10 Day Challenge
Meditation Kit
How to Have an Awesome Meditation
Welcome to the Three Jewels Meditate for Good: 10-Day Meditation Challenge. We’re thrilled you’re meditating with us and we’re confident that if you stick to it, you will see an incredible transformation. Here are a few suggestions that will set you up for an awesome meditation. Happy meditating!
What is Meditation (and What It’s Not)
Before you begin your meditation, it’s important to understand what it is and what it’s NOT so you don’t set yourself up disappointment. The biggest mistake we’ve heard is that you should turn off your mind and stop thinking. In fact, that’s technically impossible. A better way to describe meditation would be training the mind to think about one thing instead of bouncing between a million different things. Master meditators have compared a beginning meditator’s mind to a monkey. It’s running everywhere and you can’t control it! But with practice and diligence, you can tame the monkey and eventually decide what you want to think about instead of being a slave to whatever thoughts and emotions pop up. And that is the beginning of transforming your life.
Where to Meditate
Ideally, you want to be somewhere that is quite and you won’t be bothered by others. Clean it up! A clear space can influence the clarity in your mind. And lastly, make it special. Set out a photo of someone you love and admire, or an object that has some special meaning for you. You want your spot to be inviting so that you look forward to meditating there.
How to Sit
You can sit in a chair or cross-legged on the floor. The most important thing is that your spine is straight. Then relax your shoulders, your chin should be parallel to the floor, and place your tongue right where your gums meet your top teeth (this helps with the flow of saliva while meditating). Either close your eyes completely, or leave your eyelids slightly cracked to let in a bit of light, but not enough to make out shapes. Release the tension in your face - forehead, eyelids, your mouth, and now you’re ready to observe your breath.
Why Meditate
Before you start each meditation, think about why you want to meditate. Ask yourself, “what am I seeking?” If you know what motivated you to withdraw from your senses and examine your mind, you’re more likely to last through the rough patches that are bound to happen during meditation.
Here’s why we love to meditate! Just think - if it’s possible to analyze every negative thought and emotion and understand what caused it, then you could remove it from your mind. Just think how happy you would be if you no longer had any “bad” thoughts! You probably would stop acting on those bad thoughts and harming others in the process. Imagine how capable you would be to help others remove the negativity in their mind, and then stop harming others. It would be a perfect world, and who wouldn’t want to live somewhere like that?!?
Guided Meditations
The Foundations of Meditation
Goal: Improve focus and attention
Object of Meditation: Breath
Sit comfortably with a straight spine, and scan your body for tension. Wherever you notice tension, try to release it.
Notice your breath. You’re not trying to control it, just observe.
If you catch your mind wandering, gently bring it back to the breath.
See if you can place your attention on the sensation of air at the tip of the nostrils and try to hold your mind there for ten breaths.
Witness the tactile sensations of your chest rising and falling in sync with the breath.
To sharpen your focus, pay slightly more attention to the exhale. Observe the beginning, middle, and end of the exhale and notice if your body begins to relax.
To brighten your mind, bring more attention to your inhale. Observe the beginning, middle, and end of the inhale.
To go deeper, place your attention on the space between the inhale and exhale, and between the exhale and the inhale.
If your mind wanders at any stage of the breath cycle, the moment you become aware, kindly bring it back and be happy you noticed!
Feel your body on your seat, and notice the air touching your skin, temperature of room, and any ambient sounds.
As you open your eyes, notice the different state of consciousness you now embody because of your meditation.