To Begin
Choose a quiet and safe place where you will feel comfortable. If necessary close the door and let others in your house or apartment know that you need a short bit of quiet time.
It is best to be sitting up when you do this meditation so sit in a comfortable position in a chair or sofa.
If you wish to use some music in the background choose some that is soft and that does not have any melody. You can also use some soft nature sounds like ocean waves if you wish.
Now close your eyes and take a deep breath and then release the breath as if you were blowing out a candle. Do this again 6 times. Pay close attention to your breathing. The inhalation and the exhalation.
This Moment
Sounds
Now pay close attention to the sounds around you. Judge nothing. No sound is good or bad, they are just sounds. Name them. Begin with the loudest ones and work your way down to those sounds that are just on the edge of silence. Listen closely. Do not let any of the sounds distract you. Just listen. Do not let any of the sounds affect you. Just listen.
You can end the meditation here or you can continue to the next exercise. If you choose to end the meditation here then take 6 deep breaths like you did at the beginning of this meditation and then open your eyes. Now take a few moments to re-adjust to your surroundings and proceed with your day.
Thoughts
Now pay close attention to all the thoughts in your mind. Judge nothing. No thought is good or bad, they are just thoughts. Name them. Begin with the thoughts on the surface of your mind and work your way down to those thoughts that are deep within you. Listen closely to them but do not let any of the thoughts distract you. Just listen, just watch. Do not let any of the thoughts affect you. Just listen to them as if they were not yours. They are just thoughts and images floating through your mind. If you begin to get attached to any one thought move on to another one with a deep breath.
Now imagine that all of these thoughts are outside of you. Let them take on form. Use your imagination. Each thought is an image. Be creative. What does each one look like. Examine each one in great detail. Try to remember every nuance and feature. Which thought does each image represent? Do your best to remember this. In the meantime, your mind is completely still. All thoughts are outside you looking at you or looking at each other. If there are thoughts that you no longer need you can tell each image, each thought that it is no longer welcome in you and that in must leave now. See it leave. Watch it leave until it is really gone. If it tries to come back you can do the same exercise again and again. Thoughts that you want you can allow back into your mind or leave them were they are so that you can reference them later. From now on you will be able to see and deal with thoughts at any time by taking 1 deep breath and letting it out as if you were blowing out a candle.
Now it is time to move on with your day or to go to sleep. Take 6 deep breaths like you did at the beginning of this meditation and then open your eyes. Take a few more deep breaths and take a few moments to re-adjust to your surroundings.
Recommended meditation mp3’s. Meditation 1&2, Letting Go/Surrender
Recommended background music mp3’s. To Touch the Light, Tibetan Memories, Music from the Waves
MINDFULNESS, MEDITATION AND SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY 
I’ve have tried meditating over the years, it is easy you just have to learn how to breath and relax and concentrate. This site is very helpful, thanks
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Hello Mark,
Yes, it can be that simple. You can take it much further if you wish but you can gain a great deal out of meditation with just this practice.
Enjoy relaxing and enjoy your experiences.
Take care,
Jon
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really helpful in worship and also in dealing with daily trouble’s and problems,really soothes the spirit , the minds , and body..thnk ufor sharing this with poeple frm allover/.
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Kindly suggest me meditation for curing Obsession Compulsive Disorder( A mental disease)
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Dear Rajesh,
For OCD I would suggest the second meditation in this series, https://1ness4u.wordpress.com/meditation/getting-beyond-thoughts/. If you would like a guided meditation then I would suggest Meditations 1 & 2, then Letting Go and then Changing Your Beliefs. You can find them at http://www.jonshore.net/inspirationaltapes.html.
Please let me know if you need any further suggestions. Or contact me directly if you wish to discuss this personally.
Take care.
Jon
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I have complex partial seizures at night. Will this mediation help me maintain calmness? Also, if I have a seizure at night, it causes me to loose sleep as I have a difficulty falling back to sleep. Will mediation help with sleep and memory as I loose memory due to the medications taken for Epilepsy.
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Dear Wendy,
If you practice these meditations on a regular basis then the answer to your question is yes. You will learn to maintain calmness. You will need to practice meditation every day at least once a day. It is like getting good at a sport. You need to practice, practice and practice some more. You will need to continue to practice to maintain your expertise.
I cannot promise you that these meditations will help with memory loss due to epilepsy medication. You will just have to see what happens. But they will help you to maintain calmness and help you to sleep. They may have other beneficial effects as well. Just to it.
Let me know your experiences. I am here to support your efforts and your success.
Take care
Jon
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we cant concentrate while we are annoyed with everyone even with god…….so please help me…..
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I actually have several questions. I’ve tried a few different meditations, but the one I keep falling back to, the one that makes me feel the most relaxed and at peace, is the one where I go through my body, starting at my feet and moving up, until I’ve existed solely in each part of it. Once done with that, I keep my entire body in my focus for several minutes, just existing.
Why is this one so effective for me? Should I continue to experiment? Is it okay that I keep returning back to this one, or will I never reach improvement if I continue to limit myself to just this one?
And why does concentrating on my breath frustrate me so? I don’t feel peace or relaxation for long periods when I do that. In fact, I find thoughts jump up more in that meditation than any other. But I LOVE that meditation when used while walking. Concentrating on my breaths and steps together, closing out the world around me, is incredibly relaxing in my stressful day-to-day life. But should I force myself to try this technique when at home doing my twice daily practice?
As you may be able to tell, I’m a beginner and I’d appreciate any advice/comments you’d care to give me. Thank you so much for your time, and I hope everyone is having a wonderful day.
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Dear Kyla,
It sounds like a very interesting meditation exercise. If it is working for you and is comfortable for you it is fine to continue using it. Each of us must find the meditation that fits for us and it sounds as though you have found one that is good for you. It might be interesting to add a little something to your meditation. When you are existing in one part of your body look at all the emotions there and then practice the Dealing with Emotions meditation at this site.
Not everyone likes breathing meditations. They are a bit distracting for me as well. I tend to practice more mindfulness than anything else. I pay minute attention to everything around me and in me and then step back from all of it. You can do this while walking as well. Try it. It is amazing. Then consider who is watching. (Clue: Maybe it is not you.)
You could most certainly try some different meditations to see how they fit for you. There is one that might be most interesting for you, it is called Walking Into the Light and you can download it at, http://www.lightunlimitedpublishing.com/inspirationaltapes.html.
You are doing very well. We are all beginners in the grand scheme of things. 🙂
Take care,
Jon
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I have issues with depression. Unfortunately I’m starting to get really on edge with everything around me and I feel I am becoming a person I know I hate. I want to change for the good but everyday I wake up with no ambition to continue life nor make a difference for myself. I enjoy helping others, but I’m ready to quit avoiding myself and find what is causing pain inside me. What can you recommend for me that will help locate whatever is causing this inside? If I can’t cure, I want to be able to work with it and be okay with living again.. well I guess I’m ready to feel alive. Please get back to me, this article interested me a lot. You seem knowledgeable. Thanks
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Dear Alex,
Yes, I am quite knowledgeable regarding depression. I know it well and intimately. Did you read my article about my experience with depression? https://1ness4u.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/depression-a-spiritual-approach-to-being-free-of-depression/.
Cure is probably not a word I would use regarding depression. There is so much depression in our world that there is always the possibility of being affected by it again at some point. What we can do is to be so aware of what depression/darkness is and who and what we are that we can not be affected by it ever again. A bit like a bright light never being affected by darkness.
So please read the book, Freedom From Suffering, A Spiritual Approach. I have posted it here for free so you can read it online if you like. https://1ness4u.wordpress.com/books/freedom-from-suffering-a-spiritual-approach/. Do each of the steps in the book as if your life depended on it exactly as i have laid them out. This will work. If you would prefer to have a downloaded copy or physical book you can get them at Light Unlimited Publishing. Also work with the mp3, Leaving Behind the Darkness. You can download it at the same place.
As you go through these processes feel free to write to me for support. I will do my best to respond as quickly as I can.
Take care.
Jon
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