I’ve meant to do this for quite a while… 
I’ve wanted to come up with a simple resource for people who are interested in meditation, mysticism, mind training, personal growth/development, and cultivating consciousness. I kept thinking about different ideal tools to create… what would be the ‘perfect’ tool… how can I create it, etc… but then I decided it’s more important to get started with something… and then you can build on it and improve it from there (which is one of the tips I’ll discuss later).
Having said that, in this series of posts I’ll be presenting you with 101 Proven Tips for Powerful Meditation that you can use throughout your practice of meditation as well as the rest of your life.
In this series, I’m going to explain the Master Keys of meditation, and then break them down into specific tips.
Many tips will relate to other tips… when you start to play with meditation and self exploration… you will begin to notice there is a certain holographic nature of consciousness… particularly when you begin to experience moments of energy oneness…
Besides… the more times you expose yourself to the information… even if it is basic information or variations of the same information… the more deeply you will understand the information and the ever expanding myriad of ways in which you can apply it!
I’ll start out by telling you what I’m going to finish with…
The most important piece… at least for most of us… is relaxation!
Starting with simple relaxation and carrying a little bit of it into the rest of your life will be incredibly powerful for you…
But I talk about relaxation all the time…
I’ve done tons of posts on it. There are several videos on it. If you follow this blog…
you should be well versed in relaxation…
so I will speak about it last.
For now…
Meditation Master Key 1:
Always Make Time for Formal Practice
I know, I know. I’ve said too many times, that you don’t have to engage in formal practice in order to get better at meditation… and you don’t. But you will get much better, much faster if you do!
Meditation Tip 1: Start with short formal practice, and build from there. I encourage you to start with 5 minutes, and gradually build up to 30 minutes, an hour, or however long you like. If you need to, you can start with as little as 1 minute, and build up from there. Just like physical exercise… you ease your way into it. The more you practice, the easier it gets to practice more and more.
Meditation Tip 2: Be consistent! Practice everyday. No exceptions. Make the time, and stick with it. It is easier if you pick a certain time to meditate every day. Morning, afternoon, or evening… take your pick… just stay consistent with it.
Meditation Tip 3: Be Forgiving! If you do miss a practice session… it’s okay. Let it go! Just be sure to make your session the next day. A big learning challenge for many people is too much resistance and back-peddling when mistakes or missteps are made along the path. Learning from mistakes is how we grow! Stumbling hardly even slows you down if you relax, accept it, and keep going. Forgive yourself. No big deal. And then get back to your practice.
Meditation Tip 4: Enjoy It! This one is simple. If you don’t enjoy it, you probably won’t do it regularly. Find a way to enjoy your meditation. Find a meditation you will enjoy. Learn to enjoy a still mind. Be sure you are smiling beforehand, and smiling after.
Meditation Tip 5: Keep It Simple! Pick a simple object of focus… and stick with it. Inducing higher consciousness starts out with simple drills for focusing. I encourage you to start by focusing on the breath… or your sensations of relaxation throughout the body… or the sensations in your hands. The important thing, is to pick one and stick with it. When your attention drifts… gently bring it back to your object of focus.
Meditation Tip 6: Keep your spine straight! It is entirely too easy to fall asleep if you don’t sit up straight. In fact, it is best if you don’t put your back against the chair (I’ve fallen asleep that way as well). I’ve met a few people that could stay alert and focused while lying down… but it has only been a few… and I know I’m not yet one of them. With a straight spine it is much easier to stay awake and alert… and that is how you deepen your awareness.
Meditation Tip 7: Find an appropriate posture! This goes hand in hand with the last tip. It is important to find a comfortable but upright posture that you can hold for the duration of your practice. If you are that flexible, you can definitely sit in full or half lotus. I never have, and never plan to. Typically I sit on the edge of chair with my spine straight and my hands in my lap. I’ve played with many positions seated on the floor, using pillows, zafus, etc… but none of them really work for me. I can stay in a silent sitting posture for much longer using a chair. The important thing is to find a position that works for you. There is nothing wrong with making yourself as comfortable as possible… so long as you remain upright, and continue to bring your awareness back to the object of meditation.
Meditation Tip 8: Accept whatever comes up! No matter what it is… just let it be. Joyful thoughts, bliss, fears, failures, frustrations, peace, discomfort… whatever it may be. Accept. Allow. Continue to bring your awareness back to the object of meditation.
Meditation Tip 9: Start out with still, silent sitting. Your environment is crucial! The fewer distractions, the better. An important aspect of meditation is reducing sensory input as much as possible. Find a quiet place. Be sure you won’t be interrupted. Turn off your cell phone (and/or house phone). Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothes. Sit still. Once you have silence outside, it is much easier to allow yourself to become silent on the inside. Once you are able to easily and quickly enter a state of profoundly peaceful stillness… you can move on to other practices.
Meditation Tip 10: Once you are comfortable with sitting, you can move on to standing. Standing meditation has quite a few interesting additional benefits, such as strengthening the legs, and increasing balance. One of the most useful benefits is it makes slipping into a meditative state (while waiting in line, or just standing around) much easier. It is key that you get comfortable with silent sitting, first. We want to eliminate distractions as much as possible, and there is more to pay attention to in a standing meditation. Once you can easily still and quiet your mind while sitting, you can begin to do the same while standing.
Meditation Tip 11: Once you are comfortable with standing, you can play with moving meditation. This is the same principle taken one step further. Once you can really still your mind during moving meditation… you will be on the verge of being able to keep your mind still at all times… while you move about your day to day life. Once you can easily still and quiet your mind during your formal standing practice, you can begin to do the same with moving.
Meditation Tip 12: Once you are comfortable with silent meditation, you can play with mantras. I am personally not the biggest fan of mantras. I have noticed much more benefit from silent sitting… but this might just be me. I do occasionally play with them… just to see. “Om Mani Padme Hum” works fine, and so does the simple “Om”. Anything can work as a mantra (although specific mantras may have specific benefits). If you use a mantra in a language you understand (or if you just understand the meaning of the mantra), you want to repeat the mantra at the same pace enough times to forget what it means… Again, the same principle applies. You want to become quiet and focused with the most simple of activities… and then you can add complexity a little bit at a time.
Meditation Tip 13: Remember Tip 5! It is a lot of fun to play around with a variety of meditations, but it is key that you learn to pour your focus into a single object. Switching from meditation to meditation is a bit too much like standard entertainment… monkey mind (or wild horse mind)… it encourages distraction and a general lack of focus. Make sure you get good at silent stillness before standing or moving to mantras.
Meditation Tip 14: Find a local meditation group!…And attend regularly. Any city (even some very small ones) will house at least one meditation group or class. Usually you can choose from several options. Find a place that matches your interests. Much of what I teach on this site comes from a Vipassana – Mindfulness approach, but I’ve studied and enjoyed several different approaches, and you can take any approach you like… most approaches start out with a certain degree of mindfulness anyway. I see mindfulness as a basic that should be continually practiced along your path, regardless of what other exercises or drills you adopt. The real value of a class comes from the gentle social encouragement to be consistent. We are likely to experience some degree of “peer pressure” no matter what we do… so we might as well find a way to use that peer pressure that encourages us along our path.
Meditation Tip 15: Attend a Retreat! There are a real variety of retreats out there now. Pick one and go! Give yourself a day or several days to practice as much as you like. Everything that applies for attending a class applies doubly for attending a retreat. There is a very interesting group dynamic that can take place at classes but is more likely at retreats… you can really much more easily begin to tap into Energy Oneness… and when you have that much time to spend inducing consciousness, you can really achieve some deep and powerful states… and once you get there, it is easier to bring a little bit of that state back with you into your daily practice and your daily life!
That’s all for now… we’ll continue with more Meditation Master Keys and Tips in future posts.
Play with these tips when you meditate… and you will begin to enjoy much more powerful meditations that will begin to filter peace, power, and happiness into the rest of your life.
keep smiling,
Ben
