Ethics Mindfulness & Loving Kindness- 6CE

In order to hone your mindfulness, try adding a daily Mindfulness Meditation to your routine before work. A step by step guide to how to do this is as follows:

 

The goal of a mindfulness meditation is to achieve a calm and quiet mind. This is the true state of a healthy mind, and thru practice we strive to further develop and strengthen it.  By a calm and quiet mind, we do not mean letting go of intelligence. You do not blank out, so to speak.  It’s a misperception to think that a person who is in deep meditation doesn’t know what’s going on—that it’s like being asleep. In fact, in mindfulness meditation, it’s the exact opposite.  You are focused on the very moment, and awareness of every sensation.

 

Step 1: Setting the Environment
Just like with massage, there are certain conditions that are helpful for the practice of mindfulness. When we create the right environment it’s easier to practice.  It is good if the place where you meditate, even if it’s only a small space in your home or office, has a feeling of spirituality and sacredness. Choosing somewhere quiet, where you would not be disturbed is ideal, as any disruption will affect your practice.  If you are allowed, use your massage room for this. It is an ideal place.  We strive for the same qualities when creating our massage environment.  You can bring a cushion or Zafu to ease your comfort. 

Step 2: Beginning the Meditation
When you first begin to implement this practice, it is recommended to meditate frequently but for short periods of time—ten, fifteen, or twenty minutes. For massage therapists, I recommend meditation ten minutes in the morning or before you begin your day and ten minutes in the evening after you have finished all of your sessions for the day.  Allow yourself to sit comfortably.  Quiet the mind (freeing it of all the monkey chatter) Take a few deep breaths and say to yourself “ I am here in this present moment”.  The goal of this meditation is to practice discipline and focus.  This initial statement serves as inspiration for that purpose.

Step 3: Posture
The Buddhist approach to meditation posture is that the mind and body are connected. It is believed that energy flows better when the spine is erect. In this position the energetic flow is modified and this change directly affects your thought process, by opening the mind. The most common meditation position is seated on a meditation cushion such as a zafu in a comfortable position with legs crossed and hands resting palm-down on your thighs or for more advance meditation practitioners use a mudra (hand position) of your choice. If you prefer you can use a chair for meditation, however you must sit upright and your feet must touch the ground uncrossed.

After being seated comfortably, our first goal is to get a sense of our own body.  Focus on feeling each of your individual parts.  Starting with your toes and moving towards your head.  Make sure your shoulders are level, your hips are level, your spine is lined up. We use this posture in order to remain relaxed yet awake.

Step 4: Setting Your Gaze
For strict mindfulness practice, the gaze should be downward focusing a couple of inches in front of your nose. The eyes are open but not staring; your gaze is soft. We are trying to reduce sensory input as much as we can.

Step 5:  Focus on your Breath
As you start the practice, you have established a sense of your body and a sense of where you are, and then you draw your attention to your breathing. This is one of the most important factors.  The breath should not be forced, and you should be breathing naturally. The breath is going in and out, in and out. With each breath you more become relaxed.

Step 6:  Controlling your Thoughts
Especially for beginners, thoughts during meditation are inevitable.  No matter what kind of thought comes up, you should acknowledge it, recognize it was there, then send it away returning your focus to the present moment.  Its easy for us all to get lost in thought sometimes. Don’t judge yourself for this. Acknowledge that it happened, then refocus and continue your meditation focusing on your breath. The mind can be a wild thing sometimes and we have to recognize that as we learn to control it. This meditation practice is actually not about letting go of all thought.  Its about setting your focus on one specific thought or feeling.  In this instance you are asking yourself to focus on your breath.   

 

Step 7:  Returning to Daily Life   Whenever you feel ready, slowly begin to move your body (starting with your fingers and toes), change your gaze to look around the room and acknowledge your surroundings.  Slowly whenever you are comfortable and ready stand up and continue on with your day.  With each meditation try and take a little bit from it and bring it into your daily activities.