MEDITATION

About this page:

This is where you’ll find meditation recordings, which you can listen to directly or download, from Caroline Durr. For more about Caroline, scroll to the bottom of this page.

Meditation Week 1 Description – Body Posture and Breath:

The goal of this week’s meditation is to create a relaxed nervous system. We can accomplish this by:

Body Posture – Having a sitting posture with a straight spine helps our nervous system relax. Gravity helps to connect us with our body and relax with the least amount of effort. Sitting with palms up and open reminds the body to be open. You can also do this meditation lying down, but it is recommended to be sitting when able.

Breath – Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth helps the body to feel safe and relaxed. Vocalizing a soft AAAA sound lets the nervous system relax. Use counting 1-10 to help you focus. Count 1 for the breath coming into the nose, count 2 for the breath going out the mouth, count 3 for the breath coming into the nose, count 4 for the breath going out the mouth….

Body Awareness – Starting with your feet and moving from one body section at a time to the top of your head scan through your body noticing any sensations.

Mind Set- Visualize light-energy coming in through the top of your head and through your body one part at a time. Create a mind set by using the statements: I am open, I am curious, all is welcome, I don’t know…. Bring in gratitude and compassion. Asking- What does compassion feel like?

Practice this sitting technique each day in the morning and at night. You can practice for 5 minutes or 30 minutes. Try to bring this practice into your day while driving, eating, walking….

Meditation Week 2 Description- Minding the Mind

The goal of this week’s meditation is to develop an Awareness of our mind’s thoughts. We can
accomplish this by:
Ideas to Consider:

  • We have a mind that wants to process, analyze, predict what has happened, is happening or going to happen. Its job is to keep us safe.
  • There is a part of you that thinks you are the thoughts.
  • There is a part of you that is Aware of the thoughts. This is called The Observer or The Witness.
  • Not all thoughts (or feelings) are yours. Thoughts and feelings from the field or the collective can enter our mind.
  • The Awareness of our bodies’ sensations connects us to our higher Consciousness.
  • We can feel and experience the difference of being engaged with the thoughts and observing them.
  • You don’t have to get rid of the thoughts, you just don’t want to engage with them.
  • Being Aware takes commitment, practice and discipline.

Techniques to interrupt the thought and not get carried away by it:

  • Bring your attention back to the breath, the counting, feeling body sensations or a mantra such as “I am open.”
  • Use a visualization of putting the thought into a bubble and allowing it to float away or popping it, or allowing the breeze to carry it away without following it.
  • Give the thought a name such as, “oh that is an image, oh that is a conversation, that is a worry…”

The Practice:
The meditation is the same as week 1 including: body posture, breath, feeling into your body and using messages (mantra) and counting to stay focused and bring in new thoughts/ideas while developing an Awareness of Awareness.

Meditation Week 3 Description – Bring in More

The goal of this week’s meditation is to continue working on noticing the mind/thoughts and adding to the meditation qualities you wish to bring more of into your body/life.

Ideas to Consider:

  • We are not in control of life. We have choices. 
  • We can be thoughtful/conscious about aligning our choices with our highest values.
  • Everything is here to help you be present with what is. The more we accept what is, the more we  align with the flow of life. Then we take our next steps from this place of center.
  • The more we are Aware of our mind’s chatter, the more we can see patterns and the more opportunity to consider what thoughts we want to follow and what thoughts we do not.
  • You can move stuck emotions when you bring in more of a higher frequency such as peace….
  • Noticing, feeling and being curious about the sensations in the body (whether the feeling is sadness or peace), and being open to what is continues to be the key to this meditation.

The Practice: 

The meditation is the same as week 1 and 2 including: body posture, breath, feeling into your body’s sensations, using messages and counting to stay focused. Also continuing to pay attention to the wandering mind, gently bringing it back if distracted. 

Adding to this week’s meditation practice you will visualize bringing more in through the top of your head energies such as peace, curiosity, ease, and love and light. These are frequencies that you already have inside you and outside of you.

Meditation Week 4 – Strategies for Bringing in More

The goal of this week’s meditation is to continue to develop a relationship with your mind and body. Remembering that whatever is, is your Path unfolding with your awareness or not. The more aware we are, the more we can make choices that align with our hearts desires, our values and who we truly are. We can use strategies to bring in a quality such as love, peace, openness, courage… that we want more of in our day.

Techniques:

You can use the phrase “I belong with ________ and _________ belongs with me.”  Put in a quality such as curiosity, safety, love, gratitude, generosity, abundance… Bringing them into the top of your head and allowing them to fill your cells, and your whole body. 

You can use the infinity symbol (figure 8) to bring one quality into the top of your head and from there follow the pattern around the left side of your upper body, crossing through your heart, traveling to the bottom of the right side of your body, down around your lower torso or feet, back up the left side of your lower body, crossing through your heart, and up the right side of your upper body back to the top of the head.  Repeat this pattern over and over, going at a pace that feels right, pausing when you feel the need/desire to. 

Ideas to Consider:

  • When you are sitting, focus on bringing in only one quality during that sit. The mind may want to bring in a bunch of them, but this is just the mind wanting what it wants (which is everything and then it is never enough). 
  • With your intention you want to connect the quality to the heart/body, the feeling and its frequency.
  • Feel the quality in your body. Can you feel it in a place?  Does it have an image, color, shape, texture? Allow whatever comes up to be present, you don’t have to create it you are just noticing what is.This feeling/visualization will become more vivid with time and practice.
  • You are beginning to feel a connection with your body and mind. Learning more about yourself through these relationships. 
  • Keep a curious mind set so you are open to the wisdom the Universe is bringing you (which is whatever is). Have fun and play in this creative space. You can even journal, write poetry or draw the quality.

The Practice:

The meditation is the same as the previous weeks including: body posture, breath, feeling into your body’s sensations, using messages and counting to stay focused. Also continuing to pay attention to the wandering mind, gently bringing it back if distracted. 

Adding to this week’s meditation, practice one of the techniques- visualizing bringing in one quality through the top of your head energies such as peace, curiosity, ease, and love and light. You may like one technique better than another, such as visual learning may like the infinity symbol and auditory/verbal learners may like the “I belong with…” technique.

Advanced Meditation- Bring in More Health

If you’ve been practicing weeks 1 – 4 meditations, you are ready to do a meditation to bring in more health.

Advanced Mediation- Healing

If you’ve been practicing weeks 1 – 4 meditations, you are ready to do a meditation for healing.

Advanced Meditation- Befriending the Ego

If you’ve been practicing weeks 1 – 4 mediations, you are ready to think about the relationship you have with your ego.

About Caroline:

Caroline has been a practitioner of Tai Chi, Yoga and Meditation for over 20 years. She has also studied nature and our connection to the natural world for over 30 years. Bringing these mind, body and nature energies into harmony for daily living has been the focus. Working with teens for her whole career she uses these techniques to help ground and raise awareness of choices with her students. Recently retired, she has a desire to bring these life-changing awareness techniques to others.

Meditation to Transformation Practice Description:

Meditation is best when used daily while living our lives. The techniques taught in this class will start with raising your awareness of mind/body/breath connection. We will use these techniques and instructions to move our energy and Essence to bring IN the wholeness of who you truly are instead of focusing on letting go of who you aren’t. As you bring in your truth, what is not your truth naturally moves and transforms. This creates a life changing shift in perspective from the inside (your beliefs) to the outside actions you take to create the life you desire.

Each weekly meditation builds a new skill onto the previous week. The recommendation is to practice these techniques each day, morning, noon or night for a week or longer before moving on to the next week. As you gain comfort and skill, bring them into your daily life such as when walking, eating, cooking, driving, talking with people…. Also, as you advance in the practice you will have questions and getting clarification can help keep the mind from making the techniques too complicated.

Contact Information:

Please feel free to email me at: carolinedurr1@gmail.com with any questions or comments. I would love to hear from you.