I.M. Meditation

How to choose your meditation place

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Where is the best place to meditate? Does it have to be loud or quiet? Near nature or in a quiet room?

Many people cannot decide where to meditate, so they use this as an excuse not to meditate. You can meditate wherever you are right now and whatever you do. Meditation is everywhere, in every task you do. No matter if it is a workout, reading, walking, having a shower, etc. As you may understand, the place you meditate is not that important. Meditation happens inside you. Your soul, body, and spirit are the place of your meditation. Having this in mind, you can choose to meditate whenever you are right now. It doesn’t matter where you are. You can still meditate.

Now that we have cleared this out. Let’s take a look at the benefits and obstructions of some places.

Some people struggle to concentrate. For that reason, they search for a quiet place with no distractions. When you are a beginner, it might look like a good idea to find a quiet place to meditate, but as you become a more advanced meditator, quiet places don’t offer you many benefits. Mindfulness is something that needs much practice to be achieved. If you always meditate in a quiet place isn’t a big deal. Everyone can concentrate in a quiet area. But meditating in a loud place can train you to stay focused no matter how noisy the environment is. Loud places are where you can prepare your mind to let everything out of it and stay focused on demand. This kind of environment helps you build strong mindfulness. So, if you cannot concentrate, you can choose a quiet place and then add a little noise at a time.

Some people struggle to activate their energy. If you are that person, it is better to choose a place with high energy to meditate. Any site near nature can work for you. The areas with the highest energy are close to the sea, a river, or waterfalls. Sunny places are also very beneficial. Forests are also a good source of energy.

If you cannot go to the wild to meditate, you can simulate nature in your home. Burn a candle made of bee wax in the place you meditate. Bee wax releases anions when it burns, simulating the anions produced by the sea or river. Of course, burn the candle in a safe place. The last thing you want is your house on fire while in a deep meditation state.

If you can’t find a bee wax candle, you can boil a couple of liters of water in a pot and let it in the place you meditate. The boiled water also releases anions that clear the atmosphere and gives you energy. Again, be careful where to put the hot pot. It can damage your furniture in seconds.

Fotis Tampas (De Tao).

Meditation Postures

In this article, I would like to talk about meditation postures. Many people need clarification when they try to find the proper posture to meditate. In a few words, we can safely say there is no adequate meditation posture. You can meditate at any pose you want. Whatever works for you is the proper meditation posture. Now, for a stance to work, you must follow some simple rules. Let’s have a look at these rules.

You need to choose a pose that you stick on it for the whole meditation procedure. This pose must be so comfortable that you will not force yourself to change it while you meditate.
Choose a pose that lets your energy flow unobstructed. What does this mean? Your posture must allow your body to stay upright but not too stretched.

An upright yet relaxed pose is excellent for a meditation experience. You can meditate in whatever pose you feel comfortable with if you follow these simple rules. You can practice meditation anywhere while doing anything. In reality, you can transform every activity into a meditation experience. That’s why you can also meditate in a stand-up, sitting, or lying position. Let’s take a look at every category one by one.

If you choose to meditate in a stand-up position, the only thing you need to take care of is to stay upright and relaxed. Don’t overstretch your body or stay curved. Both of these postures will block your energy. There are many meditations practiced in stand-up positions. Some meditations use some kind of body activity like walking.

You can practice many forms of meditation in a stand-up position, but many others, like breathing meditation, cannot be practiced this way. Breathing meditation can cause dizziness, so it is better to choose a sitting or lying pose. When selecting a sitting posture, you must take care of several things. Of course, your body must stay upright and not too stretched. Another thing you need to keep in mind is to sit on a comfortable seat. Hard surfaces are not a good option because they will soon make you feel tired.

On the other hand, if you meditate in poses like lotus, semi-lotus, or crossed legs, very soft surfaces are also not a good option. Surfaces like your bed make you lose your balance. If this happens while you meditate, you will lose your concentration trying to fix your balance. So, it might be better to choose a hard floor with a thin carpet underneath.

If you are a beginner, I recommend you meditate while sitting on a chair with your feet connected to the floor. It’s a good idea to let your hands loose on your knees. This way, you can receive more energy from the earth by connecting your hands with the earth through your feet. Sitting on a chair is a comfortable pose that allows you to meditate deeper.

Finally, if you choose to meditate in a lying position, it is much better to meditate lying on your right side. This pose will help your heart work efficiently, and you will be able to manage more energy. If you suffer from stomach issues, lying on your left side is better. This way, you will prevent acid reflux that can burn your esophagus and block the energy in your throat and solar plexus area. You can also meditate while lying on your back, but in this case, it is better to use a pillow below your head. It will prevent your body from becoming overstretched and help your energy flow unobstructed. Keep in mind to use a thin pillow. Too thick cushions can cause your head to tilt too much, forcing your neck to create a sharp angle. This angle can also block your energy.

In a few words, what you must do while you choose a meditation pose is to listen to your body. If you feel pain or discomfort staying in this pose for a long time, or something doesn’t look right, you should choose another pose to meditate.

Fotis Tampas (De Tao).

Anapanasati – The breathing meditation

One of the most common meditation techniques is “Anapanasati.” In other words: “The Breathing Meditation.” Practicing “Anapanasati” is not that difficult.

If you have practiced a lot on becoming present, “Anapanasati” is the next step you can take to go just a step deeper in your meditation practice. “Anapanasati” is when you breathe consciously. Now let me explain how you can practice “Anapanasati” successfully. I advise practicing breathing exercises in a sitting or lying position in case of dizziness or losing consciousness.

Close your eyes and focus inside you.
Breathe slowly and relax. It is recommended to breathe in through your nose. You can breathe out through your nose or your mouth. It is up to you.
Breathe in normally. Don’t try to force your inhalation. Let it happen naturally.
Breathe out slowly. Use long exhalations. Again. Let it happen naturally. Don’t think about breathing correctly.
Now, focus on your breathing. Don’t try to guide your breathing. Just observe it. Don’t judge it. Observe what happens to your body while breathing.
Stay focused on what your body does while breathing in and out.
Keep breathing consciously in and out for a couple of minutes.

During the whole process, you need to stay focused on your breathing. If your mind drifts now and then, return your concentration to your breathing. Don’t get upset. It is natural.

As long as you observe your breathing, try to feel everything that happens in your body. For example: Notice how the air flows in and out of your body. Feel the route from your mouth to your throat, lungs, belly, and genitals. Try to feel how your muscles contract in every breath.

Some people say that it is helpful to count your breaths. Counting your breaths creates stress during the whole procedure. If you are an advanced meditator, it is a great exercise to train your mind to stay focused. Still, if you are a beginner, there are better ideas than adding stressful techniques to your first meditation experience. I recommend not doing this until you can stay focused whenever you want. You can breathe in and out and consciously observe your breathing and your body’s reaction. It is enough to help you stay focused and in tune with your body.

Practicing “Anapanasati” is a great way to connect with your body. We discussed the simplest version of “Anapanasati” offered to you to help you connect with your body. Of course, more advanced versions of “Anapanasati” exist to practice. There are also many more advanced techniques in the I.M. Meditation method that offers you plenty of benefits, but you need to start with the easy stuff first.

Breathing exercises can offer plenty of benefits, including stress relief, relaxation, energy management, and many more. We will talk about these techniques in other articles. Until then, do this simple version of “Anapanasati” for a few minutes daily. It will help you connect with your body.

Fotis Tampas (De Tao).

How to start your meditation journey

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What do we call meditation? Meditation is the conscious observation of the present. What does this mean? It means three things:

You need to be present, which means that your mind must focus on the present while meditating. Not in the past. Not in the future.
You need to be conscious about what you see, hear, think or feel.
Thirdly, it is observation. As long as you consciously observe something that happens at the present moment, you can call it a meditation experience.

Many people find it hard to start their meditation journey due to their lack of understanding of these three things: Consciousness, Observation, and Presence. If one of these three is missing, it is hard to call it meditation.

Another thing that makes it hard for many people to meditate is that they try to experience more advanced meditation techniques than they can handle. So, how can you quickly start your meditation journey and avoid situations like these?

The answer is straightforward. Just follow the steps below:

Choose a place where you want to meditate. It can be at your house, but choosing a place near nature is much better.
Leave your eyes open.
Look around you. Listen around you. Smell and feel whatever it is around you. See every detail around you. What are the colors around you? How do they blend or fade? What shapes have the objects around you? See whatever you didn’t see so far. Notice whatever you didn’t notice so far.

Do the same with the sounds, the smell, with everything. Try to listen for details. Notice the scent around you. Where does it come from? How strong is it? Feel the wind on your skin (if there is any wind).

Do this consciously for a couple of minutes every day. If you do this, it would be best to focus on what you observe. Don’t judge. Just observe.

This post was about the first step you must take to enter the world of meditation smoothly. Practice this a couple of times before you try to look inside you. Before you go any deeper, you must understand how to become present fully.

Fotis Tampas (De Tao).

Intro

Everyone wants a balanced emotional world, but every time we experience a negative emotion, it makes us feel sick. Meditation helps. It is true, but how easy is it to enter the world of meditation?

When I started my journey to meditation life, I experienced many problems. I felt meditation like a task that I must do rather than a joyful procedure. Furthermore, I felt like I couldn’t focus on the process. That’s why I decided to create a method that can help me and everyone enter the world of meditation quickly. A technique that can lead you step by step from zero to intense meditation experiences.

I decided to combine my 20 years of knowledge of music and sound engineering with the ancient philosophy of Tao. A meditation method created by all the above could mean only one thing—an entertaining yet powerful meditation tool.

As I said before, practicing this technique can lead you from zero to profound meditation experiences. It takes time. Nothing comes without effort. But, I.M. Meditation can transform this boring or scary journey into a joyful experience.

Follow me to learn more!

Fotis Tampas (De Tao).