Life Fundamentals #4 - Effective Meditation

I'll make a bold claim to you all:

"If you can understand meditation then you can handle ANYTHING that happens in life."

When I say anything. I mean anything.

Death of a loved one.

Losing your job.

Getting your heart broken.

Dying.

Benefits of Effective Meditation?

1. Direct access to the parasympathetic state
2. Lower HR
3. Normalize BP
4. Reduce Stress
5. Increase Resilience
6. Healing Emotional Wounds
7. Increased Cognitive Function
8. Better Sleep
9. More Attention
10. Increase in GABA – decrease anxiety
11. Debug your brain
12. Receive insight from your subconscious
13. Invite & consolidate your shadow
14. Increase awareness
15. Feel intense feelings of love, connection, and bliss
16. Peace
17. ... and so much more.

Just search up meditation and [whatever problem you're facing] and you'll probably find a fix.

Manansh's 7 Step Guide For Effective Meditation

So I learned a lot of what I am about to share with you from my teacher Forrest Knutson.

1. Download the Resonant Breathing App

Android & Apple

This app is a GAME-CHANGER. It's incredibly simple.

It allows you to choose certain breathing "tracks" that you can follow during your meditations that will bring you into HRV Resonance.

🛑STOP HERE IF YOU'RE A COMPLETE BEGINNER. 🛑

You're a newbie eh? Don't bite more than you can chew. For the next week, give yourself just 5 minutes (set the timer on the Resonant Breathing App) – then move further.

But please continue reading – if you're interested in learning how to beat death. Seriously.

2. Stretch - (2 min video)

Before sitting for any meditation, you must stretch.

In some Hindu texts, what I am about to share with you is normally kept a secret.

But there is no need, as Forrest & myself would agree, the Mahamudra pose is all you need to prime your body for meditation.

Here is a longer video that explains the benefits (13mins)

3. How to sit - (8 min video)

Basically:

• You want to be as comfortable as possible – to the point where you can forget your body.
• Take a pillow, fold it, and wedge it between the back of the chair and your sacrum. Your ribs should be free – not touching the wall or slouching.
• Your hips should be higher than your knees – so you don't slouch

The goal is to be so comfortable that you can SIT VERY STILL.

4. Sit VERY Still (SVS)

Now that you're comfortable...

Don't move a muscle.

Allow the HRV breathing to continue but DON'T MOVE!

Relax your face with each exhalation.

You will "force" your body into a parasympathetic state – a conscious sleep.

5. Do The HRV breathing

If you have the Resonant Breathing app then great! Just follow the breathing tempo.

If you're stubborn – let me quickly tell you what you actually need to do.

It's simple. Your inhalations must always be shorter than your exhalations.

Also, there should be no pause between inhalation  & exhalation.

So let's breathe in... 1, 2, 3, 4 -> immediately breathe out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, -> immediately breathe in.... – you get the point.

Just repeat that.

6. 4 Proofs (Biofeedback)

While you sit, you can observe 4 "proofs" that can assure you that you're doing the meditation RIGHT!

The Proofs:

1. HHH (Hands, Hot and Heavy) – Check your hands (a sensation might appear)
2. Tingling in the lips
3. Dorsal Vagal Pressure – feel pressure on your spine (a tingle or pleasurable)
4. Skin tingles – the edge of your skin might tingle a bit.

If you're unsure whether or not you're doing meditation right – just refer to the proofs – and keep going.

7. Enjoy (Paravastha)

At this point, you'll be in meditation so deep, peaceful, and relaxing that you may just want to relax and be.

Do it.

You did the work of meditation... You sat very still, you did the breathing, you watched for the biofeedback, and eventually, you go into a sort of REBOOT mode.

Here you can do some very real healing.

It is VERY likely that some negative emotions & impressions will come to you.

Allow them in.

They are a misunderstood friend – they just want your loving acknowledgment and space.

Don't stop or run.

Relax & Release.

So the escaping death part?

Short answer: your body cannot escape. But who you truly are was never born.

Who are you? Who are you not?

Meditation helps make these facts clear.

So give it a shot!

with love