QUIET MEDITATION

"This was a meditation fit for a Marine by Vanessa Gregory" -Men's Journal


The Marines engaged in a form of secular meditation called "mindfulness", which is characterized by paying attention to the present. A beginners exercise, for example, involved paying attention to concentrating on an area of contact between the body and whatever it is touching, like a chair for about 5 minutes. Wherever their minds wandered, the Marines were instructed to refocus. Even placing your attention to the sounds around you can put you in an altered state for relaxation.

Meditation improves concentration, zaps stress, increases memory, and promotes healthy restful sleep.

Here are a few exercises to get you started:

Boost concentration (5 minutes)
While sitting, use your hands to find tension in your brow, jaw, neck, and shoulders. Spend a half a minute or so trying to release it by rubbing the tension with your hands and relaxing the tightness in your mind. Then focus on the contact points between your body and the chair. Focus on the point where the pressure is greatest. Whenever your attention wanders, refocus it on that contact point, thinking about nothing else.

Relieve Stress (10 minutes)
Again, start by focusing on a contact point between your body and a chair. Then, switch your attention to a single sound. It could be traffic outside, or even something quiet like the hum of a computer. Alternate between the contact point and sound at a slow, steady pace. This will free your mind from stress. End the exercise by returning to the contact point, then slowly widen your focus outward to the rest of your body.

Induce Sleep (15 minutes)
This exercise should be done right before bedtime, either in a chair or lying down. Wiggle and flex your toes. Focus on the sensations in your feet. Pause, and continue to observe any feeling in your feet. Continue this pattern of flexing and resting sequentially throughout your body: ankles, knees, hips, fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck jaw and eye sockets. Soldiers found this exercise to greatly improve sleep.