Mind Breath Body (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Reasons to Meditate What is your reason? Accessing inner stillness Calming the monkey mind Reduce anxiety Improve focus Improve breathing Curiosity Mental healing Seems like a good idea (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Physical preparation Where? Find a good spot, light, uncluttered, sit in comfort, good posture. When? Regular time promotes good habits. What do I need?: Chair or cushion, music, blanket or shawl, guided tape, breath meditation. Note:Good food and exercise prepares the body for meditation. They contribute to good flow of prana (energy) (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Mental preparation Thinking cannot be stopped! But not minding the mind is hard. There is no such thing as being a great or bad meditator Don’t have any expectations to ‘get results’. Group meditations are good as we can ‘feed’ of each other’s energy. The body has needs that can be fulfilled like food, water and rest, but the mind has desires that can never be fulfilled. (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Where is our attention? What do we notice? 1.Awareness/mindfulness 2. Attention 3. Focus 4. Mind’s eye/ third eye (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

The Breath Awareness on the breath: Noticing the breath is a basic meditation technique borrowed from the Buddhist philosophy Parasympathetic nervous system responds to the breath: relaxation (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

The 5 Senses Pratyahara = sense withdrawal Note: Acknowledgement is important see touch hear smell taste (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Creating Inner Stillness Being the witness Just observe Mindful No judgment No like or dislike No urges (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

The chaotic mind (Monkey Mind) Future plans Sensations of body Memories fantasies processing Ego – inner chatter mood Thoughts Like/Dislik e knowledge Reactive mind Desires Emotions Witnessing the mind (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Tendencies of the mind (1) Demands constant entertainment Is attached to sensory perception and gratification Is attracted to drama, habitually re- lives traumatic events from the past, causing us to re-experience pain, shame or guilt. Worries, has anxiety or fear for the future) It constantly chatters/criticizes (committee of the mind – more later) (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Tendencies of the mind The mind can create ‘untruths’ that we perceive as truths (think of unreasonable fears eg. of mice, flying, boats etc. We can also re-combine memories into events that may be remembered ‘wrongly’. The mind is fluid and quick, subject to constant change. To live with harmoniously, we need practice to detach from its chaos. Like the body, the mind works habitually, repeating patterns that have been set in place. (Samskara) We need change these habits if they don’t serve us well. Our moods, which are created by the mind are always changing (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Qualities of awareness What /Where is awareness? Awareness is like the witness, also mindfulness Always remains stable Non-judgmental Sometimes we confuse awareness with our ego or the chatter (the Committee of the Mind) Awareness is connected to the universal truth Awareness is closely connected to our intuition (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

When meditation stills the mind All the components of chaos have been moved into the background of the mind We are quietly witnessing, observing Experiencing inner stillness Bliss (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga