High Tech Meditator’s Toolbox

By Caroline Avant

When people first start to meditate there are 3 common initial reactions that I have heard time and time again in my role as a meditation facilitator.  In this post we will explore the first point which is:

Am I doing it right?

I hear this in the inverse too, ‘Am I doing it wrong’?  Rest assured that you cannot do it wrong!  Yes, you heard it here folks, you cannot do High Tech Meditation wrong.

So given this celebratory fact, let’s cover the basic points in how to go about sitting for meditation.

1. Sit down in a position that is comfortable for you. Most Westerners aren’t accustomed to sitting in Lotus position on the floor like Easterners and Yogis so yes, it is fine to sit in your favorite chair and be comfortable. Initially the thought of sitting comfortably in your favorite chair will help to inspire you to come to the meditators seat. If you can sit on the edge of your chair without back support that is preferable. If not, that is absolutely fine also. Why is it preferable to sit without back support? It allows the free flow of energy up along the spinal pathway.

   Meditation will activate this life force energy through the subtle pathway called the Sushumna Nadi. The Sushumna Nadi is a Sanskrit term used to describe the central channel within the subtle body. It is a channel (meridian) of energy that flows vertically, along the course of but slightly in front of the spinal column, from the perineum to the crown of the head. If your body is not strong enough to sit unsupported or you have physical challenges the energy will still be activated (you still can’t get it wrong!)  However, you will not be using the energy in and of itself to develop the strength in your core to develop unsupported sitting and it may be harder to stay wakeful and present in your meditation.

2. Put your earphones on and listen to the Synchronicity High Tech Meditation soundtrack of your choice. Yes, it’s that easy, just listen to the music!  The embedded technology within the soundtrack is balancing the hemispheres of the brain into either alpha, theta or delta brain wave frequencies depending on the soundtrack that you are listening to. All of these frequencies are harmonically coherent to your whole being. You don’t have to do anything, the soundtrack is meditating you!

3. If you find yourself with a busy mind or feeling emotional or physical disquiet during your meditation, congratulations, you are the same as everyone else who has ever sat to meditate. This disquiet is meant to become visible to you. To balance this, experiment with a focusing technique that works for you.  Such techniques would be using the simple anxiety algorithm (this works wonderfully for quieting the mind, be sure to correct reversals or blocks to having a quiet meditation).

   Other techniques would be to listen to every note in the music; watching or counting the in and out breaths; bring into your awareness something that you feel gratitude for and flow that feeling into your breathing; use an affirmation to balance the opposite of what you are actually feeling and repeat it inwardly to steady the mind.

When you find your mind wandering back to the disquiet, just notice this without judgement and come back to the focusing technique of your choice.

To really maximize your meditation experience try a little exercise or movement that increases your heart rate and circulates your energy before you sit to meditate. You will find that even just 5 or 10 minutes of movement will create a smoother entry into sitting.

Remember, even if you are having a challenging meditation you are not doing it wrong. Practice being with what is showing up for you, choose a focusing technique, stay with it, relax and enjoy the ride!