TEN SIMPLE TIPS

TO IMPROVE YOUR
MEDITATION
TODAY
Y ou will find that
these simple tips
are useful for any
meditation technique.

More information on
how to succeed in your
meditation practice can
be found in , which you
can find on our website,
OCOY.org.
1. CLOSE YOUR EYES

C lose your eyes gently.

This removes visual
distractions and reduces
your brain-wave activity
by about seventy-five
percent, thus helping to
calm the mind.
2. BREATHE NATURALLY

Y our mouth should be closed

so that all breathing is done
through the nose. This, too aids in
quieting the mind.

Though your mouth is closed, the

jaw muscles should be relaxed so
the upper and lower teeth are not
clenched or touching one another,
but parted.

Be aware of your breath naturally

(automatically) flowing in and out
as you breathe through your nose.
Your breathing should always be
easeful and natural, not deliberate
or artificial.
 3. RELAX

R elaxation is the key to successful meditation just as

is ease and simplicity. We need to be relaxed in both
body and mind to eliminate the distracting thoughts and
impressions that arise mostly from tension.

It is only natural that you will find your mind moving up

and down–or in and out–during the practice of meditation,
sometimes being calm and sometimes being restless. Do not
mind this at all; it is in the nature of things.

At such times you must consciously become even more calm,

relaxed, and aware–“lighten up” in the most literal sense.

If you find yourself getting restless, distracted, “fuzzy,”

anxious or tense in any
degree, just take a deep breath
and let it out fully, feeling
that you are releasing and
breathing out all tensions,
and continue as before in a
relaxed and easeful manner,
without strain.
 4. YOUR MEDITATION
PLACE

I t will be most helpful to your practice if you have a special

place exclusively for meditation. Your mind will begin to
associate that place with meditation and will more easily
enter a quiet and peaceful state when you sit there.

If you can set aside an entire room for practicing meditation,

or even a large well-ventilated closet, that is good, but just
an area in a room is adequate. The important thing is that
the area be devoted exclusively to your meditation.
 5. QUIET

Y our meditation place should be as quiet as

possible. Do not play music or other kinds of
sounds during your meditation, as that definitely
interferes with your entering the Silence.

As a rule earplugs are not recommended for the

practice of meditation since you can become
distracted by the sensation of pressure in the ears,
or the chirping, cricket-like noises that go on all the
time in the ears, or the sound of your heartbeat. But
if you need them, use them.

Your place of meditation should

ideally be a place where you
can most easily forget outer
distractions, but if it is not, you
can still manage to practice
meditation successfully.
6. LIGHT

Y our meditation place should

be softly or dimly lighted.
(Full darkness might tend to
make you go to sleep.)

It is also good to turn off any

electric lights, as their pulsation–
even though not perceived
by the eyes–affects the brain
waves and subtly influences the
mind, holding it to the level
that corresponds to the rate of
pulsation.

If you like having a candle or

wick lamp burning when you
meditate, they should be a kind
that does not flicker .
7. SACRED IMAGERY

I t is good to keep some sacred symbols or

imagery in your meditation place–whatever
reminds you that God is present.
 8. YOUR MEDITATION
POSTURE

F or meditation we sit in a comfortable, upright position. This is

for two reasons: so we will not fall asleep, and to facilitate the
upward movement of the subtle life force called prana, of which the
breath is a manifestation.

It is important that our meditation posture be comfortable and easy

to maintain. Though sitting upright, be sure you are always relaxed.
If you can sit in a cross-legged position without your legs going
to sleep and making you have to shift them frequently, that is very
good. Some yogis prefer to sit on the floor using a pillow.

But meditation done in a chair is equally as good. Better

to sit at ease in a chair and be inwardly aware than to sit
cross-legged and be mostly aware of your poor, protesting
legs.

Whatever your seat for meditation–chair, pillow, pad, or

mat–it will be good if it can be used only for meditation.
This will pick up the beneficial vibrations of your
meditation, and when you sit on it your mind
will become calm and your meditation easier.
9. AVOID THE GEARS
I n meditation stay away from the gears of the mind! It is the
nature of the mind to dance around producing thoughts,
impressions, memories, etc.

Therefore we do not at all care what potential distractions may

arise during meditation. We ignore them. And if we ignore
them they are no longer distractions.

Never come out of meditation to note or write down

something. If the inspiration, insight, or idea is really from
your higher Self or from God it will come back to you outside
of meditation.

Also, do not engage the mind-gears with long prayers,

affirmations, and suchlike during meditation. And
do not let the mind entice you with “insight,”
“inspiration,” or “knowledge” of any kind.

According to Shankara the practice

of yoga “has right vision alone for
its goal, and glories of knowledge
and power are not its purpose.”
 10. PRAYER

I t is traditional for some brief prayer to be made

before and after meditation.

Usually before meditation a simple prayer is made

asking divine blessing and guidance. Then at the
end another brief prayer is made giving thanks,
offering the meditation to God, and asking divine
blessing for the rest of the day.

There is no set form, just words from the heart.

This is not essential, but those who are so inclined
may find it beneficial.
 AND MORE...
W e hope you found these 10 tips useful. They are extracts
from the book Soham Yoga: The Yoga of the Self
by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri), head of
Light of the Spirit Monastery, whose writings are found at
www.OCOY.org.

To further improve your meditation practice, we recommend you

get a copy of this book in print or Kindle format at Amazon.
com, or view the web version online here.

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