Basic Meditation
Meditation is an age old technique of deep relaxation. It is commonly used as part of manifestation and is the basis of astral travel. It can be used for spell working, changing qualities in you, healing, and can be adapted to almost any other purpose. Here I'll give you a basic run down of the easiest way to do it. (This is the way I meditate and I really think it's the simplest.)
Go somewhere where you will not be disturbed, whether you just lock yourself in your room or go outside somewhere quiet. Take phones off their hooks and lock your front gate if possible. If there are other members in the house you can, if you wish, tell them not to disturb you. There are ways to deal with disturbances though that I'll mention later.
Sit in a comfortable position. It's best to sit up or you'll most likely fall asleep. It is easiest to meditate with your eyes closed, but you may wish to leave them open. If you do find something peaceful to look at that won't distract you or make you think. Begin by breathing slowly and deeply, trying to relax.
The first thing to do once you are comfortable is to start deep relaxation. First concentrate on your feet, toes and ankles. Tense them, count to three slowly, then relax. Next focus on you calves and knees. Tense them, count to three, then relax. Continue this process through your thighs and upper legs, stomach muscles, chest, arms, and eventually neck and face muscles. Only tense one section at a time, and let the rest remain relaxed. You will find that after a while your lower body (and once you've finished, your whole body) will tingle slightly. You may also feel as though you are floating slightly.
Once you have completed this exercise continue to breathe deeply. Don't focus on your breath, as such, just let it come naturally.
At this stage you have a couple of options. You may wish to listen to your breathing, or some soft music (of course you should set it going before hand). You also may wish to have a more regular sound to hear, like a clock. It's your choice. While these noises are happening do not focus on them. Just let them wash over you. The sounds are there to relax your mind and help you to clear your thought. The most popular way is to choose a "mantra". This is a word, phrase or sound that you repeat in your mind as you meditate. It is very effective and after some practise you will be able to go in and out of meditative states by just starting to say your mantra. This can be any sound you like. eg "hush", "pranaam", or the ever-popular "ohm". It should be a sound that you find soothing.
Start to think it (don't say it, just hear it) as slowly as you like. It does not have to be rythmical. You should just let it flow.
Keep doing this and slowly you will start to feel like you are in a half dream state. Don't try to think about anything, but if thought come just be aware of them. You will start to feel as though you are very much inside yourself, as though you are slowly sinking into your mind.
Once you are ready to come out of your meditation, start to breathe deeply again. You will find that the air is cool now. While you meditate your body's functions slow down. You will breathe less and your skin, especially your palms, will feel cool and dry. Keep your eyes closed and run your hands up over your face as though you were splashing water. This will make you feel a little more alert. When you are ready, slowly open your eyes. This should take about 10 seconds, and there is no rush. Then just sit until you are ready to stand up or do something else.
That's the basic idea. Now to some specific points:
If at any time you are disturbed you can respond if you wish either by speaking at a sound level that does not alarm you in your state, or by opening your eyes slowly and then responding. You can easily go back into the meditation. In reality you haven't left it.
There are some real problems with meditating too deeply. Since the act slows down your bodily functions, if you slip too deep your body can actually start to shut down or react violently to being pushed down. When my cousin was starting out she tried group meditation. The guide wasn't watching her and she went too deep and became really ill.
This almost never happens, but it is still something to watch out for. If you feel that you are getting too lost in your meditation, or that you might have trouble getting out of it, you can begin to rewake yourself by running your hands over your face, as you would at the end. You can then continue for longer if you are comfortable, or end the meditation.
When you are beginning you shouldn't meditate for longer than 5 minutes. After about 3 days you can increase that to 10 minutes. Even when you are far more advanced you should never meditate for longer than 30-40 minutes. You can keep track of the time by sitting a watch or clock in front of you. Every now and then open your eyes a slit and check it. This won't wake you up and is the best way to check. Don't try to guess the time while you are beginning because time gets very confused. It is difficult to tell if you've been down for 5 minutes or 20 minutes.
If you want more types of meditation techniques go to Spirit Online's Meditation Page.
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