Read John's book. Hot off the press!
Below is a short book that I wrote that describes my ongoing experiment with various types of meditation techniques. After trying well over 300 techniques, over a span of eight years, I found 21 of them benefited me the most. Most of these techniques I have created myself. In this book I describe these techniques. I also give some of my thoughts about meditation and some basics concepts. Please click below to download my book. I would very much enjoy to hear your thoughts after reading it.
Thanks, John Moeller
Below is a short book that I wrote that describes my ongoing experiment with various types of meditation techniques. After trying well over 300 techniques, over a span of eight years, I found 21 of them benefited me the most. Most of these techniques I have created myself. In this book I describe these techniques. I also give some of my thoughts about meditation and some basics concepts. Please click below to download my book. I would very much enjoy to hear your thoughts after reading it.
Thanks, John Moeller
| Creative Meditations by John Moeller.pdf |
The following guided meditations were given during "Meditation with John" which meets every Thursday evening 6:30-7:15 PM on Zoom. Please join us.
ANCHORS: When a sailor wants his ship to remain in one place he puts the anchor down to keep the boat from drifting off. In like manner the meditator needs an anchor, also known as a focus, so that his mind does not drift off in thought. This meditation covers some anchors for the mind to focus on. These include the breath, the body, the mind, the moment, and peace.
BHAGAVAD GITA: The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most popular of the Hindu scriptures. In it Krishna gives advice to Arjuna who is in great despair. Various inspirational verses pertaining to meditation are quoted as the focus of this session.
BHAGAVAD GITA 2:38: "Prepare for war with peace in thy soul. Be in peace in pleasure and pain, in gain and in loss, in victory or in the loss of a battle. In this peace there is no sin."
This verse is repeated several times during the session along with some commentary. The purpose of this meditation is to prepare for our personal daily battles with peace in our souls.
BHAGAVAD GITA 5:27-28: "When the sage of silence closes the doors of his soul, keeps peaceful and even the ebbing and flowing of breath, keeps silent his soul."
This verse is the focus of the meditation.
BHAGAVAD GITA 17:16: "Quietness of mind, silence, self-harmony, loving-kindness, and a pure heart. This is the harmony of the mind."
This verse is the focus of the meditation.
BLISS: Om Swami, in his book entitled "A Million Thoughts," says “Meditation is about discovering your natural state of peace and bliss.” That is what this meditation session is about. We start by being mindful of any peace that arises. Then we go on and explore good feelings or sensations that are present. Next we take it up a notch and see the body as being filled with bliss. This is followed by paying attention to, or discovering feelings of bliss, and then we follow our bliss.
BODY SCAN 2 (trapezius to wrists): This is part of a series of meditations called "body scans." A body scan is when you consider each part of your body from head to toe or visa versa. You mindfully notice each body part. You notice how it feels, You can try to consciously relax each part as you scan through it. In this series we are going into more detail than many body scan meditations. A typical body scan is usually done in one session, head to toe. We are taking it slowly and therefore breaking it up in several sessions. We are also incorporating some visualization techniques. Sorry, Body Scan 1 (head and neck) and Body Scan 4 (back) were not recorded.
BODY SCAN 3 (hands & spine): See "BODY SCAN 2" for explanation.
BODY SCAN 5 (Chest & Stomach): See "BODY SCAN 2" for explanation.
BODY SCAN 6 (Waist, Lower Torso): See "BODY SCAN 2" for explanation.
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BODY SCAN 7 (Buttocks & Legs): See "BODY SCAN 2" for explanation.
BODY SCAN 7 (Buttocks & Legs): See "BODY SCAN 2" for explanation.
BODY SCAN 8 (Ankles & Feet): See "BODY SCAN 2" for explanation.
BODY WORK: This meditation will teach you a few different techniques all involving using your imagination in working with your body. In doing this you will see yourself sending powerful spiritual energy into your body to heal, quiet and nurture you.
BREATHING IN WHOLESOME QUALITIES: With this technique the imagination is used as we breath in peace, compassion, joy and other wholesome qualities.
EXPLORING GOOD SENSATIONS THAT ARE PRESENT: The main focus of this technique is to notice whatever good feelings or sensations that happen to be present. The point is not to force any feelings to happen but to just be aware of what is there.
GRATITUDE: We mindfully give gratitude to various things that are in our life. Then we move on to more subtle things to be thankful for such as the breath, this moment, silence, etc.
GRATITUDE FOR THE MOMENT: This session is focused on gratitude for the things we become aware of during our mindfulness practice. Examples are: the breath, body, mind, moment, peace, silence, kindness, and even our awareness itself.
HARMONY: In this meditation we focus on being in harmony.
HIGH ENERGY: Here you will learn some meditation techniques that are sure to get your blood going. We usually only think of meditation as a very calm practice. Yet it can be very effective to meditate with enthusiasm and excitement. It can be very useful to have these stimulating techniques especially during times when you are drowsy.
HO'OPONOPONO: This practice originated in ancient Hawaii and has been modified in recent decades. Mindfully repeat the following phrases: "I'm sorry." "Please Forgive me." "Thank you." and "I love you." According to Joe Vitale, who has written on this topic, the words are directed "...to the Divine, which could be described as God, Life, the Universe, or any number of terms for that collective higher power."
METTA: Metta or loving-kindness meditation trains the heart and mind to feel compassion for others by wishing people well or even imagining that you are sending positive energy to others.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK: In this technique you will learn the benefit of acknowledging positive states of mind by giving simple words of feedback such as "good," "very good," and "excellent." These words go into the subconscious mind and have the effect of deepening the meditation experience.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK WITH ANCHORS: We give positive feedback like in the above technique plus we move through different anchors (focuses) like in the "Anchors" meditation.
PRACTICING: In this meditation the key word is "practice." we start by practicing being aware of the breath, body, mind, and moment. Then we practice states of mind such as peace, silence, happiness, and love.
PRECIOUSNESS: The idea of this technique is to realize the preciousness of things, particularly things we become aware of during meditation such as the breath, body, mind, heart, sensations, etc. We also can see qualities of the heart as being precious such as love, kindness, joy, peace.
SACRED ADJECTIVES: In this technique you will learn to mindfully say adjectives that describe the meditation experience in a positive way such as "peaceful," beautiful," "calm," "blissful." These words help to strengthen the connection with the mind states you are experiencing, leading to a deeper meditation.
SACRED ADJECTIVES FOR AWARENESS: This technique is the same as above except the adjectives focus and describe your awareness.
SACRED ADJECTIVES FOR SILENCE: Just like the meditation above, we will use positive adjectives. This time the adjectives are used to describe the inner silence that we experience during meditation. This will help us to focus on silence more deeply.
SACRED ADJECTIVES FOR THE MIND: This technique is the same as the ones above except the focus in on the mind alone. You might express adjectives for the mind in a statement like, "The mind is a beautiful place," or "This mind is a quiet place." The idea is to encourage the mind to see it's true nature, rather than being a noisy, chaotic, or distracted.
SACRED ADJECTIVES FOR THE MOMENT: Just like the meditations above we are using positive meaningful adjectives. This time they will be applied to the moment. This will help you to stay focused on the moment in a very positive way.
SACRED ADJECTIVES FOR YOURSELF: In the same manner as the other Sacred Adjective meditations we will apply positive meaningful adjectives, this time, to yourself or to your Buddha nature.
SACRED ADJECTIVES FOR VARIOUS THINGS: In this meditation adjectives are used to modify various things, such as focuses (breath, body, mind, etc) or qualities (quietness, peace, kindness, etc). Examples of this are: This body is a calm body. This moment is a beautiful moment. This silence is a precious silence. This kindness is a healing kindness.
STUFF HAPPENS: In this meditation the focus is on the fact that things are happening and that we are just watching them happen. It can make a big difference to think "breathing is happening" rather than thinking "I am breathing." In this example we are focusing more on the breathing taking place rather than "I am the one breathing." Besides breathing we will also observe other things happening such as sensations, thoughts, quietness, peace, etc.
STUFF HAPPENS: In this meditation the focus is on the fact that things are happening and that we are just watching them happen. It can make a big difference to think "breathing is happening" rather than thinking "I am breathing." In this example we are focusing more on the breathing taking place rather than "I am the one breathing." Besides breathing we will also observe other things happening such as sensations, thoughts, quietness, peace, etc.
TREASURE HUNT: Within us are great treasures: precious gems of peace, quietness, beauty, kindness, love, stillness, etc. In this meditation we use several tools to help us unearth these precious gems, and to help us realize the riches that are within us.
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