How to Overcome Sleepiness in Meditation
Drowsiness during meditation is a common problem especially in people who are new to meditation. This happens because the state of sleep and the state of meditation share similar qualities; both meditation and sleep involve the cessation of physical and mental activity and the withdrawal of the senses. However, in sleep we are in a [...]
Meditating on Compassion with Tonglen (Part 3/3 of Powerful Meditation Techniques)
Tonglen is a powerful technique for developing compassion and going beyond ego. Tonglen is a well known method originating from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The name Tonglen means “giving and receiving” – it is a process of taking in suffering and replacing it with love. Tonglen is not the same as praying for another person. [...]
Can’t Sit Still? Try This Walking Meditation (Part 2/3 of Powerful Meditation Techniques)
Walking meditations can be a great alternative to sitting meditation and are commonly used in Zen, Taoist and Buddhist traditions. This walking meditation is an instrument to change something we do everyday into and act of consciousness. It is a way of increasing awareness and living in the present moment. There is no destination, as [...]
Capturing the Uncaught Mind (Part 1/3 of Powerful Meditation Techniques)
This technique comes from the Buddhist tradition and was introduced to me by my teacher Sahajananda, founder of Hridaya Yoga. This is a good technique to use for 15-20 minutes before a meditation session, especially if you are having trouble calming the mind. I find it very useful on days when my mind is incredibly [...]
Riding the New Years Energy Wave
This holiday season I took part in a powerful 10day meditation retreat. The first 9 days were a wonderful opportunity to interiorize, reflect and deepen the meditation practice, but the real jewel of the retreat was our last night which was December 31st. We began a special New Years meditation that evening, then continued meditating [...]
Meditating on the Essence of Christmas
Year after year I would dread the approach of the holiday season. The stress and chaos that accompanies this time of year always overwhelmed me and I began to see Christmas as a materialistic, wasteful, over-indulgent event that I did not want to take part in. Although I always respected that many people see Christmas [...]
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