This is the Thirty Day Meditation Challenge I have devised for those who are either new to meditation or just need some inspiration. I won't bore you with the long list of meditation's benefits because most of us know them (relaxation, mental health, energy boost, the list goes on). I think you will find most of these surprisingly simple. You don't need to go out and buy anything, or do anything fancy like this meditation corner I made. I wanted to have a space that would motivate me to come to my practice everyday but you may not need this.
Thirty days sounds like an awful long time, and to be honest it is. I promise that if you take this one day at a time, you will be seeing improvements before you know it. Even if you miss a day or a week, jump back in. Keep going even if it takes you a year to finish all thirty days (though it will have less impact.) Just take a deep breath and start at the beginning.
If you have questions or need help with anything feel free to message me. If I don't have the answer, I know how to find it.
Basic Information About Meditation Before you Begin
Religion?:
Meditation is
often associated with many eastern religions, and this is not a false
connection. However, many western religions also practice it but tend to call
it, “quiet contemplation/refection.” The goal is to reach higher state of
consciousness, connect closer to a god, understand yourself or your world on a
higher level, or simply relax. If you are affiliated with a religion please do
not see meditation as a distraction, but possibly an aid.
Mantras: Mantras can be in English but
the ones I have chosen are Sanskrit (the Hindi language of the gods). The basic
purpose of a mantra is to focus your mind and to create a vibration your body
can tune into. When you chant aloud you can feel the vibration in your mouth
and through your head, even if it is a subtle vibration. If you focus your mind
on the meaning of a mantra it is harder to tune into the vibration. Also, when
you feel ready to search the mantra meanings you may find several translations
with the same basic idea. Chose which ever meaning feels correct to you. I
promise none of these mantras have a connection to a god.
Poses: There are three basic poses
used in the Thirty Day Journey.
Easy (half Lotus): sit with your legs crossed, back straight, face
forward. If you are comfortable going to full lotus, place your right foot on
your left thigh then pull your left foot over your right leg to rest on your
right thigh. If you have discomfort in your legs from this pose you may sit in
a chair. The goal is to hold your spine straight without leaning on a chair
back or wall for support.
Mountain: stand with your feet rooted into the floor hip distance
apart, shoulders rolled back and your head held straight.
Savasana (dead man): lay on your back with your feet about hip
distance apart and your hands at your side, about a foot away from your body.
Mudras: There are several mudras
included in the journey. Mudras are different symbols, for lack of a better
term, you make with your hand while you meditate. Creating this pose with your
hand creates a focus of intention for your mind. If you want to think of it on
a spiritual level, your spirit or unconscious recognizes this symbol and its
intended purpose as an ancient code build into the metaphysical world.
Feelings: It is normal when you start
meditation to feel odd sensations such as feet going numb, and itch, a sneeze,
your tongue suddenly doesn’t fit in your mouth comfortably, subtle pain, or
feeling like you aren’t getting enough air. This is your conscious mind
fighting to keep from losing control. If you don’t normally have trouble with
shortness of breath or feet going numb when you sit cross-legged, try your best
to ignore these feelings and they will pass. Only scratch an itch if you are
unable to let it pass by and it is the only way to maintain peace.
Breathing: For most of these
meditations you will be using the standard yoga breath. The goal is to take a
deep, calm breath, filling your lungs fully. You can do this through your mouth
or nose, though it is best through the nose. When you breathe you want your
lower lungs to fill first. If it helps, put one hand on your stomach and one over
your heart. When you breathe in you should feel your lower hand rise first,
then your heart center, then your upper chest. As you breathe out it will be
the opposite, feeling your chest lower, then your heart center, finally your
stomach.
Now, let us begin!
Day One: Introduction and focus on breathing.
The goal is to focus on your breathing as a means to
clear your mind, using the standard breath discussed in the basic information.
If you are thinking to yourself breathe in….breath out….it makes it harder to
think about other things you could be doing. At first your thoughts will race
because your conscious mind does not want to give up control. Simply, calmly
but firmly guide yourself away from the thoughts. If it helps, think to
yourself, “I wonder what I will think next?” or return to your breath. If any
thoughts still persist, let them float by you like a movie you are not really
focusing on. Don’t engage the thoughts. In regard to a time limit, quality is
better than quantity. Try for at least ten minutes of success.
Day Two: Transcendental
Meditation
TM is a new form of meditation, relatively
speaking. Remember meditation has been
part of eastern religions for thousands of years. Nonetheless, TM has swept up
quite a large following including Ellen DeGeneres, Paul McCartney, Oprah
Winfrey, Hugh Jackman, and Clint Eastwood. You can find many wonderful videos
on YouTube if you wish to hear any of them (mostly Ellen, I think) talk about
the benefits of TM. Another fabulous choice is the book Success Through
Stillness: Meditation Made Simple by Russell Simmons.
For today’s exercise you will be meditating twice in one
day (one in the morning to early afternoon and one in the evening or just
before bed). Each meditation should be twenty minutes long so it is best to set
a timer. Just be sure your timer is not too loud or too jarring or it may
negate the positive effects of the practice. I am giving you a word and that
word is OM. It doesn’t matter what it is or what it means at this point because
right now you are using it as a tool to clear your mind and drift into a
meditative state. Focusing on the meaning could distract you. You can say the
word out loud or in your head. The difference is that if you say it out loud it
will create a vibration that you can use to get to a meditative state but if
you are not used to chanting it can feel uncomfortable. You can say it like,
OM, or OOOOOOOOMMM, or OOMMMMMMMMM. However it works for you at this time. A
reminder, you will do this for twenty minutes twice a day. Sit in the lotus or
half lotus position if possible or a straight backed chair and focus on calm
deep breaths just like the first exercise then begin introducing OM.
Day Three: Grounding.
There are a great many ways to ground yourself but I
will introduce one of the simplest and my favorite. Sit on the floor or in a
chair and focus in on your breathing and let yourself begin to slip into
meditation. In the other two practices your focus was to clear your mind. Now
that you are starting to get the hang of this you want to clear your mind so
you can clearly focus on the visualization.
Once you are ready,
focus your mind’s eye at the base of your spine. Imagine a taproot slowly
growing out and rooting itself into the earth beneath you. It goes through
everything to get to the soil, the floor, any levels below you, and the
foundation. Once it reaches the earth it grows in strength and plunges all the
way to the core at the center of the Earth. This is an eternal energy source.
Once your taproot is connected imagine white or golden warm energy flowing up
and into your body. It fills your whole being on an inhale. As you exhale the
excess energy flows down the taproot taking with it anything negative or
unnecessary in your being to cleanse you. Have a few breaths of rest and repeat
the cycle. Do this exercise for at least five minutes. When you feel renewed
simply imagine the taproot receding back into your spine. You may stay here and
meditate as long as you like or you may choose to be done.
Day Four: Some Yoga Please!
Today the challenge
is to have a few minutes of simple yoga to prepare you for practice. You don’t
need a mat but if you have one I would say to use it. First, you will want to
come onto your hands and knees with your shoulders over your wrists and your
hips over your knees. Do not lock your elbows. As you breathe in, lower your
spine to the ground, lift your head and shine your heart forward. Your tail
bone and shoulders will both be higher and there will be a negative curve in
your back. This pose is often called cow. As you exhale, you will round your
spine toward the sky and relax your neck so your head hangs in-between your
arms. Your pelvis will lower as well to create a positive curve in your back.
This is called cat. Repeat this for ten rounds (or a few minutes).
Next lean back into
your knees and place both hands at the small of your back. Shine your heart
forward, pulling your arms back to stretch your shoulders and, while keeping
your legs strongly in place, lean your head and shoulders back. Lean your torso
back until you feel a comfortable stretch. This is a modified camel. If you are
able, hold your feet with your hands as seen below for camel. Take a couple
breaths here before moving on.
Now come to a seated
position. Place the soles of your feet together either close to you or far
away, whichever you can do comfortably while your legs rest on the floor. This
is cobbler’s pose. As with cat/cow you will push your shoulders back and lift
your chest forward as you breathe in and close your chest and lower your head
as you breath out. Slowly start to roll your spine. As you exhale, not only
will you close your chest and lower your head but lean forward to feel a slight
stretch in your legs. As you breathe in, lift your head, open your chest and
lean back into your seated position. This massages your spine from the inside.
After doing this for several breaths, settle yourself laying on your back with
the pads of your feet still together in cobbler and meditate for at least ten
minutes.
Day Five: Holy Breath Batman
(best done when you wake up)
Today we are going
to play with another way of breathing. This alternating breath activates both
hemispheres of your brain as well as helps clear out your sinuses (so keep a
box of tissues close by just in case.) Start by sitting in your average
comfortable position. With this exercise you cannot lay down, you must sit.
With your right hand, fold your center three fingers to touch the pad of your
hand while your pinky and thumb are still sticking out, basically the “calm me”
gesture. Place your thumb over your right nostril and slowly breathe in with
your average meditation breath. Once your lungs are full, hold the air as you
twist your hand so your thumb releases and your pinky holds the left nostril
then exhale. Keeping your pinky holding the left, take another deep breath,
hold the breath while you switch sides, and exhale. The goal is to breathe in
one side, then breathe out and back in on the second side, breath out and back
in on the first side. You do this for three to five minutes. If you wish to
then have an average meditation while you are here, feel free, or you may
choose to be done for the day.
Day Six: You are divine.
Various religions
have a different ways of saying we have a special connection to the divine.
Many say we were created by the Creator in his or her image and that makes us
special. Others say this connection, however it came about, makes us divine as
well. Once we feel that connection it makes us feel lighter and satisfied. The
following visualization meditation can help you reach your inner divinity.
Have a seat in your
average position and begin the breathing to clear your mind. Once you are ready
imagine how you appear. As a divine being, are you bathed in light or do you
feel that is unnecessary? What kind of clothing do you wear? Do you have a
crown; what does it look like? What is your throne made of? For that matter,
what does your throne room look like?
Are you surrounded by jewels or maybe offerings of fruits or flowers? Why are
you loved and worshiped? Are you kind and soft, or are you strong but caring?
Build up your divinity and make it real to help your soul shine.
This is one of my inspirations for this meditation. My friend Sean Lutes is the artist. The product of a long running joke, this is Duchess Elizabeth. When I tell you to build your divinity this is kind of what I am talking about. This is a very different person from me but she has aspects I may wish to incorporate in my divinity and therefore my life. She is strong, confident, beautiful. I would also like to point out that she is not my only self divinity image. Obviously, this is the work of Sean's imagination and not mine, for one thing. For another, you can do this meditation anytime you feel like you need to remind yourself of your true worth. You can have many inner divinities.
Day Seven: Universal Wisdom
and Elevated Spirit
Begin this
meditation by coming to your seated position. You will be forming a mudra with both
hands. When most of us think of a mudra we want to bring the tip of our index
finger and our thumbs together. This is very close to what we actually want to
do. Rather than pressing your fingertips together, bury your index finger into
the joint between your thumb and palm on both hands. This is the mudra to
receive wisdom. As you mediate, focus your eyes on your crown chakra (the space
around the top of your head.) Visualize the wisdom pouring over you and into
you from your crown.
As you do this, you
will chant. This mantra has a large number of translations basically breaking
down into a connectedness to the universe, or in this context, connection to
that which gives us universal wisdom. If you are unsure how to pronounce or
dictate the mantra, youtube is a lifesaver. Do this for at least ten minutes.
Ang Sang Wahe Guru.
Day Eight: Attitude for
Gratitude
We will be using the
“gratitude mantra” today. Cup yours hands in front of you as if you are going
to catch water. Hold your cupped hands at your heart center and focus on them
(eyes open or closed.) As you meditate, focus on blessings falling into your
cupped hands. Do this at least ten minutes.
Day Nine: Balance
The mudra for today
is one for balance, obviously. Hold both hands in front of you at a comfortable
height. Hold your right hand out, palm up. Hold your left hand up straight,
palm facing you. During the meditation you will switch the positions of your
right and left hand in the interest of balance. The goal is to meditate for
twenty minutes, ten minutes each hand position. If it is stressful on your
wrist to hold one hand back for ten minutes then alternate regularly throughout
your meditation.
Day Ten: Elevation
First sit in rock or
thunderbolt pose. For this pose, come onto your knees and sit back on your
legs. Clasped your hands together with your index fingers extended. Raise your
hands over your head, fitting your head gently between your arms and keeping
your elbows straight. You will say the mantra below very powerfully to
yourself. As you say “Sat” pull your navel in and up, contracting your
abdominal wall but do not flex your spine. Relax your muscles as you say “Naam.”
Your breath will adjust itself as needed. Repeat five times. To end your
exercise, inhale deeply and hold your breath for five counts then release by
blowing the air out strongly.
Sat Naam
Day Eleven: Approval within
yourself
One of the hardest
things for us to do in this world is to not equate other people’s opinions of
us with our own worth. Our pack animal instincts tell us that to not have
approval from our peers means we will be forced out of the pack; being forced
out of the pack means death. This is a terrible instinct in our modern world
where we go out of our way to fit in.
The goal of this
meditation is for you to find your value within yourself. Sit in easy pose and hold
your arms straight out at your sides, parallel to the ground. Bend your elbows
back in so that your index fingers can connect. Fold all other fingers into
your palm. Your connected index fingers should be level with your chin. Inhale
deeply for three seconds and hold this breath for five seconds. Exhale slowly
for ten to fifteen seconds, however long you can, and making sure you release
all of the air. Continue this breathing for eleven minutes. After this you may
take a few normal meditation breaths and relax your arms or your legs for
however long you like.
Day Twelve: Getting Giggy With
It
For this meditation
you will begin in mountain pose. Feel how strong your legs are as they support
you. Roll your shoulders up to your ears, back and down. Now, consciously
search for any tension in your body and let it go, feel it slowly float away
and dissipate in the air around you.
Once you are
comfortable slowly begin to sway your body. Your body intuitively knows what it
needs, where it needs to stretch to feel relaxed. Let your body move
organically, slowly or at a medium pace. You may move your legs and feet but
don’t go gallivanting all over the room dancing with your eyes closed. Keep
everything calm and just dance. Be sure to also focus on your breathing and try
to keep it slow and rhythmic. Continue at least ten minutes before slowly
bringing your body back to mountain pose and ending your practice.
Day Thirteen: Armor or shield.
There are energies
all around you every day. I don’t mean the energy powering your TV, I mean
personal and emotional energies that everyone carries. When someone brushes
past you out in public you intuitively know if they are angry even if you can’t
see their face. You may see it in body language or you may feel it in their
energy. After you have a fight with someone your energy can feel drained or
overloaded. This is a visualization to help create an energy shield around you
to help protect you from these “vibes.”
Come to either easy
or mountain pose. Begin your normal meditative breath and relax. Once you are
ready I want you to imagine all of the energy in your body. You may see it as
light or you may feel it in your muscles. Bring all of this energy to your
heart center, holding it there as long as you can. Bring every ounce of energy
in from the tips of your fingers and toes. See your energy collected in your
heart center and give it a color. Whatever color feels right to you, feels safe
maybe. When I told you to make your energy a color the right color probably
popped into your head without thinking. This is the color you would choose.
Now that you have
collected and chosen the color for your energy I want you to release it and
send it back over your body. Feel it either coating your skin or forming a
layer an inch or so above your skin. What does this energy surrounding you feel
like? Does it feel like a suit of armor? Maybe a thick or thin coating to keep
you warm and safe? Explore this sensation for a while. Watch as this shield is
rejuvenated regularly by your own energy and you don’t have to control it. It
is just there protecting you from now on.
Day Fourteen: Ease Frustration
Do you remember Day
Four: Yoga Please? If not please look back on it and remember the cat/cow pose
sequence. Start by doing this for several rounds before coming into cow and
holding your head as high as you comfortably can. Focus your eyes on the
ceiling or sky above you and call the source of your frustration to you. Focus
on it and “mentally wrestle” it. Allow yourself to be upset and frustrated
here. As you maintain your breath, go through the whole scenario that has
brought you to this meditation, what is frustrating you. You may feel your
muscles tense unnecessarily to help you relieve stress, let yourself do this
for some time.
Slowly calm yourself
down, letting go of your anger and focusing on a solution. Eventually bring
yourself back to the repetition of cat/cow until you feel relaxed.
Day Fifteen: Shower Power
When you take your
shower today, whether you bathe in the morning or the evening, practice this
visualization. As the water washes over you, imagine it not only cleansing your
skin but detoxing your body. All the negative emotions you may have in you at
this moment are washed away. As you lather with soap, begin by soaping your
hands and up your arms to your shoulders. Then lather down to your hips. Next
start with your feet and work your way up your legs. Be sure to scrub the skin,
not enough to hurt but enough to create some friction. This massaging of the
muscles releases toxins as well as exfoliates your skin.
Day Sixteen: Anger Management
This meditation can
be used both for small irritations and the deepest anger issues you have been
carrying with you for years. Underlying anger issues can lead to stress and
heart related health issues.
Begin in easy pose
and hold your arms straight out at your sides, parallel to the ground. Bend the
wrist to point your index fingers toward the sky. Hold you head high and focus
on your spine. Imagine your anger rising from your spine and rushing through
your arms and out your fingers. Roll your tongue and inhale from there like you
are sucking air in through a straw. Calmly exhale through the nose. Do this as
long as you feel you need it.
Day Seventeen: Passion for
Compassion
This is an amazing
video of the mantra for this meditation. There are two singing the mantra and
one playing guitar. She is doing a complicated system of mudras. I would
suggest listening to this video and watching her for a time. Slowly start
chanting with them and bring yourself to meditate. The mudra suggested to me
for this meditation is a variation of the Gyan Mudra from day seven. Rest your
right hand on your knee, palm facing up, and index finger buried into the first
joint of your thumb. Let your left arm rest at your side, bend your elbow and
hold your hand flat, palm hovering above and facing your heart center.
Sat Naarayan Wahe Guru
(sat na-rayan wha-hay guroo)
Hari Naarayan Sat Naam
(haree na-rayan sat naam)
Day Eighteen: I am Calling
Security
Begin your normal
meditation and focus on your spine. This is the area of your root chakra, the
center of survival instincts. If you feel safe and secure your root chakra is
relaxed. Use visualization to bring this warm, safe energy up from your spine
to the top of your head and fill your body with it. Let the energy flow back
into your base as you bring your hands to your heart center in prayer pose,
with your thumbs pressed against your chest. This time feel the energy travel
up your spine to your skull. “Apply your imagination and concentration with
your best and honest intention to eliminate all blocks that are preventing you
from healing and realizing your core identity,” is what my book says and I
could think of no better way to phrase it. Simply focus on this healing energy
flowing up and down your spine and search for any blockage then combat it.
Apparently, if done correctly, you could begin to sweat. As you do this chant
this mantra.
Gobinda, Gobinda, Gobinda, Gobinda,
Gobinda, Gobinda,
Gobinday
Day Nineteen: Conquering
Fears
This meditation has
a unique breath pattern to help you conquer your fears. Have a seat in your
easy pose and create the closed lotus mudra. Hold your elbows close to your
side body and hold out your hands, palms up, and arms parallel to your thighs.
Bring all of your fingers together to resemble a flower almost ready to open.
Now close your eyes and focus on your third eye (or the middle of your brow.)
Your third eye chakra is associated with intuition and strengthening so this chakra
can help reduce “unnecessary” fears. Inhale deeply and slowly then exhale all
of the air from your lungs. Suspend this breath as you chant this mantra in
your mind four times.
Saa Taa Naa Maa
Basically
you are holding your breath for sixteen counts. Repeat this for ten minutes.
When you are ready to end, take a couple deep breaths to slowly bring yourself
back to normal breathing.
Day Twenty: Sending Light and
Maybe Forgiveness
In the past couple
weeks I hope you have found peace somewhere inside yourself and are having more
success reaching that place. This meditation is a method to send that peace to
someone you know.
For this meditation
you may sit or lie down. Use your normal breathing to bring yourself into
meditation. Once there, allow thoughts of those you love to float into your
mind. When you see this person imagine them bathed in light. Think of how much
love you feel for them and will them to hear you. Imagine them happier than
they have ever been and wish that they feel this way right now as you think of
them.
Sometimes we part
ways with people even though we may still have deep feelings for them. Maybe
you just couldn’t make your relationship or your friendship last. Sometimes we
need people in our lives to teach us something then we drift apart. Or maybe
they need us during a rough stage in their life and grow to no longer need us.
This is a normal part of life. It may hurt us to have parted (especially if it
was a negative parting). The parting conflicts with the love we still have for
them. This meditation is a fabulous way to help yourself heal by remembering
the love and the happy times while you release your darker feelings. Use this
method to bathe them in light and wish them happiness as they continue on their
path.
Day Twenty-one: Affirmations/ The Mind is a Powerful Tool
(best done before sleep)
When I first began
my lifestyle change, I read a book about weight loss. It was mentioned in this
book that the mind is a powerful tool and you should use it. Your subconscious
mind does not understand language. You cannot look at yourself in a mirror and
say, “I will lose weight,” “I will grow my hair longer faster,” or “I will stop
being unhealthy.” These are arbitrary sounds that mean nothing to your
subconscious. Of course, repetition in your conscious mind manifests in the
subconscious but it is not the most efficient way to go. You need to
communicate directly with your subconscious and get the ego out of the way.
This is a very basic
visualization meditation. I found best results if I lay in my bed, ready to go
to sleep to begin this meditation. Bring yourself into your meditative state
through your breath. Once here, visualize who you want to be. What do you look
like? What do you do? How are you interacting with others? Build the person you
want to be in images. Your mind will take these and use them as a blue print to
help you get there.
After you have built
yourself and taken time to admire your work, return to your normal breath and
drift off to sleep, holding this person close to you.
Day Twenty-two: Love yourself,
dammit
This meditation is
incredibly simple and can be done briefly anytime you need it. You can also
take a long moment to yourself and repeat this as many times as you need.
Place your hands over
your heart, while focusing on your heart and say these words,
“This
is a moment of pain.
Pain
is a part of life, a part of me.
This
pain will pass in time.
I
will be kind to myself in this moment.
I
will love myself in this moment.”
Day Twenty-three: Footprints
in the Sand
This is a form of
mindfulness meditation. Rather than trying to block out the world around you,
you want to bring it in with high definition. For this meditation your will
want space to walk at least ten feet without obstruction. Close your eyes and
begin to shift your weight from one foot to the other, feeling the changes in
your body. How are your muscles adjusting? How does the air feel around you?
Are you inside or out? What do you smell? Once you start to walk, how does your
body feel? How does this feel different than just shifting weight? When you
step, feel your heel press into the ground then lift as your foot rolls
forward. What sounds are around you? Are you playing music or can you hear
people, dogs, or birds around you?
After walking thusly
for several feet, open your eyes. If you would like to continue to walk with
your eyes open to experience the world around you, that is your choice, or you
may choose to be done.
May I interrupt you for a moment?
For the next seven
days we are going to explore the idea of chakras. Your chakras are energy
points that run through your body along your spine. They are a vortex that
brings in energy as well as expels energy. They govern over the organs,
muscles, and tissues nearby them. It is an ancient form of medicine to heal a
chakra in order to heal the body and it is finally being looked at by modern
science.
Basically, balancing your chakras has positive effects
on your body and mind. Each meditation is designed to heal one chakra. For each
I will give you a yoga pose, a Sanskrit mantra, and an English mantra. You will
come to the pose and focus your mind’s eye on the chakra in question. You will
see the chakra as a vortex that will grow and shine in its own color. As you do this you will chant the Sanskrit
mantra. Hold this for at least five minutes. Once you get started, you may feel
one chakra needs more help than another and when your five minutes is up you
may not want to leave. This is perfectly acceptable, your body knows what you
need.
For this practice these short chants are best done a
certain way. Take a deep yoga breath, filling your lungs fully. As you slowly
exhale, begin the chant and let it exist for the full length of the exhale. Do
not force the air out; simply let the mantra ride along until your lungs are
empty. Take another breath and begin again.
Day Twenty-four: The Root
The Root Chakra
(Muladhara) rules over your pelvic area and is associated with feeling safe. To
balance this chakra, come into child’s pose. Sit on your knees, with your knees
either together or wider than hip distance apart. Sit back on your legs and bow
forward touching your forehead to the mat. If you are flexible enough you can
relax fully and rest your chest on the mat. Hold your arms either over your
head, resting on the mat or at your sides, again resting on the mat. When you
are in the pose, begin the breathing and chant, “Lam” (long “a” sound). As you
do this imagine a red vortex swirling around your pelvis. Watch as it grows and
brightens. Breathe and chant while holding this visualization for at least five
minutes.
When you are done,
repeat to yourself, “I am safe,” as the vortex scales back to its normal,
healthy size.
Day twenty-five: The Sacral
The Sacral Chakra
(Svadhishthana) is between the top of the hip and navel. This governs your need
for contact with other beings. This contact could be physical (a hug, kiss,
touch, or sexual contact) or emotional (seeing, speaking or listening).
Come to the cobbler
pose from Day Four (sitting with the bottoms of your feet touching.) Hold your
back straight and strong while chanting, “Vam.” Like with your Root chakra,
imagine a vortex swirling above your navel, only this time it is orange. Like
before imagine the vortex growing and shining brightly. You may instead chose
to do cobra pose, shown here. Do this for at least five minutes.
As you finish this
meditation repeat, “I am connected.”
Day Twenty-six: The Solar
Plexus
The Solar Plexus
(Manipura) is between the navel and waist.
Your solar plexus is very connected to your ego. It is your connection
to your own strength and your ability to manipulate the world around you.
Start by lying on
your back and bring your feet to press flat into the ground. You will lift your
pelvis off the floor, keeping your feet and shoulders stable. Hold this for as
long as you can. It activates your core muscles as well as your glutes and
legs. If this puts too much stress on you to hold comfortably for any length of
time, regularly lower your hips and rest before rising again. If you tire
completely, come to savasana. As you meditate here imagine a yellow vortex, of
course, growing and strengthening. Chant, “Ram,” for at least five minutes until
you are ready to be done.
Repeat to yourself, “I am strong,” while your chakra returns to normal.
Day Twenty-seven: The Heart
Your Heart (Anahata)
of course covers your heart and your emotional center. The chakra covers from
your waist to your shoulders.
For the heart chakra
you are going to come back to the familiar cat/cow posturing. As with your
other chakras, you are going to imagine this chakra engulfed in a vibrant green
vortex that grows and strengthens. Chant “Yam” for at least five minutes and until
you are ready to bring the chakra back to its normal healthy size.
Say to yourself, “I
am loved.”
Day Twenty-eight: The Throat
Your Throat (Vishuddha)
governs your throat and your self-expression.
Come to savasana and
imagine this blue chakra growing and strengthening as you chant, “Ham.” At
least five minutes is best, of course.
When done repeat to
yourself, “I am expressive.”
Day Twenty-nine: The Third Eye
Your Third Eye
(Ajna) chakra governs your head and intuition centers. It rests between your
eye brows.
There are two poses
you could choose from to heal this chakra. The first is thunderbolt where you
come to sit on your haunches. The second is downward dog. While in this pose
you can bend your knees if you like but keep your back straight and your neck
relaxed. You can always start here and come either to a sitting position or to
child pose if you become fatigued.
As with the others,
focus on this indigo chakra and watch as the vortex brightens and strengthens
while you chant, “Om.”
When you are done
tell yourself, “I am connected.”
Day Thirty: The “Crown”ing
achievement
Your Crown (Sahasrara)
radiates from the top of your head into the air above you. This is your
connection to the divine or the metaphysical. From this place you radiate your
intentions or prayers to the universe, to the One. From here you also receive
messages or simply feelings of warmth from the universe.
Lotus or half lotus
is best for this pose. You can hold your hands at your heart center if you
chose or you may lay them on your legs, palms facing upward for receiving. Your
crown is a violet vortex through which pure light and energy enter your body.
Watch this final chakra grow and while you, again, chant, “Om.”
When you have
finished, tell yourself, “I am divine.”
And how amazingly
divine you are. Look at how far you have come, what you have accomplished. So
many people rejected the idea of a thirty day challenge before they even read
the meditations. You not only stepped passed that boundary but here you are, at
the finish line. You may not have done everything perfectly but you came to
yourself every day and you tried. You may not have liked every meditation but
that is okay, from now on, chose the ones you enjoyed.
Wait, did she say
chose the ones you enjoyed? Why am I choosing? You aren’t planning to give up
on this are you? Meditation has a long list of incredible benefits but you have
to keep going! Whether you chose one meditation or several doesn’t matter. Now
that you have formed this habit continue your commitment as best as you can. I
can tell you that when my life gets crazy and I don’t make time for this I can
tell the difference in my emotions and my energy level. Keep it up!
You are divine!
*A Woman's Book of Meditations by Hari Kaur Khalsa
*Success Through Stillness by Russell Simmons
*A Woman's Book of Meditations by Hari Kaur Khalsa
*Success Through Stillness by Russell Simmons
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