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Meditation exercise: Close your eyes and sit quietly. (Do this exercise laying down if you have trouble sitting still.) Take in a deep breath slowly, and hold it a moment -- then let it slowly out. Continue to breath in slowly and deeply. Bring your attention to your breath and as disruptive thoughts come up imagine yourself letting them go. Breathe in and out and let each thought go like a balloon, drifting away. Tell yourself that right now... you don't need it. It'll be there later, when you want to think about it some more. Right now you're just breathing in and out. Knowing that your inner self is peaceful and wise. That self doesn't need to fuss over worries or distractions. You can just let them go, with each breath. Letting each slow deep breath fill you... and relax you. With each breath you are letting go of your day, your worries, of any troubling events. If you feel tension in your muscles just imagine the breath filling that area as you breathe in deeply, and let the breath carry it away. You can just relax. Letting your deep inner self, the part firmly connected with your higher power, protect you and guide you. See yourself as deeply connected to the planet and to your Higher Power. Remind yourself that both are there to support and nurture you. Continue to breathe in and out, slowly and deeply. Let your attention rest on the feeling of your breath. Keep on with this until your thoughts have quieted, and your attention is concentrated at that point behind your eyes. Now! As you breathe in, tune in to your desire to help. While that feeling is strong inside, ask yourself, "What can I do to help?" See what answers begin to come to you. Ask yourself, "What do I need to learn to do my part?" As doubts and negative ideas come up ("I can't do anything?", "This is silly!"), just notice them and return to your breathing. You don't need to argue with them. Just repeat your question. Note that when doing this kind of meditation it is helpful to say a prayer or state an intention that whatever answers you receive will reflect your highest truth and lead toward your greatest good. This helps direct our thought in this direction, steering us away from answers based on fear, resentment, guilt, or low self-esteem. Most of all don't worry if it doesn't seem to work the first time or two -- or ten! Often it just takes practice to quiet the mind, to let go of all the surface "noise" so that we can hear our inner wisdom. Also, if sitting like this is difficult for you, set a really short time limit for yourself. Try just five minutes a day. Later, when it's more comfortable and you find it easier to settle down you might work up to fifteen. It's a great way to get yourself settled down for bedtime at night! Finally, if focusing on your breath is just to hard (as often happens when the noise of our thoughts is too great), trying having a phrase that you say over and over in your mind. Choose something meaningful and positive. But make sure it's short and simple. As an alternative, you can try counting your breaths (count them to ten and then start over).
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