How Do I Properly Meditate? - Tiger Medical Institute

How Do I Properly Meditate?

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“If You Want To Find God, hang Out In The Space Between Your Thoughts.” ~ Alan Cohen

The Best Way I have Found to Meditate in 22 years of Meditating.

A great truth says, “Everyone has a belly button, and everyone has an opinion.”

This article is my opinion. I have 22 years of experience with meditation and made a lot of “trial and error.” I also have formal training in different approaches to meditation.

I have gotten to the point that meditation is one of my favorite things to do, and I have received countless benefits and insights from my meditations that have massively improved my life.

In this article, I am happy to share my thoughts to help you decide the “proper” way to meditate for you.

I looked up what people were saying on this topic before writing this article (I posted what I found as the primary answer below).

I will also say I was surprised at how basic the information was, and it inspired me to add my “2 cents” to help you decide what is optimal for you when considering the “proper” way to meditate.

TOP 10 reasons why I continue to meditate for 22 years

Below is what I initially found was the suggestion for the proper way to meditate.

Meditation is something everyone can do. Here’s how:

  1. Take a seat. Find a place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.
  2. Set a time limit. …
  3. Notice your body. …
  4. Feel your breath. …
  5. Notice when your mind has wandered. …
  6. Be kind to your wandering mind. …
  7. Close with kindness. …
  8. That’s it!

Well, That Is Not Fully It (In My Humble Opinion)

In my experience, the above guidance does not help you to make a critical distinction that truly is the difference that makes all the difference. So I am writing this article to give you a critical distinction that made all the difference for me.

The Key Distinction

The proper way to meditate was passed on to me by some top leaders in the meditation field. It is also why I picked the quote I did from Alan Cohen to start this article. It says it all. I am referring to the key to “the space between your thoughts.” This “space” is where meditation happens. So if you only listen to the popular articles and the eight steps, you may attempt to meditate, but it would be pretty unlikely you would get much from it.

Here Is the Visual to Help You

Think of a word. Any word will work, but for this example, let’s say you pick the word GREEN.
In your mind, picture the word GREEN - picture each letter on the “screen of your mind,” meaning just at your eye level. Now, sense the shape of each of the letters. How big are the letters? Sense the letters just an inch or so high. Again, you are noticing just the word “GREEN”, not the color. Now, notice the letter G. At the same time, see the space around the G. Do you sense the space? It is formless, quiet, and peaceful. Then notice the R. Again, there is space between the letters. Become aware and see the E. Do you realize the space the letters are resting in?
Put your attention into the space between the letters. Turn your attention and notice the other E. Finally, notice the N. Can you see there is a lot of space around all the letters? Now focus your attention. Take your awareness and go in between, behind, above, and below the letters. The key is to notice the space between and beyond the letters. Become aware of the space and vastness the letters are “in.”
Think of the letters of the word GREEN, like clouds in the sky. The blue of the sky is the vastness in which the clouds form.
The clouds are like your thoughts. Just as you can notice and become aware of the sky in between the clouds, you can also see the space between the letters of the word GREEN. Think of the letters of the word GREEN as a “thought cloud” occurring on the screen/ sky of your mind. Now flip your attention from the “thought clouds” to the sky. Shift all your focus to the vastness, also referred to as the Source (some may also call this vastness God or the universe). Call this space with whatever aligns best with you. Whatever your language is for the vastness, trust it is filled with a power that helps guide you. When you can connect with it, be in tune and hear it.

The “Still, Small Voice”

The Voice (not the TV show with famous singers on it) is inside of you. It is your voice. It is not Charlton Heston’s or a booming voice, but your voice.
This voice, honestly, is more of an impression on your spirit than an outside voice. This impression guides you and calms you. It holds you and loves you. This voice is why we meditate: we come home to our True Self. It feels like who and what we are.
Once you are in tune with your still, small voice, you become more and more aware of the True Source you are receiving from. I call this source God. With continuous meditations, you receive awareness, impressions, and guidance aligned to who you are from this Source. Indeed it is a higher power and can help you in all areas of your life.

Conclusion

Once in tune with the space between your thoughts, enjoy exploring this space.
What can you become aware of in your newfound space? Trust now you are meditating.
I once had a mentor say prayer is speaking to God, and meditating is listening to God. Meditation allows you to listen and be guided. Open up to more of your true nature. Now it is your turn to listen and discover the proper meditation method.

Enjoy!

Michelle Humphrey

Michelle Humphrey

Sales Director - Executive Coach

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