Meditation Sitting Group

Sitting Group Session One 

We working on posture; setting up a good posture with an energised spine. We looked at the need for the spine to be upright, for the back of the neck to be long and the chin to be tucked in slightly. 
We imagined a cord coming from the top of the head into the ceiling and slightly pulling us upright.

We scanned the body looking for areas that may be held and gave these areas permission to let go.

We established our awarenesses on the breath and choose a focus point; maybe the belly, maybe the nostrils, maybe the tip of the nose. We then decided when we would hold the focus on that area; during the in breath, or maybe the end of the out breath. 

We looked at the idea of counting the breaths as an aid to concentration; in breath out breath, one, in breath out breath, two.............

We looked at the idea that when thoughts pop into our minds, that we do not push them away, but acknowledge them as thoughts and allow them to drift away. That we do not ride them or get engaged with them. But we gently go back to the breath, over and over, back to the breath. (and if we were counting back to one)

We spoke about meditation needing effort and will and the need to balance this with letting go. 

Sitting Group Session Two

We repeated all of the above and then introduced two new ideas;

1; The use of a sound or mantra; we worked with, Bu-Do (many spellings exist). So as we breath in we say Bu for the full breath, as we breath out we say Do for the full breath. 
We use this when we find we have a very distracted mind that is having problems settling.

2; An audit of thoughts; when we find we have a settled mind we can do this one. As a thought comes up we notice it and then give it a category; this might be; Memory, Planning, Fantasy etc. We work with only a few of these (no more than 4 I would suggest). After we have named the thought we again allow it to drift away. We do not get interested or ride on the thought