Meditation Lesson 4: Bringing It All Together
Lesson Plan
Welcome to Meditation Lesson 4: Bringing It All Together.
For this lesson, completing the workbook entries for Lesson 2 and Lesson 3, while not mandatory, is highly recommended, as the lesson builds on the knowledge and experience gained in these lessons. A specific meditation technique which can be used as an aid for dreaming, lucid dreaming or recall will be covered. The technique involves the use of both void meditation and focal meditation. The workbook entry for this lesson will involve building up a routine of practicing this technique, and the ultimate goal will be to practice every day, either before sleeping, or immediately after waking up.
Recap
Lesson 1 covered the basics of meditation - what meditation is, and the advantages of meditation - and two specific types of meditation were introduced; void meditation and focal meditation. Void meditation and focal meditation were covered in lessons 2 and 3, and techniques for performing these were described in detail.
Void meditation is the clearing of the mind to achieve a more peaceful state of mindfulness. Deeper states of void meditation can provide an insight to the inner self. Focal meditation involves focusing on something and clearing the mind of anything but that focal object. The focal object can be a physical object, or it can be something more abstract, like a sound, smell or emotion.
Combined Technique
The technique I'm going to cover combines both void meditation and focal meditation to relax the mind, improve awareness and focus, and also help with doing a mantra.
- Focal Meditation.
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The first part of the technique is a 5-10 minute breathing session, just focusing on your breaths and trying to count them without losing track, until you can count to 30 or so without getting distracted. If you have trouble with this part, then read over the first part of the void meditation and focal meditation techniques, as it's the same. Effectively this step is just a disguised form of focal meditation, and the focal object you are using is your breath.
- Void Meditation.
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When you feel sufficiently relaxed enough to proceed, you should start void meditation. There's not much to comment on here, because the bulk of void meditation was covered in Lesson 2: Void Meditation. When to transition from this step to the next, is basically up to you. If you've practiced void meditation a bit already, then you should be starting to get a feel for it, and at some point you will feel like your mind is still and ready to be influenced.
- Focal Meditation.
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Once you're ready to move from void meditation to the final stage, begin meditating with focal meditation. Don't use a physical focal object though; meditate on a mantra or something similar. For example, you could repeat to yourself "I will remember my dreams tonight" or "I am going to have a lucid dream". This is really useful for those who want to improve their recall or have a MILD (mnemonic induced lucid dream), because the mantra will stick in your head very well while you're in the deep state of meditation. Of course, the mantra is only really useful if you're meditating before you go to sleep.
If you're meditating just after waking up, you will most likely be trying to remember a dream that you had. You should focus on anything that you can remember about the dream, even if it's just an idea in your head. As you focus more on the dream, you may remember more about it, and start to remember details. You may also have woken up from a disturbing dream or a nightmare, in which case you may need some time to figure out what's going on inside your head. You should try to focus on the dream, and see if you can notice details which may have some significance in your life.
What sets this technique aside from using a regular mantra, or just sitting still while trying to recall your dreams, is that the heightened state of awareness allows you to keep something in your mind much more easily when your mind is clear.
Meditation Schedule
I had originally intended to provide instructions for building up a meditation schedule in this lesson. However, taking all factors into account, I have decided instead to do a Question & Answer session using the DreamViews Chat. The session will at around 00:00 GMT (midnight), and it'll go on for as long as necessary until either people have no more questions, or until I have to go to sleep (which would be several hours later), and it'll take place on Wednesday 29th June. The session will be oriented around questions about building up a meditation schedule, but any general meditation questions are welcome after all the questions regarding schedules have been answered.
If you're unable to make the Q&A session, don't worry, because I'll be available nearly every day in the DreamViews Chat to answer your questions. If you have never used the Chat before, here are instructions on how to connect. Click the button at the top of this page, labelled Chat. It should be beside the "Dream Tube" button in the site navigation bar. Then, enter your username and password for DV, and then you'll be in. If you're coming to the Q&A session, after you join the main Chat, type this into the input box: "/join #DVA". At the top of the Chat window, you should now see two tabs; #DV and #DVA. To switch to the DVA channel, click #DVA. If you have any trouble getting into #DVA, feel free to ask someone in #DV for help.
Meditation Workbook
Each lesson, optional homework is given to be completed in your workbook. If you do not already have a workbook, you should create a new thread in the Meditation class sub-forum. If your forum name is Zebrah for example, your workbook title should be as follows, or similar: "Zebrah's Meditation Workbook".
The final workbook entry is simply this. Try out the technique covered in this lesson, and report back on your progress, even if you're unsuccessful. Also, it would be great if you could report back on whether you get better recall, or have any lucid dreams, because that will help me make improvements, if any, to the class in the future. If this is the the last thing you read about meditation, keep practicing it and don't lose motivation, just like lucid dreaming. Meditation really improves your quality of life, and you will feel much better for it.
If you've got any questions about this lesson, or you need something clarified, feel free to send me a PM (private message), or post the question in your Meditation Workbook thread. I don't claim to know everything about meditation, so don't shoot me if I don't know!
ShockWave.
