I went to a meditation class this weekend. The focus of the class was on heart-centered meditation. The tradition of this meditation is Taoist and has been handed down for thousands of years just by word of mouth. (I hope I am not violating anything here by writing stuff about it!)Instead of focusing on the breath, the focus was on the 4th chakrah. At the risk of sounding like a commercial, apparently this form meditation gets you to a peaceful place quicker than other forms of meditation. I've practiced this type of meditation in the past at the urging of my sister, a former Naropa employee. She told me to picture two nostrils on my heart and breathe into that space. The instructor didn't phrase it like that, but the technique was basically the same; "breath into and connect to the heart" as she repeated periodically.
We meditated in 15-20 minute chunks, each time holding our hands in a slightly different position as guided by our instructor. After each mini-session we briefly discussed what came up for us. Very different from other techniques I have practiced, we were encouraged to move with the energy - whatever that meant for us. It could mean rocking, getting up and walking, even making sounds. We had a very mellow group and none of us got to that level of activity, but I did rock and sway with some of the sessions and it was nice to experience something different.
It was good to reconnect to meditating. I've been doing it for years, but sporadically. Even just doing this 10 minutes a day is great for relaxing and revitalizing. It's quicker than a nap, and beats the heck out of caffeine, candy or sugar. Plus it's free! With such an active mind, I know meditation is a great medicine for me.
Happy meditating!
