Monday Meditations Part 5: Hindrance Meditation
May 25, 2009 by dr. lam · 2 Comments
Many of our meditative thoughts drift to our concerns and our fears. We cannot stay centered very well because we tend to start to let our worries consume us and we are propelled back to our daily anxieties. This exercise allows us to see what our hindrances are and confront them in a meditative and non-judgmental way. As we start this exercise like all meditations so far, we begin with a grounding in our breath. We focus on the nature and quality of our breathing before we proceed. As our mind naturally begins to drift toward a hindrance or an encumbrance in our life, we center that thought into our mind and allow it to float in front of us. We relinquish our judgment of that thought and let the fear and anxiety that typically surrounds it go and we replace those emotions with love, peace, and acceptance. As further hindrances enter our mind and our spirit we continue to allow those thoughts to mature and to float but we withhold negative ruminations and prejudices about our perceived hindrance. We allow us to see ourselves overcoming our hindrance and allowing us to go beyond the limitations of this hindrance. We allow ourselves to move forward without perturbation or restriction. We begin to see the hindrance no longer as a hindrance but just as, i.e., just let it be. When we have “overcome” or accepted these hindrances, we return back to our centered breathing and end with a focus on the breath. Here is a video guide to help you with this exercise. Wishing you and your family a blessed Memorial Day weekend. Namaste.
Monday Meditations Part 4: Walking Meditation
May 18, 2009 by dr. lam · 5 Comments
Many of us Type A/high-strung individuals cannot meditate sitting still. Our bodies become agitated and our minds begin to wander easily. We need movement and stimulation to keep us centered. This exercise allows our bodies to flow so that our mind can remain centered. We permit our mind to focus on the activity of walking so that we have a grounding and a focus for our thoughts.
Start with either bare feet or stockinged/socked feet so that you can feel the ground under you. Plan a path where you will be walking either in nature or indoors. Even if the path is relatively short, you can traverse this distance and redouble on your tracks without a problem. Just plan your path out in advance so that you don’t need to worry about where you will be going.
As you begin the exercise, remember to start with the fundamental of your breath. Focus on the rhythm of your breathing and allowing yourself to breathe more quickly or more slowly depending on your body’s needs. As you breathe, enjoy the rich breath that is giving you nourishment and life. Then start to focus on your legs and toes as you walk over the terrain and enjoy the feeling of the ground under your feet and the related sensations. As you walk, enjoy the feeling of walking. If your mind wanders, bring it back to the focus of walking and the feeling of the air against your face if you are outside and the sounds around you or if you are inside just stay centered on your breathing and walking. As you conclude the exercise, return your thoughts back to your breathing and finish with your breath meditation.
Here is a video guide to help you with this meditation. Namaste.
Monday Meditations Part 2: Hatha Yoga
May 4, 2009 by dr. lam · 4 Comments
Hatha yoga is a discipline that focuses on the movement of the mind rather than the body. As most of you know, I started doing yoga several times a week about 3 months ago, and it is one of the best things that I could do for my body and mind. Hatha yoga focuses on using your mind to relax and control your body. It is also known as the “body scan” technique since you use your mind to wash over each part of your body one at a time. It is a powerful exercise and one of my favorites if not my favorite.
When I encounter nervous patients, I use this exercise as the middle of 3 as I need to. I start with the breathing exercise and call it quits there if that is sufficient to get someone relaxed. If not, I move onward to the body scan to help them relax each part of their body going from one muscle group to another. I then work with them on a visualization exercise if they need it. I think some of you remember the beach visualization exercise I did. I actually helped another patient of mine who was a professional ballet dancer in youth return to her days of glory on stage through this exercise. Okay, that is another meditation so let’s return to our hatha yoga exercise.
With this meditation, you can either stay seated or you can be fully recumbent (just don’t fall asleep!). If you are in a cool place, make sure that you have blankets or whatever you need to make sure you stay comfortable and warm during the meditation. The video I shot will help guide you in this exercise but for those who cannot watch the video or choose not to do so, let me summarize what I would like you to do.
First, calm your breathing and focus again on the primal breath. Allow yourself a minute or two to just focus on the breath and your breathing, naming each breath as it goes in and out. Then center your mind on each of the following body parts. Begin on your forehead and allow yourself to sweep your mind back and forth over each body part and allow yourself to start to relax your muscle and let go of the tension. Repeat that same exercise as you move from your forehead to your nose, left cheek, right cheek, jaw (let your jaw go lax), neck, spine, right shoulder, right arm, right fingers, left shoulder, left arm, left fingers, chest muscles, abdomen, pelvis, right thigh, right leg, right toes, left thigh, left leg, and then left toes. Bring your focus back to your breathing as you finish your meditation.
Namaste.
Monday Meditations Part 1: Breath Meditation
April 27, 2009 by dr. lam · 11 Comments
I have now included a daily meditation into my ritual, and I thought I would share it with you. We will explore each Monday a new meditation to start the week and which would be great for those who are interested to continue that meditation forward throughout the week. As you can see, I have not put a total number of parts as I usually would do because I simply do not know how many meditations I will create. We’ll let that be an organic process.
Perhaps before we start we have to establish what is meditation and why do it. Meditation is not what you do when you are asleep. Instead, you are fully awake, preferably in a seated position where your mind is intensely focused but also at ease. Your eyes may be closed or open depending on the exercise but for most of these, they will be shut. Meditation is a combination of concentration (focus) and mindfulness (awareness and presence). The question is why bother? Is it just a waste of time? I truly believe not.
Meditation can calm one’s jittered nerves, lower blood pressure, aid in digestion, and clear the mind. It can set the intention for the day and the week so that you begin your day in such a way that you are setting your mind forward in the right direction. You guide your unconscious thoughts in a direction that you want to take them. That is a rather appropriate comment considering that we will be exploring the unconscious over the next 2 months only punctuated by these Monday Meditations. This week we will do a short series that I think all of you need to know about, but you will see what it is tomorrow.
The best way to meditate is to find the same time each day (many prefer the morning to set their intention for the entire day but also many prefer late afternoon or evening or bedtime. It does not matter) that way it becomes integrated into your ritual. I prefer morning before I go to work. In an ideal world, it is recommended to meditate 45 minutes to an hour. For me, that is simply not feasible. I only meditate about 10 minutes a day. It is also recommended that you find the same place, preferably an area that you will not be easily disturbed. You can even set a timer so that you fulfill your time obligation without peeking at how much time you have already spent.
I will try to accompany most of these meditation exercises with a video in which I help guide you in your meditation. Today’s video and exercise involves the most fundamental of all meditation exercises which is a focus on your breath and breathing. You should be only mindful of your breathing, both the inhalation and the exhalation. I have used this fundamental exercise to calm my nervous patients before procedures, after procedures, as well as whenever I can sense that life has gotten them in a wrangled knot. Try to set a time aside to engage in meditation, maybe even 3 times a week. It will help you in your personal growth and desire to achieve a deeper sense of inner peace. Namaste.
Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life Part 4 of 20: Living an Unhurried Life
April 2, 2009 by dr. lam · 10 Comments
The 15th Verse:
The ancient masters were profound and subtle.
Their wisdom was unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it.
One can only describe them vaguely by their appearance.
Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream.
Alert, like men aware of danger.
Simple as uncarved wood.
Hollow like caves.
Yielding, like ice about to melt.
Amorphous, like muddy water.
But the muddied water clears
as it is stilled.
And out of that stillness
life arises.
He who keeps the Tao does not want to be full.
But precisely because he is never full,
he can remain like a hidden sprout
and does not rush to early ripening.
I chose to review this verse because I believe it encapsulates many of the teachings that we have explored over these many months together. In particular, Tolle’s The Power of Now is fully at play here. I am reminded that when I am with a patient, I am fully engaged. I do not think about the next patient but about the person in front of me whether I am in surgery or in consultation or in a postop setting. I really ultimately love people, and I live in the here and now.
When I am done with my day and go home, I sometimes let too many thoughts encircle me. What am I doing tomorrow? What things should I do to promote my business? How are my staff doing? What blog should I write for next week? Obviously, what the Tao is focused on is two things at one time: stillness and awareness. It is living The Power of Now.
It is a focus on being like “the hollow of the cave” or an “uncarved wood” that are in a state of active readiness to be fulfilled. Many times we try to force our destiny upon us and work too hard to get what we want instead of letting it come to us. Remember that we can dream and dream big and work toward that dream. But when we focus so much on that dream that it causes us to act and react, question ourselves, create anxiety and fear, then we are not allowing the dream to come to us but we are blindly and maniacally chasing that dream. Sometimes if we keep quiet and remain still, we can attain a deeper focus and many things will come to us without even forcing it. Today try to remain at peace and calm and not stare at the future with uncertainty and fear but look quietly within for inner strength, conviction, and joy. Take 10 minutes in quiet meditation and listen and feel the world immediately around you.