1.     Find a posture that will support alertness, such as sitting upright with legs crossed or in a chair.

2.     Set an intention to meditate for a certain amount of time, and stick to it. A meditation can be very short or long. By doing this, this helps to avoid getting distracted by the mind’s desire and impulsivity to simply start doing other things.

3.     Develop the habit of meditating in a certain spot and at a certain time of day. This helps with training the mind to relax and wanting to meditate. It will start reminding you.

4.     Bring attention to your breathing, in particular your chest rising and falling with each breath.

5.     Breathe normally and follow your breath with your attention. Just follow your breath moving in and out, and continue to breathe normally.

6.     When thoughts occur, which is normal, just return attention back to the rising and falling of the breath. Feeling the air coming into the chest and exhaling out.

7.     Continue to meditate by following the breath despite any distractions that may occur including any thoughts, sounds, and sensations. Just notice that your attention has wandered and gently bring it back to the breath. This is meditating. Keep doing this.

8.     Meditate with your eyes slightly opened helps to bring mindfulness into daily life. You can bring a meditative quality (mindfulness) to daily life by simply bringing attention to the breath whenever you remember. Set reminders and an intention to become aware of your breath whenever you hear the phone ring, your watch beeps, or you feel stress. Over time there will be less and less difference between formal and informal meditation.

 

1.     Tune into the presence of the breath; feel the chest rising.

2.     Notice if this space of the heart feels full or even achy. Know there is nothing to do and no need to change it.

3.     Bring attention to the space of the heart throughout the day. Continue to feel the presence of the heart.

4.     A growing willingness and acceptance to life just as it is, is experienced. This is living with a heart of presence. The heart can take it all in, and receives by letting in.

5.     Breathe into any feelings of contraction, simply resting in the space of expansion. Just be with what you are feeling, settling once more into the Heart Space. The more we rest attention into the Heart Space the more freedom we experience. We begin to notice that we no longer need to be held hostage to what our thoughts may tell us. Instead, we are fully experiencing life as it is through our willingness to live with an open heart.

1.     Bring attention to the breath, or engage for a period of time in the Breath Awareness Meditation.

2.     Instead of using the breath as the focus of meditation, change the focus of attention by observing arising phenomena in the sensory field of sensation, sight, sound, taste, smell, and thoughts. Our attention is the steady witness. 

3.     Bring attention to a single sound or thought, or other arising phenomena. Watch the phenomena self-liberate, meaning fade into the unknown on its own. Repeat this process.

4.     If the mind gets lost in thought bring attention back to the sense field being specifically observed, or to the breath to stabilize attention.

5.     Simply be attentive to whatever is arising. Whether sounds, sensations, thoughts, or even emotions. The only goal is not to get lost in the story or interpretation of what is arising. 

6.     By being a witness to the arising phenomena that come and go impermanence can be observed. All things that come and go are no more than passing clouds in the clear blue sky of Consciousness. This helps us to realize what is unchanging and permanent.

7.     By doing this, we discover the unchanging nature within us that stays unmoving no matter what is arising and passing away. This spacious awareness within us contains everything. This is our passage to freedom.