Thank you for joining me to explore yoga meditation.
Thank you for committing to this practice that will reach far beyond your cushion.
Meditation Challenge!
If you are planning to join me for our Meditation Challenge March 27-31, you can use this class as a guide to deepen your meditation. It will “up the ante” a little bit as we will be sitting together for ten whole minutes! This challenge time will be your time to explore meditation with support but without explicit guidance/instruction.
Our zoom link for the challenge is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88218246411 and the passcode is surya. We will meet each mornign 7:35-7:45am MT.
In this class, we will a variety of yoga meditation techniques.
This will enable to you learn what styles work best for you. And what styles might work best in certain situations.
Starting with just one minute of meditation on day one, we will gradually grow your practice to about 15 minutes long. This is not because a longer meditation time is necessarily better but so that you can experience a longer meditation in an approachable way and find the length of time that will most benefit you long term.
More important than the length of a practice is the consistency. Even if your time is short, do it every day. This is a cumulative practice and you WILL see the benefit.
I am here as a sounding board, a listener, a cheerleader, and to answer any questions you might have as best I can. Please feel free to contact me, I would love to hear about your practice!
~Marisa
How to Use this Course:
I have laid out the course by day below. Some days will have a video tutorial. Some days will have a yoga practice. ALL days will have meditation. No day will require more than a half hour commitment. Do your very best to practice each day. This will build the habit and build your meditation “muscles.” If you miss a day, just pick it up again the next. Repeat this course or any day as many times as you like. Have questions along the way? Need clarification? Send me an email and ask away!
Setting Up for Success:
Most people find that sticking to a schedule will help to make their practice happen. Are you a morning person? Meditate first thing. Are you a night owl? Meditate after everyone has gone to bed. If your life is extremely busy, I recommend starting with using your bathroom time as your meditation time. No joke, it works!
Make it special. Ritual helps to solidify habit and helps you transition out of doing and into being. Consider lighting a candle or some incense before you practice. Or cradling a fresh cup of tea or your cat. Maybe placing fresh flowers by your meditation spot.
Keep it comfortable. Physically comfortable. So that you look forward to your meditation time. You may need a blanket to stay warm. You may want to experiment with different supports for your posture (more about that later).
Use a timer so that you don’t have to stop your meditation to check the clock.
Practice 1 minute of breath counting meditation. You’ll find instruction there to the right.
Practice TWO minutes of breath counting meditation.
Preparing your body for seated meditation through yoga can make a HUGE difference. Try out the yoga practice you will find here to the right. It is specifically designed to make sitting easier. you may even want to incorporate it into your practice on the regular.
Practice THREE minutes of breath counting meditation.
New meditation today! We are moving from a focus-based meditation (Dharana) to an absorption meditation (Dhyana).
Practice THREE minutes of breath observation meditation.
Practice FOUR minutes of breath observation meditation.
Now that you have practiced sitting meditations for a few days, you may be noticing how your seat could be improved. Check out the video to the right for tips and tricks to make your meditation seat oh-so-comfy.
Practice FIVE minutes of breath observation meditation.
NEW meditation today! You will find instruction to the right here.
Practice FIVE minutes of thought observation meditation.
Practice SIX minutes of thought observation meditation.
Yoga asana practice is not just helpful for preparing the body for practice. It also helps to prepare the mind to settle. Try the yoga practice to the right today and see how it affects your meditation.
Practice SEVEN minutes of thought observation meditation.
NEW meditation today!
Practice SEVEN minutes of thought labeling meditation.
Practice EIGHT minutes of thought labeling meditation.
Practice NINE minutes of thought labeling meditation.
NEW meditation today!
Practice NINE minutes of the Four Parts of Breath meditation.
Practice TEN minutes of the Four Parts of Breath meditation.
Practice ELEVEN minutes of the Four Parts of Breath meditation.
NEW meditation today! And it’s not a sitting meditation 🙂 You will find instruction to the right.
Practice ELEVEN minutes of Walking meditation.
Practice TWELVE minutes of Walking meditation.
Practice THIRTEEN minutes of Walking meditation.
NEW meditation today! Roll out your mat and utilize a yoga flow that connects movement to movement that you like. It can be as simple as Sun Breaths or a Sun Salutation like in the video to the right.
Practice THIRTEEN minutes of Yoga Asana meditation.
Practice FOURTEEN minutes of Yoga Asana meditation.
Practice FIFTEEN minutes of Yoga Asana meditation.
Now it’s your turn to choose your meditation – which of all the meditations we’ve practiced in the last few weeks felt the most comfortable, most approachable? That’s your meditation assignment today.
Practice FIFTEEN minutes.
Your choice of TIME today. Think about how much time felt productive for you as we practiced. Maybe it was 5 minutes, maybe it was 15 minutes. Maybe you wanted to practice longer, yet. That’s your practice time for today! Do the same meditation as yesterday.
Your choice of TIME again today. Think about how much time you think you can reasonably commit each day to your practice from here on out. A minimum amount, cause it’s always ok if you go longer when you have the time.
That amount of time is your practice time today and for the rest of this course. Do the same meditation as yesterday.
Your choice again today! Which meditation was the most challenging for you? Why do you suppose that was? Sometimes, we just don’t connect with a technique. Sometimes, there is something juicy to explore in the challenge.
That challenging one? That’s your meditation assignment today.
Your choice again today! Think back over all our meditations again… which one do you think will serve you best on a daily basis? That’s your meditation assignment today.
All that’s left to do now is keep up the consistency. Same time and same practice (more or less) for the next few weeks and you are golden!
Go for it! And after your practice today, take a moment to let me know what you’ve gained, what you’ve learned. I’d love to know all about your practice. marisa@marisawolfe.com
BONUS!
Here’s a fun meditation I learned from a monk in Thailand. Go ahead and give it a try. It’s a fun one!
Never stop learning and exploring. There are so many different approaches to meditation out there. So many different practices. And we can all learn something from each of them. If you would like some further resources for exploring, let me know, I am happy to make suggestions. And if you would like to explore my other meditation offerings, check out my schedule and home practice courses.
May your practice bring you ease, joy, courage, and maybe even enlightenment.
Namaste. Jai Bhagwan.
~Marisa
