A digest for conscious living
Because I missed my meditation sessions last weekend, I meditated on Monday night in order to catch up on my practice. I then meditated again on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in addition to my morning meditation, and I plan on doing so again tonight. Throughout this week I have definitely sensed a deepened state of awareness and a much more consistent awakened state. My emotional state also feels more solid and peaceful this week than I think it ever has. I had been thinking about meditating twice a day for some time, so now that I have started I feel like it is something I would like to keep up as much as time will allow.
The other night toward the end of my evening meditation, during one of my out breaths I spontaneously allowed the exhaling air to trigger my vocal chords. There was no specific sound that I was intending to create, I just allowed my body to make whatever sound required the least amount of effort. I felt as if I had stumbled on to something, so I repeated this over the course of the next few breaths, and very soon, the sound had turned into a very steady low pitched drone that began to resonate up through my chest cavity and into my head. With my earplugs in, it sounded like a deep fog horn and the feeling of resonance was pleasant and relaxing. I continued allowing my body to make this sound on every exhalation and took on the sound and sensation as my meditation obejects.
I believe that I found some sort of resonance tone for system, because making this sound had a very strong effect on my mind and body. After a few minutes of this kind of breathing, I felt that I had reached a very deep state of concentration, with a slightly different physical feeling than when I am being silent. Its as if the vibrations which were being produced by this sound were resonating at a frequency that was instructing not only my mind, but also my body to relax.
Sometimes, when I meditate, after sitting in the same position for a long time, I begin to get some muscle soreness and stiffness which can distract me. If the discomfort crosses the line to pain and begins preventing me from meditating effectively, I usually change positions, or stretch for a minute before continuing. It feels as if this “mantra” or resonance sound allows me to remain in position longer by somehow relaxing my musculature. I think it encourages my mind and body to release their tension. The muscles in my back and neck which are usually the source of discomfort feel like they settled downward, and sank into just the right state to maintain my posture, without as much tension.
My mental state was also influenced in a very pleasant and profound way by the production of this tone- as if harmony was being restored to my system. I will be incorporating this mantra drone as a part of my meditations from now on to see what new developments this new technique affords my practice.
Goodnight,
Kikta