Hi

It's Tony here from the Aikido Health Centre with your Harmony Ezine packed with unique tips and insights on aikido, health and well-being.

In this issue is Meditation Methods - details below. Next month we turn the spotlight on Spiritual Contemplation... stay tuned!

Meditation Methods

As It Really Is!

Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, used to meditate several times a day from a few minutes to several hours. Many of his top students were also known to spend a lot of time on meditation and kotodama (chanting).

What are some of the best meditation techniques?

Meditation Postures

Get comfortable, back straight, relax completely and put your thoughts in-between your eyebrows (3rd eye) or in your lower belly (one point).

1 - Kneeling, with a two fist gap between the knees, hands placed lightly on your thighs with fingers pointing slightly in and down. Straighten your spine, and relax down, with your mind focused on 3rd eye or one point.

2 - Cross-legged, with your hands resting on your inner thighs, thumbs and fingers lightly pressed together, spine straight, and relax downwards, with your mind on your 3rd eye or one point.

3 - If you cannot manage one of the other methods then a straight back chair will do. With your hands lightly on your thighs, feet flat on the floor, spine straight, relax downwards, mind focused on your 3rd eye/one point.

Breathing Techniques

You may want to try the following method...

Get comfortable, back straight, relax completely and put your thoughts in-between your eyebrows (3rd eye) or in your lower belly (one point). Close your eyes, open your mouth and breathe out slowly and calmly, using your diaphragm, by pulling your belly in.

Imagine the whole breath going out slowly for about 15-20 seconds.

Pause for a few seconds. Then, close your mouth and inhale slowly and calmly, through your nose, in a smooth, relaxed way for about 15-20 seconds. Use your diaphragm, by pushing your belly out. Wait a few seconds before beginning the next cycle. The total length of the breathing cycle is 45 seconds. Repeat until you can do this naturally.

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Try a Deeper Meditation

After using the above methods, you may want to try the following more advanced meditation...

Seated - Practise the breathing technique for a few minutes. Then, with eyes closed, use your imagination to create an image in your mind. Visualise powerful life energy filling your being as you breathe in, and imagine giving it back to the universe as you breathe out.

You can give this energy a vibrant colour, and feel it flowing in, through, and extended out from your mind and body. Create vivid detail, add colour, sound, and get fully into...

How it makes YOU Feel (positive, happy, vibrant, excited, etc.)

If you are a martial arts student, you may want to take this relaxed, focused attitude into your dojo training. Unfortunately in many dojo's, the other students are very sociable and want to talk about all sorts of casual things - before, during, and after practise.... but you don't have to join in.

Ignore it all, and keep quiet, without being rude. Breathe deeply and focus on your art, before, during, and after training. You'll learn a lot more, and be able to... Pick up more insights and principles...

this is how it is done by the masters :)

If you want my meditation methods in more detail then check out my Aikido Success Blueprint and Optimum Health Secrets collections. They offer you a gold-mine of easy-to-apply action steps for real results!

Power Up Your Meditations by Chanting Sound Vibrations

Kotodama is the Japanese art of chanting a sound. You can use the complex Aikido kotodama of Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei, Or a more simplified version, which I personally use. Taken from my 30+ years of research.

I use several different chants including 'AUM' and 'OM'

Meditation techniques using sound can have a profound effect on you. Of course, using sound allows you to monitor the smoothness of your breath pattern, and you'll hear any imperfections as you perform it.

That way you can work on correcting them :)

During your chanting, you can also visualise your ideal life. The more feeling and detail you give it, the more likely you are to manifest it. Imagine and feel the end result as if you have already achieved your goal.

My Optimum Health Secrets ebook collection includes meditation methods and easy-to-apply action steps for the greatest effects and real results!

That's it, next month we will discuss Spiritual Contemplation... stay tuned!