Succeeding on all fronts.
To succeed within the pressures of day to day life, alongside achieving your long term goals you need to be intelligent and intuitive. Meditation gives you both.
Meditation techniques tone the mind so that we can direct our focus and at the same time fully process new information. Improving intelligence. We have all heard of the term ‘Monkey Mind’, and this is basically an un-toned mind flopping all over the place with lack of strength and focus. Just as an un-toned body can not move fast or with agility, we could compare this with the capabilities of an un-toned mind.
And at the same time meditation practice develops our ability to see things from a bigger perspective and to tune into that which is not yet birthed. We develop the ability to hold our nerve even as the future looks to be devastatingly unknown. Improving intuition. Meditation is something that can only be fully comprehended through direct experience. We get more familiar with the formless bigger version of ourselves that has nothing to do with our external reality and all to with connecting to the world and ourselves through wordless experience. And as well as this, we become more in touch with our intuition through strengthening our connection to our senses in meditation.
The law of the universe is a never ending expansion, which means that the world that we live in is constantly evolving. Moving forwards in life requires us to simultaneously recognise ourselves as the student willing to learn and know ourselves as our own true guru. We are constantly upgrading, and so meditation is the tool to cover all basis and ensure we can make full use of our intelligence and intuition.
Intelligence.
To me intelligence is based on the depth at which we can absorb information, process it and make use of it in our lives.
Intuition.
Based on a subtler signalling system, intuition is rooted in feeling and knowing. It doesn’t always make logical sense, but there is often a strong but calm warning that can be perceived in the body.
Meditations to tone the mind for improved intelligence.
Breath meditation: With the primary intention of re-directing the mind back to the breath
Instructions: Sit in a comfortable position, close the eyes. Inhale and exhale slowly, allowing the belly to balloon on the inhale and collapse on the exhale. With conviction and calmness keep focusing on the feeling and lengthening of your breath. Do this for 3-11 minutes.
Mantra Singing: With the primary focus of hearing and seeing the words you are reciting.
Instructions: Sit in a comfortable position, close the eyes. Continuously recite the word OM, lengthening the vows to sound Ohhh, Ahhh, MMM. You will feel the sound vibrating within your head as you do this and this is really helpful for keeping focused and erasing thoughts from the mind. Do this for 3-11mins.
Meditations to heighten the senses and improve intuition
Breath of fire: To increase the energetic flow which is connected to intuition
(Note: Do not do this Breath of Fire when pregnant or on the first 3 days of your cycle)
Instructions: Sit in a comfortable position. Begin by reciting the mantra “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo” 3x. Then inhale through the nostrils, exhale and squeeze the belly button in. This breath is repeated constantly, with equal emphasise on the inhale and exhale in the mid/rapid speed. Do this for 3 mins. To finish, inhale and hold whilst squeezing the pelvic floor and belly button, focus the inner eye at the 3rd third and feel the energy moving up the spine. Exhale. Sit for a min and meditate on the sensations of the interior landscape of your body.
Trataka: Focusing on the receiving the light of the flame
Instructions: Place a lit candle 3 feet in front of you on the floor (think of fire safety). Sit in a comfortable position, keep your eyes open but soft and gaze at the flickering flame. Relax and without forcing, receive the light into your eyes without trying to make sense of it. Do this for 3 mins-11mins. To finish close the eyes and sit feeling the experience in your body, without logic.
Downward Dog (or other yoga asanas): With the intention to fully receive the sensations of your body.
Instructions: Remove socks. Come up into downward dog. Feel your palms connecting to the floor and your feet magnetising into the floor. Take deep breaths into your lower belly allowing it to fully expand on the inhale. Melt into the experience of all sensations perceived. Do this for 1-3mins. Come down into Child’s Pose and press the forehead down and focus on the 3rd eye projecting into the floor. Hold for 1 min.
Practice consistently.
Try any of these meditations for 40 days or more, and observe the difference in your capacity to learn, come up with solutions, gain insight and clarity, and most of all experience life with much more depth and expansion.