Sunday Evening Meditation

A beautiful meditation class last night .. the gentle rain outside, the street lights flickering in the dark quiet street, the cosy warm studio, the candles and salt lamps casting their romantic glow .. the communal exhale as we all just 

EXHALED

Each Sunday evening in May (at Ihana Yoga Hampton) we shall be exploring the 'building blocks' of meditation .. a map to guide your journey if you like.

We started last night with bringing mindful awareness to ..

* our body as we settle int our meditation posture

* the sounds around and within us

* to the touch of our hands in our lap

* and, to our breath

And we gently placed our awareness on the mantra

'Breathing in .. Breathing out'

1. Close your eyes, check your posture and take a few deep relaxing breaths 

2. Try to remain alert and aware while paying attention to your breath, how is your breath in this moment? where do you notice your breathe? is there a word to describe how your breath 'feels'? 

3. When ready begin the mantra, on your next inhalation silently in your mind say: "Breathing in" ... and on the exhalation "Breathing out" 

4. Silently and gently we begin to synchronize the mantra to our natural breathing rhythm (trying not the change the breath) 

5. As you inhale through the nose think "Breathing in" .. as you exhale through the nose think "Breathing out" 

6. If you notice your mind starting to space out or you get lost in a thought; try repeating the words more precisely or accentuate the rhythm 

7. Continue for as long as you wish .. a few minutes or a few more minutes ..

8. To bring the exercise to a close, gradually let the mantra soften until it fades into silence 

9. And allow a little time to sit in the silence before returning to your next task.

I explained this practice in a little more detail in my weekly Monday Meditation Musing which is a FREE little meditation inspiration for your week ..