Richard Taylor |

Oct
02
2007

In this session I am giving a slight variation of the exercise learned in the previous session.  Find the method and approach that best suits yourself.
Eric Harrison in his books (which I highly recommend) 'The Art of Awareness' and 'The 5-Minute Meditator' (www.perthmeditationcentre.com.au) recommends starting any meditation with sighing a few times to loosen up the breath.  I have long used a simple breathing control treatment for panic attacks.  It is helpful to control your in breaths.  When you breath in think 'one' to yourself, as you breath out, think the word 'relax'.  Think 'two' on your next breath in and so on...after 'ten' go back to 'one'.  This is the meditational component.  Breathe smoothly and easily, count 'one...relax' and so on.  When you first do this you may find that you are a little breathless or even dizzy and even begin to speed up your breathing.  If so stop for a period and calm down.  Take slow, smooth breaths, right down to your stomach.  If thoughts creep in, as they will all too rapidly, acknowledge the thought content as you would passing leaves on a stream and let them go while gently re-focusing on your breathing exercise.  In practicing this you are pulling back into the present from thoughts (most often negative) of the future/past.  You are becoming more aware of your own behaviour - you are becoming what can be called an Observer Self where you can more easily observe yourself engaging in the behaviours of thinking and sensing.

Posted by Richard Taylor in Mindfulness. Comments

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