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Hii everyone,

I wanted to go over some of the basic techniques that you can use while you're meditating. There are so many different ways to meditate! Mostly for me, I like to focus on the breathing meditation. When I first started, I was practicing Kundalini Yoga and we did a lot of chanting meditation. So, I'm going to share with you a few techniques that I've learned through yoga, through my own meditation, and practice through my studies all the different techniques of meditating that I found beneficial to me. I hope that it'll be beneficial to you too.

1

What I find is very helpful for me while we learned Kundalini Yoga is using your hands and your fingers to track your body with your breath. What you're going to do is place your finger on your thumb and you're going to want to add a little bit of pressure. So, gently just pressing one by one. In Kundalini we had a mantra that we said and it was, saw taw, na, ma. You would just play that mantra in your head as you are pressing with your fingers.

What that does is really connects the body with the mind brings you into the present moment.

What that does is really connects the body with the mind brings you into the present moment. You don't have to do a mantra, you can follow with your breath. So, as you're doing one, two, three, four, you're breathing in one, two, three, four, get breath out one, two, three, four. You breathe in for four as you're using your fingers breathe out for four. You keep this pattern of your fingers once you hit your pinky you want to go back to your pointer finger.

one two three four

Making sure that you always come back to one. You are going to be practicing being aware and being mindful. If you end up counting up more towards eight or ten and you realize that you've counted more, just come back to one come back to one. Strengthen that this muscle and continue to keep doing the practice. Ultimately, that helps you stay in the present moment bringing together your mind in your body. So, that's one technique you can either use the mantra form or you can follow your breath, totally up to you.

What I really like about this technique is that you can do it anywhere that you want if you're sitting on the bus if you are in class it's something that you can do very easily and discreetly.

What I really like about this technique is that you can do it anywhere that you want if you're sitting on the bus if you are in class it's something that you can do very easily and discreetly. You can keep your hands at your side as discreetly as you want to. Just keeping your hands at your side and moving your fingers.

Actually what's a really funny thing about this is that I use this while I was getting my teeth pulled. I had my teeth pulled not too long ago, my wisdom teeth to be exact, and I did not have any anesthesia, I was awake the whole time. It was intense!! It was a very intense experience! I had one hand out I didn't care if they saw me the lady kept asking me if I was okay, and I was like yeah great ! My mouth wide open with these pliers in my face but I was just breathing, following my breath in 1, 2, 3, 4 out 1, 2, 3, 4 and I kept my eyes closed and I focused on my breath. I was really surprised with how calm it actually made me feel. It led me to focus more on my breathing and my hand movements rather than what was going on in my face.

I think it's really good too for people who experience anxiety like myself. You don't need anything to do it. You can just take it out anywhere focus your breath bring yourself to your Center. this can be a really really helpful practice for you so I hope you enjoy it.

The next technique that I'm going to describe has to do with holding your breath.

2

 So moving on, the next technique that I'm going to describe has to do with holding your breath. Whether you are sitting upright during your practice. Again, you can practice this anywhere which is why this is so great. You can be in bed about to fall asleep or wanting to fall asleep. I find that this is really good for relieving stress relieving anxiety. When I feel very very anxious I use this. When I actually remember to use it that is. Because the crazy thing about being stressed or anxious is that you have to catch yourself in that moment to apply these techniques. Hopefully, this is a technique that can stick around in your head too because I find that it's very helpful. What you're going to do is, while you're breathing you're going to count in. Just like we did with our hands but you count in for four counts one, two, three, four. Making sure you fill up your lungs as much as you can. Inflating it like a balloon holding your breath at the top for 1, 2, 3, 4 and then exhaling 1, 2, 3, 4. You are going to go all the way out shrinking that balloon pushing all the air out in those 4 breaths and those 4 exhales and holding it, before you inhale again. 1, 2, 3, 4 hold at the top 1, 2, 3, 4 or exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, hold at the bottom 1, 2, 3, 4.  Then as you exhale making sure you squeeze out all of that breath very to the bottom before you hold it. 

Because the crazy thing about being stressed or anxious is that you have to catch yourself in that moment to apply these techniques.

I feel funny because I feel relaxed now. Just by thinking about that exercise. When you're doing that and you're continuously just bringing your mind and your body together and holding your breath there's something about holding it. IT really helps your heart rate come down. Also, when I'm going to sleep, if I'm having trouble sleeping I will practice that as well. If you feel like you like the sets of 4 you can even practice extending it to few sets of 8. So, you can double that and you can breathe in for eight counts eight long counts holding for eight long counts exhaling for eight holding for eight breathing in for eight. I keep my hand on my belly and I count for eight sets at a time. It's definitely not something that's required it is something that you can build up to if you'd like. There is flexibility with that practice if you want if you choose. But, in general the four counts really is helpful and it works especially if you are practicing it slowly.

I used to use mantras on YouTube and I would listen to the chanting I would learn the chin and then I would also count along with it.

3

Then there is the technique that when you use what they're called mala beads or prior beads. They come in a string of 108 beads and you hold each bead and every time you hold the bead you say the same mantra. You can say the saw taw na ma too. That mantra meditation does it's in the same theme of all of these techniques is that it's bringing the body and the mind together as one during your practice so, you can be more present. I used to use mantras on YouTube and I would listen to the chanting I would learn the chin and then I would also count along with it. I found that it focused me so well.

4

Another form of meditation that is a good technique is something that is not practiced while you're sitting but it's a walking meditation. The walking meditation is you could do this anywhere right while you're out. It's just following your breath with your steps. As you start on your right leg. We learned in Kundalini Yoga using the same mantra, the sa ta na ma mantra you would use to count with your feet. so, you're going to go one two three four it with your breath and then again when you start on the next on the foot that you started with on your right foot one two three four exhale inhale one two three four. It's really just about finding a pattern of your breath and synchronizing that with your body to bring you back into that present moment into the center. you can do that anywhere you are you don't have to say it out loud. you count it either if you want to keep track with your hands like in the in the prior technique or if you just want to count it in your head. you're just taking that peaceful time and it's exercise too. so that is also really great about the walking meditation.

okay guys,

So that is all four the techniques. I hope that they help you in your practice or while you're out about during your day. remember that it is a practice in very first the biggest thing is that it is a practice in self-love and acceptance. I hope that this was helpful for you so thank you so much for tuning in and I will see you in my next post thanks.

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