Meditation – The Answering - November 2009By Sharon Taphorn, Vancouver, BC
 “Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity” – Sivananda
Mediation is simply the conscious act of altering your state of consciousness.
We change our state of consciousness all of the time. We are in one level of consciousness when we balance our bank accounts, and an entirely different level when we are daydreaming. When we go to sleep at night, we experience several levels of consciousness, our REM sleep, delta levels, and theta levels. The lists of possible states of consciousness’s we go through during any given day are numerous.
So, what is Meditation?
Meditation is the conscious choice to suspend the conscious thoughts of our five sensory systems and focus our awareness on the 6th sense(s) – beyond the 5 physical senses – the non physical senses. We enter into a space of NO-Time, where time does not exist. Meditation is where we go to get the answers to our prayers, our Asking.
Three basic goals for a meditation are:
- Quieting your thoughts
- Slowing your breathing
- Relaxing your body
Many people experience the ‘noise’ of their own thoughts, with regular meditation practice, even a few minutes each day, the noisy thoughts disappears.
Be gentle with yourself. Do not set up expectations of how a meditation is going to feel or what the results are going to be. I have had the same guided meditation produce entirely different results, insights and understandings, based solely on the intent of the request that day. The only limits there are to meditation are the limits we place on them or ourselves, expectations can cause limits. Treat each meditation as an entirely new experience.
Suggestions for getting started
There are no rules for meditation; there is no right or wrong way. As you practice and experience different techniques, meditations, positions, times of day, etc, you will discover that which works best for you and fits into your lifestyle. It is important to remember that it must fit into your life, or the passion must be strong enough for you to want to change your life.
The best way to learn to meditate is simple to just do it. The only bad meditation is the one that you did not do. In practicing meditation, your intent is the most important part. Simply set your intent before you begin.
- Make a conscious choice to meditate.
- Sit down, take some deep breaths.
- Slow your thoughts and your heartbeat down. Focus on your breathing.
- Meditate. If you find your thoughts wondering, focus on your breathing.
- Offer Gratitude for the experience.
A basic approach to meditation
Sit upright in a comfortable chair, such as a high back dining room chair, or any chair that allows your feet to rest flat on the floor, you may sit (and feel free to sit in the lotus position if you can get there) on the floor or ground. Be mindful not to slouch or hunch forward, these will cause strains and often block your ability to release the physical plane. The energy channels flow so much better when our spine is straight, and you will likely have an expanded experience with the increased flow. Keep your chest open and your shoulders gently back. This allows your lungs to fill easily and fully.
Gently close your eyes and breathe deeply, slowly filling your lungs to capacity by inhaling through your nose. Once they have reached capacity, pause for just a moment and then exhale gently, keeping your lips and cheeks relaxed. At the end of your exhalation, pause for another moment then begin to inhale again through your nose. (I do not mouth breath unless I am doing a specific type of cleansing breath. Exhale through your nose then through your mouth, choosing the method that works best for you.)
Closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing for even a few seconds causes an immediate shift in your conscious awareness. This is a great way to start any mediation experience.
What about lying down, or sitting in a reclining chair?
While many people do meditate in these positions, I have found it a little too easy to fall asleep. I recommend that until you have developed a good meditative practice, that you do not lie down or recline. While sleeping does offer a lovely state of consciousness, it is not the goal we want to reach when meditating. We are looking to reach that level between our ‘awake’ 5 senses and our sleepstate.
There is no such thing as a bad meditation.
Ideal Self Meditation
- Begin with a Breathing Meditation
- After you have taken a few breaths and feel relaxed, picture yourself standing in front of a full-length mirror
- See yourself in your ideal form. See the clothes you would love to be wearing. See your ideal size and shape. See the joyful expression on your face.
- As you stare at your ideal self, slowly recite in your mind, a series of affirming thoughts, compassionate and kind…. ‘I awaken to my true self each day’… for example. Start each thought with “I am” or “I choose”. Choose simple affirming thoughts that are meaningful to you.
- Spend a few minutes focusing on your picture-perfect self and your simple positive thoughts that you have about yourself. If you feel your thoughts begin to drift, bring your attention back, take some breaths and focus again on your ideal self.
These are suggestions to get you started. There are no limits to the types of mediations that you can create and experience. To make mediation a part of your lifestyle, start doing it, and don’t stop. It will change your life. As little as 10 minutes each day will produce results, twice a day and you will see profound, positive changes in your life.
 Sharon's Bio: I am a Teacher, Healer, and Adventurer on this human journey. As an early indigo, I felt most at home with nature and animals. I have always been empathic and sensitive to the energies in my environment. Learning to work with these enhanced senses in the 3D world has been an interesting journey. I began to seek answers and clarity in books and libraries at an early age, my quest for a better understanding of why I could see, hear, feel and smell things others could not. This led to an exploration of many religions, beliefs and experiences, some dark, some strange. I learned the power of our thoughts, and working with other dimensional energies through classes on empowerment, workshops, books and life experience. A life threatening illness in my son when he was three led me to Nursing, which led me to alternative healing as my patients would tell me they felt better when I was working (I knew I had a healing touch and made a point of always touching my patients). And mother to a 22 year old multidimensional Indigo. - Email
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