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Monday, November 29

A Pre Meditation Stage


When I started this post I had in mind to post a technique for meditation, but then knowing how hard and lengthy that would be to write about a subject like that without giving it its proper weight, I thought I'd divert a bit and start with the elements that would help prepare you for meditation and provide you as well with an atmosphere of mind relaxation.

The use of Incense and Fragrant Oils:
Incense and oils are highly mind stimulating as well as relaxing substances. A variety of products can be used for aromatherapy uses, to scent candles, in soap making, massage oils, bath oils, etc.
I recommend using incense sticks or cones as well as fragrant oils around the house; in the bedroom, bathroom, and living room and while meditating.
Vital things to remember though:
1- Use oils (not incense) in the bedroom and make sure that you don't sleep while the burner is still on, take the burner out of the bedroom 15 min before you retire to bed.
2- Use oils (not incense) while meditating and take the burner out of the room 15 min before you start your meditation.

The above mentioned points are really important because while these substances are helpful in relaxing your mind and preparing you for deep relaxation, they can be really hazardous to your respiratory system if not used properly.
I personally prefer using incense around the house for their immediate effect on the mind, but if you are allergic to them or you are asthmatic, please refrain from using them and settle for fragrant oils.
And remember use only 1-2 drops of oil and mix it with water in the container on top of the burner.
Here are some fragrances I recommend for healing purposes, it is better to use each essence separately and not mix them
(All the products mentioned above can be found in most nature shops; try L'OCCITANE/ Sooq Sharq/ Q8):

Anger: Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose, Orchid
Anxiety: Lavender, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood, Orchid.
Confidence: jasmine
Depression: Jasmine, Lavender, Rose, Sandalwood.
Fatigue and Exhaustion: Jasmine, Patchouli, Sandalwood.
Fear: Jasmine, Lemon, Sandalwood.
Grieve: Rose, Sandalwood.
Happiness and Peace: Rose, Sandalwood, Orchid.
Insecurity: Jasmine, Sandalwood.
Irritability: Lavender, Sandalwood.
Loneliness: Rose.
Memory and concentration: Lemon, Lemongrass.
Panic and Panic Attacks: Lavender, Rose.
Stress: Jasmine, Lavender, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood, Orchid.

Music
Music is the soul's nourishment, and man has known the effect of music on his mind and soul all throughout history.
As for meditation I recommend the following CD's of which most can be found in Virgin and The One:
-Zen Peace- AEOLIAH
-Silent Hearts-KARUNESH
- Meditation-Yoga-Reiki and relaxation-Waki
Reiki and Relaxation-Tao of Heaven (1)-
-New Age - Reiki and Relaxation-Tranquility
-Meditation-Buddhist Chant- Prajna Paramita
-New Age-Meditation-Relaxing-Solitudes
Japanese Flute-Yoga-
-Music for Meditation
-Yoga Zone- Music for Meditation
-Yoga Zone- Drum Meditation
-New Age-Meditation-Music for Sleeping
-Yoga- Zen Garden-Kokin Gumi-Feng Shui
-Solitudes-Zen meditation
-Yoga Meditation Four- Buddhist Drums, Bells
-Enya-Celtic Rain
-Vangelis-Himalaya
-Yoga-My Music-Tai Chi Relaxation
-Yoga- Tai Chi -08-Body, Mind&Sperit
-Xena-Tai Chi and Yoga

Mantra:
Mantra is a set of positive, reaffirmation sentences that one usually repeats while starting the mind relaxation session, and I will demonstrate the use of these sentences in my next post when I go through the actual art of meditation, there are so many types of mantras that can be used in a yoga session, all depending on the purpose of the mantra. Some use it as a connection to god, while others use it for some reaffirmation, and each yogi has his own mantra style; that's why it's not easily found in libraries or on the net. And like any paragraph; mantra has to start with a beginning, have a body, and an ending, therefore the sequence of mantra is very important. And it is also important to have a soft, mellow tune while reciting the mantra.
Here is an example of a self realization mantra I use in my yoga class:

- I had a hard, hectic day serving others; it is time for me to be with me, to befriend me, to get to know me better.
- I know that my mind is like a naughty child that will soon drift; therefore, I will treat him like a child and slowly deceive him to calmness.
- This time is totally and rightfully mine; I will not allow anyone or anything take these moments from me.
- I gather my thoughts and stack them on a shelf; I know they will be there when I finish, so for now they can stay there, while I enjoy my company.
- Now is time to meet me, the soul. The being that is not conditioned to the cruelties of the world, I am home, this is my origin: the pure me, the loving me, the honest me, the happy me, the witty me, the smart me.
- But wait, this is not all of me, there is also this body of mine, and I know it is beautifully created and I love every part of it, it is a real masterpiece.
- and my credentials, qualifications and accomplishments; let me take a closer look at them; I see that I have done a lot thus far, and I am proud of what I have done no matter how otherwise I was conditioned to believe.
- I know now that I'm already in love with this person who is me. And I know it is not egotism, rather, self worth.
- I deserve to be happy, I deserve to enjoy myself, I deserve the best coz I am the best.
- I know that only by loving myself I would be able to spread this love among others.
-all the noise outside does not belong to me now; I will not let them drift me from my ecstasy.
- it is time for me to drift together with this lovely creature who is me in a world of stillness, a world of calmness, a world of complete silence.

Now, not all yogis use mantra. But I see it very helpful, therefore I always use it. So if you like the idea and want to give it a try; design your own meditation mantra.
How to design your own meditation mantra?
You can tape your own voice by reciting the mantra mentioned above (or creating your own) and choose one of the meditation music as a background, and continue this music for another20 min on the same tape. Prepare this for yourself before we start the next session on meditation.

Candles:
The use of candles is very essential for indoor meditation practice, but make sure you DO NOT use scented candles while you meditate. But you can use them around the house to bring calmness to your atmosphere.
The candles that I recommend for meditation are the small types that come in small tin containers like the ones used for burners as shown in the picture above. They can be used in their cute little cups, but you don't need containers for them; you can just place them in a glass. You can get them from IKEA, The One, or True Value (100 for almost 1.5 KD), these shops also have some nice varieties of candle cups. Get only three cups coz you will only need three candles in each meditation session.
Ching Ching

Posted by Hello


Posted by AyyA:: at :: 4:04 AM::

10 Comments:

Blogger Drunk'n'Gorgeous said...

Wanasa! I love this post! It's a fun post :)

Inzen, I've got a question. By incense, do you mean actual incense or that bukhoor stuff 'cuz I hate bukhoor and dihn 3ood. As for the fragrant oils and incense burners, I can find all of them in Sooq Sharq? Which floor? Which side? Sorry I'm lazy but I also get lost easily :P

As for music, I'm sooo going to get a few of those from Virgin but what about Enigma, and Era? They count too, right?

Gonna go come up with my own mantra now :)

Again, I love this post! :P

10:29 AM  
Blogger Jelly Belly said...

I have to say I love the post too…Are you a yoga instructor in Kuwait? I have been taking yoga classes lately in our local GYM and I love it. I never imagined my body could do all these moves and I actually enjoy it! I feel great after every session. Going back to meditation, thank you for setting the mood and the preparation for meditation I think that is great. I’m gonna go and get some of the oils and music too. I would also like to know some tips on the actual techniques if it’s not too much to ask or if you could tell me about a good book that could help. I have been trying to meditate lately but I don’t think I’m doing it right. I’m still having problems learning how to relax and be centered. Is there a good time to meditate? let’s say before I start my day or maybe at the end of the day? Anyways sweetie I love the post and please keep us updated with the subject I am really interested to learn more. Oh yeah I will keep you posted on how it goes, thanks again ;)

11:30 AM  
Blogger AyyA said...

Drunk'n'Gorgeous
Incense and fragrant oils I mentioned above are the aromatic substance, such as the essence of wood, flower or plants that is burned to produce a pleasant, balsamic odor. These do not include the traditional Bukhoor or dihin 3ood. And as I mentioned above you can find a good selection in L'OCCITANE, mezzanine flour, opposite to GNC, a bit closer to the center of Sooq Sharq. If you like incense and you have no problems with them; I recommend the ones shaped like cones with their burners, they are much cleaner than the traditional sticks.
The music I have chosen is for deep meditation. ENIGMA and Era music is good for general relaxation, but I do not recommend them for meditation. There are also some other types of music that some may use for meditation; these are included in" the sounds of nature" list that you may find in most Nature shops. But I personally find them irritating, and do not recommend using them.
And 'bout designing your own mantra; I'm sure that you are talented and that you can come up with a perfect mantra for yourself, go for it girl :)
Oh and that reminds me that I have forgotten to include candles in my post. I will add that ASAP so make sure you do go back to read that :)

Jelly Belly
Yes dear, I am Ayengar Yoga, half time instructor as a passion and a hobby. And I intend to do it as a full time job after retiring from my work as an Engineer, which is in two weeks time. Unfortunately gyms do not provide the right atmosphere for yoga and therefore you don't get the full benefit. The best environment for yoga would be if you can find a yoga center in your area. These centers, although not very popular due to public ignorance of the essence of yoga(most people still think that it is a Buddhist ritual or some type of Far Eastern religion), you may find some good centers if you look for them. I know there is no one in Q8, but in the States there are quite a few. And about the meditation technique; my next post will go into that with minimal required details, I just wanted to make sure that the ones who are interested are well prepared physically and mentally before we start the actual thing. Meditation can be practiced anytime dear; but I find it most beneficial when I first wake up in the morning, it activates me and brings balance to my day, and I usually refer to the practice as a recharging my batteries :).
And as for books you inquired, I am assuming that you are referring to the art of meditation rather than general yoga practice, in this case here is a list of two that can be of some help;
-Yoga, The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness by Eric Schiffmann.
-Anatomy of the Spirit, The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Caroline Myss, PHD.
And in general these two additional books are invaluable if you are seriously interested in Yoga:
-light on Yoga, The Bible of Modern Yoga- It's Philosophy and Practice by the world's foremost teacher B.K.S. Iyengar
-light on Pranayama, The Yogic Art of Breathing also by B.K.S. Iyengar.
I have posted on my blog some articles like; Positive Thinking and your IQ,Toga Yoga, Your Body is Your Pharmacy and You are the Doctor, etc. If you are interested in this kind of related articles pls feel free to surf around.
Have a great day

3:21 PM  
Blogger Drunk'n'Gorgeous said...

Thanks sweetie for explaining :) I think I get it now. Also I have another question. Why not scented candles? By the way I LOVE candles :P

I totally get what you mean. The crickets chirping are enough to drive anyone crazy :P

10:00 PM  
Blogger Jelly Belly said...

You are right I know there are places just for yoga, but the thing is the instructor is amazing. I will check out other places for yoga and I’ll let you know if I found something better. I’m glad to know that you are a yoga instructor; I’ll sign up for your class inshallah when I get back home. Thanks for the books reference I’ll check them out and I can’t wait for your next post on meditation.

11:34 AM  
Blogger AyyA said...

Drunk'n'Gorgeous
Scented candles can be used around the house all the time. And I especially like them during Xmass time coz they bring back so much memories of my days in the States. But during meditation you need pure air coz meditation is highly depend on your breathing process and the last thing you would need is the toxic materials discharged from the candles into your lungs. And you can ask me anything you want that's why I posted this article to make sure that you are ready before we start :)
Jelly Belly & DJ
Sure, and thanx for taking the time to read :)

1:36 PM  
Blogger AyyA said...

Unfortunately, there is no serious Yoga practice in Q8, or at least none of which I know of. Most of the ones I know are more or less commercial.
There used to be one Austrian Yogi by the name Eva; she was actually my Yogi and she left Q8 some years back. As for me I am actually working for The Palms as a part time job, and Yoga in the Palms is free for members. You can send me an E-mail with all your contact details so I can update you on that if you like.

12:18 PM  
Blogger Peach said...

Awesome :D I never really knew what each scent was for .. I used to mix ..
I love this post :D
And I think it was around 4 yrs ago that I started meditating .. I used to lie down on a couch and say something like this:
“I am a part of this magnificent energy field all around me. I am a part of god. I have in me all that is good and pure. I am good. I am pure. I am light. I am as gentle as the breeze. I am gentle. I love all. I am love. I am peace. I am peaceful.”
I didn’t know this was a rough around the edges mantra!! Coooool, I iz good :D hheehee
Another thing I used to do before meditating or any other time, is sit down and write down sentences like:
I am happy
I am joyful
I am peaceful
I love the world
Bla bla bla
These are all affirmations, but they seem similar to the mantra. I’m afraid I might confuse them, any pointers there?

9:56 PM  
Blogger AyyA said...

Peach
It seems to me like you had a good teacher, or you may posses a positive attitude on life as a nature. In both cases you are doing fine and I know that someday you will be a continuation of someone else. May be me who knows. Keep up the good work kiddo.

10:57 PM  
Blogger Peach said...

thanks hon that's a real sweet thing to say (^.^)
and I did have a good teacher :) My mom. In the light of her positive attitude I grew my own :)I love her so much :)

2:51 AM  

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