Establishing A Daily Meditation Practice

It's important to establish a daily practice and then stick to it. This doesn't mean dedicating 12 hours a day to meditation, it just means creating a space in your home where you can take a few minutes and meditate and do the exercises. I advise people to start with some of the basic exercises and devote 10 -20 minutes a day as they develop their physical and mental abilities. Many people quite simply overload themselves and expect too much too soon, then get discouraged when they don't see the results they thought they should see.

Getting Started

Set aside a corner in one of your rooms. You can stock it with whatever accoutrement you wish. Many folks have cushions, candles, incense and a small CD player for music or guided meditation CD's. Use whatever tools and accessories you want to, as there's no right or wrong at this point.

Once you've created your 'sacred space' then all you have to do is use it. Set aside a few minutes each day and begin working on your breathing and Full Body Awareness. Don't worry at this point about how long you meditate, just get into the habit of doing it. The effects of meditation are cumulative, so 5 minutes a day everyday is better than 20 minutes once a week.

Eventually you'll get to the point where you don't need any accessories and you can clear your mind and meditate anywhere, at any time, but for now don't worry about that, just create a pleasant, sacred atmosphere and get started.

On 'Expectation'

In the spiritual circles we often hear people talking about doing things 'without expectation'. It's amazing how often the simple truths are all around us.

When we begin meditation or working towards the kundalini, we often feel that we should be able to do certain things within a certain time frame. We expect to be able to clear our minds and access our deeper abilities. We expect to be able to sit for an hour and meditate, or to see auras, or feel other people's chi. Then when it doesn't happen we become disappointed and confused. I can't tell you how important it is to break free of these expectations.

When we let go of expectations and learn to just relax in the moment and just BE, then we are making progress of the most important kind. In the west we tend to be so goal oriented and have a need to see results, but frequently the cumulative effects of meditation aren't noticeable until much later. Meditation is about this moment, about BEing totally in this moment, rather than about who you'll be when you've become a good meditator.

The important thing with a regular practice is to just do it. The effects are cumulative and one day you'll look back and see that all those short meditation sessions actually added up.

---

Robert Morgen is a Reiki Master who currently holds a Black Belt in Hoshin Roshi Ryu. He's the founder of the Kundalini Awakening Discussion Group, the Druids Circle Discussion Group and the (offline) Druids Circle in Lakewood, CO. You can find more info on all these at; www.druidscircle.info

He's also the founder and Executive Director of the Windhaven Foundation for Sustainable Living.

He writes a regular column on subtle energy for Fight Times Magazine and a twice monthly column on Kundalini Awakening at Alumbo.com.

In addition to teaching about energy work and Kundalini Awakening he donates time to teach about Renewable Energy, Alternative Building and Creating Sustainable Lifestyles in various Public Schools.

He travels and teaches as much as possible and you can find out how to attend one of his Kundalini Awakening seminars at his website at; www.windhavenco.org

His new book "Personal Mastery: Develop Your True Inner Power By Awakening Your Kundalini" is now available at http://www.lulu.com/RobertMorgen.

In The News:


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The research team was curious to know if the effects of meditation persisted after the exercise was completed. Credit: IStock (Medical Xpress) -- People who practice mindfulness meditation learn to accept their feelings, emotions, and states of mind ...

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Tibetan leader's meditation session draws crowds in Shimla
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Shimla, May 25 (ANI): A special meditation session organized by Tibetan leader Taklung Tsetul Rinpoche drew hundreds of monks here on Friday. Rinpoche, the 6th head of the Nyingma School, presided over the special session of the teachings of the ...

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As Myanmar opens up, spiritual tourists journey in
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Miley Cyrus urges young girls to meditate to get real-life answers
San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
Miley Cyrus is encouraging young girls to meditate more and take time to discover what they really want out of life. The pop star and actress admits she lost her way during a tough period in her life – and started hanging out with people she thought ...
Hindus welcome Miley Cyrus' championing of “meditation”The Jet Newspaper
Hindus appreciate Miley Cyrus' support of ' meditation 'National Turk English
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GPS to a Quiet Mind: 6 Meditative Steps to Freedom
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Meditation is simple and transformative, yet it is highly misunderstood. Some people think it is about controlling our mind or stopping our thinking, while others see it as both weird and wacky or boring and meaningless. Yet meditation really just ...

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Wired News

Meditation for Geeks: Part 1
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I was first introduced to the practice of meditation in a hot yoga class. It was part of the teacher's routine to do a short meditation session at the end of the class. After 45 minutes of grueling hot yoga, the last 15 minutes of relaxing were heaven ...


Meditation rejuvenates the soul
IBNLive.com
For the next five days, make this resolve when you meditate — I will respect and value the time and space that has been given to me. I will value time and cherish every single minute as a wonderful gift. I will structure my life on the foundation of ...


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Anders Behring Breivik used meditation to kill – he's not the first
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Meditation makes you calmer and clearer and encourages empathy and kindness … right? Not if you are Anders Behring Breivik who has told psychiatrists that he used meditation to "numb the full spectrum of human emotion – happiness to sorrow, despair, ...

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Mood of meditation at Buddhist Temple
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Rath Sam, left, of the Cambodian Buddhist Temple on Hazeldean Road in Stittsville and Bhante Kovida, right, take part in a meditation session led by Bhante Kovida at the Temple on Thursday evening, May 17. EMC news - Except for the intermittent sounds ...


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