• Choose a Time

The best time for meditation is early in the morning, immediately after waking up, or just before going to bed.

• Pick a Place

Choose a place where you can be at peace without being disturbed. You can also make the place more relaxing by dimming the lights, lighting an incense and playing some soft, calming music in the background.

• Decide the Length of Your Meditation

It is important to set a goal as to how long you expect yourself to meditate. If you have never meditated before, then it would probably be a good idea to start with as little as 5 minutes. As you begin to get more comfortable with your practice, you can build up the duration to 10 minutes, 15 minutes and later onto 1 hour. Advanced practitioners meditate for one hour or longer. However, it is imperative to take things slowly, as your body and mind are adapting to some acute changes in your lifestyle.

• Adopt a Comfortable Posture

Sitting in the right posture is extremely crucial for your meditation practice. It is recommended that you adopt a posture which is easy to maintain for the length of your meditation. Keep your spine and your neck straight. There should be no slumping or slouching, arms and shoulders should remain relaxed. Keep your eyes closed for the entire duration. You can sit cross legged, or even on a chair if that is more comfortable to you. However, try to either sit cross legged, or in a kneeling position resting the weight of your body on your heels.

While it is not highly recommended, you can also meditate while lying on the bed. It is best to meditate lying down before going to sleep if you decide to do your practice on the bed.

• Keep Your Stomach Light and Relatively Empty

As you progress with your practice, you will realize that it is easier to meditate when your stomach is relatively empty. However, you should obviously not be starving, as a grumbling stomach can pose grave interference to your meditation. But make sure that you don’t sit down to meditate right after a heavy meal, as it will make it very difficult for you to sit still and focus your mind.

• Do Some Warm Ups

Before starting your meditation, it is advisable that you do some gentle stretching and some mild form of exercise, like surya namaskar.

• Deep Breathing

Start your practice by taking a few deep breaths. As you inhale, your stomach and chest should expand. As you exhale, your chest and abdomen should contract. Focus all your attention on the in-breath and the out-breath.

• Keep Smiling

Try to keep a gentle smile on your face while meditating. However, at no point should this be forced.

• Slowly Bring Back Your Awareness

Do not jerk yourself out of meditation! Slowly bring back awareness by moving your fingers and your toes. Rub your palms together, generating some heat. Take your palms to your eyes and after some time slowly and calmly open them.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

It is recommended that you practice sitting breath meditation whenever you feel stressed or emotionally overwhelmed.

The Practice

• Adopt a comfortable position to sit in a quiet and peaceful place. You don’t have to keep your back ramrod straight, just make an effort to maintain good posture throughout the session.
• Do not stress as that would be counterproductive to the benefits you are trying to reap from your practice.
• Close your eyes and rest your palms either on your knees or in your lap.
• Allow yourself to simply become aware of your body and mind. If you can feel tension anywhere, then gently suggest that body part to relax. As you bid the tension leave, say, “I relax my ____. My _______ is completely relaxed.”
• Take a few deep breaths and allow yourself to feel completely centered and grounded. As you take the next breath, focus on how the air is entering your nose.
• Imagine that the air that is a refreshing green in color. Feel how the air touches your nostrils.
• Visualize the air passing through your lungs and spreading to every organ of your body. Every organ, every body part this fresh, green– colored air touches turns vibrant and healthy.
• Now, imagine that all the negativity and blockages inside you are present in small debris of brown color. Collect them together and, with a deep exhalation, release them out.
• Practice as many rounds of this meditation as you like. Notice how your stomach and chest expand each time you inhale fresh air and notice how your chest and stomach contract upon each exhalation.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

The Practice

• Comfortably lie down in your bed on your back. Adopt the corpse pose by separating your legs, shoulder width apart with toes falling apart to the sides. Arms should be by your side and facing towards the ceiling.
• Allow yourself to simply become aware of your body and mind. If you can feel tension anywhere, then gently suggest that body part to relax. As you bid the tension leave, say, “I relax my ____. My _______ is completely relaxed.” Take a few deep breaths and allow yourself to feel completely centered and grounded.
• As you take the next breath, focus on how the air is entering your nose. Imagine that the air that is a refreshing green in color.
• Feel how the air touches your nostrils.
• Visualize the air passing through your lungs and spreading to every organ of your body.
• Every organ, every body part this fresh, green– colored air touches turns vibrant and healthy.
• Now, imagine that all the negativity and blockages inside you are present in small debris of brown color. Collect them together and, with a deep exhalation, release them out.
• Keep practicing until you fall asleep. Focus your attention on how your stomach and chest expands each time you inhale fresh air, and how they contract upon exhalation.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

The Practice

• Make sure that you walk with your spine erect and your chest pushed out.
• As you take a step forward, inhale deeply. As you step the other foot forward, exhale completely.
• This meditation sounds deceptively simple and yet can be challenging to practice, as you will have to find a matching pace for your breath and your walk.
• Do it at a pace that comes naturally to you and is comfortable for you.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

The Practice

• You can record this meditation in your own voice and play it during your meditation session.
• Sit comfortably with your back straight and close your eyes. Inhale and exhale deeply. With each inhalation, breathe in health, happiness, joy… With each exhalation, breathe out tensions, worries, diseases, negativity.
•  Continue for four to five breaths. Allow your body to completely relax.
•  Let there be no tension anywhere. If you wish, you can make any final adjustments to your posture.
• Bring back your awareness to your breath. Notice how with each breath you are becoming more and more deeply relaxed.
• Feel the relaxation gently spreading to all body parts in a soothing blue light. Inhale and exhale. Release all tensions and worries.
• See yourself in a beautiful garden with trees all around you. Your feet are bare and you can feel the soft grass underneath them. It’s a lovely sunny day and you can feel warm sunshine on your face and on your skin. Notice the lovely flowers in pink, blue, lilac and yellow all around you.
•  The beautiful fragrance of the flowers, the chirping of the birds and the sound of children playing is filling your heart with joy and happiness.
• With every breath that you are taking, you are absorbing the vitality, the greenery, the fresh fragrance, and the joy of your surroundings.
•  You tell yourself, “I am so happy. My life is perfect. I love myself and everything in my life.” Your heart becomes filled with an abundance of love and profound joy. You feel grateful for everything that you are experiencing at that moment and you know that everything in your life is turning out for your highest good. You say to yourself, “I am strong. I am happy. I am wonderful. I am at peace.”
• Slowly bring back your awareness… Move your fingers, move your toes… Rub your palms together, gently place them on your eyes and slowly open your eyes.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

• Choose a quiet, peaceful spot where you won’t get disturbed by anything.
• You can light some incense and play some soft music on the background if that feels nice to you, but this is, by no means, necessary.
• Sit down in a comfortable posture, keeping your back straight.
• Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
• Begin observing what thoughts are coming up with each inhalation.
• Observe how the thoughts are affecting your emotions and your body.
• Simply observe. Do not ask why a particular thought is coming up.
• Witness it as if it was happening in someone else’s mind. You are just watching, not pondering or mulling over the thoughts. You are simply perceiving whatever is coming up, there is no judgment, no effort to make anything go away.
•  However, if you feel that you have become stuck in a particular thought, then gently suggest to your mind “thinking” and bring it back to the present.
• You can practice this meditation from anywhere between 2 minutes to 30 minutes.
• Any time is a good time for practicing mindfulness meditation!

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

• You can also practice this meditation by closing your eyes and then allowing yourself to become aware of everything that surrounds you using all your senses.
• What is it that you are hearing, what is it that you are smelling, how does the fabric under your skin feel, what is the taste inside your mouth right now, what is it that you can see with your mind’s eye?
• You can practice this meditation as often as you like for as long as you like.
• This meditation helps you connect with your current reality by disconnecting the mind from the past and the future. It helps in developing a deeper appreciation for everything that you have right now.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

• Find a quiet, peaceful place.
• Sit comfortably with your spine erect.
• Take a few deep breaths to center yourself. Now, focus on the point between your eyebrows.
• Take a deep inhalation and with the exhalation, loudly pronounce “OOOOOOOOOOOmmmmmmmmmmmmm.” “Mmmmmmm” is pronounced in a hum and should be produced by closing the mouth.
• “OOOO” and “mmmm” are pronounced in a 2: 4 ratio. Remember, that “OOOO” is said out loud by circling the mouth and keeping it open. “mmm” is hummed with the lips pursed together.
• Practice at least five rounds of Om chanting to feel the benefits. You will immediately feel the vibration of Om in each body part.
• This is an excellent meditation for becoming calm and peaceful. It is also easy to do, as your mind is completely engaged in the chanting of the mantra.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

• Simply align each breath with a silent chant of “OOOOmmmmmmmm.”
• As you inhale chant Om, as you exhale chant Om. You will be astonished by the powerful transformative results constant silent chanting of Om will bring into your life.
• Do it as often as you can. Whenever you find your mind straying, bring it back to focus on the breath and on the chanting of Om.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

• Sit comfortably in a quiet, peaceful place.
• Keep your spine erect and focus on breathing deeply.
• After a few deep breaths, take your attention to your left toe. Silently say in your mind, “My toe is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.” Move your attention to your left foot, “My foot is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.”
• Come up to your left ankle, “My ankle is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.” Move your attention to your left shin, “My shin is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.” Moving up to your left knee, “My knee is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.” Move your attention up to your left thigh, “My thigh is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed. Move your attention to your right toe, “My toe is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.” Move your attention to your right foot, “My foot is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.” Come up to your right ankle, “My ankle is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.” Move your attention to your right shin, “My shin is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.”
•  I am completely relaxed.” Move up to your cheeks, “My cheeks are completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.” Move your attention to your nose, “My nose is completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.” Move up to your eyes, “My eyes are completely relaxed. I am completely relaxed.” Repeat this several times in your mind while feeling that the relaxation is deepening more and more with each breath. Remain in this deeply-relaxed state, focusing completely on your breath. Enjoy the peace and tranquility you are feeling.
• If any disturbing thoughts come to your mind, then gently bring your mind back. Recall the happiest moment of your life and allow your heart become full of joy.
• Relive that moment as if it was happening in the here and now. Enjoy and cherish the experience as it is happening right here at this moment!
• When you are ready to come out of the meditation, first bring your awareness back by gently moving your toes and fingers.
• Then slowly interlock your fingers together and stretch them above your head. Turn to one side with your eyes still closed and slowly sit up. Rub your palms together and slowly open your eyes.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

• Just close your eyes, sitting in a comfortable posture with your back straight.
• Take a few deep breaths to center yourself and to release all tension from the body.
• Mentally repeat to yourself, “I am completely relaxed. I am at peace.” When you are done with the process, slowly come out by first moving your toes and your fingers.
• Rub your palms together and place them on your eyes. Slowly open your eyes and make sure that you carry the joy and happiness you feel from knowing that your dream has already manifested.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.