Lesson 5: Meditation Information (basics)

Greetings!

So far, we learned how to find our path and who we are witches. If you still don't know what your path is at this point, it is fine. Some of us take a while to find out what we want to do. There is no rush in finding who you are. Take your time and discover your own path and find out who you are as a person and a witch. So, if you need a little reminder on the different witch paths, please refer to the previous lessons where I explained the difference between white and black magick, and then many different kinds of magickal paths such as elemental, weather, or even herbal. Moving forward, we also learned a little bit about the history of where witches came from and what happened to witches with executions after being accused as a witch. Now, as we progress further, I would like to jump into some fun stuff; meditations.

Meditations have been around for centuries and they are a skill that can help you relax and they can help you develop your inherent potentials. Before beginning, please refer to our keys to meditation sheet. To sum it all up, before beginning any meditation, make sure that you in a quiet and comfortable environment. Be sure to sit up straight if you are in a chair or on a couch. For those who may have trouble sitting for long periods of time or for those who cannot cross their legs and sit on the floor, there are several different types of meditation positions you can try. I will list and explain a few of them.

Meditation Positions

One position involves you laying on the floor with your legs supports by either a chair, a wall, or a couch. I would recommend your place a pillow or perhaps a folded blanket underneath your head so it will become more comfortable for you.

Another position involves you laying on your back while on a floor, however, you may do this on the couch if you prefer. Lay your arms and hands by your side with your palms either facing upward or downward, it doesn't matter.

Another pose you could try would be a kneeling position. This is usually called the prayer position. It is self-explanatory, you just get on your knees. As far as research goes, a kneeling bench is mostly used so that your feet don't hurt you when you technically sit on them. However, you could also try using a pillow or a blanket to put on your heels and see if that make it any more comfortable.

Of course, there is the chair position where you are sitting in a chair with your back against it. To make this more comfortable for you, it can be recommended that you place a cushion or a pillow or a folded blanket in a chair that may be hard. Most meditations require your feet to be flat on the floor. So, if you cannot accomplish this, a footstool may help or, if they chair height adjusts, then adjust it so your feet can be planted on the floor. Allow yourself to be relaxed, therefore, no curved or slouching backs and keep your shoulders from being raised.

According to other sources, there is a position entitled the "sleeping Buddha" This position is very helpful for those who have back pains and therefore cannot sit or lay in certain positions for long periods of time. For this pose, it is simple and almost self-explanatory. Choose one side of yourself to lay on, as if you were going to sleep, and place one of yoru hands underneath you cheek or head while the other hand is laying on top of the other side of your body. Make sure they both legs are bent just a little bit and are laying on top of each other. If necessary, use pillows and blankets for support. 

Another position, this time, involves you standing up. For this one, stand up or stay standing and place your hands on top of each other and keep them hanging in front of you. This position is simple and allows you to do it anywhere you'd like.

Also, there is a position which allows you to cross your legs on the floor, couch, or chair. I would recommend the couch or on the floor. However, there are people who cannot do this position due to stiffness or joint pains, maybe even those with back pain. So, if any of that describes you, please refer back to the list of positions that make suit you better.

There are also several different types of meditations that you can attempt. One involves you getting a guided meditation either on youtube, on your phone, MP3 player, or copying the instructions of meditation and pasting it in a text-to-speech.

Another meditation you could do is focus on any object around you. Perhaps the wall or something on your desk. After selecting your object, begin to inhale and exhale normally. Holding your breath in for a few moments and then letting it out slowly. Breathing out your frustrations while still looking at that object. If your mind seems to wander, just slowly bring it back.

Some other meditations you could do would include you close your eyes if it helps, and imagining a clear blue sky with the prettiest clouds floating by, or imagining yourself in a particular movie that you would like to create. Keep breathing normally, in and out. If you seem to be moving on to past memories that have frustrated you, train yourself to stay in the present. You can't travel back to the past memories that have hurt you once before already, or maybe several times. If you need to, slap your hand or your arm and focus on staying the in the present while concentrating on that blue sky or that scene in the movie you would like to be part of.

These are just some helpful tips to help you pick your environment, your position, and a few simple meditations to help you. If you would like more meditations, other than what will be offered in this course, please refer to our meditation corner where you can find some helpful breathing and visualization exercises.

In the next and upcoming lessons, we will be giving you some insight on how to set up your first meditation practice and we will give you some beginner exercises for you to try out! Feel free to comment on what your favorite position and environment is for meditating! We love to hear your thoughts. 

Likely subject to edit by the instructor