Meditation Tips

 
“ Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we all ready are. ”
— Pema Chodron
 

Creating a Supportive Meditation Space:

  • Find a space where you will be undisturbed (to the best of your ability)

  • Find a time that works for your situation (AM, PM, mid-day, etc.)

  • Find an amount of time that works for you and is sustainable. (5 minutes or 50 minutes? What works for you RIGHT NOW?  You may aspire to sit for 50 minutes a day but if it is not sustainable, find an amount of time that is.)

  • Find a length of time to practice meditating. (I encourage people to create and stick to a 4-6 week plan of regular meditation. During this time you get to collect data. What is working? What is not? Place, time, type of meditation.)

  • Find a supportive meditation community. (As human beings, we need support and connection. We need encouragement.  We need people to lean on when things get hard. There are many meditation communities in the Twin Cities and online. Check out my list below and my Resources page)

  • Find a teacher. (Some of my first teachers were books that I picked up; Marianne Williamson, Gary Zukav, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Victor Villasenor. Then, I found teachers that guided me in person through the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. Teachers help when things get fuzzy, when my resolve to sit daily gets thin, when difficulty arises in my meditation practice. I have my teacher to turn to and ask questions for guidance.)

Making Your Body Comfortable During Meditation:

  • Remember to make the tripod-like base.  Sitz bones on the cushion or chair, feet flat on the floor or knees on the ground if seated in half-lotus or cross-legged seated position. Use supports for your knees, if needed, like a blanket or pillow so they connect with something.  Seiza is the position of sitting on your shins and placing a cushion under your bottom, between your calf muscles and heels to sit on. Different positions and descriptions can be found here. 

  • Bring your spine up long. Bring energy into the spine through the top of your head.

  • Relax your shoulders away from the ears.

  • Let your hands rest on your thighs or knees or place them in your lap.  You can use a variety of hand mudras. 

  • Let your face relax and gaze softly on the floor in front of you or close your eyes for guided meditations

  • Breathe naturally in and out of your nose.