The SquizLog

On Meditation

Why meditate?

If it helps to improve your health and general well-being, why not? I think meditation is one of those activities that works for some people and not for others. I've tried various techniques over the years but found the following, courtesy of Pat Davies, most useful:

1. Close your eyes and in time with your breath silently say the word relax three times.
2. In time with your breath, count up to 10 and then back to one.
3. Starting at your feet or head, work your way up or down your body tensing it and then allowing it to relax on the out breath.
4. Imagine a tension dial showing how tense you feel on a scale from 1 to 10. As you breathe, imagine the dial changing to show a reduced amount of tension.
5. Check how your body feels.
6. Imagine being in a favourite, peaceful outdoor place. It's a special place that you can draw comfort from. Spend a while there.
7. When you're ready, start to become aware of the sounds immediately around you. Then allow yourself to become aware of sounds further away. If you are indoors, these sounds may come from outside.
8. Finish your meditation by silently and confidently saying to yourself: I'm calm, I'll manage, I'm in control.

Having shared that, my new year's resolution (well, it's a new financial year, isn't it?) is to meditate every day.