Self-Meditation for Peace and Serenity

Self-Meditation for Peace and Serenity

Spread the love:

Don’t self-medicate—self-meditate. In this article, we’ll show you just how we can—and should start self-meditation anytime, anywhere, and reap the ever-growing list of mental and physical benefits associated with this practice.

Self-Meditation is a compulsively readable, instantly accessible list of meditation suggestions that can be done during our daily lives. You don’t need to go to a mountain retreat, renounce meat, or struggle in any way.

On prokensho, you’ll find a meditation to have with a cup of tea. A waiting-in-line meditation. Meditations while reading, eating, doing sit-ups, working, shopping, or finding yourself stuck in traffic. There are breaths to take and praises to give, and throughout, ways to slow down and finally smell the roses—or hear the crickets—or see the stars.

Drawn from spiritual practices as varied as Zen, yoga, and insight meditation, it’s a delicious spiritual tonic that includes meditation basics, explanations, mantras, tips, and more. This article is a complete portable guide, updated to inspire all the ways we meditate today.  Now, at any moment of the day or night, we can all catch our inner breath.

Meditation: How to Meditate?

Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm, and stable state. Self-Meditation is practiced in numerous religious traditions. (Source Wikipedia)

How to Meditate?

  1. As you prepare yourself for this meditation of kundalini awakening, come to a comfortable position. Whether it’s a seated, standing, or reclined position, gather yourself and collect your energy for this moment. Allow yourself to slow down your active, everyday self.
  2. Allow yourself to connect with the deeper and more cosmic energy of your soul. You’ll have to calm down that everyday self, of course, before you can make any giant steps. So, let’s begin there.
  3. In your comfortable position, close your eyes gently. Don’t tightly shut them, just let gravity pull them down and let yourself look at nothing as they come to close. In that dark space behind your eyes, let your imagination take control. Let your thoughts come and go at first and get a sense of their speed, their themes, their focus.
  4. Let any emotions fill you up simply be present and as you’re able to, let yourself come to terms with that presence. Look around in this space behind your eyes and notice what’s going on inside you. Go past just this mental realm too, go down slowly through your whole body to give a systems check to yourself.
  5. Move from your mind to your nose, your mouth, and your throat. Do you feel any congestion or pain here? Any bad feeling or simply free flow? Move down than to your shoulders, your chest, your heart, and your lungs.
  6. What’s going on deep within? Is there any distracting tension? Do you have any pain or discomfort here? Any excitement or over-working? Or simply free flow? Move down again and out to your arms.
  7. Are they sore or tight or stiff, or do you hardly feel them hanging there? Are your hands numb or ready for action? Down to your stomach, your abdomen, and your hips.
  8. Are things okay here? Do you feel any tension or discomfort, perhaps from indigestion or malnutrition in some way? And even lower, in your pubic and genital region, how are things feeling?
  9. Are you comfortable with yourself here or do you have traumas attached that aren’t able to be discussed yet? In your legs and your feet, how are things flowing here? As you conduct this internal assessment of your body, try your best to breathe deeply and as evenly as possible.
  10. Try not to hold your breath at any time, but if you happen to do so, note which area of the body you happen to be scanning at the time and think, too, of what that link could mean for your overall health. Your innate pattern of breathing has a lot to say about what’s going on deep within.
  11. Do you breathe deeply and evenly always or do you have issues with holding your breath and not even knowing it? As with a bit earlier, do you hold your breath only when you encounter certain problems or when you think about certain things? Try to learn more about yourself through this bodily assessment – through your breathing flow, your tensions, and your painful places.
  12. Look deep within and prepare yourself for what’s to come. With your eyes closed and your breathing sure and steady, with your internal state in check and your goals on the meditation at hand, you must now establish your center.
  13. When you investigated those bodily spaces before, you likely felt how your consciousness can move to different regions of your body at your command. You hopefully felt how you can bring all of your attention to your stomach area with practice, or your throat, or your third eye and imagination space.
  14. In this case, you’ll bring all your energy and attention into a space you’ll define as your “center.” Your center can be wherever you feel it should be and for now, let that central place come to you intuitively.
  15. For you, is it in that behind-the-eyes space? Or is it in your heart? Your diaphragm? Your gut? Where do you feel your energy circulating as if it was an energetic vortex within you? Wherever your consciousness is pulled, let this space be your “center” for now, and then breathe into that space.
  16. Breathe deeply, giving energy and life to this area, dissolving any tension and letting any thoughts or feelings about it come and go like a mist evaporating in the sun. Breathe attentively and let your inner awareness come to life.
  17. What you’re noticing when you built up your center and when you breathe life into your body is your kundalini. What you’re noticing when you quiet your thoughts and still your mind to a peaceful emptiness is your kundalini, too. The cosmic energy that pervades daily life is kundalini and it lives reflected within you and within me, too.
  18. Within all of us, this uncoiled energy waits to be awakened so it can dance with the universe around it and when you look deeply into yourself, breathing as consciously as possible, you allow the universal energy within yourself to arise and acknowledge itself.
  19. When you spent time noticing each realm of your body, you performed important work related to the healing of your kundalini energy.
  20. Sometimes, this energy can become corrupted by imbalances within us. Sometimes, we can lose touch with our kundalini entirely by distractions in everyday life, but the kundalini still rests in wait, coiled up in the pits of our stomachs, curled up around the seats of our souls.

Mindfulness Meditations

Read here: Mindfulness Meditation for Deep Relaxation and Quieting the Mind (Part I)

Tara Brach Meditations:

Guided Meditations by Tara Brach

YouTube Guided Meditation

Watch this Guided Meditation Tutorial:


Source: Great Meditation


What Does Meditative Mean?

Marked by or conducive to meditation.

Examples of meditative in a Sentence

  1. I could see that she was in a meditative mood.
  2. I’ve been in a meditative mood all day.

Purpose of Meditating:

Meditation can give you a sense of deep calm, peace from within, and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall mental and physical health. And these benefits don’t end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can also help carry you more calmly through your day and may help you manage symptoms of certain serious medical conditions.

What is Self-Meditation?

The evidence of the positive effect of meditation on well-being is becoming quite impressive. Regular meditators have reduced levels of negative emotions, and mindfulness training and meditation have been shown to reduce stress, improve immune responses, and increase overall mental and physical health.

In general, self-meditation techniques teach people to become aware of the contents of their consciousness but at the same time to detach themselves from them. Thoughts can be seen in context for what they are—just thoughts. This increase in awareness can make an incredible difference in your life. Self-Meditation is all about learning to listen to ourselves, be in the present moment, and not get caught up by attachment, aversion, fear, and suffering.

These things are part of life, but by meditating you can find ways to notice them but not let them overwhelm you. Meditation teaches you to be mindful and honest, which makes your mind quieter and more open, your heart happier and more peaceful.

Also Read: What Is Happiness, And Why Be Happy?

How to start with Self-Meditation?

WAKE UP! Here you are, ready to self-meditate, and this section offers some simple guidelines and information for your practice.

Meditation Checklist- Gather together

  1. regular   time slot   and amount of time
  2. quiet or peaceful place   for your meditation
  3. meditation cushion, bench, or favorite chair
  4. distractions turned off (telephone and screens)
  5. comfortable attire
  6. comfortable sitting position
  7. meditation technique
  8. desire to meditate and diligence
  9. a smile

Other Self-Meditation Options to consider

  1. stretching before sitting (yoga   poses, Pilates, regular stretches)
  2. blanket, shawl, or sweater if you tend to feel chilled
  3. personalization objects or altar for the area

Creating a meditation space

It is great to have a regular spot (or maybe two) for meditation. The space should be quiet, pleasant, clean, naturally lit, and simple—an oasis from life’s hustle and bustle. There will always be some noise, but do the best you can to find a quiet spot.   Make a comfortable seat by choosing a   cushion, bench, or favorite chair.

Choosing when to meditate

The best time to meditate depends upon your constitution and when you are alert and fresh—not worn out or overstimulated. Consider first thing in the morning, before bed, right after work, lunch hour or coffee break, waiting periods, or other predictably idle times.

Choosing how long to meditate

Short, regular sessions are better than infrequent longer sessions. You can start slowly (five minutes) and work up to twenty to sixty minutes. Remember not to pressure yourself, to meditate for the length of time that makes sense within your lifestyle. The most important thing is to practice regularly.

Positions for meditation

The position in which you sit or kneel should be comfortable. Your back should be straight, with the vertebrae stacked like blocks and your head being pulled up by an invisible string. Be a   mountain or a tree. Your hands should be in a position that feels natural or is meaningful to you. Your eyes can be closed or half-closed.

Focusing on the breath

The breath is always available and always simple, making it the best anchor for meditation. Focusing on the breath calms the mind and provides the stability necessary to cultivate concentration.  You will be studying the nuances of your breathing and how it changes—and it will teach you awareness of the present moment.

Working with sounds

When sounds become dominant and call your attention away from breathing, focus all your awareness on the experience of the sound.  Make a soft mental note of “hearing,” but do not specifically call it “car” or “clock” or another concept. Attend to the sound, then let it go and return to the breath.

Working with sensations

When sensations in the body become dominant and call your attention away from breathing, focus all your mindfulness and attention on the sensation.  Make a   soft mental note of “sensation” or “feeling” or “ache” or “pain.” Attend to the sensation, then let it go and return to the breath.

Working with thoughts and images

As soon as you become aware   of thoughts or images   arising in the mind, make a soft mental note of “thinking” or “wandering” or “seeing.”   Notice when you become aware of the thought or image—without judgment.   Be mindful of where your mind has gone, then let the thoughts or images go and return to the breath.

Working with hindrances

When different mental states or emotions arise, especially the hindrances of

desire, aversion, sleepiness, restlessness, and doubt, make note of them.  As soon as you become aware of one of these, make a soft mental note.   Do not get lost in the emotion. Observe it, then let it go and return to the breath.

Self-Meditation Tips

  1. Make sure your self-meditation space is well ventilated. An overheated or stuffy area will contribute to drowsiness. In nice weather, you may want to meditate outside in a peaceful spot.
  2. Tell others: Do not disturb during self-meditation! Seriously.
  3. It is a good idea to vary leg positions from one sitting to the next, especially as you are adjusting to sitting and developing your flexibility.
  4. Set a timer or use a self-meditation timer app or website. Peek at a clock after some time has passed and only when you do not have a timer available.
  5. Take three deep breaths to start your self-meditation.
  6. Relax your jaw and rest your tongue on the roof or bottom of your mouth.
  7. Breathe through your nose during meditation.
  8. To develop concentration, you can count your breaths, or notes in/out or rise/fall to calm and train the mind. If you lose count or track, simply start again.
  9. If you are sleepy or restless, try walking meditation.
  10. Hindrances are guaranteed to come up. Accept this, observe them mindfully, then return to focusing on the breath. Think of this like bringing a puppy back to the newspaper to train it.
  11. Trust in your efforts to meditate.   Do not waste time doubting or analyzing your practice, your “progress.” Let go of expectations for results and just meditate!
  12. Keep meditating, day after day. Keep coming back to the breath, time after time. When you practice meditation, you develop mental muscles like awareness, concentration, and mindfulness. Many people exercise their physical body regularly—and self-meditation is the equivalent for your mind.
  13. At the end of your self-meditation, open your eyes gently and take three deep breaths to readjust.
  14. Dedicate the efforts of your self-meditation to benefit others. Try to carry the momentum of your mindfulness into whatever your next activity may be.

If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track, which has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. —JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Meditative Practice? – Meditative Life

  1. Drop any expectations but do take note of your intentions. The intention is the
  2. mental factor that directly precedes an action or movement.  Self-Meditation will help you become aware of your intention before you do or say something. Mindfulness of intention helps you live a life where you respond consciously instead of reacting.
  3. Reflect on impermanence and change in life.  This will help you appreciate life’s preciousness.
  4. Realize the limitations of success and stuff and wealth. Nothing outside of yourself gives you happiness.
  5. Practice not being attached.   Let go of constant desire, grasping, and greed. Let go of constant aversion, dislike, and hate.
  6. Simplify your life.
  7. Cultivate patience, diligence, and perseverance.
  8. Practice Right Speech, and Right Action. Live with honesty and integrity. Ask: Is what I am about to say or do beneficial to anyone?


Related: Unhelpful Beliefs About Happiness


Spread the love:

2 thoughts on “Self-Meditation for Peace and Serenity”

  1. Pingback: Thich Nhat Hanh: His Life’s Lessons & Inspirational Quotes Leading to Peace! - ProKensho

  2. Pingback: Self-Meditation: Meaning and Techniques - ProKensho

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *