As you practice your meditation, you will discover ways that help you to go deeper into relaxation by creating triggers for your body and mind. Here are just a few of them and as each of us if different, you may already have a technique you use to prepare yourself for your meditation journey.
Anchoring
This is a method that is quite useful as it can be used at any time to put your body into complete relaxation very quickly; not only useful for meditation but in times of stress or where you need to focus and become balanced.
- Once you have completed your grounding and feel relaxed at the beginning of your meditation, press together your thumb and middle finger.
- Tell yourself that from this point on you will associate this physical gesture with inducing the same grounding and relaxation you have just experienced.
- Continue with your meditation.
- Later, after taking about three of four deep breaths, try the above physical trigger and see if you respond by visualizing your grounding and feel relaxed.
You may need to repeat this exercise a few times to get the association connected.
This is just one way to anchor. It is a speed grounding and protection, which can be very useful outside of the meditation mode. I have used it several times when going into what could be a stressful environment and being confronted with a negative person or situation. By using this method you are surrounding yourself with white light and by doing so automatically are sending out the call that you want HELP! Your body will become relaxed which in turn settles your mind and spirit so you can approach the situation focused and in a positive manner.
Triggers
Items you bring out when you meditate such as candles, incense, soft music or a prayer shawl are all triggers. Perhaps you like to lie down on a certain yoga mat or blanket, sit on a cushion or be in a specific room. If you already do these things no doubt you have found that by just preparing yourself for meditation, you are well on your way to relaxing. You have programmed your subconscious mind to associate certain actions with a pre-programmed result – relaxation and communication with your guides. This is why it is very beneficial if you are able to create a sacred space in your home where you go just to meditate. Simply by going to this spot your mind, body and spirit will begin to prepare itself for meditation.
Crystals
If you have a few crystals you want especially for meditating you can program them for that purpose…the intent that they assist you in relaxing faster, help you contact your guides and angels, receive messages, view past lives, help in healing this sort of thing.
You may wish to hold one or two in your palm or when lying down, place them on your third eye or other chakras that may need healing. Again, if it feels right do it! There are grids that you can make and have these grids in the room you are using for your meditation. You will find that by simply bringing your crystals out you will begin to relax.
Grounding
On your journey to heightening your psychic awareness, you will learn to be more in tune with your own energy and the energy of those around you. Through daily meditation, you will soon find you are able to quiet the mind chatter surrounding you and focus on sensing energy vibrations from a person or place.
Rule number one is if you wish to be more sensitive to psychic energy, you need to set yourself up to be aware of energy, it is that simple. Everyone has his or her own distinct vibrational pattern and tones. Some people are tense and static with a high-pitched tone, while others are slow and thick with a tone that is low and dull. You are already picking up on this and may not even realize it. Imagine for a moment you have your back to the open doorway. Someone walks in the room and before you turn to see who it is you will already have a feeling about who it is, the temperament they are in and whether this brings a pleasant or fearful emotion to you. Through practice you will be able to distinguish the different vibrations more accurately and quickly. Just as everyone’s vibration is different, you may find there are certain aspects of a person’s energy you pick up on more easily than others.
Energy patterns are a moving force, which intermixes with your own swirling energy. Have you ever come home really tired from the mall or other areas where there were large gatherings of people? Besides being tired from the activity there, you are also weary as a result of being in contact with other people’s energy. Sometimes this creates a very pleasant feeling while other times it is almost smothering. After time, both will become cumbersome and draining, clogging your own energy flow and forming holes and dark spots in your aura. That is why it is important to learn to read other’s energy patterns mentally without absorbing them emotionally. Should you find you are emotionally tired after being around or in conversation with someone, you have no doubt had your energy drained. Be careful that you are not a psychic vampire yourself. Have you ever been down in the dumps then found yourself around someone very energetic? Within a short time you have absorbed some of that energy and feel so much better. That is good for you but how did you leave them feeling?
The purpose of grounding is to calmly drain yourself of excess energy, thus keeping your perceptions clear, creating balance physically, mentally and spiritually. By becoming relaxed you ease physical discomfort and help to avoid emotional explosions.
There are many methods of grounding:
- Touch the ground and if weather permits, do so in your bare feet so you can feel the earth beneath your feet.
- put your hands into the earth and feel the pulsing of the energy of the earth itself.
- Focus on putting your excess energy into the earth where it will be transformed into positive energy.
- Working with clay is also another way of grounding yourself. Molding the clay for at least an hour will help to relieve stress and again send energy to the clay.
- Any activity that uses your hands in a creative way is very grounding. Painting, baking, cooking, sewing are all ways to creatively ground yourself.
- Putting your hands and mind to work by de-cluttering your drawers, closets, painting a room, refurnishing woodwork or organizing your books are all ways of draining yourself o f excess energy and bringing balance back into your life.
- Remember as a child how you liked to lay on the grass and look at the sky? You were recharging your body by getting in physical contact with the earth’s energy.
- Literally hug a tree, take a walk in silence just observing all of nature around you.
Crystals are excellent grounding tools.
Some common ones for this purpose are hematite – also helps people with addiction problems because it stabilizes emotions, obsidian (volcanic rock) – blocks energy and is good for hypersensitive types, people who pick up too much energy and are too concerned about other people, fluorite – good for grounding and balance and is calming to the nervous system. There are others and you may already have one you are drawn too and feel calmed when you carry it with you. By simply holding a crystal and imaging the unwanted energy going into it you will find yourself feeling more peaceful. Remember to clear your crystals from time to time to release excess energy they are now holding.
- Deep breathing is a fast and effective grounding technique. It is our built in stress buster. Take in a long, slow, deep breath through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth. Do this a few time until you feel the muscles in your body relax.
- Visualization, especially when added to the above deep breathing exercise, will deepen the state of relaxation and grounding even further.
Try this grounding exercise which combines the deep breathing and visualization. This is a good way to begin your meditations as well.
- Close your eyes and take five really deep, long, slow breaths in through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth.
- Now breath at a pace that is comfortable for you, just be aware of your breath’s gentle going in and out.
- Imagine your feet are on the ground and you can see roots growing out of the soles of your feet.
- These roots go deeply into the earth until they reach the centre of the earth itself.
- Imagine a large black onyx there and the roots of your feet wrap themselves around this beautiful stone.
- Now you breathe in deeply and you draw up the energy of this stone into your body, filling you with the calming energy of the earth.
- Allow this feeling to fill every part of your body.
- Continue to repeat breathing up the earth’s energy until you have a feeling calmness about you.
- Open your eyes feeling more focuses and relaxed.
Feeling edgy, restless and unsettled? Take time out to do one of the above or to go off by yourself and meditate. Bring your mind, body and spirit back into balance before attempting any further activities.
These are only a few ideas to assist you in finding your stillness. Remember, your meditation should be effortless and free flowing. You will never stop all your thoughts but by taking time for Spirit, you will gain that feeling of Oneness with all things. It is necessary for you to make time for yourself in order to promote healing on all levels. It is in this place that you will discover your purpose, who you are and request your desires.
What do you do to improve your meditation experience? If you haven’t tried anything yet, give one of these ideas a try and see how it feels. If it doesn’t “fit”, try something else.