The Pagan Heart Tools of the Trade

March 2005 Issue

Working with Energy: Simple Meditation Exercises By Catherine M.     Last issue I discussed some simple Chakra-orientated mudras you can perform to aid in meditation and energy balancing. If you have been using them semi-regularly, you will probably be noticing a difference within yourself. Once you start to consistently balance your energy, you open up pathways of communication between yourself and your sub-conscious mind. You may find that you are more aware of things, or more sensitive, or even starting to be a bit more reactionary. These are all natural outcomes. Your mind and body is sloughing of the dead skin it has accumulated over time. The things that once upset you, that you became used to, may now trigger emotional responses again. And you will find you have more energy to deal with these things and life in general. Please, take the time to read the secondary article, "Anger Through Increased Awareness". You may ask "why bother" with the Chakras and meditations if it will bring upheaval. Change is a natural and desirable state in life - otherwise we stagnate. The question is whether you wish to only be affected by the change, or to affect the change as well? Self-awareness and control leads to greater influence upon what happens in our lives. All of these are reasons to bother. Beyond that is communion with the Divine, and increased skill and ability within yourself. It is your choice as to whether you wish to take the step onto this path, but I hope you choose to walk at least a part of it with us.     Rigid Sleep Exercise This exercise is designed to fully relax the muscles in your body. If you find that it is difficult to relax, even using Dancing Fingers, you might find this helps. If you are able to do this at bedtime and finish with a few cycles of Dancing Fingers, try that as it's likely you will feel very relaxed and sleepy after performing this the first few times. Lie down on your back, using pillows if necessary to make yourself comfortable (but as few as possible). Starting at your toes, work your way up your body and relax: Toes - curl in tight and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Calves - tense and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Thighs - tense and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Groin and buttocks - tense and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Abdomen - tense and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Chest and back - tense and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Fingers - curl in tight and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Lower arms - tense and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Upper arms - tense and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Shoulders - hunch up about your ears and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Neck and face - tense, screw up and generally tighten and then hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. Entire body - tense and hold for a full breath cycle while trying not to tense any other muscles. Relax and breathe through a couple of cycles. If you are feeling alert and awake, now is the ideal time to try some simple meditation. You can use the Dancing Fingers and Chakra one from last issue. Or, if you are finding it difficult to focus when meditating, have a go at the following meditation. It is designed to help you train your mind so that meditation and focus become simple. Mute the Monkey Mind Meditation Re-examine your body mentally - it should be relaxed and light feeling. Now sit up in lotus, 1/2 lotus or cross-legged, place your hands upon your knees, palms up, fingers loosely curled and thumb and forefinger touching (Root Chakra mudra position). Either close your eyes (if you can do so without your mind flooding with "busy stuff") or stare at an object - such as a Mandala - placed about 2-3 feet away and focus in upon the centre. Concentrate on letting the image fill your mind, until the only thing you see is the Mandala. Remember to blink, and each time try to return immediately to the focused state. This keeps a lot of your conscious mind busy. Once this is happening easily, start to be aware of your breathing. As you slowly draw in a deep breath through your nose, feel it filling your lungs from top to bottom and then your stomach until you are almost too full of air. Hold your breath for a second or two, and then exhale slowly through your mouth, in reverse order (stomach empties, then lower lungs, middle and upper, with a slight "extra" final exhalation). Keep breathing and staring until you have both under control, and then start to "count your breaths" - breathe in for a count of somewhere between 5 and 10 and out for the same count. Keep doing this until you settle into a good rhythm and don't need to count to maintain it. Now start to "listen" to your body - any discomfit or muscle twinges? Shift slightly if necessary to relieve any pins and needles type scenarios, but don't disturb the breathing, staring or blinking (remember the blinking!). After settling the body, move onto the mind. Open up the doors and allow all the junk to tumble in. Close your eyes and think the word black. Concentrate on the image of the letters, the colour they represent, the sound of the word. As each thought tumbles in and disturbs this process, let it. Don't try and answer, sort or solve it. Acknowledge each item that crops up and let it do as it will. Ie: The realisation you forgot to call your mother and she'll be annoyed and you need to call, now, so she'll only be a little annoyed, and and and� "Yes, I need to call Mum. Thank you for reminding me. I will do that later. Remind me then." Breathe. Black. The thought tumbles around with things like: you'll forget. You always forget. You forgot this time didn't you? She'll be really annoyed and you know how she gets then... "Mmmmmmmm. But this is not the time. Remind me later." Breathe. Black. Continue along this vein until the thoughts slow and dry up. Focus on black until that is all that is in your mind. Sit and breathe and think on this for a few minutes (or longer if you like) and savour the sensation of your body breathing, sitting, thinking of nothing but black. At this point you are standing on the bottom step of a meditative trance. Over the next few issues we will start to take those steps and explore what you can do while meditating.

Primary article for March - Simple Meditation Exercises   

Secondary article for March - Anger Through Increased Awareness   

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