The Art of Meditation

A brief step by step guide to develop

a daily meditation routine

By Marco Pino, Path2Yoga.Net

© 2017 Path2Yoga.Net The Art of Meditation Page !2

Introduction .....................................................................................4
What is Meditation? ........................................................................5
The Benefits of Meditation..............................................................5
Why Should I Learn to Meditate? ...................................................6
The Preliminaries .............................................................................7
How to Meditate in 7 Easy Steps ....................................................8
Step 1: Sit in a comfortable posture .........................................................8
Step 2: Bring the mind to the present moment .......................................9
Step 3: Relax the whole body ..................................................................9
Step 4: Establish a positive mood ..........................................................10
Step 5: Breath diaphragmatically ...........................................................11
Step 6: Practice concentration ...............................................................12
Step 7: Close the meditation session .....................................................13

Thank You! .....................................................................................15

About the Author ..........................................................................16

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 The Art of Meditation

Introduction

Thank you for downloading this brief guide to meditation. I

congratulate you for taking this first step in your meditation
journey.

Meditation is a life long journey and I hope that with the help of
this guide your journey will start today.

My goal is to give you a simple step by step meditation process

that you can easily follow and remember, so that you can develop
a daily meditation routine.

After going through this guide you can later on simply refer back
to the table of contents to remember the meditation steps. Is that
simple.

Of course there is a lot more to talk about than what is included in

this brief meditation guide, but for now we are just going to focus
on the essentials.

If you want to know more about meditation you can get in touch
with me at any time.

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 What is Meditation?

According to Patanjali Yoga Sutras (an ancient yoga text that focus
on mental training) meditation, or dhyana in Sanskrit, is a state
that comes naturally after practicing concentration, dharana.

Dhyana is simply a deeper state of concentration, where there is

no more effort to concentrate. The mind is simply resting in its
object of concentration without any distractions.

By focusing the mind on one single object, for prolonged periods

of time, the mind naturally becomes quiet and still. This stillness
of the mind is accompanied by a sense of peace and joy that
comes from within.

We can then compare the mind to a lake. Just as when the

surface of the lake has become still we can then see the bottom of
the lake, similarly, when the mind becomes still we can get in
touch with our innermost nature, our true nature.

The Benefits of Meditation

The science of meditation was discovered by the ancient sages,

the seekers of truth, for the purpose of Self realization. Their aim
was to answer the eternal questions such as, “Who am I?” and
“What is the difference between the real and the unreal?”

When self realization downs, when we become aware of the

ultimate reality or our true nature, we become free from pain and
misery, and attain everlasting peace and happiness.

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But we don’t need to have such high spiritual ideals to practice
meditation. We can focus instead, if that is your wish, on the
many positive side effects of a regular meditation practice, which
nowadays science has been able to corroborate.

By practicing meditation regularly our mental and physical health

improves, we are able to cope better with the challenges of life,
we can experience a sense of well being and tranquility, and even
our productivity and creativity increases.

Why Should I Learn to Meditate?

One of the key factors to have a good meditation practice is to

make a commitment to practice every day, but to be able to stick
to this daily commitment we need to have a good enough reason,
a strong “why.”

Now that we understand what meditation is and what are its

benefits, it is totally up to you to discover or to define your “why,”
your reason to embark on this journey.

Perhaps your interest is simply to be able to manage your stress

better, to develop your concentration powers, to improve your
productivity or to become a better human being.

Or perhaps you want to practice meditation mainly as a spiritual

tool to awaken your inner powers, and to experience a true sense
of bliss and peace.

Whatever your reasons are, make sure that you are very clear
about them, so that whenever you find it difficult to stick to your

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meditation practice you can remember your original motivation to
keep you inspired.

The Preliminaries

Meditation is not only sitting still doing nothing. Meditation is a

24 hours activity. Everything that we do during our day influences
our meditation practice, and our meditation practice influences
our day.

Here are a few points that you should keep in mind to improve
your meditation experience:

• Try to practice meditation everyday, at the same time and at the

same place
• Ideally practice twice a day, in the morning and before going to
bed
• To develop the daily habit of meditation start with a small
commitment; sit for two or five minutes per session.
• Even if this is difficult, no matter what, sit in your meditation
posture and pretend to be in a meditative state for a few
seconds. This is far better than no meditation at all.
• Gradually increase the time of your meditation practice to 10
minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes and so on. There is no specific
time limit but a serious meditation practitioner would try to sit
for one hour straight.
• Create a sacred space for your meditation practice. You can
decorate this place with flowers, smell of incense and perhaps a
photo of a saint or master that’s appealing to you. Use this
space only for your meditation practice.

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• Create a pre-meditation ritual, such as taking a shower and
wearing clean clothes, to prepare and train the mind for the
meditation practice.
• Practice meditation on an empty stomach, at least two hours
after a heavy meal, otherwise the digestion process would get
on the way and you might get sleepy. Ideally do your
meditation before breakfast or dinner.
• If possible practice regularly yoga asanas and deep relaxation.
This will help to prepare your body to sit comfortable for long
periods of time and it will help you to remain alert during your
meditation practice.
• Sleep early and avoid using any gadgets in the last two hours
before going to sleep. Instead practice meditation before
going to sleep. This will ensure that you have a good rest so
that you’ll be more alert during your next morning meditation
practice.

How to Meditate in 7 Easy Steps

Step 1: Sit in a comfortable posture

• Sit in a steady and comfortable posture, maintaining the back

straight and upright. The shoulders are back and relaxed. The
chin is parallel to the floor, slightly tucked in.

To keep a straight and upright back means to maintain the natural

curvature of the spine by keeping the pelvis slightly tilted forward
and the lower abdomen in.

This is a very important step in the practice of sitting meditation,

as it allows the free movement of the diaphragm during the
breathing process.

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Keeping the back straight also helps to keep the back muscles
relaxed when sitting for long periods of time, as the back is
supported by the spine, and it keeps the energy channels free
from blockages.

You can sit cross legged on a cushion on the floor or on a

comfortable chair, as long as you can keep the back straight
without any effort or tension.

Step 2: Bring the mind to the present moment

• Now bring your attention right to the place where you are
sitting. Become aware of your whole body, observing your
posture and any feeling of tension or relaxation.

After taking our sitting posture for meditation we try to make the
mind present. This is the moment to let go of any distracting
thoughts or emotions by simply paying attention to what is going
on right at this moment in time.

This is a simple mindfulness practice. The awareness is still broad.

Later on we will make the mind one pointed by limiting and fixing
our attention to our object of concentration.

Step 3: Relax the whole body

• Moving the awareness through the whole body, scanning the

body from head to toes, consciously relax each body part.

The next step is the systematic relaxation. We do this by mentally

scanning the whole body from head to toes, moving through each

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body part, noticing any sensations in each body part and
consciously trying to relax them.

To do this, as you move your awareness through your body you

can mentally repeat the name of each body part. This mental
repetition helps to keep our attention fixed on the systematic
relaxation.

• Relax the scalp, the forehead, eyebrows, eyelids, nose, cheeks,

lips.
• Relax the neck
• Relax the shoulders, upper arms, lower arms, wrists, hands and
fingers
• Relax the chest and upper back, abdomen and mid back, lower
abdomen and lower back
• Relax the hips and hip joints, thighs, calves, ankles, feet and
toes.

The systematic relaxation does not only helps to relax the body
but it also helps to withdraw the mind even further from the
external world, allowing us to dive deep within.

Whenever you find that the mind is very agitated and distracted
during the meditation practice it is probably because you have
not follow this step with enough attention.

Step 4: Establish a positive mood

• Mentally repeat a positive affirmation, an invocation, a prayer or

simply become aware of your inner divine light.

You can create a special mood at the beginning of your

meditation session to keep you inspired throughout the practice.

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For instance you can mentally repeat words such as “I am whole. I
am complete. I am peaceful. I am calm,” or you can simply
remember your motivation to practice meditation, your “why.”

Step 5: Breath diaphragmatically

• Now place your attention on your abdominal region. Noticing

the gentle expansion of the abdomen as you inhale and the
gentle contraction as you exhale, allow the breath to slow down,
to become smooth and continuous without creating any brakes
or pauses between inhalation and exhalation.

This is a tridimensional movement where not only the abdomen is

involved. As you inhale, the upper abdomen, the lower ribs and
the mid back expands, and as you exhale they contract. Try to
notice this movement during each breath.

The lower abdomen remains relatively still with the pelvis tilted
forward to maintain the natural curvature of the lower back. There
is no movement at all in the upper chest and shoulders.

It is very important not to do the breath but simply to observe it

as if you were observing somebody else breathing.

By simply observing attentively the breath, and by having the

intention to allow the breath to relax, it will naturally start to slow
down by itself.

In this step we establish the diaphragmatic breathing and we also

introduce the practice breath awareness.

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We could actually continue with this breath awareness for the
length of the meditation and end the practice there, or we could
go further with the following steps.

Step 6: Practice concentration

• Bring the awareness towards the nostrils, noticing the flow of

the air in the nostrils. Notice the temperature of the airflow, the
length of the airflow and the volume of the airflow in the
nostrils.
• After a few breaths, without modifying the breath, add the
mental repetition of a word or phrase as an aid to the
concentration practice. As you inhale mentally repeat So and as
you exhale mentally repeat Ham.
• Let the mental repetition of the mantra So-Ham to follow the
breath, without modifying the breath in any way.
• Continue with the breath awareness and the mental repetition
for as long as you want to maintain the practice.

Now we move to the actual meditation practice, where we narrow

our attention and make the mind one-pointed. Everything else
that we’ve done so far has been simply a preparation to be able
to practice concentration.

In the yoga tradition, meditation or dhyana is simply the outcome

of concentration, dharana. It is a natural event that takes place
when the concentration becomes deeper and effortless, for longer
and longer periods of time.

In reality we don’t practice meditation, we practice concentration.

There are no meditation techniques but only concentration
techniques. Meditation simply happens when our concentration
deepens.

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The typical focal point for the practice of concentration in the
yoga tradition are the breath, an energy center in the body and a
mantra, a word or phrase that is mentally repeated throughout the
practice.

In this way we make the mind one pointed, narrowing its attention
to smaller focal point.

In the meditation practice described above we are focusing on the

breath, the touch of the air in the nostrils and the repetition of the
Vedic mantra So-Ham which is translated as “I am That, That I
am.”

Step 7: Close the meditation session

• Let go of the mental repetition and breath awareness. Simply

remain still and quiet with the eyes closed, enjoying for a
moment the silence and the state of calmness and relaxation
that you've experienced.
• Dedicate the benefits of this meditation practice for the welfare
of all living beings with a prayer or affirmation of your
preference.
• Slowly bow down as a gesture of gratitude to the ancient
meditation masters, or to your own inner guide.
• Remain sitting still for a few seconds and then slowly open the
eyes to resume your daily activities.

Before ending the meditation let go of whatever practice you are

doing and simply enjoy the silence, the joy of your own presence
or the calmness that you’ve experienced during the concentration
phase.

It’s important not to jump of the meditation straight into your daily
activities but rather take some time to enjoy the benefits of the

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meditation and try to bring that mental state into your daily
routine.

If at any moment you have any positive experience during your

meditation session do not make the mistake to believe that it is
simply because of your own efforts. Do not let the ego get on the
way.

For this reason it is important to always express our gratitude and

to dedicate the benefits of our meditation practice for all beings,
so that we can remain humble, keeping the ego at bay.

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 Thank You!

Thank you for taking the time to read this brief meditation guide.
I hope that you have found it useful and that it will help you
establish a daily meditation routine.

If you need any further guidance please don’t hesitate to get in

touch with me.

If you haven’t joined my free mailing list yet where I share my

journey and teachings of the Indian yogis, you can do so right
here.

Don’t forget to follow me via:

blog | facebook | instagram

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 About the Author

Marco Pino is a meditation teacher and a certified yoga teacher

(500 RYT). Originally from Ecuador, he quit his corporate job in
Belgium in 2010 to dedicate himself to the practice and study of
yoga.

He has spent about four years traveling around India, visiting

ashrams and practicing with local yoga teachers to deepen his
knowledge.

He is passionate about his meditation and yoga practice, and

about sharing his experiences and the teachings of the Indian
yogis in his blog Path2Yoga.Net.

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 © 2017 by Marco Pino, Path2Yoga.Net

All rights reserved

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