Seven-Point Posture for Meditation

 Picture courtesy flowtv.org

In order to experience the benefits of meditation, it is necessary to practice regularly. Try to meditate every day, or at least several times a week. Mind and body should be relaxed and comfortable throughout the session. You can relax mentally by firmly deciding to leave behind all problems, worries and involvements of the external world and immerse yourself in your inner world. It might help to recall a past experience of feeling at ease and contented – and then generate the same feeling on your meditation seat.

A correct sitting posture is emphasized for meditation. The seven-point posture, used by experienced meditators for centuries, is recommended as the best.

Legs:

The best position for meditation is the full lotus position where you sit cross legged with each foot placed, sole upward, on the thigh of the opposite leg. This posture gives the best support to the body, but it is not essential.

An alternative position is the half- lotus where the left foot is on the floor under the right leg and the right foot on top of the left thigh. You can also sit in a simple cross legged posture with both feet on the floor.

Having a carpet or mat beneath you and a cushion under your buttocks will enable you to sit comfortably for longer periods, with a straight back, and avoid numbness in your legs and feet.

Arms:

Hold your hands loosely on your lap, about two inches below the navel, right hand on top of the left, palms upward, with the fingers aligned. The two hands should be slightly cupped so that the tips of the thumbs meet to form a triangle. Shoulders and arms should be relaxed. Your arms should not be pressed against your body but held a few inches away to allow circulation of air: this helps to prevent sleepiness.

Back:

Your back is most important. It should be straight, held relaxed and lightly upright, as if the vertebrae were a pile of coins. It might be difficult in the beginning, but in time it will become natural and you will notice the benefits: your energy will flow more freely, you wont feel sluggish, and you will be able to sit comfortably in meditation for increasingly longer periods.

Eyes:

It is recommended that you leave your eyes slightly open to admit a little light, and direct your gaze downward. Closing your eyes may be an invitation to sluggishness, sleep, or dream-like images, all of which hinder meditation.

Jaw:

Your jaw should be relaxed and teeth slightly apart, not clenched. Your mouth should also be relaxed, with the lips together slightly.

Tongue:

The tip of your tongue should touch the palate just behind the upper teeth. This reduces the flow of saliva and thus the need to swallow, both of which could be distracting as your concentration increases and you sit in meditation for longer periods.

Head:

Your neck should be bent forward a little so that your gaze is directed naturally toward the floor in front of you. If your head is held too high you may have problems with mental wandering and agitation, and if dropped too low you could experience mental heaviness or sleepiness.

Tarot Card of the Week: The Emperor

 

The Emperor card in the Mythic tarot deck is a representation of Zeus, king of the gods, the ultimate father figure, creator of the world and sovereign of both gods and men. His symbols of power were the thunder and lightning bolt and he had a volatile, fiery spirit. Zeus dispensed both good and evil according to the laws he himself established. He was also god of the home and friendship and protector of all men.

On an inner level, Zeus is the image of the father figure. It is the father who embodies our ethical codes, self-sufficiency with which we survive in the world, the authority and ambition that drives us and the discipline and foresight necessary to accomplish those goals. It is a masculine card and a very different principle to that of nurturing. Here it is action, rather than intuitive flowing with nature, which is demanded of us. 

The father within us also fosters self-respect because it is this part of us which helps us meet life's challenges. Zeus could be compassionate but also angry and vindictive if his authority was challenged or his rules were broken. Thus, the Emperor has a dark face which comes through when authority becomes rigidity or self righteousness. 

To be comfortable with one's inner father means to possess a sense of one's capacity to generate ideas and manifest them in the world. To be dominated by the inner father means to be enslaved by a set of rigid beliefs that crush all human emotion with their inflexibility and arrogance. 

The Emperor card represents strength, dominance, stability, power, authority, will, conviction and protection. This card is primarily about personal authority and responsibility. The Emperor has to control his own life before he can rule over anyone else. This card challenges us to manifest our ideas, to build something in the world, to found a business perhaps, or to establish the structure of a home and family. We are also asked to be mindful of where we are becoming the rigid, oppressive tyrant, and where our ideals are interfering with life and growth. 

We decide, daily, whether to be the Emperor and take control, how to rule our empires, or to refuse the position and let things happen as they will. The Emperor's appearance in a spread is a reminder that we each have ultimate power over our own life and it urges us to be the benevolent dictator in our own.

Metta at the IVSAA Alumni Show, 2011

Picture taken by Ahmed Aleem

Copyrights OsamaShahid

 

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a mental discipline that helps you let go of your normal, reflexive thinking mind so that a deeper state of awareness, insight and relaxation can emerge.

There are many misunderstandings about meditation. For one thing, meditation is not an activity of the body: it is not simply a matter of sitting in a particular posture or breathing a particular way. Rather, it is an activity of the mind, and is done for the purpose of transforming the mind, making it more positive. Although the best results usually come when we meditate sitting in a quiet place, we can also meditate in a noisy environment, and while working, walking, etc. First, we learn to develop the meditative state in formal, sitting practice, but once we are good at it, we can be more freestyle and creative and can generate this mental state at any time, in any situation. By then, meditation has become a way of life.

Meditation is not spacing out or running away. In fact, it is being totally honest with ourselves; taking a good look at what we are working with in order to become more positive and useful to ourselves and others.

Meditation is profoundly beneficial for body, mind and spirit. For example, simply meditating on your breath can lower your blood pressure, slow your heart rate and reduce anxiety. Meditation can manage pain and illness by helping you stay physically balanced and healthy. It helps create mental contentment, peace and joy, too, which in turn helps promote health and longevity.

Meditation has been shown to cause physical changes in specific areas of the brain. The brain functions by using 4 kinds of brain waves. Beta waves dominate when we are thinking, working or conversing; alpha or theta brainwaves are present during relaxation, daydreaming and creative activities. During meditation, our brainwaves change from beta to the slower, more relaxing alpha or theta states.                           

Meditation encompasses a wide range of techniques that emphasize different goals. Among them are spiritual development and reaching a higher state of consciousness, better focus and concentration, creativity, self awareness and insight, physical and emotional healing, and stress reduction and relaxation.

Following are some of the kinds of meditations:

Using a focus:

This technique involves learning to focus and concentrate. By training the mind to focus on an object – such as a candle or an image, on the breath, or on a movement such as walking – you become aware of your normal uncontrolled thinking patterns and eventually learn to relax and quiet your mind. The ability to calm and stabilize the mind is a good beginning practice.

Using mindfulness:

This technique involves learning about yourself and the world around you. It is called mindfulness, insight or awareness meditation. In this type of meditation, you become aware of the content of your mind and the subtle feelings in your body. Then you begin to observe the mental habits and patterns that may be holding you back in life. Through mindfulness you learn to be mentally present – aware of what you are doing and thinking, and aware also of the world around you – while maintaining a non-judgmental and compassionate attitude.

Using a topic:

This technique involves contemplating a topic, for example; compassion, loving kindness, patience or generosity. This helps practitioners to sort out priorities and make good use of their time.

Using the senses:

This type of meditation engages the senses. Using sight to harness the mind’s ability to imagine or visualize you can create the kind of mind and reality you want to inhabit. Using your sense of hearing and your voice you can practice chanting and mantra recitation and listen to music and the sounds of nature to bring about meditative states that hasten healing and spiritual development.

Tarot Card of the Week: Temperance

Starting today I shall be posting a Tarot Card every Monday that shall set the theme for the week. This week’s tarot card is ‘Temperance’ from the Major Arcana.

The Tarot Deck consists of 78 cards, 22 of which form the Major Arcana and 56 of which are Minor Arcana cards. The Major Arcana cards are more significant than the Minor Arcana cards as they symbolize major changes and lasting influences.

The Mythic Tarot Deck (pictured above) envisions Temperance as Iris, goddess of the rainbow and messenger to Hera, queen of the gods. Iris was the female counterpart of Hermes, Zeus’ messenger, and was beloved by gods and mortals for her kind, loving nature. When delivering her messages from the gods to mankind, she would take the form of a beautiful winged woman, and would travel by gliding down rainbows; the bridge between sky and earth.

On an Inner level, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, is an image of a balanced heart. Iris is connected with the function of feeling as an active, intelligent faculty of choice. The function of feeling is a constantly changing bridge between opposites, a careful sensing of the needs of a particular situation with the goal of harmony and relationship at the end. Thus Iris pours water (in Tarot water symbolizes emotion) ceaselessly back and forth from one cup to another, because feeling must constantly flow and renew itself according to the requirements of each moment.

The appearance of Temperance in a spread implies the need for a flow of feeling in a relationship. Iris, guardian of the rainbow, suggests the potential for harmony and cooperation and challenges us with the issue of learning to develop a balanced heart. She appears to remind you of the importance of a balanced perspective. Bring your life into balance by keeping calm even when the going gets tough.

In daily life, balance translates as moderation. Seek balance in all aspects of your life, and restructure imbalance by adding or subtracting something to bring the situation into balance – whether that means spending less or more time with your friends and family, adding meditation to your daily routine or cutting down hours spent in the office.

The Temperance card also indicates a time of spiritual and physical recuperation. At this time it is important to keep distractions to a minimum in order to allow the process of healing to be completed.

Life is a series

of natural

and spontaneous

changes.

Dont resist them -

that only creates sorrow.

Let reality be reality.

Let things flow naturally forward

in whatever way

they like.

LAO-TSE