#1, #2, #3, #4, Advanced addition, and Water Meditation.

There is within us

A way

A path of destiny

This is the path of our highest goals

Our purest values

Our most worthy ambitions

To walk this path is not easy

And yet it is the easiest way

To stay on this path takes tremendous efforts

And yet it is the most harmonious and balanced of labors

To understand the way

Is to be enlightened and freed

With each step forward on the path

The end seems to move even further away

So as we walk the moment of our destinies

The goal is to be within the moment

As each moment becomes the same

It becomes the Eternal 'now' of our existence

Centered in the Infinite forever

From: ''The Book of Catwalker''

MEDITATION EXERCISE #1... 4-6-98

We will call this exercise "The Glass and Sand" technique. It is a visualization and breathing exercise.

Meditation is the attempt to "Focus" and "Clear" the mind. Upon achieving focus and clarity of mind, then cultivating precision and direction of "Intent". In other words, clearing the mind and then developing precise direction and focus of intended thinking. It is training the mind to be more aware, to think more clearly and deeply with or without the aid of conceptual images, words, sounds, or any of the 5 senses. Cultivating "Intent", which is the pre-cursor and/or the end result of conceptual thinking, we can reach a mental state of "Silent Doing", "Intentful Action", or "Intentful non-Action". Cultivating more concentration and clarity of mental focus over a longer period of time. Developing a deep quality of powerful thinking.

Meditation relieves stress and tension in the body and mind. Breathing properly distributes fresh "Chi" (Qi), living life force energy to each cell of the body, facilitating a healthier body and mind.

In the moment, to become open and clear, perfectly centered, beyond thought, connected, conscious consciousness of the totality encompassed in that moment. A "Personal Being" awake and alive in the moment of the here and now in the living and growing universe.

Relax now, and we will begin our first adventure into the mind and body.

Sit or lie in a comfortable place that is pleasing to you. A surrounding that makes you feel good. By a stream, in your bedroom, in a special room, on a mountain top, or anywhere you will be undisturbed for a few minutes. Let your hands be relaxed in your lap, left on top of right, palms facing upward, or one hand on each leg palms facing up with first and second finger and thumb tips gently touching each other. Sit or lie down (If you lie down put your hands one on top of the other palms down, on your "Center") so you can breathe as easily as possible. The hands and fingers are a part of the energy intake, and energy outlet of the body. I will explain the reason behind the hand positioning later on this site.

The spine, neck and head should be as naturally straight as possible. Be comfortable and relaxed breathing deep and easy. Let the tongue touch the top of your mouth behind the top front teeth. Breathe only through the nose. If you have trouble breathing through the nose let your lips be parted slightly and breathe through both the nose and mouth.

Relax. Take a deep breath slowly in through the nose and down to the physical "Center" (approx. an inch and a half below the navel). Imagine it, feel it happen, feel the quality of the air as it moves in and out of the body. Let the air be gently pushed back up from the center, through the throat and nose and out of the body. Breathe in, then out, slow and deep.

Now use the mind and visualize a large clear glass of very fresh cold water. The glass also has some sand in the bottom of it. The sand is very fine and just thinking about it stirs it up. Now the glass of cold water is clouded with all of this very fine sand. You can see it in your mind, just imagine it.

Be relaxed and breathe slow and deep as you watch the very fine sand slowly sink back to the bottom of the glass of water. Slowly it will clear as the fine sand sinks back to its resting place on the bottom of the glass of water. The clearer the water becomes the more slowly and deeply you will breathe and the more relaxed your body will become.

If you become distracted for any reason. Your nose itches, thoughts, visual images in the mind, you hear sounds, or whatever, be aware of them and then let them go. Use the breathing as an anchor if you "space out". Come back to feeling the breath go in and out of the body, and then return to the glass of water and sand. 10 to 20 minutes to start out is enough time for this exercise.

Have fun and breathe deep, be "Centered", and relax.

"Helpful Hints" to add to your life:

Try saying to yourself within the mind, "Reeeeee", on the intake of the breath, and "Laxxxxxsssss", with the outlet of the breath. Do it in the mind to relax, center, and rejuvenate yourself at any time and any place. To be "relaxed" is to let energy flow unobstructed through-out the body. A lot more powerful way to go through the day, your energies flowing freely, giving you strength of body and mind.

MEDITATION EXERCISE #2... 4-13-98

This exercise will be called "Center Breathing". Breathing techniques are one of the most powerful and simple tools in meditation.

To breathe into and out of the physical "Center" we first must find the physical center. In every exercise I have studied the physical center is said to be located about 11/2 inches below the navel. It can be felt, if cultivated, to the depth of almost 2 inches inside of the body. With practice and in time, the area of the physical center can feel powerful and full of energy. In the "Internal martial arts" the center is where all power originates. Ever watch the skaters move? Each move is powered from the center and the upper body is relaxed so that energy will move through the body freely. Breathing is done from the center for control and the cultivation of energy.

T'ai Chi Ch'uan 'form' has been called moving meditation. It has all the ingredients of static meditation (sitting meditation), plus the added benefits of being forced to stay mentally focused in the body. As energy is where the mind is focused, this is an added benefit of moving meditation. It is hard to 'space out' or become distracted if each movement of moving meditation is the total focus and objective of the minds endeavor. Dancing can be another form of moving meditation. Many physical practices can be made into moving meditation.

Proper breathing and posture is a major part of all types of "Centered Breathing" exercises. Whether it is static or moving meditations.

We will work on sitting, or static, "Center Breathing" in this exercise.

As with exercise #1 on the front page of this site, sit or lie in a comfortable and pleasing surroundings. Hands, spine, neck and head in the positions described in exercise #1.

A good way to start is to actually touch your center with the fingertips of both hands for a moment or two. Then put the hands into the position you have chosen for them and continue the exercise.

When you are ready take one big breath into the body through the nose. Pull the breath into the body from the physical center. Imagine it, and feel it happen. Now blow this first breath out through the mouth hard. Do this twice more. Each breath blown out hard should feel as if it is being pushed up from the center. Pull the breath into the center, and push each breath out and up from the center.

Now you are clear of stagnant air in the body and ready to begin the exercise. All breathing from this point on will be slow and deep. Breathing through the nose only. The tongue on the roof of the mouth and behind the top front teeth. This creates an energy circuit in the body which travels down the front of the body and up the spine to the top of the head and then back down the front again. Each slow, deep and even breath helps move the energy through the circuit created inside of the body. As you move the energy through-out the body's circuit with each breath, focus on the breath and the feeling it has moving into and out of the body. Feel the air as it moves through the nose and down through the throat and into the depth of the body. Imagine it being pulled ever so slowly and gently down into the physical center, and then up from the center through the throat and out the nose. The body is totally relaxed.

You are now sitting in a very relaxed position with the spine, neck and head in as naturally a straight line as possible without strain. Breathing is slow and even, relaxed and deep. Breathe into the center and then out from the center. Focusing on the "Feeling" the breath has as it moves in and out of the body. If you 'space out' or become distracted come back to the feeling of the breath moving into and out of the body. The mind should get to a point of clarity which some call the "Silence" of the mind. A place to relax the mind and stay clear with no thoughts, or to think very powerfully on anything you focus the mind on.

If you haven't read Exercise #1 yet check it out for added information which will help with this exercise. Try doing this exercise from 10 to 20 minutes at first.

MEDITATION EXERCISE #3... "Energizing the Center" is an addition to exercise #2... 4-19-98

If you feel like exercise #2 is working for you and you'd like to expand it, then this addition is something you might like to try.

After cultivating exercise #2 for a few minutes and you feel relaxed, and clear-minded. Try this simple addition as the next step in the exercise.

You have been breathing into and out of the physical "Center". Now imagine a glowing ball of energy about the size of a golf ball located at the physical center. With each breath into the center imagine the little ball of energy growing brighter. Feel it grow more intense as it grows brighter. With each exhalation of breath imagine the energy from the little ball you are creating release itself into each cell of the body. Feel it happen. Imagine it happening.

As each cell receives this living, healing, life force energy, you are able to feel your body relax even more as it recharges and rejuvenates each and every cell of the body.

Inhale into the center and feel the ball grow and glow brighter. Exhale from the center and feel the energy released into each cell within the body. Imagine it happening, feel it with the mind. Your body will tingle with a pleasant feeling within a few minutes of practicing this exercise.

Try this as an addition to exercise #2 and enjoy the refreshing feeling it will give your body and clarity it will give your mind.

MEDITATION EXERCISE #4.... Total Vision, T'ai Chi Vision, Eagle Vision....

5-15-98

Total vision, T'ai Chi vision, Eagle vision, and All vision. Some of the name's given to the outcome of the next exercise.

Our brains are use to focusing our eyes with what I call tunnel vision. The brain is taught to believe from childhood, not being taught otherwise, to train a narrow focus on everything it looks at. It believes that it's the only way to really see anything. This is not true! It is true that if we want to see a thing in specific detail, then we do refine our focus of the eyes. In normal everyday 'Seeing' our brains take in much more than our minds let us be wakefully conscious that we see.

The exercise I am going to outline will let us be wakefully conscious of more of the totality of what we see each moment. An eagle sees the bigger picture and is enabled to see movement within its view easier with relaxed 'Total vision'. It can also focus on tiny points from far away.

You can do this exercise anywhere and at anytime. Breathing is deep and easy, but the breath is not something to worry about in this exercise. Pick a spot directly in front of you, any distance will do. You will always focus on that anchor spot directly in front of you. Relax and take a deep slow breath to start the exercise. As you look at the spot directly in front of you become aware of what is directly to the top of your vision also. Like 12:00 high on a clock. Never lose consciousness of the one 'Anchor spot', and add to the consciousness the area at 12:00 high.

The process is now to go around the clock becoming aware of the progressive areas of 1:00 to 2:00 to 3:00 to 4:00, and all around the clock of your total vision. Never losing the awareness of the places you have already covered. Adding more of the clock of total vision with each addition to the awareness.

All this while still being aware of the 'Anchor spot' as the center of the awareness. Your vision will be more diffused at this point, but you will be able to consciously see any movement within the larger area of your vision. The mind will want to focus on specific things; don't let it. You are the master of your mind and are training it to give you more of the world with every open eyed moment.

This is not an easy task to do. Relaxing the eyes will help. Breathing easy and deep will help. But.... You can do it in a crowd of people and no one will know. Just as saying 'Reelaaxxssssss' in the mind and with the breath to take tension off in a crowd. Or feeling the 'Softness' of the air flowing into and out of the body.

The benefits are many. One of the most powerful is that this exercise will help you stop the 'Mind Talk', or constant chatter within the mind. This will relax you as well as rid the body of the stress of an over-talkative mind. If you breathe deep and easy you will energize the entire body with living life force distributed to each and every cell in the body.

This is a multiple benefit meditation exercise for the mind and vision, as well as the whole body.

Need any help or would like to discuss any of these exercises, email me. These exercises always become personal. If it works best with a new twist that you add to it, by all means use the new twist. These exercises are the way that they work best for me. I am simply sharing my experiences with you.

Have fun, breathe deep, be 'Centered' and relax.

As our minds grow

We look in wonder

At the things we see

That we never saw before

As the spirit grows strong

We have the courage to acknowledge

That which we now see

For the first time

From: 'The Book of Catwalker'

Add this 'small additional step' to the last exercise, or any of the exercise's, when you feel ready, or just before that moment. While doing the 'Total Vision' exercise, feel the exercise through the 'Center'. Try it! Breathing into and out of the 'Center' helps you feel it. Feeling the 'Center' as the point of mental focus and an anchor. Just as you use the point in front of you as an anchor and visual focus point, while practicing the 'Total Vision' exercise.