February 5 - Class Summary -Meditation Concentration and Mantras-

This week we will are looking at focus methods and concentration.

For many people, posture, stillness, and breath awareness are enough to achieve adequate results in meditation. For many the "monkey mind" as the Buddhists like to call it, can ripple the water and spoil the effect. For this reason we use focus methods that can help us achieve the stillness we seek by taking a slightly more active role.

Mantra is one of the most common focus methods used in meditation. Some attribute mystical properties to certain vibrations and words, but for our purposes in this first series, we are going to focus more on using matra as a method of calming the mind, and the actual word or sound chosen is not what is significant.

We will also be looking at concentration and its role in meditation. Concentration must be approached gently in meditation, as to not introduce its own tensions into the mix.

This is a lot to cover in one week, so I ask that during the presentation you limit questions to this weeks topic. There is time in the beginning and end of the class where open discussion of other meditation topics can take place. I thank you in advance for your cooperation on this.

Focus methods are used to help bring the mind into a state of calm. The most common is mantra, which is a word or sound that is repeated silently, over and over, in order to bring the mind into a focused state.

Concentration is key to this process, and we will go over an exercise to help develop this ability.
Other focus methods include taking the breath awareness further to include energizing individual chakras. This will be covered next week so I won't do into an explanation now.
In the second series we will cover a Buddhist technique which is like the opposite of concentration. Instead of being one pointed, you focus on anything and everything. In the end what we are trying to achieve is the same as what we covered last week.... stillness. Sometimes it is just easier to go about it round about. The mind is a slippery devil.

So before we talk about mantra focus, I would like to give you a concentration exercise to work with. This is a favorite among meditators... It involves a candle. Any candle will do as long as you can see the flame. So one in a glass won't work well. Its best if the flame does not flicker excessively, so try to do this somewhere without a breeze, and cut the wick short, which also helps prevent flickering. A tea light could be used but I recommend elevating it to make easier to focus on.

Set the candle about 18 inches in front of you and sit as comfortably as you can. The standard meditation pose is great for this. Basically, you want to just gaze at the flame. Try to see nothing else. Imagine getting close enough that it fills your field of vision, than you WILL see nothing else.

Gaze at the flame for a few minutes if you can, thinking of nothing else... just practice focusing on it. When your eyes get tired, you can close them for a time, and then switch your focus to the afterimage of the candle flame. This works just as well.

Try this exercise for 5 minutes or so.. longer if you are comfortable. You want to practice focusing like a magnifying class focuses the sun onto a piece of paper, causing it to burn. Focus gently, using only your mind, not making faces or wrinkling your forehead. This can help you to train your mind to focus on whatever object you choose.

For the purposes of this weeks class we are going to use a simple universal mantra. As I said in the beginning, this first series is meant to be as generic as possible. Mantra is more of a yoga or Buddhist tradition, but its so common and so easy I think it is worth covering here. When we cover mantra in the second series we will learn about the meanings and what some believe about how the vibrations can effect us. Tonight it is just something to focus the mind.

The mantra we are going to use is "So Ham" which is pronounced "So Hum". When used it is synchronized with the breath. Once you reach the point where you are settles into the breath awareness for a few minutes, you start saying this mantra silently.. as you inhale, you say or "hear" "sooooooooo", as you exhale you hear "hummmmm". Let the vibrations of it echo through your field of consciousness, drowning out thoughts and other distractions.

Synchronizing the mantra with the breath makes it even more effective. You can continue using the method of breathing we learned last week, letting the breath be a circle of figure 8, with no pause between inhalation and exhalation.

We will use the mantra during the guided meditation at the end.. that may help make all of this clear.

Again, if you missed the previous weeks, we have all the summaries available on our site Meditation Paths thanks to Alitewithin :-) .

There are other mantras, and you can choose something that has a meaning to you, but no meaning may actually be best. I used to use "earth peace" as I inhaled, and "sky mind" as I exhaled, while focusing on the stillness of the earth for the first part, and the spaciousness of the sky on the second. For me these images helped mirror what I wanted to happen in my field of consciousness.

This is a very simple technique.. (the step-by-step approach). We are setting the scene for meditation to happen on its own. Like a light shining up from the bottom of the pond when the water becomes still enough. It's in there already. It is the nature of consciousness.


GUIDED MEDITATION:

Ok, when meditating at a computer, the same principles apply in deciding how to sit. If you are in a chair, you might find it most comfortable to sit close to the edge with feet on the floor.. hips higher than knees makes the back balance more comfortably. But if you prefer sitting back, that will be fine.

Align head, neck and trunk in your position. Sit with head high as if its suspended from the ceiling on a string...Rest the hands on or near the keyboard, or palms up on your thighs. Then relax forehead, jaw, neck, shoulders, arms, body, hips, legs...Sitting straight and aligned, be totally still and as limp as you can without changing your position.

Let the stillness settle over you like a blanket. Be as still as the floor under your feet. As your body slowly settles into this stillness, the field of consciousness will more easily do the same. Once you feel comfortable sitting still, bring your awareness to the breath.

Breathe deeply and smoothly to your comfortable capacity. Let the stomach be soft, moving in and out instead of the rib cage. Breathe without pausing between inhalation and exhalation.as if you are breathing in a continuous circle (or figure 8).

Occasionally check forehead and neck to make sure you are still relaxed. As you inhale, feel the prana or chi filling you, like a warm energy. As you exhale, let go of all heaviness and tension. Breathing in warm peaceful energy. Breathing out all cares and distractions.

Do this for several breaths with your eyes closed.. feeling the peace settling over you, then come back to look at the screen. Now as you take your next breath, hear the sound "sooooo" as you are inhaling, and the sound "hummmmmmm" as you are exhaling.

Soooooooo in hummmmmmmm out. Feel it vibrating your consciousness. Sooooooo in, hummmmmmm out. Stay totally relaxed.. just hear this vibrate in your mind.Soooooooo in, hummmmmmmm out. Feel the energy building from the focus of your mind.. and feel the relaxation deepening. Sooooooo in, hummmmmmmmmm out.

Do this for several more breaths with your eyes closed.. concentrating on the vibration of it, then come back. The more focused you are, the more it will shift your consciousness. Taking one final deep breath and releasing, let us bring this meditation gently to a close.

When you do this yourself, you will want to sustain the mantra for at least 5 minutes.then depending how you feel, you can continue or shift to some other focus, or just "be".