Wherever you are on your journey, you may find, as I did, that certain exercises and practices are most helpful. Yoga, pranayama (breathing exercises), chanting mantras, and meditation are powerful tools for centering and calming the mind, releasing physical and emotional tension, developing intuition, and expanding consciousness.

Over the years I’ve led many groups and have taught many different approaches to meditation. I am often asked, “Do you meditate everyday? What do you do?” For many years, I had a daily practice which followed a rather simple routine, which I offer to you here. Although I encourage people to develop their own practice, I know that it can be helpful to have some guidelines, especially when you’re just getting started.

What follows is not a comprehensive discussion of meditation - I offered that some years ago in a book called Peace, Be Still... . (currently out of print - soon to be available on this website - stay tuned). In that book I include many suggestions for daily meditation practice. Here, I’ll just keep it simple and share with you what has worked for me.

Let’s begin with my basic definition of meditation: the process of stilling the mind, relaxing the body, and just being.  When you practice moving into this quiet space on a regular basis, you become calmer, more centered, more peaceful. You connect with the spiritual aspect of yourself - the part of yourself that is beyond personality, beyond needs, beyond fears and doubts. You reach the part of yourself that is simply, purely, alive - consciousness.

The more you do this, the more you feel the carry-over into your daily life. Everything - work, relationships, performance, finances, sex - everything become easier. You flow more with life. Conflicts disappear, problems are solved, you focus more clearly on what’s really important.

To practice meditation then, is to free yourself from the mental chatter that tends to occupy your mind and keep you stuck in the past or worried about the future.

As you continue to stay connected to this spiritual level of your being throughout the day, you become more aware of the limitations, fears, and negative beliefs that have been affecting you since childhood. All of the ideas you inherited about who you are, and how you’re supposed to be, what you can and cannot do, begin to melt away and you begin to live more honestly from your truth - who and what you really are.

To incorporate meditation into your life is to open your heart and mind to a deeper level of awareness, an awareness that enables you to live more freely...taking life more lightly.

All of this happens naturally as you free up your creative energies through meditation.

There are many ways to practice meditation. Most of these techniques are designed to help you still your mind, since it is the mind that gets in the way of the attainment of self-realization. When I first began to practice, not having any guidance in the process, I just sat and stared at a blank wall. Of course, the stream of thoughts was endless, so I was continually bringing my attention back to the moment. I learned later that this is the meditation technique that many spiritual traditions teach.

Since then I’ve explored many other techniques to aimed at stilling those thoughts. At this point I’ve settled on a regular practice that incorporates exercise, and breathing as well as spiritual affirmation, or prayer. as yu move deeper into quietness, you touch the deeper core of yourself.

So, in answer to the question, “What do you do?” I offer the following outline for a Daily Quiet Time. I call it the Mass Meditation Practice.

It is a suggested routine. It works well for me. Keep in mind, however, that I don’t follow it “religiously,” nor should you. Once you’ve gotten comfortable with it, you can vary it to suit your needs. I’ve presented it in segments that total twenty minutes, which is the amount of time that seems to work best. If you can extend the time, you’ll be able to deepen the experience and get more out of it.

However, if you’re really in a hurry, maybe rushing about getting ready for work in the morning, you can reduce it to 10 minutes. Something is always better than nothing. I do think you should aim for at least twenty minutes in the beginning, though. (Please note that the times indicated for each portion of the practice are suggestions only - you can do more or less of any part, as you prefer.)

I also suggest doing the practice in the morning, before your start your day. Just as you take time to brush your teeth, shower, dress, eat, etc., so can you take a few more minutes to include this daily attunement in your life. You may need to get up a little earlier. But do it. It will make all the difference in the world.

The Mass Meditation Practice:  A Twenty Minute Daily Routine
 

I Gentle Stretching
Begin with some gentle stretching to limber up your body. Stand or sit and give your body  whatever it’s calling for: bend and stretch, rotate your arms and legs, exercise the joints -  ankles, wrists, shoulders, neck. If you’re familiar with Yoga, do a spinal stretch or Sun Salutation.  
(5 minutes)

II Relaxation
Sit on a chair or on the floor, with your spine straight, but not stiff. Let your hands rest on  your lap. Look over your body mentally and release any remaining physical tightness and tension. Consciously relax of each part of your body, beginning with your feet and moving  your awareness up to your head. If there are any places of discomfort or pain, simply notice them, and breathe into them. Let go of anything you’re holding on to. 
(3 minutes)

III Breathing
As you become more relaxed, you can now take three slow, deep breaths. Begin by focusing your attention on the soles of your feet. Imagine that you can inhale into your feet. Slowly bring the breath all the way up, filling up with as much air as you can. Pause, holding the breath for a few seconds. Now exhale, letting the breath flow all the way down and out yourfeet again. Do this two more times, each time filling up with even more air, and exhaling even more deeply.

Now, let your breath return to its natural rhythm. Gently, bring your attention to  your nostrils, and notice the flow of breath in and out. Simply notice how the breath feels  as it enters and leaves your nostrils. As you do this you’ll automatically begin to relax more deeply. 
(3 minutes)

IV Toning  
This step is optional, but I find that toning, sounding, or chanting, takes me deeper, and very quickly melts away any distracting thoughts, stilling the mental chatter. Breathe in deeply, and as you exhale let a sound come out from the deepest part of your being. Use the sound “Om” which is a Sanskrit word meaning “peace.” Or make vowel sounds aaah, eee, iii, oooh, etc. These sounds have a very real effect on your energy centers, bringing balance healing to your body/mind system. 
(2 minutes)
 

V Meditation  
As you move to deeper levels of peace and calm, you can sit in quietness, and simply focus your attention on your breath. If thoughts rise up simply notice them and return your attention to your breath. Notice what the breath feels like as it enters and leaves your nostrils. You may find that it's a little cooler as you inhale, a little warmer as you exhale. Notice where the breath goes to, where it comes from. As you continue to return the focus to your breath, you may find that you just move into a space of "no-thought." Just be there. Just Be.

As an alternative to "Breath Watching," you can use the following technique for opening the heart. Use each of these words as the focal point for your meditation for three days:

  a. Gratitude
  b. Appreciation
  c. Love

As you sit quietly, simply say, “I live my life with gratitude in my heart.” Then declare your gratitude for whatever comes to mind. As you hear birds singing outside your window, you think, “I am grateful for birds singing.” If you become aware of a sensation in your foot, you think, “I am grateful for my feet.”

Simply be aware of the thoughts that automatically arise into your awareness. With each thought, simply say, “I am grateful for.....” filling in the blank with whatever the thought is about. For example, a thought of someone you need to call later comes up. You mentally say, “I am grateful for X,” naming the person. Another thought comes perhaps about a problem you have at work. You say “ I am grateful for....” mentioning the problem.
(7 minutes)

It may seem a little strange being grateful for a problem. However, as you do the gratitude meditation, you’ll find a new perception arising so that the problem ceases to be a problem - or you’ll become aware of a new way to deal with it.

You can also bring your attention to all the aspects of your life that you take for granted - your spouse, children, job, your car, home, clothes, food, etc., stating your gratitude for each one.

After three days of focusing on Gratitude, you then focus in the same way on Appreciation. Then, after three more days, focus on Love, following the same suggestions as above.

During the three-day periods for each one of these feelings (“I live my life with appreciation in my heart,” “I live my life with love in my heart.”) continue to practice throughout the day. Whenever you find yourself grumbling or irritated, apply the attitude to the circumstances. You can always find something to be grateful for, or to appreciate in any situation. You may have to look, but you’ll find it. And, even if you don’t quite feel it, as you say it, you’ll open yourself more and more to understanding, and to being more peaceful. As you carry your meditation with you into your daily life, you’ll begin to feel more centered and peaceful no matter what’s going on around you.

Summing Up:
   1. Gentle Stretching
   2. Relaxation
   3. Breathing
   4. Toning
   5. Meditation 
       (Breath Awareness/3 Positive Thoughts)

The Mass Meditation Practice is offered as a simple daily routine. The particular techniques are suggestions only, and obviously you can substitute any others that suit you. I highly recommend that you create a “sacred space” for yourself. It can be the corner of your bedroom, or a portion of your basement. Set up an “altar,” where you can light a candle, have incense or music - whatever works for you - whatever serves to establish your intention to bring balance, harmony, and peace to yourself, and to connect with a deeper, higher, holy Spirit.

This daily quiet time of meditation practice will serve you on so many levels. You’ll function more efficiently, have more energy, feel healthier, and more alert. Your relationships, too, will improve, as you begin to feel more attuned to others. As you open your heart with gratitude, appreciation, and love, you become more harmonized with universal energies. More positive conditions begin to unfold in your life.

 Enjoy!