Steps to Meditation

1. Before you begin meditation make a personal commitment to sit down completely. This is a time to surrender to just being seated.

2. There are many different sitting positions, the suggestion I make is "Sit comfortably but upright".  The more comfortable you are, the less you will tend to 'squirm'.  The more 'upright' you are, the less you will tend to concentrate on your balance.

3. Make sure that your legs are comfortable and free from any tightness or restriction due to clothing or physical position. Thus, circulation will be unimpeded and tingling and numbness will be less likely to occur.

4. Centre your spine by swaying in decreasing arcs, side to side.  Breath into any tension or tightness and release it gently with each exhalation of your breath establishing a condition of comfort.

5. The head should not tilt forward or backward, it shouldn’t lean to either side. Sitting comfortably is most important, comfortable and upright is even more important.

6. Your eyes should be gently closed.

7. Once you are comfortably seated, close your mouth with your lips gently touching.

8. Focus on your breathing, if necessary, calmly & mentally, say to your self "Inhale", "Exhale". Once you are aware of your breathing, begin to slowly breath into your belly. During belly breathing your chest should stay relatively motionless while your lower abdomen seems to fill up like a balloon. 

9. Be aware of each inhalation, gently guiding the inhalation into the lower abdominal. Let your awareness pause as you reach the end point of the inhalation and then allow the exhalation to begin naturally from the lower abdomen. Follow the exhalation with your awareness until it is complete. Then begin again.

10. With each breath, allow yourself to also embody the moment of inhalation and exhalation. This sense of our immediate presence sustains a deep appreciation of our life practice in this Only Moment. 

11. Biggest Step of all. Have fun with it.  If you find yourself having 'other thoughts', allow them to occur.  Simply accept that they are there, but become a third party and 'watch' them occur instead of becoming involved with them.

                                                                                                -- g.m.c --