Photo by Samuel Austin on Unsplash
Time required: 10-15 mins
To begin the meditation bring your both palms together and bow to the sacred Universe and the sacred Earth and sacred life.
Put your both arms on your knees, palms up.
Make a circle with the index finger and the thumb. This circle is called mandala, which represents the sun, the moon, the earth and ourselves. And also, the mandala is a symbol of the cycle of time and the cycle of life. As we connect the index finger with the thumb we connect with the whole Universe.
We are all connected, we are all related.
The three fingers, which remain straight, represent the past, the present and the future at the same time and also they symbolize the truth, goodness and beauty. And also they symbolize soil, soul and society.
To meditate is to pay attention.
So first of all, we pay attention to our body posture:
- Relax your body
- Shoulders are relaxed
- Arms are relaxed
- The front and the back of the body are relaxed
- Let the energy flow through the spine upwards
- The neck is relaxed
- The head, the forehead, the eyes, the cheeks, the lips are relaxed
- The whole body is relaxed
- The whole face is relaxed
In this still and silent body there are two movements, on of the mind and the other of the breath. We bring these two together and we focus the mind on the breath.
Breathe gently and mindfully being aware of each step of your breath.
Be aware of the beginning of your breath, the middle and the end of in-breath and the turning point from the in-breath to the out-breath. And then, be aware of the beginning the middle and the end of your out-breath and then be aware of the turning point from the out-breath to the in-breath.
Cyclical breathing, mindful breathing.
As you breathe in smile, as you breathe out relax.
As you breathe in quietly say, breathing in. As you breathe out, quietly say breathing out.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
And as you breathe in and breathe out mindfully, be aware. Everybody in this room is sharing the same breath of life, thus we are all connected, we are all related.
With that sense of unity of all life we breathe mindfully.
Be aware of each step of our breath.
And then imagine and be aware that not only everyone in this room, but the whole of humanity, is sustained by the same breath of life, which we breathe. And thus, whole of humanity is connected and related.
Thus with that sense of unity of all life we breath mindfully.
Being aware of each step of our breath.
And then be aware that not only whole of humanity but all other life forms, living beings other than human beings, animals, plants, insects, soil. All living beings are sustained by the same breath of life, which we breathe. Thus, we are all connected, we are all related.
With that sense of unity of all life we breathe mindfully being aware of each step of our breath.
The mantra OM is the mantra of wholeness, completeness and relatedness.
The mantra Shanti, Shanti, Shanti is mantra of inner peace, peace with humanity and peace with cosmos.
Let us sing the mantra Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti 3 times:
- Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
- Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
- Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
Lead me from death to life,
From falsehood to truth,
Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust,
Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace,
Let peace fill our heart, our world, our Universe.
Peace, peace, peace.
As we breathe mindfully we pray that may all beings upon this Earth, humans and other than humans live in peace, find fulfillment and self-realization.
And as we breathe mindfully, being aware of each step of our breath we seek truth, love, compassion, unity, beauty and generosity in our lives.
Truth, love, compassion, unity, beauty and generosity.
And as we breathe mindfully and cyclically, being aware of each step of our breath we offer all our thought, all our words and all our actions for the wellbeing of all, for the wellbeing of all, for the wellbeing of all.
And may we think our thoughts, speak our words and perform our actions mindfully throughout the day and night.
Then there is no distinction in between meditation and living, meditation a way of life.
To conclude this meditation, we bring our both palms together, again, and bow to the sacred Universe, the sacred Earth and sacred life and in gratitude for all the gifts of life that we receive everyday.
We hold our palms together as a symbol that all opposites complement and make whole, left and right, above and below, masculine and feminine, dark and light, negative and positive. All opposites compliment, and make whole. With that sense of wholeness, completeness and relatedness we conclude this meditation.
Thank you. Feel amazing in your own skin.