Meditation Practice
Stage One of Meditation Practice
The meditation practice is a part of every religious/spiritual path. The practice involves cultivating the skill of turning awareness inward, becoming aware of the mind content, and stopping the content for the purpose of extracting pure awareness. A meditation practice is akin to working out at a gym. The gym is where you work out to develop certain muscles. The meditation practice is turning awareness inward, developing new areas in your brain, and begins to silence the conceptual mind, the frontal cortext of the brain.
Many beginning meditators report, 'It is not working, I cannot do it.' These individuals are attached to a concept of what they are 'supposed to do' thereby negating their practice. The first stage of meditation holds the intention to silence the mind. This takes practice. The practice is the meditation.
The beginning practice involves watching your 'monkey mind' and gently making a choice to return awareness to the breath. It is very important that there is no judgment of self in the practice, just awareness. The first stage is often a struggle. The battle is between the egoic self, which needs concepts in order to experience self, and the deeper self, which is pure awareness. The practice of meditation is a slow practice of boring the ego to death.
The beginning practice involves keeping your awareness at one with the movement of your breath. Sensing the air move over your upper lip and pass through your nose to the back of your throat and down into your chest, then feeling the expansion and collapsing of the spaces between the ribs as the inhale moves in and out of your lungs. Your awareness is one with the exact movement of your breath. While sustaining intention, the mind chatter will start throughout the practice. Please have no judgment, simply let the concepts float by, just like a leaf in a river, and return the awareness to the breath. As the new 'muscles', sites in the brain are cultivated, over time the mind will begin to calm into silence.
The chatter of the mind is what feeds the conceptual self, the ego. The ego cannot exist without concepts. The chattering mind is a defense system; which is defending you from experiencing stored memories in your body, the Soma.
For those who need more structure for the practice, choosing a word to repeat, referred to as a mantra, or practicing the alternate nostril breath will engage and occupy the ego. (www.wikihealth.com/Alternate_nostril_breath). These structured forms function like a pacifier for the ego (conceptual) mind while the neurology is learning to settle and calm. When the neurology of the body begins to settle, it is easier to calm the mind. This is why a yoga practice before meditation is beneficial.
The meditation practice is a part of every religious/spiritual path. The practice involves cultivating the skill of turning awareness inward, becoming aware of the mind content, and stopping the content for the purpose of extracting pure awareness. A meditation practice is akin to working out at a gym. The gym is where you work out to develop certain muscles. The meditation practice is turning awareness inward, developing new areas in your brain, and begins to silence the conceptual mind, the frontal cortext of the brain.
Many beginning meditators report, 'It is not working, I cannot do it.' These individuals are attached to a concept of what they are 'supposed to do' thereby negating their practice. The first stage of meditation holds the intention to silence the mind. This takes practice. The practice is the meditation.
The beginning practice involves watching your 'monkey mind' and gently making a choice to return awareness to the breath. It is very important that there is no judgment of self in the practice, just awareness. The first stage is often a struggle. The battle is between the egoic self, which needs concepts in order to experience self, and the deeper self, which is pure awareness. The practice of meditation is a slow practice of boring the ego to death.
The beginning practice involves keeping your awareness at one with the movement of your breath. Sensing the air move over your upper lip and pass through your nose to the back of your throat and down into your chest, then feeling the expansion and collapsing of the spaces between the ribs as the inhale moves in and out of your lungs. Your awareness is one with the exact movement of your breath. While sustaining intention, the mind chatter will start throughout the practice. Please have no judgment, simply let the concepts float by, just like a leaf in a river, and return the awareness to the breath. As the new 'muscles', sites in the brain are cultivated, over time the mind will begin to calm into silence.
The chatter of the mind is what feeds the conceptual self, the ego. The ego cannot exist without concepts. The chattering mind is a defense system; which is defending you from experiencing stored memories in your body, the Soma.
For those who need more structure for the practice, choosing a word to repeat, referred to as a mantra, or practicing the alternate nostril breath will engage and occupy the ego. (www.wikihealth.com/Alternate_nostril_breath). These structured forms function like a pacifier for the ego (conceptual) mind while the neurology is learning to settle and calm. When the neurology of the body begins to settle, it is easier to calm the mind. This is why a yoga practice before meditation is beneficial.
Stage Two of Meditation Practice
When the skill of pure awareness has been harnessed, a new 'muscle' is developed. Now the new skill can begin to be used for the somatic meditation.
Somatic mediation involves descending the awareness from the mind into the body, the soma. The body is where the unconscious self is stored. The body is where we have access to stored memories of past traumas and emotional congestions. Initially, these frozen states manifest as familiar emotions, often habituated emotional patterns. Eventually, the awareness moves into a more subtle body, the fields of morphic resonance. These are energetic forms that manifest as contractions, tension and subtle sensations that do not always have emotional qualities. The mind has stories about these, but telling the stories does not unwind the energetic holding patterns in the body. Sometimes the telling of the stories defends from the felt sense held in the body.
A young child experiencing emotions has no objective self outside the emotions. The child sense of self is the overwhelming emotion. Due to this, the child's intense emotions, of self or the emotions of others, is often interlaced with fear. The child learns to fear the overwhelming sensation in the body. The fear freezes the emotional energy in the body. The defended ego is designed to disassociate you from the energy. There are several layers of defenses that need to be excavated, detailed in my book Journeying Into Wholeness. When these unconscious patterns enter consciousness awareness, we sustain objective awareness while sensing what is occurring in the body. As children we have no objective awareness, we are victimized by the experience. The ability to do this is cultivated through the practice of somatic meditation. As the practice continues, the skills become more refined and the practice continues to deepen.
When we sustain objective awareness into an energetic quality, we are placing a new point of orientation into the field. This new fulcrum creates the relationship to emotions, energy fields that have never been related to before. The child drowns in overwhelming emotions and learns to cope through disassociating. Disassociation is the fragmenting and splintering off from the core self. Initially, when these states begin to open there is always fear. The child did not have the ability to perceive the fear. She/he is the fear. The adults' consciousness has the ability to orient the fear. Identifying the fear and separating it from the primary emotion, allows the emotion to begin to move and release. This is a physical experience in the body. It will release and the body will become clear, when the fear is removed. The traumas do not stem only from the childhood. Each person carries a morphic resonance field that is actualized in the family, played out in the family and in adult relationships. As adults we generate this habitual field in relationship to the self. It becomes our mistaken identity.
The second stage of meditation is the practice of becoming conscious of this.
The adult's consciousness tends to these somatic congestions, this allowing the energy to move, similar to a frozen stream slowly beginning to melt. The emotions now are related to in a way that forms a relationship to a core sense of self. This is what creates the ability to release it; versus sustaining the paralyzes of frozen fear. The body will experience a pulsating quality during the melting down of the frozen energy fields. The pulsating, opening and shutting of the defense system, is the process of inner bonding and inner trust beginning to form between the conscious and unconscious self. This creates major shifts in the ego defense system, which is organically held in the neurology of the brain and body. The body knows how to do this, but needs descended somatic awareness to activate the process. The conceptual mind does not know how to do this. The body cannot do this work unless undivided attention is placed into the sensation in the body. The moment the conceptual mind takes over, the somatic unwinding is hindered.
In somatic meditation, we tend to what is occurring in the body. We do not bring stories to the qualities. This activates the conceptual realm and removes conscious awareness from the energy moving in the body. The stories often ignite emotional patterns and the individual begins to circulate habitual patterns of emotions they are over-identified with. The stories are common in the initial stages of somatic meditation. The second stage moves awareness into the resonance fields. The last stage moves awareness into essence, the knowing of self through the body. This has no concepts and is experienced as a deep felt sense of the known self.
The somatic stage of meditation is a powerful healing stage, bringing into union the divided self. A bridge of trust, between the conscious and unconscious self, is created. This facilitates integration and inner bonding; creating the foundation for what develops into inner union. The sense of self is no longer held in concepts. The sense of self is an awareness that exists in the felt sense of the body. This inner union creates an internal field of wholeness resulting in an opening field of spaciousness.
The spacious field inside the body becomes a new plateau. The next stage of somatic work is to sustain presence and breath in this space. There are no concepts, no agenda, just sustaining pure awareness and breath within the felt sense of neutral space in the body. Initially, when the body sensations cease the internal world is experienced as empty space. When the fear is identified and removed this evolves and becomes neutral space. Once this neutral space is recognized as peaceful and inner trust grows. The self-trust between the conscious and unconscious allows the internal world to open into vast spaciousness. The inner universe has awakened.
The practice after the sensations stop is initially challenging because there is nothing to engage with. There is no sensation, no concepts and no expectations. There is only the dance of pure awareness ,practicing, and learning the skill of presence, knowing your being. Once the experience of the known self emerges in the body, this opens a nurturing quality in the body. This is what Jung referred to as the Sacred Marriage, the union between soul and psyche.
When the skill of pure awareness has been harnessed, a new 'muscle' is developed. Now the new skill can begin to be used for the somatic meditation.
Somatic mediation involves descending the awareness from the mind into the body, the soma. The body is where the unconscious self is stored. The body is where we have access to stored memories of past traumas and emotional congestions. Initially, these frozen states manifest as familiar emotions, often habituated emotional patterns. Eventually, the awareness moves into a more subtle body, the fields of morphic resonance. These are energetic forms that manifest as contractions, tension and subtle sensations that do not always have emotional qualities. The mind has stories about these, but telling the stories does not unwind the energetic holding patterns in the body. Sometimes the telling of the stories defends from the felt sense held in the body.
A young child experiencing emotions has no objective self outside the emotions. The child sense of self is the overwhelming emotion. Due to this, the child's intense emotions, of self or the emotions of others, is often interlaced with fear. The child learns to fear the overwhelming sensation in the body. The fear freezes the emotional energy in the body. The defended ego is designed to disassociate you from the energy. There are several layers of defenses that need to be excavated, detailed in my book Journeying Into Wholeness. When these unconscious patterns enter consciousness awareness, we sustain objective awareness while sensing what is occurring in the body. As children we have no objective awareness, we are victimized by the experience. The ability to do this is cultivated through the practice of somatic meditation. As the practice continues, the skills become more refined and the practice continues to deepen.
When we sustain objective awareness into an energetic quality, we are placing a new point of orientation into the field. This new fulcrum creates the relationship to emotions, energy fields that have never been related to before. The child drowns in overwhelming emotions and learns to cope through disassociating. Disassociation is the fragmenting and splintering off from the core self. Initially, when these states begin to open there is always fear. The child did not have the ability to perceive the fear. She/he is the fear. The adults' consciousness has the ability to orient the fear. Identifying the fear and separating it from the primary emotion, allows the emotion to begin to move and release. This is a physical experience in the body. It will release and the body will become clear, when the fear is removed. The traumas do not stem only from the childhood. Each person carries a morphic resonance field that is actualized in the family, played out in the family and in adult relationships. As adults we generate this habitual field in relationship to the self. It becomes our mistaken identity.
The second stage of meditation is the practice of becoming conscious of this.
The adult's consciousness tends to these somatic congestions, this allowing the energy to move, similar to a frozen stream slowly beginning to melt. The emotions now are related to in a way that forms a relationship to a core sense of self. This is what creates the ability to release it; versus sustaining the paralyzes of frozen fear. The body will experience a pulsating quality during the melting down of the frozen energy fields. The pulsating, opening and shutting of the defense system, is the process of inner bonding and inner trust beginning to form between the conscious and unconscious self. This creates major shifts in the ego defense system, which is organically held in the neurology of the brain and body. The body knows how to do this, but needs descended somatic awareness to activate the process. The conceptual mind does not know how to do this. The body cannot do this work unless undivided attention is placed into the sensation in the body. The moment the conceptual mind takes over, the somatic unwinding is hindered.
In somatic meditation, we tend to what is occurring in the body. We do not bring stories to the qualities. This activates the conceptual realm and removes conscious awareness from the energy moving in the body. The stories often ignite emotional patterns and the individual begins to circulate habitual patterns of emotions they are over-identified with. The stories are common in the initial stages of somatic meditation. The second stage moves awareness into the resonance fields. The last stage moves awareness into essence, the knowing of self through the body. This has no concepts and is experienced as a deep felt sense of the known self.
The somatic stage of meditation is a powerful healing stage, bringing into union the divided self. A bridge of trust, between the conscious and unconscious self, is created. This facilitates integration and inner bonding; creating the foundation for what develops into inner union. The sense of self is no longer held in concepts. The sense of self is an awareness that exists in the felt sense of the body. This inner union creates an internal field of wholeness resulting in an opening field of spaciousness.
The spacious field inside the body becomes a new plateau. The next stage of somatic work is to sustain presence and breath in this space. There are no concepts, no agenda, just sustaining pure awareness and breath within the felt sense of neutral space in the body. Initially, when the body sensations cease the internal world is experienced as empty space. When the fear is identified and removed this evolves and becomes neutral space. Once this neutral space is recognized as peaceful and inner trust grows. The self-trust between the conscious and unconscious allows the internal world to open into vast spaciousness. The inner universe has awakened.
The practice after the sensations stop is initially challenging because there is nothing to engage with. There is no sensation, no concepts and no expectations. There is only the dance of pure awareness ,practicing, and learning the skill of presence, knowing your being. Once the experience of the known self emerges in the body, this opens a nurturing quality in the body. This is what Jung referred to as the Sacred Marriage, the union between soul and psyche.
Stage Three of Meditation Practice
The last stage of meditation practice is where the benefits from the previous practice are reaped. The previous work cultivated progressively more refined skills. Once the personal essence is experienced in the body, a strong sense of peace, joy, and love begins to stream through the body. The third stage of meditation uses this field to begin to create new patterns in the neurology of the body and the brain. Evolving consciousness involves altering the habituated states of your neurology. This is akin to growing a garden. When you grow a garden the previous plants, perceived as weeds continue to come back. To grow a garden, is a practice of removing what is unwanted and sustaining what is wanted. The same is true for your neurology.
The practice of sustaining presence within the body enables the soul, essence, to begin rewiring into the neurology. This experience is called many different names; the kingdom of God, Nirvana, Shambala, the diamond body, golden nectar, and often referred to as heaven on earth. Initially, this is experienced as a peak experiences. There is an opening and closing pulsation process as the neurology becomes accustomed to sustaining a new resonance.
At this stage meditation is no longer a discipline it becomes a longing to return to the self, to return to wholeness, to revitalize your system. Now, when habituated patterns of disassociation are activated, one feels the lose of self.
There are challenges common to the third stage of practice. Once an individual has these experiences, there is a temptation for the ego to become very attached. The ego becomes over-identified with the experience, resulting in an 'enlightened ego.' This creates new enlightened concepts, but there is no embodiment. This experience is very common and rampant in the spiritual circles. Once the ego is activated, the concepts will actually shut down the ability to embody the experience. You will notice this in your meditation practice. The work is to track the ego 's attachments and gently step outside of it.
The more time that is practiced resting in this embodied state of wholeness, the more the habituated patterns begin to erode. It is a process. Eventually enough new pathways are created that the state becomes like an internal channel. Consciousness is used like an antenna to activate a certain field. I take many opportunities to activate this, not only in sitting meditation. Whenever there is a pause; a red light, a long line, a traffic jam, I turn my awareness inward to this channel. With increased skill, the channel remains open and can be experienced with movement and activity.
By this time, a significant amount of new skills has been cultivated. The old patterns of the habituated morphic field, one's mistaken identity will return. They are deeply embedded in the neurology. Now there is the ability to track them, making new choices without becomes lost in the old patterns. Now there exists a new reference point of internal orientation within the inner world. Eventually, refined skills are able to track the fields of energy we self-generate, versus catering to habituated emotional patterns or repeatative victimizing dramas.
As long as we are in human form we have the opportunity to refine skills and consciously evolve the personal morphic resonance field of self.
The last stage of meditation practice is where the benefits from the previous practice are reaped. The previous work cultivated progressively more refined skills. Once the personal essence is experienced in the body, a strong sense of peace, joy, and love begins to stream through the body. The third stage of meditation uses this field to begin to create new patterns in the neurology of the body and the brain. Evolving consciousness involves altering the habituated states of your neurology. This is akin to growing a garden. When you grow a garden the previous plants, perceived as weeds continue to come back. To grow a garden, is a practice of removing what is unwanted and sustaining what is wanted. The same is true for your neurology.
The practice of sustaining presence within the body enables the soul, essence, to begin rewiring into the neurology. This experience is called many different names; the kingdom of God, Nirvana, Shambala, the diamond body, golden nectar, and often referred to as heaven on earth. Initially, this is experienced as a peak experiences. There is an opening and closing pulsation process as the neurology becomes accustomed to sustaining a new resonance.
At this stage meditation is no longer a discipline it becomes a longing to return to the self, to return to wholeness, to revitalize your system. Now, when habituated patterns of disassociation are activated, one feels the lose of self.
There are challenges common to the third stage of practice. Once an individual has these experiences, there is a temptation for the ego to become very attached. The ego becomes over-identified with the experience, resulting in an 'enlightened ego.' This creates new enlightened concepts, but there is no embodiment. This experience is very common and rampant in the spiritual circles. Once the ego is activated, the concepts will actually shut down the ability to embody the experience. You will notice this in your meditation practice. The work is to track the ego 's attachments and gently step outside of it.
The more time that is practiced resting in this embodied state of wholeness, the more the habituated patterns begin to erode. It is a process. Eventually enough new pathways are created that the state becomes like an internal channel. Consciousness is used like an antenna to activate a certain field. I take many opportunities to activate this, not only in sitting meditation. Whenever there is a pause; a red light, a long line, a traffic jam, I turn my awareness inward to this channel. With increased skill, the channel remains open and can be experienced with movement and activity.
By this time, a significant amount of new skills has been cultivated. The old patterns of the habituated morphic field, one's mistaken identity will return. They are deeply embedded in the neurology. Now there is the ability to track them, making new choices without becomes lost in the old patterns. Now there exists a new reference point of internal orientation within the inner world. Eventually, refined skills are able to track the fields of energy we self-generate, versus catering to habituated emotional patterns or repeatative victimizing dramas.
As long as we are in human form we have the opportunity to refine skills and consciously evolve the personal morphic resonance field of self.