Meditation -focus on posture and breathing

Meditation -focus on posture and breathing

Welcome to meditation. Let us introduce the basics of breathing and posture for meditation. Meditation is a great opportunity to have a dialogue with yourself or reflect on the voice in your head to be aware of your inner self. Meditation is about the spiritual part of yourself, the intangible. The tool to execute that requires your physical body which includes breathing, using the five senses. Therefore, your posture is crucial in practicing effective meditation.

Posture

The word, meditation, may give you an idea of having to sit with your legs crossed with a straight posture, or the “lotus position.” If you don’t feel comfortable in your posture, breathing may not be as easy, and you won’t be able to sit for that long. The lotus position with your legs crossed, means your 2 points in your hip bone are touching the floor with a good balance, helping to stretch your back straight, perfect for meditation. The straightened back helps your organs to be placed where they’re supposed to be, and the diaphragm can expand properly when breathing. The key is to relax and loosen up your body. It may not be so easy to stay sitting for a long time, so start from the position you feel the most comfortable. If needed, sit in a chair or sit against a wall, or even lay down on the floor, whatever position works for you depending on your condition. 

Breathing

There’s nothing complex about starting meditation. All you need to do is count numbers. Breath comfortably as you count 1 through 10, then repeat. You can also count backwards from 10 to 1 after the first 10. You may feel that the time passes slowly. The moment you are counting is the moment you live in. Usually, your mind is chaotic with thoughts of the past and the future with fear and worries that are not relevant to the moment. The time during meditation is all about “now.” Remember, it’s alright to stop counting to take a break. 

Thoughts

How do you feel after practicing meditation? Is your mind refreshed or not? Any thoughts are valid. It helps to write down your thoughts after each session so that you can see your pattern or changes in your mood.

Meditation is a good way to train your five senses while being conscious of your body because body and mind are a unity. After a few times of practice, you may become more aware of different scents in your daily life, your sense of taste may change, or you may even become aware of your preferences of things that you were unaware of before. Let’s make your meditation a daily routine!

Helpful Links:

• Zazan - Easy Steps to Practice Zen Meditation