5

3. Part 2: Setting Up a Meditation Space.. 12

4. Part 3: Practical Essentials of Meditation .... 14

5. Part 4: Building Purpose..... 18

6. Part 5: Barriers to Meditation. 20

7. Part 6: Ten Basic Meditations......... 26

8. Part 7: Final Notes... 40

morning but a way of life where every moment

I first published this guide in February 2011

You see, meditation to me is a tool of living

As a somewhat reluctant meditator myself, I

I have experienced the good days and the bad

the degree to which we suffer and whether we

The grim truth is that many of us become

m i n d a n d b o dy by a p r e s c r i p t i o n o f HEART ATTACKS: Meditators over 6-9

hence the sense of conflict between man and

If you do that, life becomes extraordinarily

You cannot enjoy a journey when youre

You dont need to focus on creating happiness,

Thus, meditation is about not trying to become

Its an effortless process that requires just a little

that you can create them before they will

Part 2 A good friend of mine said recently that faith is

Faith is the magic ingredient that turns logic

Space why, as you begin on your journey of

Bring together a collection of those things that

Our shrine at home in Thailand is a set of

a victim of your own self-loathing. It rather

Part 3 Find a middle path to your practice. Like

I like to meditate in the morning. This time is

to grade my effort out of ten and really push

So, the next day I expected the same result and

who you are right now. Sometimes that will be

So it is vital that you create a purpose for your

I understand that this may be anathema to

Meditation is the process of retraining your

Your purpose for your meditation, at least

Just sit down being prepared to greet the you

Indeed, it is all you are and that cannot be

completely noise-free environment. However,

However, bear in mind that you are unlikely to

As you will learn, including rather than trying

It is understandable, of course, especially if you undermine the whole intention of your

There are many ways for sabotage to occur but

You have spent many years in the future, and

The ego will always offer you attractive ways by

There will, of course, be many, many layers to

Look at your masters on your shrine. They had

compassionate with yourself and your abilities.

1. Mindfulness with Breathing

The following is a description of ten diverse

As you become familiar with them I am quite

Bear in mind that this will change as your

Remember, all meditations are best practiced

mine, as if these things existed in a permanent

Part 1: Following the breath