Meditation strengthens the immune system…
Wellness. Whether you are healthy or not, you can be well. You can be healthy and not be well. You can be well and not be healthy. However, being well will increase your capacity for healing and health, strengthen your immune system and improve quality of life – a prized gift in these Covid times.
I have been leading a series of online meditations through The Gentle Place Wellness Center and wanted to share them with you here in a series of written meditations you can use yourself at home. First I offer a brief look at the key elements of meditation. If you have not practiced regularly or are new to the art of meditation this is a good place to start:
The Breath
Breathing is essential to life. It is inherent in meditation, and so I will begin by offering a brief look at using the breath consciously.
Conscious breathing does not mean forcing the breath or being uncomfortable in any way. It is paying attention to the gift of life incumbent in our breathing. Begin breathing consciously by just noticing your breath as you breathe normally. Is it fast or slow? Are you breathing high in your chest with quick shallow breaths? Now place a hand lower down on your belly and sense the change in your breathing as you direct it with your own touch. Does it deepen a bit? Does it slow down a bit? This is working consciously with the breath. A minute of paying attention to your breathing, noticing the flow of air into and out of your body, will bring your body and your mind into a calmer state. Meditation will then enhance and expand this state. I will offer reminders to pay attention to the breath throughout the meditation, bringing awareness to the process of nurturing and cleansing that each breath holds for you. Breath is the gift of life.
Flowing into this pattern of nurture and release, meditation brings us to a richer, more stable, stronger place. This is the place of well-being. Of strengthened immunity. Of centered peacefulness. Know that this article has been infused with Reiki love and light with the intention that you may receive that benefit when you read and participate in the meditation.
The Space
This can be as simple as choosing your favorite comfy chair. Space is making space for yourself for the purpose of self-nurture and care. Make sure your loved ones know you are not to be disturbed for 10 minutes. Turn off your phone or set it to play gentle music. Would you like to light a candle? Place a favorite object near you? Bring a picture of a loved one to join you? Create space for yourself. By doing so, you honor yourself and your being and set an intention to nurture and care for yourself.
You may want to have a paper and pen near you for jotting down your thoughts or experiences after the meditation is complete. I encourage you to do so if it seems right for you. Writing helps to embed the meditative state in our being for longer lasting effect.
The Time
When to meditate? Many find first thing in the morning or just before going to bed are especially good times, setting the tone for the day and clearing the space for a peaceful night’s rest. Beginning well and ending well are important choices we make for ourselves.
Sleeping well during times of global distress is a conscious effort. Our sleep reveals how interconnected we all are. The dreams and experiences we share in sleep time are connected to all that is happening around and in us. In light of the vivid dreaming that can occur during these times, taking the time to clear your inner space and set intentions for sleep and dreaming are powerful tools you can use to improve your healing sleep.
Setting Intention
Here is the final and beautiful piece of meditation. All the previous have been ingredients in the process; intention is the icing on the cake. We have a powerful influence upon ourselves and our lives, and it is expressed through our intention. Becoming consciously aware of the process of intention is as important as giving awareness and attention to our breath.
Take a beginning moment not only to connect with your breath, but a moment to gaze at your internal landscape. How ARE you? Where are you? Where do you want to be in your inner clime? Set an intention to receive whatever you need for health and healing. This intention will flavor your meditation and guide your realization in the most rewarding direction for you. Each meditation is unique and individual. No matter what size the group participating or how specifically led a meditation is, you will experience what you need for balance and healing through your personal intention to do so. Be as specific as you can, and if you cannot discern your specific need, offer a general intention for health and healing.
This first meditation is centered on Wellness.
It is short and sweet, as any beginning should be. Settle into your space. Take a moment to breathe quietly and gently. Become aware of your body at rest in your chair or place of rest.
Then set an intention for your time today – take a gentle, conscious breath and connect with what your heart needs right now, in this moment, and set your intention to receive what you need right now, today.
“To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven.” —Alan Cohen
Wellness is the place where we connect with and live in our personal power. Wellness is an expression of that inner power. It is a state of being we achieve through its expression.
How do we connect with our personal power? We love ourselves.
As in the Reiki Precepts, just for today, I will have compassion for myself.
Take a moment to connect with yourself, just as you are right now, whatever comes up for you. Then
Breathe gently in, breathing in kindness, breathing out any harshness, self-judgement or criticisms you hold of yourself. Perhaps you are not the strong person you want to be. Perhaps you have hurt someone. Perhaps you have been unkind. Perhaps you are ill or scared or feeling weak and powerless.
As each thought arises, breathe in forgiveness, breathe out self-condemnation
Breathe in compassion for yourself, breathe out any harshness, any negative thoughts or self-talk
Keep breathing in compassion and releasing anything that comes up for you that is not kindness toward yourself. Allow the peacefulness of your breath and the flow of the Reiki to bathe you inside and out.
“The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.” —Native American proverb
Rest a moment in the space you have just created. Notice the peaceful place of no self-condemnation. Breathe it in. Enjoy it. Allow your body and mind to settle into it. They hold the memory of this state of being for you and will help you to remember and step back into it whenever needed.
If this is enough for you today right now, stop here and be well. If you would like a longer meditation, continue to part two, or save it for another time of meditation. Thank you for being you, for being in meditation with oneness and light today. Namasté
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