Meditation
Pre-Meditation Exercise

The Nefesh Hafsa'kah, or Mind Stoppage Technique, is a safe and effective way of taking immediate control of the Lower Mind. As a prelude to meditation, it offers the meditator a marvelous way of quickly reducing the activity of the Lower Mind, which is so necessary for a good and productive period of meditation. Also, during times of stress and anxiety, it affords the sufferer an effective way of breaking the chain of thoughts that cause and sustain that condition. The Nefesh Hafsa'kah may be used at any time during the course of one's day when the preparation for proper concentration is required.

Step 1.
Close your eyes and, exhaling through your nose, expel as much air from your lungs as you can. Hold your breath for a count of ten, or until all thoughts stop. Observe what takes place during that time. Notice how your thoughts decrease both in intensity and volume, eventually disappearing entirely.

Step 2.
Once your thoughts have stopped, begin a very slow inhalation. Do not rush that first inhalation, control it. Fill your lungs to their normal capacity and hold your breath for a count of ten.

Step 3.
Exhale through your nose very slowly and empty your lungs of air, holding extreme position for a count of ten, before making another slow controlled inhalation. At this point, your thoughts should have stopped and you Lower Mind becomes quiet. If necessary, you may repeat all three steps.
The Three Meditations

1 Passive Meditation

Choose an image to focus on within your mind- the key is to choose a mental picture and not a physical one. What might your choose as your image? Maybe a star, or a cloud, or even a flame. You might choose your favorite plant or flower. Whatever you decide on, it should be something pleasant to look at, and an image that you can hold for a long period of time.
As you picture that stationary image you'll slowly slip into an alpha state. This is meditation, and what you do from here depends on your own decision-making.

2 Active Meditation

Now, instead of picturing a static image, choose a scenario. This should be like acting in a movie, or watching and directing one, depending on your viewpoint. You can practice with scenarios for entertainment, like flying on a magic carpet, surfing the waves, or walking through a calm forest.
When you concentrate on the scene for long enough, you will slip into a dream-like alpha state. You will be aware and awake, without taking notice of outside distractions.

3 Deep Meditation - A technique to completely relax the body and mind to a near-sleep state goes as follows.

Lay down with your arms by your side.
Begin breathing as though you are pretending to be asleep. Breathe in deeply, hold it for 5 seconds, and breathe out, hold for 5 seconds, breathe in again and repeat the pattern.
Focus on your feet. Feel them relax, feel the tension leaving you. Then focus on your legs, your stomach, your arms, your hands, and face.... feel them releasing, and relaxing.
Once your entire body is relaxed, it will begin to feel heavy. Imagine yourself drifting towards sleep, floating downward like a pearl in a stream. Drift deeper and deeper. Begin counting to ten, slowly. Once you reach ten, you will be in a state of total relaxation and meditation.
When you are done with the relaxation exercise, count backwards from 10 to 1. When you reach one, you will be revitalized and full of energy. Sit up whenever you feel ready, take however much time you need to get back in movement.

Adapted From SpiritOnline
Rain Meditation
By Aryanna

This is designed to be a mediation of cleansing and refreshment using the power of the rain and the element of water. The best time to do this when it’s raining (obviously!!) and when everything else around you is quiet, meaning some of us who live in busy city centers might want to try this at night. You don’t have to be physically out in the rain, but some might find it useful, other wise being inside with windows open so you can hear the rain is good enough.

1. Get comfortable and relax your body, prepare your mind by slowing down your breathing and making it calm and steady.
2. When you are relaxed, ask the element of water to aid you in your meditation. Then focus your attention on the sound of the rain. Let its sound fill and surround you.
3. Begin to visualize the rain falling on you. Feel the cool gentle drops on your skin. As the rain drops run off your skin, see all the negativity within you become part of the drops and let them run of you skin. Kepp this up until you feel all the negativity has been removed.
4. Thank the elememt of water for its assistance, then bring yourself back into the real world.


Note: This meditation should leave you feeling refreshed. Although I said doing it at night was good, sleep might be the last thing on your mind for some time after!
Meditation has many forms and you can easily write one  for your own purpose. Don't give up hope on it either, if you don't suceed first time, keep at it and it will come.
First Things First...... Make sure you go somewhere where you will not be disturbed, get comfortable, it doesnt matter if you sit, lie or stand on your head so long as you are comfy. If you want to light candles or incense, or play some soft music, feel frre to do so.
This is an example of writing your own meditation. I wrote this because I love the rain and because I get LOADS of it where I live. Don't be scared to let yourself drift off and to really 'feel' the rain on you.
Creating Your Own Meditations

Consider your favorite place, or somewhere you'd like to be that has a lot to interest you and would keep your mind busy. Make sure you are comfortable, and take a few deep breaths. Take yourself to that place. Imagine all the things you would see and respond to them just as if it were real life, meet people and create scenarios. Rather than having an unorganized array of disconnected thoughts, you can concentrate on the scene. As you get deeper into the meditation you will find the scenery and schemes simplifying until you are basically "gone" with the meditation. You can even make a tape recording to guide you on a meditation journey. One can also use this method to go somewhere to find an answer- this would again require personal devising.

Another more difficult method is to choose one image and focus on that. I find this hard as I am always straying around from thought to thought. But if you find an image that interests you, keep your "sight" on that and nothing else. (This is more for the visual person, you can do the exact same thing with music or a feeling... this is the reason petting an animal for a long time can be relaxing, and listening to certain music can put a person in a trance.) The native americans did this with the monotonous sound of drumming. You could use a mellow instrumental piece and just focus on each note, going from one note to the next. Remember that monotony, if you can stand it, is like instant meditation.

The final method of meditation (which I am adding now, but did not include in the response) is to choose a calm, monotonous experience to visualize. That doesn't make much sense, so here is an example. A long, winding river on a warm summer day is serene and continual. Imagine drifting freely like a leaf down the river. It is relaxing and unchanging. Imagine how it would feel, and nothing else. You could also use driving down a long deserted road, coasting down an unending slope on a sled, or walking down the path in a forest with plain, simple scenery (just trees, trees, and more trees). Similar to the previous meditation, the monotony is what makes this work. Just make sure to choose an "activity" which you are familiar with, enjoy, and can identify with.

Know that the mind is constantly bombarded with thoughts, it's not anything one can really help. Meditation essentially is focusing those thoughts on one point until you reach another state.

Adapted From SpiritOnline
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