The stillness and peace of the present moment lies beneath the outer layers of imbalanced thoughts and emotions that many of us are consumed by – our true nature is at the core, while turmoil and suffering are at the periphery. Meditation is therefore concerned with depth, and constantly changing our practice does not help us to deepen, but keeps us skimming along, or just under, the surface.
I would suggest that you find a meditation that works for you, and then stick to it. That doesn’t mean never doing anything else or never changing to a different practice, but it does mean being aware not to flit from one thing to another, and never really beginning the exploration within.
I practise the Breath of Liberation practice each morning (see guided practices below). If I am experiencing a lot of thoughts and/ or emotion I will use the Transformation of Emotion practice or the Om Mani Padme Hung mantra until the mind is more settled. Who Said That?, The Energy of Life, and Opening the Heart are meditations that I do periodically, at other times of the day, to deepen my awareness of thoughts, the energetic life force within, and to cultivate loving compassion.
The Breath of Liberation practice 1 (audio 1) is the most suitable meditation for beginners, and numbers 2 onward assume that you have got the hang of being aware of the breath in the belly, which is covered in audio 1.
Audio 1: Breath of Liberation practice 1, Peace Within.
Awaken to the liberating power and beauty of the breath.
15 minutes
Audio 2: Breath of Liberation practice 2, Emptiness.
Deepen into truth.
20 minutes
Audio 3: Opening the Heart.
Cultivate the loving energy of the heart.
15 minutes
Audio 4: Transformation of Emotion.
Free yourself of trapped emotion.
15 minutes
Audio 5: Who Said That?
An investigation and exploration of thoughts to gain insight and understanding of their
nature, and so become free of their unconscious influence.
15 minutes
Audio 6: The Energy of Life.
Consciously embody the life force within you.
20 minutes
Audio 7: Mantra.
Mantra means mind protection, and is a word or phrase that is continually repeated during meditation or daily life. It is a sacred utterance spoken with awareness and reverence, either aloud or silently. Mantras enable us to connect with a powerful and beautiful energy that has evolved from thousands of years of devotional repetition.
Reciting a mantra is a beautiful practice in its own right; it helps to discipline the mind and helps our awareness to expand into stillness and peace. They are also of tremendous benefit when we get lost in stuff – their constant repetition at any time during the day helps to break the cycle of destructive thoughts that trap and fuel our emotions, and therefore allow the emotion to move on, leaving us in peace. They can also help when experiencing distraction or disturbance during silent, sitting meditation, when just a few minutes of mantra repetition can often quieten the mind. Anything can be a mantra; you could try quietly repeating the word “love” as you fall asleep – it’s much healthier than “what a bloody awful day that was”!
There are different aspects of the mantra that we can bring our focus to. They include our breath, the vibration of the words within our body, the sound of our voice or the recording (if we are listening to one), the movement of the mouth – whatever works best for you.
Om Mani Padme Hung is a Tibetan Buddhist mantra that is pronounced ‘Aum Mani Peme Hung.’ It is the mantra of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion, and translates to “Hail to the jewel of the lotus!” The meaning of this can be interpreted in many ways, but in a nutshell, it refers to the opening of the heart.
15 minutes.
If you would like to listen to a more tuneful accompaniment than Julie and I, you could try ‘Tibetan Incantations’, various artists, track 3, or for the real deal Buddhist version, Lama Tashi, ‘Tibetan Master Chants.’