Can't Meditate? Think Again!

By Jennifer Elizabeth Masters

There are many ways that we self-sabotage our lives, relationships and success. The biggest one is saying, "I can't do ___________ " fill in the blank. We have all done it at one time or another. One of the things that I teach my clients is how to meditate. Why? Because it helps to calm mind chatter, bring a sense of peace, grounding and alleviates depression. 

Deepak Chopra has said that the closest most people have come to meditation is by having sex. Sexual energy is the primal and creative force of the universe flowing through us. Scientists agree that meditation and sex do the same thing to the mind: quiet mind chatter, create mindfulness, alleviate depression, raise awareness, lower stress levels, bring a sense of a dissolving of the ego and the self.

Both sex and meditation bring a blissed out feeling to the mind and body, help us be in the present moment connecting us to our spiritual selves, unless your sex is a 2-minute mindless quickie. Meditating prior to sex can deepen your experience and connect

you profoundly to your partner during sex and beyond. Meditation will increase your confidence, help you with emotional issues and life challenges and bring you deep happiness. From my personal experience, if I am having a challenge, going into meditation will shift my mood, focus and help me feel more positive within minutes. I highly recommend meditation!

If you don't know how to meditate, here are some easy ways that I share with my clients that I coach.

without turning your head up, breath deeply

1. My trick to quiet the mind: sit upright, relax the shoulders, without lifting your head, turn your eyes upward towards the ceiling. Look at the ceiling for two-to-three minutes. Close your eyes and begin your meditation. You can continue to turn your eyeballs upward under your closed lids to further quiet your mind. 
2. Breathe in slowly. Exhale slowly. Many meditation teachers recommend that you follow your breath. I had a difficult time with this one. I suggest slowing the breath and being aware of it. Slow inhalation. Slow exhalation. 
3. Bring your focus to your heart. Most people begin to meditate from their minds which is problematic due to the mind chatter. We want to get into our heart center. There are several ways to get into your heart. You can begin noticing your feet and the energy in your feet. Slowly focus on your ankles and their energy of aliveness. Move up to your calves, noticing the energy there. Move upward into your thighs, then abdomen and fall backward into your heart chakras in the center of your chest. Meditating from your heart will connect you to your High Self and your Divine. Gradually, you will find it progressively easier to get into your heart with greater speed. Speed isn't the focus however. Be patient with yourself. It will get so much easier the more you practice.
4. Using a mantra (several are listed below) repeat the mantra in your mind. Yes, you can say the mantra out loud, but gurus from India have told me that it is much more profound to repeat the mantra silently. I agree. You can count the number of times you repeat the mantra silently with mala beads. I use 108 repetitions, although I often go off into oblivion and lose track, which is the point of meditation. Don't drive yourself crazy counting. It removes you from the moment and takes your mind away from the bliss and purpose of meditation, quieting the mind.
5. Without a mantra, you can just sit upright in silence and turn your focus inward. When I first began meditation I thought it was more spiritual to be out of your body - it isn't. Quite the opposite. When we are out of the body we are running away from ourselves. The point of being your own guru is to be focused inward. Go inside Grasshopper!
6. Meditate in the morning before you leave for work or begin your day. When you do, you will find that you are more focused, calm, positive and happy. Meditate before sex for a more profound experience for both of you (or one of you, whichever the case may be).
7. Always meditate sitting up. Meditation is not prayer. Prayer is asking or giving gratitude. Meditation is an opportunity for the Universe, God, The Divine to speak to you. The more meditation you do, the better connection you will have, the more insight that shows up in your life, the better your life becomes.
8. Meditation is not work. Meditation is a profound connection with your high self, Source energy (God/The Divine/The Universe) all that is. 
9. Always notice as you sit down to meditate that you are upright, centered and relaxed. Relax your shoulders some more because I see them up around your ears. Relax! If you can't seem to get centered, remember to focus on slowly inhaling and exhaling. 
10. My animals know when it is time for me to meditate. They line up waiting to sit with me because they love the energy. If
    
    animals feel it, think of what it can do for you!

Mantras

A mantra is a phrase that is repeated either out loud or silently. You can repeat a phrase all day long in the background of your mind to remove negative programming. I did it for over 8 years. It works! A mantra that is positive, life affirming and spiritually grounded will help you shift negative thinking and your energy. Here are a few that I have used and love:

1. I LOVE ME!
2. THE UNIVERSE LOVES ME.
3. I AM LOVE.
4. I AM WHOLE, PERFECT, STRONG, LOVING HARMONIOUS AND HAPPY.
5. THE LIGHT OF THE DIVINE INSIDE ME LOVES ME.
6. I AM THE LIGHT OF THE DIVINE INSIDE ME.
7. The Moola Mantra (see video)
8. The Gayatri Mantra (wonderful used by Hindu people for enlightenment) shifts your energy beautifully.

I just taped a fabulous show on BBS with Linzi Levinson, yesterday about the dissection of an orgasm and how meditation and sex do the same thing for the body and mind. These two shows will air in August, 2015. I invite you to check out Linzi's radio show and the archives, as I have been interviewed by her many times. Linzi and I have great chemistry together and she brings out the best in me on the air. 

Jennifer Elizabeth Masters shares what she has learned on her own journey. From low self-esteem, codependency, addictions, depression, anxiety, chaos, drama, depression, illness to breast cancer. Jennifer has overcome it all. She helps you clear and process emotions effectively so that you don't continue to attract drama, addictive personalities or cheating. 

Check out her books on Amazon and schedule your discovery session to see if her work is a good fit for you.