The Posture of Meditation

1. Find a cushion or chair that is comfortable yet firm.
   
   
2. The spine is upright, with its natural curves allowing the pelvis to rock forward a bit.
   
   
3. The hands are resting on the thighs or in meditation mudra in the lap.
   
   
4. The arms and shoulders are relaxed.
   
   
5. The back of the neck is relaxed, which allows the chin to come down.
   
   
6. The gaze is foreword and slightly down with a soft focus.
   
   
7. The face and jaw are natural and relaxed.
   
   
8. The chest/heart area is open and the abdomen is relaxed.
   
   
9. Rock a little bit to find your center of gravity, your sweet spot.
   
   
10. You are taking a posture of royal dignity.

Guidelines for Breathing Meditation

1. Take the posture of meditation.
   
   
2. Make a clear and precise beginning to your practice: "Now I will begin to work with my lived experience."
   
   
3. Notice whatever sensations are currently present in your body: the pressure where your feet or legs touch the floor or cushion, the sensations of your hands touching each other or your legs, the feel of your clothes touching your skin. If you notice any obvious tension in the body, see if it’s possible to soften and release it.
   
   
4. Open your attention to any sounds that may be present. Just notice the sound, and the process of hearing, without needing to "name" the sound or figure out what is creating it. Notice that sounds arise, are heard, and pass away without any effort on your part, just part of a constantly changing flow of experience.
   
   
5. Take a few deep breaths and notice where you experience the sensations of breathing most clearly: it may be in the flow of air in and out of the nostrils, or the rising and falling of the chest or the abdomen. Then let your breath be natural. Feel the sensations of your natural breathing very carefully, relaxing into each breath as you feel it, noticing how the soft sensations of breathing come and go with the changing breath.
   
   
6. After a few breaths your mind will probably wander. When you notice this, no matter how long or short a time the mind has been away, simply come back to the next breath. Before you return to the breath, you can mindfully acknowledge where the attention has gone with a soft word in the back of your mind such as "thinking", "hearing", "planning", "itching". After softly and silently naming where your attention has been, gently and directly return to feel the next breath. It may also help your concentration to softly, silently count the breaths, counting "one" on the first exhalation, "two" on the second exhalation, until you reach ten breaths, and then begin again with "one".
   
   
7. When feelings of restlessness, pain or boredom arise, accept them, breathe into them and return to the meditation as you would any other thought process.
   
   
8. When ending the meditation, end with an out -breath and dissolve your awareness into the room or space you are in.
   
   
9. End with a thought that the meditation was good in the beginning, good in the middle and good in the end.