A meditation program by Tom Smith

Congratulations on embarking on your meditation program. For most of us, meditation is not an instant cure-all;but is the beginning of a movement toward greater peace,love and creativity. It provides a state of rest much deeper thatn sleep in which stress and tensions can be dissolved. As you continue to meditate, time will become a friend instead af an enemy. Instead of thinking, "In a year I'll be a year older," You'll begin to think "In a year I wil have the effects of a year of meditation." The experience of intergration will begin to replace the experience of disintegration.

It is recomended that you meditate 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening. If you find this too time consuming, 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening is sufficient. The important thing is to be regular in your meditations. Meditation wakes you up in the morning and helps you start the day in a better mood, and your evening meditation dissolves any stress that you have accumulated during the day. You should not meditate for at least an hour after eating.

Now lets get down to the actual process of meaditation. The type of meditation I am teaching you involves the subvocal repetition of a "mantra." A mantra is a sound that is designed to calm the mind and facilitate contact with the inner self.

Try to find a quiet peacefull place for your meditation. Sit in a comfortable chair, preferably with a striaght back. Have a watch or a clock avalibale. Close your eyes and just sit quietly for about 30 seconds. Then you will begin to repeat your mantra subvocally.Your mantra is "Sharem". Keep repeating the sound "shar-em, shar-em, shar-em" .As you say your mantra , other thoughts may still persists in your mind.This is ok, just direct your attention to your mantra. The other thoughts are just a natural by-productof the dissolution of the stress that is giong on in your nervous system. Many times you may realize that your mind has been totally preoccupied with other thoughts for several minutes and you haven't been saying your mantra at all. This is also natural; but, when you become aware of it, return your attention to your mantra.

As you meditate, you may notice that your mantra changes tempo or becomes less distinct. In deeper states of meditation, it may become only a subtle vibration. This is fine. Your mantra is a tool to put you in touch with your inner-self. Let it take over. Let your inner-self use the tool the way it wants.

When thoughts come to you that your 20 minutes have elapsed, take a look at the clock , if the twenty munites are up, stop saying your mantra and sit quietly for a couple of minutes before arising.

During some of your meditations you will experience great feelings of peace, love ,etc.. During other meditations you may feel bored, restless, etc.. Do not judge your meditations on this basis. The purpose of meditation is the positive effects it produces on the quality of life. It's as if you have a super efficient maid who came in and cleaned up 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening. Sometimes there will be a lot of dust flying around; other times she may be quietly polishing the silver. But; in either case you are moving in the direction of a cleaner house.

For about a week, after I started meditating, I wasn't sure if anything was really happening. Then one evening I went out for a while and everything seemed transformed! The lights of the city, the music, the people, all seemed so much more beautiful! As the anxiety in your mind quiets, the beauty of the world comes in. Around that period of time, I also began to notice an improvement in my ability to concentrate. It .wasn't that I was trying harder,.It was more like as the static on a record is reduced, the tune comes in more clearly. I still had a lot of static in my nervous system, but I had found a way of gradually removing it. You still have your ups and downs, but the downs don't last as long. So if you are meditating and the thought comes in your mind ". Why am I wasting my time doing this crazy stuff?" This is just another thought and you should shift your awareness back to your mantra. Doubt and skepticism are natural when embarking on any new activity. Just give it a good try, you'll like it

So to conclude your instruction, all that is necesary:

1. Sit quitely for about 30 seconds.

2. Start repeating your mantra: "Sharem, Sharem, Sharem---

3. When you realize that you aren't repeating your mantra, start it again: "Sharem, Sharem---

4. When you become aware that 20 minutes have elapsed, stop repeating your mantra; and sit quitely for a couple of minutes.

I have found a number of other activities and processes that have supplemented my twice a day meditations. Yoga as well as other stretching exercises have been very helpful in releasing tensions in my body. I have also experienced a lot of benifit from Rolfing, acupuncture, and rebirthing. I am presently in the process of learning Tai-Chi. Whether you will be intrested in accelerating your progress with any of these methods is up to you. But in any case, your twice a day meditations will be the base and the beginning of your growth towards higher consciousness. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.