These recordings are of the January 2022 Morning Meditation series. Each recording includes the 11-minute meditation, and the closing reflections.
Monday, January 10, 2022
Reflections: My aim is to give you the tools to meditate whenever and wherever you are, without needing a class or a recording. The method is simple, and we will practice it consistently throughout the month: we start with body awareness and relaxation, then shift awareness to the breath, then to the “third eye,” then to the mantra… It will get easier and smoother with repetition…
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Reflections: Meditation helps us to calm and rest the mind, and from there, to enter a “space” or “state” where there is no time, no space/place, no identity – it’s as if we are suspended in an eternal moment. This is a very powerful and healing space to be reside in, even for a few moments…
Friday, January 14, 2022
Reflections: Today I shared a story about my daughter chewing on her fingernails. It didn’t work to tell her to “just stop” – she’d stop, then start again within moments – so I told her that if she had to chew on something, let it be on a carrot. This worked wonderfully; the carrot munching helped her to settle and relax. The technique of focusing the mind on breath and mantra is similar. It doesn’t work to tell the mind to “just stop” thinking or worrying. It helps to give the mind something better to do – something that will engage yet also calm the mind. THEN the mind can settle and relax. THEN we can feel more like our true selves.
Monday, January 17, 2022
Reflections: It is normal for the mind to wander during meditation. It is, after all, the mind’s function to think. When you notice that the mind has wandered, acknowledge this as a moment of insight and an opportunity to redirect the mind – back to the breath, the third eye, the mantra. With practice, the mind wanders less and we are able to dive deeper and deeper into our meditations.
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Reflections: It is possible to try too hard – in meditation and in life. Many of us believe, consciously or not, that attaining our goals (e.g. a calm, clear mind) depends mostly on our hard work – on having the right knowledge and skills, practising, persevering, making it happen. And while knowledge and skill do help, too much effort can work against us. The ‘magic’ begins to happen when we invite our goals to come to us. As we move towards the state of relaxation/meditation, we can trust that this goal, this state, is coming towards us at the same time. Watch for this; sense this. It’s like a dance, a flow, an exchange, a meeting, a re-union. Moving through meditation/life as a ‘dance’ – a giving and a receiving – instead of forging ahead with all our might – makes the process much easier and smoother.
Friday, January 21, 2022
Reflections: Before meditation today, I give a brief review of the “square breath,” and I invite you to hold a clear intention for your meditation session. What is it that you are seeking in meditation – a sense of rest and relaxation? inspiration? clarity? resolution of some issue or question in your life? Entering into meditation with that intention will help to bring to you the results you are seeking.
Monday, January 24, 2022
Reflections: The breath you draw in once touched the stars. Now it moves in and through you. Meditation – and pranayama (conscious breathing) and the practices of yoga in general – connect us to something so much greater than ourselves – so much greater than our bodies and everyday realities. There is so much potential, so many possibilities for us.
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Reflections: Entering the meditative space, everything we seek is within reach – peace, joy, restoration, inspiration. Sometimes we are even able to touch and hold those feelings in our meditation. Our challenge, our goal, is to bring those feelings back with us to this everyday reality in which we live.
Friday, January 28, 2022
Today’s meditation, at just over 13 minutes, was our longest. To keep within our time frame, there were no closing reflections today.
Monday, January 31, 2022
This concludes the January Morning Meditation series. The next one will be in March 2022; details to follow. Thank you all for joining me this month; it’s been a real pleasure and honour sharing this time with you. Feel free to reach out with any questions or comments as you continue your practice. Namaste!
