I transcribed the voiceover to Jonni Pollard's (1 Giant Mind) 12 Step Learn to Meditate Course. Here is what he says in each of the twelve 15-minute meditation lessons. There's definitely a lot of repetition. What I'll probably do is create a condensed version highlighting the most important points.
Step One - Introducing the 1 Giant Mind TechniqueThe 1 Giant Mind technique is all about effortlessness. That means, there's no need to control or try to force any kind of experience that isn't naturally happening. This is a very important point.
In this technique there's no need to try and stop yourself from thinking, or to try and make yourself more relaxed. All you need to do is allow what's naturally happening in your meditation and take the whole experience as it comes.
The nature of the mind is that it becomes quieter when you create the perfect conditions for it to do so. What I’m about to teach you is how to create those perfect conditions.
In this technique we use a mantra, which is a sound that when thought effortlessly causes the mind to quieten down and the body to fall into a state of rest.
The mantra we’re going to use in this technique is aham (Note: Jonni pronounces it as ah-HAHM or ah-HUHM, with the emphasis more on the 2nd syllable). Spelled A-H-A-M. Aham. The way to think the mantra aham is effortlessly. This means you don't need to concentrate or focus on it to keep it going, just think it softly and faintly.
Before we start thinking the mantra, we always take a few minutes to settle down and prepare for the meditation. So, let’s begin.
To start off, I want you to let go of any expectations or preferences you may have about what you would like to experience in your meditations. When you let go of expectations and preferences, it leaves you in a state of neutrality and allows you to take each moment as it comes.
Find a comfortable position to sit in, upright, with your lower back supported, keeping your head and neck free from leaning against anything. If at any time throughout the meditation you feel uncomfortable, simply adjust your position to get comfy again.
Now, if you haven’t already, close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose into the belly and then draw further breath into the chest. Hold for a second, then release. Again… deep breath in through the nose, into the belly, into the chest, and release. One last time… into the belly, into the chest, release.
Now allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Scan the body and notice if there’s any part that may be holding tension. You may notice it in your shoulders, forehead, or jaw. Completely let go.
Now, begin to easily think the mantra - aham - inside the mind, softly and faintly. Allow it to gently pulse as if it’s going almost by itself. Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra for a moment.
By thinking the mantra effortlessly, allowing it to become softer and fainter, at some point you’ll forget to think it and instead be thinking about something else. This is totally natural and an important part of this technique. So don’t resist thoughts or think that you’re practicing incorrectly when you forget to think the mantra.
When thoughts come, without any internal dialogue, effortlessly come back to the mantra. If you find yourself distracted by outside noise, without any concern about it, again simply come back to the mantra in that same that same effortless way. Take the whole experience as it comes with no control, no trying, no resisting anything.
Now, let’s continue easily thinking the mantra, aham, softly and faintly. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body for a few moments. How are you feeling right now? Do you feel any different to how you were feeling before you began the meditation? Do you feel a little more calm and rested? Or perhaps agitated and restless. Whatever you’re experiencing, allow it to take place without any judgment or need to change it.
Now, take a nice deep breath in. Begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little as you slooooowly open your eyes and bring your awareness into the space you’re sitting in.
Did you notice the times you forgot to think the mantra and instead were thinking about something else? Were you able to easily return to the mantra and continue thinking it effortlessly?
Forgetting to think the mantra is a natural and important part of this meditation technique and should not be resisted in any way. At no time should you focus or concentrate on the mantra in an attempt to stop thoughts. Thoughts are also an important part of this meditation technique, which we’ll explain more about in Step 2.
Step 2 - Thoughts in Meditation
Thoughts are an important part of the one giant mind meditation technique. In the last session, you were given the mantra aham and learned that by thinking it effortlessly at some point you'll forget to think it .
Forgetting the mantra is exactly what is supposed to happen. When you realize you’ve forgotten it, all you have to do is effortlessly come back to it without any force or strain. This simple process enables the mind and body to automatically settle down, triggering what is known as the Relaxation Response. When you trigger the relaxation response, your body is able to rest and dissolve stress and fatigue.
In meditation, the release of stress and fatigue is experienced as thoughts in the mind. You don't need to stop thoughts or analyze them. Your relationship to them is total neutrality. By not resisting thoughts in meditation, you're allowing stresses in the body to be released.
At the end of The Meditation, when you open your eyes and go about your day, you feel more clear, refreshed, and energized. So in this meditation, when you notice you’re being caught up, thinking about something else, all you have to do - without any force or strain - is effortlessly come back to the mantra. aham. And allow this natural process of stress release to take place. So…let’s begin.
Sit comfortably, and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose into the belly and then draw further breath into the chest. Hold for a second…and release.
Again: deep breath in through the nose into the belly into the chest… then release. One last time: into the belly, chest…release.
Now allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Scan the body any notice if there’s any part that may be holding tension. You may notice it in your shoulders, forehead, or jaw. Completely let go.
Now…begin to think the mantra aham effortlessly inside the mind. Thinking it softly and faintly. Allow it to gently pulse like it's going almost by itself. How softly can you think the mantra? aham. Remember, no controlling, no trying, no resisting anything.
When thoughts come, don't resist them. When you realize you've come off the mantra, effortlessly come back to it. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body.
How are you feeling right now? Do you feel any different to how you were feeling before? Did you notice that you innocently forgot the Mantra and were thinking other thoughts? Were you able to effortlessly come back to the mantra without any force or strain?
Now, take a deep breath in and begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little as you slowly open your eyes. While maintaining your awareness of how you're feeling, become aware of the space that you’re sitting in. Sense the feeling of the room. Notice that your attention is in the present moment. How long are you able to maintain this awareness?
Step Three - There is no such thing as a bad meditation
In this step you’re going to learn that there is no such thing as a bad meditation. It's a common mistake to think you're doing something wrong when you're not experiencing deep restful meditations, but as long as you're not controlling, focusing, or trying to have a particular experience, you're practicing this technique correctly.
In your last session, you learned that thoughts are an important part of this meditation technique. Thinking in meditation is the process of the body releasing stress and there's no need to resist this in any way. This process of the body releasing stress can also be experienced in many other ways.
In some moments you may experience deep relaxation, calmness, and quietness of the mind, and in other moments you may experience a state of restlessness, and constant thinking and agitation in the body. All of these experiences are as important as each other and are an essential part of the body resting and releasing stress.
Every meditation is going to be different from the last so from here on in simply give yourself permission to allow whatever is happening in your meditation without judging it as good or bad. Whether you're enjoying your meditation or not, as long as you're being effortless with no concentration or control of the mind you're gaining benefits from this practice. So, let’s begin.
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose into the belly, drawing further breath into the chest. Then release. Again deep breath in through the nose into the belly into the chest and release. One last time. Into the belly, chest. Release.
Now allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Become aware of any tension in the body and completely let go.
Now, begin to think the mantra aham effortlessly inside the mind. Thinking it faintly and softly. Allow it to gently pulse like it's going almost by itself. How soft can you think the mantra aham. Remember, no controlling, no trying, no resisting anything. When thoughts come don't resist them. When you realize you've come off the mantra, effortlessly come back to it. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body. How are you feeling right now? Do you feel any different to how you were feeling before? Did you notice at any time you were trying to control your meditation? Were you able to let go and simply allow what was naturally happening?
Now, take a nice deep breath in. Begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little as you slowwwwwly open your eyes. While maintaining your awareness of how you’re feeling, bring your awareness into the space you're sitting in. What are you sensing right now? Simply observe. Notice that your attention is in the present moment. How long are you able to maintain this awareness?
Step 4 - How effortless can you be?
In this step I'm going to emphasize the importance of being effortless in this meditation technique. In your last session, you learned that there’s no such thing as a bad meditation. As long as you're not controlling, focusing, or trying to have a particular experience, you're practicing this technique correctly. I've described the way in which you think the mantra as effortless. When you’re being effortless, you're simply allowing the mantra ah–huhm to softly pulse in the mind as if it's going almost by itself.
The opposite of effortless is control. At no point in this meditation technique do you control anything. That means no control of the mind, no control of the breath, and no control of the body. All you need to do is simply allow what is happening and effortlessly repeat the mantra.
In this session I want you to think the Mantra as if you're hearing it as if you’re hearing it as a faint sound, rather than saying it in the mind as a word. When you think the Mantra in this effortless way, it will become softer and fainter, and at some point you’ll forget to think it. This is exactly what is supposed to happen. When you realize you’ve forgotten the mantra, and instead you’ve been thinking about something else, all you need to do is effortlessly come back to the mantra without any force, strain or mental commentary.
When effortlessly thinking the mantra, you may notice it begin to change. It may get louder, faster, softer or slower. The rhythm or tone may change too. It can even morph into a completely different sound, or become a visual. If the month or changes in any way, simply go with it. This is all part of the mind settling down into deeper states of awareness. So, let’s begin.
Sit comfortably upright and close your eyes, keeping your head and neck free from leaning against anything. Let go of any expectations or preferences. Enter this meditation with total neutrality.
Take a deep breath in through the nose into the belly and then draw further breath into the chest. Hold for a second, then release. Again, deep breath in through the nose, into the belly, into the chest, and release. One last time: into the belly, to the chest, release.
Now, simply allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Scan the body and notice if there's any part that may be holding tension. You may notice it in your shoulders, in your forehead, or jaw. Completely let go. Now, in that same effortless way I described earlier, begin to easily think the mantra aham inside the mind softly and faintly. Allow it to gently pulse as if it's going almost by itself.
Remember, no controlling, no trying, no resisting anything. When thoughts come, effortlessly come back to the mantra. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body.
How are you feeling right now? Do you feel any different to how you were feeling before? Were you able to think the mantra effortlessly, hearing it as a faint sound gently pulsing in the mind? Did you notice the mantra change in any way? Were you able to effortlessly come back to the mantra when you forgot to think it?
Take a nice deep breath in and begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little as you slowwwwwly open your eyes and bring your awareness into the space you're sitting in. Become aware that you are here now in the present moment, nowhere else. See how long you can maintain your awareness in the present moment as you move into activity.
Step 5 - Dealing with Fatigue
Welcome to step 5. In this step, you’re going to learn how best to deal fatigue and sleepiness in meditation, In your last session, you learned that being effortless and letting go of control creates the perfect conditions for the body to rest and recover from stress and fatigue. One of the biggest challenges we face today is getting enough rest to fully recover from the demands of life. When we don’t get enough rest, our fatigue levels build and we become susceptible to higher levels of stress.
Fatigue and stress go hand in hand. The more tired you feel, the more easily you get stressed. The more stressed you get, the more tired you feel. It’s a vicious cycle. The good news is this meditation technique not only enables you to recover from stress but from fatigue as well.
When you effortlessly think the mantra aham the mind naturally begins to settle down. When the mind settles down, the body follows and falls into deeper states of rest. In some meditations this restful state may feel so deep that you feel like you're falling to sleep. You may notice your head nodding forward or completely dropping forward. This experience is the body releasing fatigue. It's very important to allow this to happen.
In other meditation techniques you may be encouraged to resist this and try and stay awake. In this technique, you’re fully encouraged to go with this feeling of sleepiness and not resist it. If you head falls forward go with it. It’s not necessary to keep lifting your head back up. This deep rest is exactly what the body needs to recover from fatigue.
If you continue with your daily practice of meditation it's unlikely you'll experience this more than a few sessions in a row. Once the fatigue has been released you'll naturally feel more awake and alert in your meditation sessions. So, let’s begin.
Sit comfortably upright and close your eyes, keeping your head and neck free from leaning against anything. Take a deep breath in through the nose into the belly and draw further breath into the chest. Hold for a second and then release. Again…deep breath in through the nose into the belly, into the chest, then release. One last time. Into the belly, chest, release.
Now simply allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Scan the body and notice if there's any part that may be holding tension. You may notice it in your shoulders, forehead, or jaw. Completely let go.
Now, begin to effortlessly think the mantra aham inside the mind softly, faintly. Allow it to gently pulse as if it's going almost by itself. Remember, no controlling, no trying, no resisting anything. When thoughts come effortlessly come back to the mantra. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body. How are you feeling right now? Do you feel any different to how you were feeling before? Did you notice at any time your head nodding forward or perhaps the sensation of falling to sleep? If so, were you able to go with it and enjoy the rest? Or, perhaps you were quite alert throughout meditation.
Take a nice deep breath in and begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little as you slowwwwwwly open your eyes bring your awareness into the space you're sitting in. Become aware that you are here now. In the present moment. Nowhere else. See how long you can maintain your awareness in the present moment as you move into activity.
Step 6 - Body sensations and emotions
Welcome to step 6. In this step you're going to further understand the role of different body sensations and emotions in meditation and how best to deal with them. In your last session, you learned not to resist feelings of fatigue or sleepiness in meditation. Being effortless and not resisting anything in this technique is what allows the body to move into more restful states and release stress and fatigue. This process can be experienced in meditation as a variety of different body sensations and emotions.
The range of sensations and emotions you may experience are very broad. Perhaps the most common is the body feeling heavy and deeply rested despite there being lots of activity in the mind. This heaviness is an indication of correct practice and that the body is in a deep state of rest. Other sensations include losing sense of your hands or feet, little muscle spasms, agitation or restlessness, hot or cold flashes, tingling in different parts of the body such as at the top of the head or the base of the spine, and feelings of lightness and expansiveness.
It’s also common to experience emotions. Sometimes you may have deep feelings of bliss and joy. Other times you may feel sadness, anger, frustration, worry, or even anxiety. And sometimes you may feel no emotions at all.
In this technique it's very important to establish a neutral attitude to these body sensations and emotions. What I mean by this is simply allowing them to flow through you without analyzing them or judging them as good or bad.
Just like the weather, some meditations are going to be bright, calm, and sunny, while others may be windy, rainy, and stormy, and some may have a mix of all of these conditions in one session. All you need to do is accept that the sensations and feelings are there and simply allow them to pass just like the weather. If you find yourself getting caught up in body sensations or emotions give yourself permission to allow them to be there and effortlessly come back to the mantra. So, let's begin.
Sit comfortably upright and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose into the belly, drawing further breath into the chest. And release. Again…deep breath in through the nose into the belly, into the chest, and release. One last time. Into the belly, into the chest, release.
Now simply allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Scan the body and notice if there's any part that may be holding tension. You may notice it in your shoulders, forehead, or jaw. Completely let go.
Begin to effortlessly think the mantra aham inside the mind softly, faintly. Allow it to gently pulse as if it's going almost by itself. Remember, no controlling, no trying, no resisting anything. When thoughts come, effortlessly come back to the mantra. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. If you notice yourself getting caught up in body sensations or emotions, simply allow them to be there and effortlessly come back to the mantra. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body. Did you notice any body sensations? Were you able to “allow” any body sensations or emotions, and effortlessly come back to the mantra? Keeping your awareness with your body, what physical sensations are you experiencing right now?
Now bring your awareness to your feelings. What emotions, if any, are you experiencing? Are you able to make a distinction between physical sensations and emotional feelings?
Now, take a nice deep breath in. Begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little as you slowwwwwwly open your eyes bring your awareness into the space you're sitting in. Become aware that you are here now. In the present moment. Nowhere else.
Step 7 - Halfway Recap
Welcome to step 7 and congratulations, you're halfway to completing the 1 Giant Mind learn to meditate course. In this step, we’re going to re-cap all the points you have learned so far and continue refining your understanding of the technique.
First up, you want to let go of any expectations or preferences for a certain kind of meditation experience and begin every meditation neutrally taking the whole experience as it comes. This technique is effortless and does not require any focus, concentration, or control.
The process of the mind settling down is completely natural when you create the perfect conditions for it to do so. These conditions are: sitting comfortably upright, with your eyes closed, breathing normally and naturally, and effortlessly thinking the mantra ahum softly in the mind. When you do this, the mantra may change in many different ways and if it does, go with it.
At some stage you'll forget to think the month which is exactly what is supposed to happen. When you forget it, you’ll notice yourself thinking about something else. There’s no need to review or analyze these thoughts, simply come back to the mantra without any force or strain and continue in that same effortless way. At no point do you want to hold on to the mantra or use it to block out other thoughts.
Your meditation experiences are going to be different from one meditation to the next. They may change very quickly from feeling deep and restful to feeling agitated with lots of thoughts. The opposite can happen too… starting off feeling agitated and spontaneously moving into a deeper more restful state. Whatever happens, go with it. Body sensations and emotions are a natural part of meditation and the best way to deal with them is to accept and allow them to come and go like the weather.
The final point is that there are no good or bad or right or wrong experiences in this technique. As long as you're not focusing, trying, or controlling in any way all the different experiences that you'll have are an important part of the mind and body resting and releasing stress. So, let's begin.
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose into the belly, drawing further breath into the chest and release. Again, deep breath in through the nose, into the belly, to the chest, and release. One last time… into the belly, chest, and release.
Now simply allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Scan the body and notice if there's any part that may be holding tension. You may notice it in your shoulders, forehead, jaw. Completely let go. Begin to effortlessly think the mantra ahum inside the mind softly. Allow it to gently pulse as if it's going almost by itself.
Let go of any expectations or preferences for a particular type of meditation experience and remember no controlling, no trying, no resisting, anything. When thoughts come, effortlessly come back to the mantra. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body. Allow yourself to simply be here for a while, aware of your body and mind. Did you notice any difference in your ability to let go and allow what was naturally taking place? Is the mind still, calm and present? Perhaps overactive.
Without judging it as good or bad, simply witness what is happening inside the mind. Now, take a deep breath in. Start moving your fingers and toes. Stretch out a little I just slowwwwwly open your eyes and bring your awareness into the space you're sitting in. Become aware that you are here now in the present moment. Nowhere else.
Step 8 - Refining the Mantra
Welcome to step 8. In the last session, we recapped the key points of the 1 Giant Mind technique with an emphasis on being effortless. In this step, I’m going to teach you a simple way to think the mantra aham with even greater effortlessness.
In previous steps, I’ve repeated the instruction that the way to think the mantra in this technique is effortlessly, softly, and faintly. At no point in this technique do you concentrate, control, or try to make the mantra do something it isn't naturally doing. When you think the mantra in this effortless way you will notice that it pulses in the mind like it's going almost by itself. At some point the mantra will become so faint that you’ll forget to think it. This is exactly what is supposed to happen. When you realize that you’ve forgotten it all you have to do is come back to it effortlessly without force or strain.
To refine this technique further, here is a simple way to think the mantra with even greater effortlessness. Rather than thinking ahum as a clearly pronounced word repeating in your mind, this time I want you to hear it as a faint sound pulsing in the mind as if it's going almost by itself. When you let go of thinking ahum as a clearly pronounced word and instead hear it is a faint sound you increase your ability to think it with greater effortlessness. So, let’s begin.
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose, into the belly, drawing further breath into the chest, and release. Again, deep breath into the belly into the chest then release. One last time into the belly, into the chest, release. Now simply allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm.
Scan the body and notice if there's any park that may be holding tension. Completely let go. Begin to think the mantra aham inside the mind effortlessly as a faint sound rather than a word. Allow it to softly pulse as if it's going almost by itself. Remember, no controlling, no trying, no resisting anything. When thoughts come, effortlessly come back to the mantra. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body. Allow yourself to simply be here for a short time, aware of your body and mind. Were you able to experience the mantra softly pulsing in the mind more as a sound than a word? Did you more easily forget the mantra?
Now take a nice deep breath in and begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little as you slowly open your eyes and bring your awareness into the space you're sitting in. Become aware that you are here now in the present moment, nowhere else. See how long you can maintain this present moment awareness as you move into activity.
Step 9 - Letting go of control
Welcome to step 9. In this step you’re going to learn a simple way of recognizing when you’re controlling your meditation and how to let go. In your last session you learned that allowing the mantra ahum to softly pulse in the mind, hearing it is a faint sound, increases effortlessness. The success of this technique depends entirely on your ability to be effortless and allow what is naturally happening in your meditation without resisting or controlling the experience.
By now you would have had a variety of different meditation experiences, some gratifying and others not so gratifying. You've learned that this is a normal and natural part of the meditation process. Every meditation you do is of equal value. There's no need to judge one experience as being more beneficial than another just because it's more gratifying.
When you experience a gratifying meditation it’s natural to want the next one to be the same. However, if you try to control your meditation to create your preferred experience, what you’re actually doing is resisting the natural process of the body releasing stress and repairing. An important part of this technique is becoming aware of any preferences you may have and letting them go.
In this meditation session, if you notice yourself resisting or attempting to control the experience you're naturally having, simply let go and effortlessly come back to the mantra. Give yourself permission to accept whatever is happening whether it's gratifying or not. Remember, there's no such thing as a bad meditation. (If you are) accepting, allowing and being effortless you're practicing perfectly. So, let's begin.
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose into the belly draw further breath into the chest, and release. Again, deep breath in through the nose into the belly, into the chest, and then release. One last time into the belly, into the chest, and release.
Now simply allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Scan the body and notice if there's any part that may be holding tension. Completely let go. Become aware of any preferences or expectations you may have. Let them go and become neutral. Be totally unconcerned about what kind of meditation you're going to have right now. Simply allow.
Now begin to think the mantra ahum inside the mind, effortlessly, more as a faint sound than a word. Allow it to softly pulse as if it's going almost by itself. Remember, no controlling, no trying, no resisting anything. When thoughts come, effortlessly come back to the mantra. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body. Be here for a short time staying with the awareness of your body. Did you notice yourself trying to control the meditation? If so, were you able to let go of this and simply allow the experience to unfold?
Now, take a nice deep breath in and begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little. Slowwwwly opening your eyes. Bringing your awareness into the space you’re sitting in. Become aware that you are here now in the present moment. Nowhere else.
Step 10 - stress release in meditation
Welcome to step 10. In your last session you learned that letting go of the need to control your meditations allows for greater effortlessness and ensures you get the maximum benefit from this practice. In this step, you’re going to learn how to recognize stress release in meditation and how to allow this natural process to take place.
The most obvious signs that you're releasing stress in meditation is agitation or restlessness in the body and a constantly thinking mind. These experiences can feel shallow compared to other deeper meditations. When you're experiencing these symptoms of stress release, it’s common to think that you're doing something wrong, or it's no longer working because the meditation seems shallow. This couldn't be further from the truth.
The reality is, these shallow less gratifying meditations are very important and are the experience of the body recovering from stress. Sticking with your meditation practice even when it's not gratifying is critical to releasing stress and restoring health and vitality in the body. Both gratifying an ungratifying meditations are of equal value. Remember, there’s no such thing as a bad meditation as long as you’re being effortless. All that's required is a neutral attitude towards your experiences and that you continue to allow the natural process of stress release to take place. So, let's begin.
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose and into the belly drawing further breath into the chest and then release. Again deep breath in through the nose into the belly, into the chest and release. One last time…into the belly, chest, release. Now simply allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Scan the body and notice if there's any part that may be holding tension. Completely let go.
Become aware of any preferences or expectations you may have. Let go of them and become neutral. Be unconcerned about what kind of meditation you're going to have right now. Begin to think the mantra ahum inside the mind effortlessly as more of a sound rather than a word. Allow it to softly pulse as if it's going almost by itself. Remember, no controlling, no trying, no resisting anything. When thoughts come effortlessly come back to the mantra. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra. Bring your awareness into your body. Did you notice you were able to be neutral as your meditation experience changed? Were you able to allow whatever was taking place to happen without any resistance? Now, take a nice deep breath in. Begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little, as you slowwwwly open your eyes and bring your awareness into the space you're sitting in. Become aware that you are here now. In the present moment. Nowhere else.
Step 11 - thoughts and mantra
Welcome to step 11. In your last session, you learned to recognize when you're releasing stress in meditation, and how both gratifying and ungratifying experiences are of value. In this step you're going to continue to deepen your understanding of the relationship between thoughts and mantra. In previous steps you learned that thoughts in meditation are caused by the body releasing stress.
When you think the mantra ahum as a faint sound pulsing in the mind, at some point you'll forget to think it and instead be thinking other thoughts. When you realize you’ve forgotten the mantra, all you have to do is softly come back to it without force or strain. By now you may have noticed in your meditations that thoughts and mantra can be experienced in the mind at the same time. This is a natural part of the meditation process and should not be resisted in any way.
Thoughts and mantra happening at the same time is the experience of your awareness expanding into greater depth. When you notice thoughts and mantra at the same time, all you have to do is allow the experience and gently bring the mantra into the foreground of your awareness. At no time should you try and block thoughts out in an attempt to have only the mantra repeating by itself. Simply allow thoughts to be there and effortlessly bring the mantra into the foreground. So let's begin.
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose into the belly, drawing further breath into the chest, then release. Again deep breath in through the nose into the belly, into the chest and release. One last time… into the belly chest release. Now simply allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Scan the body and notice if there's any part that may be holding tension. Completely let go.
Now begin to think the mantra ahum inside the mind, effortlessly, more as a sound rather than a word. Allow it to softly pulse as if it's going almost by itself. Remember, no controlling, no trying, no resisting anything. When thoughts come effortlessly come back to the mantra. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body. Did you notice thoughts and mantra at the same time? If so, were you able to effortlessly bring the mantra to the foreground of your awareness while allowing thoughts to be there?
Now, take a nice deep breath in and begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little as you slowly open your eyes and bring your awareness into the space you're sitting in. Become aware that you are here now in the present moment. Nowhere else.
Step 12 - you've got this
Welcome to step 12 and congratulations. You’re about to complete the final step of the 1 Giant Mind learn to meditate course. In this step we're going to review all the key points you've learned to ensure that you have a complete understanding of how to practice the 1 Giant Mind technique.
So, let's recap. You begin by letting go of any expectations or preferences for a certain kind of meditation experience. Enter every meditation with a neutral attitude. Whatever you experience, simply allow it. This technique is effortless and doesn't require any concentration or control. There's no need to try and stop yourself from thinking or try to make yourself more relaxed.
The process of the mind settling down is completely natural. All you need to do is sit comfortably upright with your eyes closed, breathe naturally and effortlessly think the mantra ahum softly in the mind as a faint sound. When you do this, the mantra may change in many different ways and if it does go with it. At some point you will forget to think the mantra which is exactly what is supposed to happen.
When you forget it, you'll notice that you're thinking about something else. There's no need to review or analyze these thoughts, simply come back to the mantra without any force or strain and continue in the same effortless way. At no point do you want to hold on to the mantra or use it to block out other thoughts. When you notice thoughts and mantra at the same time all you have to do is gently bring the mantra into the foreground of your awareness. If at any time you feel uncomfortable in your meditation simply adjust your position to get comfy again.
Every meditation experience is going to be different from the next. There is no good or bad, right or wrong experiences, as long as you are not focusing or trying, or controlling. Remember, some meditations are going to be restless and thought-filled. These experiences are an important part of the body releasing stress and should not be resisted in any way. In some meditations you may notice your head nodding or completely dropping forward. This experience is the body burning off fatigue and releasing stress, and it’s very important to allow this to happen.
There are gratifying meditations and ungratifying meditations. All experiences are of equal value and benefit. The entire process of practicing this technique is effortless and automatic. The less you do the better. So, let’s begin.
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose into the belly, drawing further breath into the chest and release. Again, deep breath in through the nose into the belly, into the chest, and release. One last time into the belly into the chest, release. Now simply allow the breath to settle into a natural rhythm. Scan the body and notice if there's any part that may be holding tension. Completely let go.
Now begin to think the mantra ahum inside the mind effortlessly, more as a sound than a word. Allow it to softly pulse as if it's going almost by itself. Remember no controlling, no trying, no resisting anything. When thoughts come effortlessly come back to the mantra. Whatever you’re experiencing, simply allow it. I'll let you know when it's time to come out.
(pause)
Keeping your eyes closed, gently let go of the mantra and bring your awareness into your body. Allow yourself to simply be here for a few moments, feeling yourself naturally coming out of the meditation. Now, take a nice deep breath into the belly as you begin to move your fingers and toes and stretch out a little and slowly open your eyes.
Congratulations. You have just completed the 1 Giant Mind learn to meditate course. You now have a powerful technique to manage stress on a daily basis and continue to experience greater health and well-being.
