The Three Dragon Basics

   Everyone can meditate!  You don’t have to climb to the top of a mountain and experience seclusion or wrap yourself into a pretzel!  Whether you are a yoga adept or a working single mom, you can learn to relax their mind and body and enter a healing meditative state.  Everyone can meditate!

   Each one of us has unique ways of dealing with a situation that triggers an arousal or stress response, likewise we have individual preferences for relaxing and attaining a calm state.  Our goal in this workshop is to present techniques to help you find your own individual and effective methods of relaxation.  In other words, we want to show you how to personalize your meditation practice to fit your lifestyle and personality.

  The Three Dragon Basics are the backbone of our program.  They are the basic skills you need in order to develop and practice meditation and self healing.  They aren’t complicated and Zeach one has research to back its efficacy and show its positive effect on the body.

First Dragon Basic

Breath

    Ancient healing practices taught the essential properties of the breath through the movingmeditations of qi gong and yoga.  They promoted the importance of breathing as a means of focusing, gathering and distributing vital energy and force to all areas of the body.  Through the breath we can gather energy, circulate its healing flow and purify our body systems.

    When in an aroused state your autonomic nervous system causes your breathing to become shallow and quick.  During the relaxation response your breathing slows and becomes deeper.  When you use your breath through consciously slowing and deepening it, you communicate to your autonomic nervous system that it is time to relax and release your body from stress and tension.

Abdominal Breathing
    Take a moment to practice abdominal breathing.  As you perform the exercise please consider your inner awareness.  What is your body feeling?  What thoughts are running through your mind?  Make a conscious note for reflection later.

    Sitting in acomfortable position place your hand on your abdomen.  Take a deep breath and concentrate on drawingthe breath into your abdomen.  Feel yourtummy  expand and your hand rise.  As you continue to inhale fill the upper partof your lungs so you get a good satisfying lungful of air.  Exhale through your mouth with a satisfied“Ahhh….”  Repeat this at least ten times. 

How did you feel?
Did you experience any physical changes?
What was your mind thinking about?

    During any meditation use the breath to help redirect yourthoughts.  If you find your mind driftinginto thoughts of what to make for dinner or how angry you are at your spouse,acknowledge the thoughts and then release them, focusing once more on yourbreathing.  You may find counting whileyou inhale helpful or focusing on how the breath feels as it enters andcirculates throughout your body.  If youfind you cannot focus too long on just breathing give yourself only a shorttime  then work up to longer times as youbecome more proficient and focused.

Posture
      Your spine connects every part of yourbody to your brain, acting as a conduit for energy.  When energy flows freely your body works atoptimal levels.  Proper posture allowsthis movement of healing energy and in addition, provides organs and organsystems the space to enhance performance. Take a moment to try this exercise.

    Sit comfortably in your chair. Now hunch your shoulders and slouch into the seat.  Breath deeply from your abdomen, making noteof how your body feels as you breathe deeply. Now stand up into the proper Qi gong posture.  Breathe deeply into your abdomen.  Do you notice a difference?  Good posture is so important.  Even if you are lying down or sitting, byadjusting your posture you can maximize the flow of healing energy.  This excerpt is author Roger Jahnke’s book, The Healing Promise of Qi.

“Ineither the sitting or standing posture, visualize a connection from the crownof your head up into the celestial realm – Heaven.  Through this connection a gentle force liftsyour head upward, which straightens and lengthens your spine.  Relax your shoulders completely.  Now visualize a connection from your sacrumto the center of our planet.  Throughthis connection a force gently pulls the lower part of  your body downward, which straightens andlengthens your spine.  The upward liftand the downward pull opens the center of the body, from the umbilicus to theheart, which fills with water (blood, lymph) and is infused with Qi.”

     Keep your feetabout shoulder width apart with your toes pointing forward.  Your knees can be slightly bent which willcause the pelvis to shift slightly forward flattening your lower back andpulling the abdomen in.  Relax yourshoulders and hands and let them gently rest at your sides with your elbowsslightly away from your body.  If you aresitting, rest your hands in your lap.

Mindful Focus
     Why are youtaking this meditation workshop?  What isit that interests you in   the practiceof meditation and self healing?  If youare like most people you have a specific reason for learning meditation and selfhealing and being here tonight.  Perhapsits for a specific health concern or dealing with stressful situations.  Whatever the reason, your focus and intentionis part of the healing process.

    Let’stry an experiment.  Find a comfortableposition and relax into your body.  In amoment I’ll  have you close your eyes andpractice abdominal breathing for three minutes. After the three minutes is up we’ll take a look at what happened duringthe exercise.

Didyour mind shut off?
Were there feelings attached to the thoughtsyou were having?
Did you do any of the impulse thoughtsthat came into your mind?

    It is impossible to shut off your mind. Thoughts constantly run through our heads, some random, othersorganized, some happy, some sad.  What isimportant to know is that the thoughts you have do not necessarily define whoyou are.  They are simply thoughts,flashes of chemicals with a few bursts of electrical impulses thrown in.  That doesn’t mean they aren’t important!

   Where your thoughts become relevant is when you consider yourintent.  The reason you are meditating inthe first place.  In order for meditationand self healing to be effective your mind must be in cooperation with yourintention, in other words their must be a conscious choice and purposefulnessbehind what you are doing. 

   What is your intention?  Not allmeditation sessions will be focused on the same intention so you need tounderstand your intention for a particular meditative session.  For instance, my friend and I are workingthrough the Principles of Abundance, each day we read the principle andmeditate on its meaning for us.  Myintention for that session is to find inspiration and meaning in a phrase.  I spend about 15 minutes considering themeaning of the phrase, looking at each word, how it fits in the sentence, whatthe deeper meaning could be.  There areten principles we are working on and once we finish the one a day we start overagain.  My mind focus is on the words andphrases and gaining insight.  My mind maywonder but as I know my intent I can gently bring it back and refocus on thetask at hand.

   Sometimes I want to focus on pain management so my intent would be togather Qi and distribute it, to provide healing and relief.  I have specific mind exercises that help memanage the pain and again though my mind wonders I know my intent so can bringit back to the focus.

   There is a ancient anonymous proverb from China “When the mind is distractedthe Qi scatters.”  When the mind isfocused it is a powerful tool.  It is nolonger ancient wisdom but scientific fact that that our minds have the abilityto achieve incredible feats through belief, thought and intention.  This intentional focus is called Yi.

   A clear mind is a beautiful thing and when attained of great value.  Most people however can only maintain thatclarity of thought for a short time and then off it goes wandering again.   Use your intent and mind focus and try thesetechniques for keeping the mind from getting too distracted.

• If you try to control your mind it will fight back. Release control, acknowledge the stray thoughts but do not engage with them.  Put them on a TV screen and watch them go by and then get back to Yi.

• Try imagining the thoughts as though through a train window getting smaller and smaller as they go off in to the distance.  Eventually, they will pass the horizon and you can get back to Yi.

• Try noticing the inner darkness of your eyelids and then notice yourself noticing, as though you have become the observer of the observer. Now use that observer to watch your own thoughts.

• Try exhaling the stray thoughts and inhaling energetic light.

• Bring your focus back to your breathing, counting four beats per exhale and four beats per inhale.

• If you feel sleep coming on, don't fight it.  Instead, let the sleep pass over and behind your head.

• Try taking a few deep, slow breaths followed by ten rapid, shallow ones.

• Listen to soothing baroque music or other music known to help achieve a meditative state.

• Use guided meditations where you are being instructed. This can help you focus on specific tasks and give you more practice at the Three Dragon Basics.

• Have a short word or phrase that you repeat over and over.  If you say it quietly and your mind begins to roam than start saying it out loud, matching your breath to its rhythm. Affirmations work extremely well.

• If your mind does wander than just bring it back to the Three Dragon Basics: Check your breath, readjust your posture and consider Yi.

  The most important thing to keep in mind,is that you are not doing it wrong.  Justby making the decision to learn and practice meditation you have created apositive intention.  You are on the rightpath!