Day 17 - Meditation for Kids

We are at Day 17 of our amazing Meditation Journey, and many of you have reached out to me asking how to make this practice accessible for your kids.  Meditation is a great practice for kids, it helps to bring a sense of calm, focus, relaxation and happiness.  It is important to understand and respect that children have a lot of energy, so allow kids the chance to embrace the practice of meditation with positive encouragement.  Assure them it will only be for a short time, and it will help them to focus in school and life.  You can even tell them about some amazing super heroes or princesses who practice meditation

Three Simple Ideas to use with Kids:

1. Singing Bowl/Bell - Have kids sit up straight, play a Tibetan singing bowl and guide them to listen to the sound, imagine the sound in their body, and breathe deep.
2. Visualization - Take kids on a guided journey on a beach, or in a forest, or surrounded by their loved ones and friends.  Have them breathe in happy thoughts.
3. Yoga Nidra - Have kids relax into savasana with guided relaxation.  You can use images of rainbows and have them connect with the tingling sensations in the tips of their fingers and rest of their body.
   

The best part of Meditation with Kids is to ask them how they feel after.  Since kids are so connected to positive vibration they usually have amazing experiences and will share some profound stories.  Encourage them to share, and always thank them for sharing with positive comments.

Day 16 - Meditation with John Lennon's Imagine Song

Welcome to Day 16 of our Meditation Challenge.  Thank you everyone who is participating.  While I know many of you are maintaining your own commitment to your daily practice of meditation, I am offering tips for those who are finding it challenging.  The goal is 15 minutes of silence and stillness, sitting upright with attention to breath, but it could take a long time to be able to do this.  Our monkey mind is sometimes our biggest battle. 

While I have given many guided meditation options and affirmations, today's option is actually a song.  The song, Imagine, is from one of the most influential artists of our time, John Lennon.  It was the best selling solo song of his career, that used lyrics to inspire humanity to look beyond borders, division, religion, and unite also to detach from material possessions. For those who know the song, I am certain the lyrics and melody are already in your head, this is the power of hypnosis, and in this case brilliant music.

Freedom begins in your own mind

Many people know that John Lennon had studied Transcendental Meditation from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.  I write this blog option to encourage you to listen to this song, or read the lyrics.  Unconsciously, you will find a sense of universal connection.  This simple song have a powerful message.  John's intent when he wrote "Mind Games" was to inspire listeners to become "mind guerillas" visualizing a better society and accepting when we visualize it will manifest.  This concept of peace, unity and looking beyond borders was not in line with the political agenda's of John' Lennon's time.  Another artists who shared this same vision in music was Marvin Gaye.  This was the similar case for Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, MLK.  Ironically all were extremely popular, they were actively against the political agenda of their time and killed. While we can always focus on the negative traits or outlandish pop star behavior of John Lennon, and perhaps some may say it is not right to put him in the same category as the names I mentioned, in my opinion lets focus on the positive message, and this song "Imagine" is one of those positive things.

Today's media some say is predicitive programming, or Hypnosis. 

If you grew up in the 70's, 80's, 90's you can honestly admit that society was a reflection of the art (Music, Films, Television Shows, Magazines).  The concept that LIFE Imitates ART.  Is this a coincidence?  When most of our media  (Television "Programming") is controlled by certain governemental regulations, is it possible that we are really being hypnotized into buying into the realities of single ladies, crime investigations, robotosizing humans, deceit, greed?  Nearly every artists today is in the "MUSIC BUSINESS" and they have "ARTIST DEVELOPMENT", "SONG WRITTERS" "Publicists", and have no actual connection to their art, except they are a puppet for whatever agenda or look the label wants to put out.  Now our female artists are dressing in ways that were once considered taboo and in now way empowering to women, shakti, goddess, and many lyrics are the exact opposite of unity but promote drama, sadness, despondence.  Is this a coincidence?  Is this the model we want for our future generations?  Even most men today are tired of the plastic look because we are all created with fundamental genetic needs, women are nurturers, men are hunters.  When the woman is giving everything up in the first moment it does not allow the man the pride of the hunt.  Many of us are oblivious to the culture being created by our media.  Ellen DeGeneres said it best when she talked about if Jesus was around today people would say he should get a hair cut, maybe he should wear a different robe, etc.....what is it that we are being conditioned to think?  What are we placing importance on?  Are these not Superficicial things that distract us from connection to each other and love.

Well I can speak about this subject for a long time, because I witnessed some fascinating fabrication when i worked in the Music Industry.  Today, our option is the brilliant lyrics or song Imagine.  You can listen to the song, or read the lyrics with a slight smile.  This is affirmation, this is hypnosis, and this is meditation.  Every moment of our lives we are in a state of meditation, especially before we go to bed and when we wake up, so be mindful of what you chose to read, watch, and listen to especially before your sleep.

While I could share tips each day from Yogic texts, I like to keep my teaching relevant to those studying with me, and I love great music.  One of my students John, responded to my meditation suggestion from Emile Coue's affirmation suggesting Emile ripped off his affirmation from John Lennon.  While I shared with him that in many ways most affirmations, hypnosis and meditation is a rip off of Yoga and Meditation from Ancient Vedic Science, and in the case of Emile Coue, he was in fact before John Lennon, and it is all evolution.  The message is KEY.  My student John's comment reminded me of the power of John Lennon's influence, so thank you to my student John who inspired me to offer today's meditation option.

Enjoy the process to Imagine a better world, a life of unity, brotherhood of man, peace, and watch it manifest in all areas of your life. ~ Namaste

Day 15 - Meditation with Guiness Book Tao Porchon Lynch

Today's meditation tip is another guided meditation and it comes from one of the worlds greatest Yogini's Tao Porchon Lynch.  Tao is a Guiness Book of World Records Yogini, as she is the oldest recognized Yogini at 94 years young.  This incredible woman is like a ray of light, always bringing inspiration and sunshine to each person.  She originates from Pondicherry, India and shook the yoga world and world of ballroom dance up with her Radiance.  I was lucky enough to learn from her, and bring her teachings to the incredibly fortunate students in my Yoga Teacher Training Course a few years back.  Along with inspiring the Yoga Teacher Trainees, Tao brought her teaching to the students at the Yoga Studio and brought so much awareness to the power of Yoga.  Ever since I will forever call her my teacher and friend, as she then went on to do workshops with my beloved friends at Harmony By Karate as well.

Her incredibly powerful moto that she lives by is "Nothing is Impossible".

If you are lucky to meet and learn with Tao, you will feel inspired.  If not you can always be inspired by her Amazing guided meditations in her beautiful book or CD.  Her voice is like an angel, and her energy permeates through every word.  Both items are available on Itunes or Amazon.

The Yogic Journey By Tao Porchon Lynch

Reflections: The Yogic Journey of Life

Day 14 - Meditation with Sacred Geometry and The Flower of Life

Today we have the option to meditate with the Flower of life, also known as Sacred Geometry.  This entire planet is made up of Sacred Geometry.  Separation is the illusion, understanding the duality of pain and pleasure, as one united divine blueprint is when we are one, and is achieved with consistent meditation.  Similar to saying we are made in the image of God, the creator, or the source.

Imagine the expansion of consciousness from the center of your heart with every breath, and allow yourself to see the flower of life opening through this expansion.  Now let this Flower of Life expand beyond your heart into your auric field, in your surrounding, in the planet.  Breathe deeply and allow the activation of this sacred geometry to create a cosmic oneness with the entire universe.  Understand that you are in this flower of life, it is in every cell, and it is in infinity.  Know this Flower of Life is a divine creation, in all things as particle physics; it is abundance, joy, love, peace, harmony and the source of Divine Guidance. 

The Flower of Life is formed through energy vortexes that replicate through all forms in nature.  If it helps use the diagram to create the visual projection, allow each sphere to represent the Divine energy that inspires you, allow each breath to increase your faith, and let the Flower of Life expand with each sphere/breath.

Day 13 - Meditation with Mantra for Healing

While the ancient yogis used mantra to bring healing, increase vibration, and create balance in the body.  The power of our words is extremely powerful.  Often times people do not want to recite Sanskrit Mantras because of various reasons, which is actually good because sanskrit mantras truly only have power when said correct.  The Concept of Mantra has been since adapted by many Western Teachers including Louise Hay, Milton Erickson, Richard Bandler, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and many others including a French Psychologist named Émile Coué de la Châtaigneraie.  

"Day by Day in every way I am getting better and better. "
"Tous les jours à tous points de vue je vais de mieux en mieux (In French)

The mantra suggestion for today is made famous by this French psychologist, who noticed a massive impact this phrase had on his patients.  Many Doctors today use this phrase with their patients and notice that it lift spirits and alter chemical levels in the body.  Coue used this to invite his patients to the power of hypnosis, which meditation ultimately is.  He would refer to this technique as a way to have his patients trick their bodies. The important aspect of meditation is that we need to meditate on positive things, words, music, etc.  Our unconscious mind will absorb anything and everything, so when we counter strike this world we live in that bombards our unconscious with subliminal messages in all forms of media designed to create fear, jealousy, discrimination etc., we are raising our vibration which brings healing.  Anytime we focus more on Faith, we are inviting more positive experiences into our path.  Coue treated many patients and claimed a 93% success rate, the 7% of people refused to believe in his mantra and were skeptical.  For those who want to try a new approach to mantra, or help a loved one, recite this mantra every morning for 10-15 minutes (WITH FAITH), and perhaps you will be part of the 93% success rate.

Day 12 - Meditation Challenge - Meditate on LOVE

We have heard the saying "You must be the change you wish to see in the world" ~ Gandhi.  We have heard that what we focus on, we create, Where attention goes, attention flows, We are our thoughts, and they all relate to the concept of Yoga being the cessation of the mind.

As found in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras:

yogash chitta vritti nirodhah ||2||

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥२॥

When you are in a state of yoga, all misconceptions (vrittis) that can exist in the mutable aspect of human beings (chitta) disappear. ||2||

For today's meditation tip we are meditating on LOVE.  Whether it is romantic love, or universal Love, this world needs more of it, and therefore individuals need more love.  For today, sit in silence, and stillness and breathe in LOVE, breathe out LOVE.  Imagine rays of love are shinning from your heart, to your loved ones, your surroundings, your friends, your Guru/Teachers, your city, your country, your world.  Let all beings on this planet feel your love.  For a added bonus, send this LOVE to those who have hurt you, those you may need to forgive, those who challenge your ability to love, this action will liberate you from the thought of unforgiveness and bring you closer to freedom. We are all created from LOVE, and when we give more attention to LOVE it brings divine healing into our path.

Day 11 - Meditation Challenge - Candle Gazing (Trataka त्राटक)

This tip or option for your meditation challenge is called Candle Gazing or Trataka (त्राटक). 

It is designed to allow our human eye to focus on this powerful element of fire, uniting with this brilliant flame, and inevitably stilling the mind.  This technique is one of the six cleansing techniques illuminated in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.  We are required to gaze steadily at an object/candle, and this is also helpful to bring healing to the eyes.

Trataka (त्राटक) technique:

1. Sit comfortably with a small table three to four inches in front of you, if no table option to hold the candle, making sure it is in a stable holder to avoid wax drips etc.
2. Keep the lit flame at eye level, however you can also rest in on the floor in front of you, just maintain the gaze on the flame.
3. Keep your gaze steady on the same part of the flame, take some deep soft breaths.
4. Stare until you cannot stare anymore, and then softly close your eyes.
5. Visualize the burning flame at the 3rd eye, keep the image clear and when it fades return your focus to your breath.