1. If falling asleep in meditation is a problem for you, try the following technique. With your eyes closed, imagine that you are in a room that exists inside your mind, directly behind your eyes. Involve as many senses as possible (i.e.: plush chair, fireplace, fragrant flowers in a colorful vase, your favorite music, a refreshing beverage, colorful accouterments for the room). The idea is to feel as if you are actually present in this room you have created. Imagine a sturdy floor beneath you. The sturdy floor is a very important feature to help prevent you from falling asleep. You can add a rug if you wish. Imagine that you are sitting in front of a blank movie screen or a TV screen. Then just keep renewing your sensory involvement with the room you created while you await messages from your spirit helpers to appear on the screen before you. Messages may be in the form of written words or pictures. Every aspect of this exercise is designed to help prevent you from falling asleep during meditation (assuming you have not recently shortened your normal sleeping periods). This meditation technique has been quite successful for many.
2. If you are one of the many who frequently cannot visualize during meditation, then experiment with the exercise I call “accessing your memory of body feelings.” First, close your eyes. Then focus on remembering what it felt like to be riding a bike, walking through a park, holding a warm fuzzy pet, dancing, or even working in a garden. Do not watch yourself doing it. Get back into it as if you were there again. If you remember walking in a lovely park, perhaps you can recall the sensation of your arms
swinging back and forth – the sensation of the soft earth beneath your feet – the slight backache you had at the time – the feelings of wind or sun on your skin. Simply imagine you are doing it again. If you persist long enough with this way of remembering, it is very likely that your meditation will be enhanced with some visuals. The act of remembering the experiences of your body during a previous activity can create a meditation complete with images.
3. Whether you are a novice or a veteran meditator, perhaps you are distracted during meditation by sounds of life around you.. You can get past this by repeating during meditation, “All external sounds compel me to strengthen by concentration within.” Or try “External sounds begin to fade as I concentrate within.”
4. Vocalize a divine name that brings you inner calm. Repetition of a name for God in any language can help you develop the capacity to focus and concentrate more effectively in meditation.
<em>If you would like a list of suggested names, e-mail: Debby</em>