Lesson 3 Lecture: Meditation and Mindfulness

Lesson Summary: This lesson today will focus on meditation and Mindfulness.
There are many different types of meditation so we will explore several of them to
give you a better understanding of this very beneficial and ancient CAM practice. At
the end of class today we will be practicing our own guided meditation.

“Our minds through our intentions and thoughts are the creator of our own
happiness or unhappiness” 

Lesson Content:
History of Meditation
Meditation has been around for about as long as man has. It is thousands of years
old and believed to be before modern civilization. It can be difficult to pinpoint
exactly when and where because it predates the written word. It was passed down
orally from one generation to the next. It can also be translated from hieroglyphs
and other ancient records. The practice of meditation or mindfulness also varied
greatly from one culture and region to the next.
The most well-known practitioner of meditation as we know it is The Buddha who
was around 2600 years ago. He believed in meditative concentration, ethical
behavior, and awareness, or the ability to see things as they are.

What is meditation and mindfulness and how can they benefit you?
Meditation can help you to become more mindful. Mindfulness is the ability to be
fully aware of your surroundings and whatever is going on in the moment. This may
seem very simple but how many of us have hurried through our day only to get to
the end of it and only have vague memories of some of it. How many have had a
special moment pass us by and we think “that was all such a blur”. We rush and rush
trying to get everything done and to experience all of the things that our brains are
not truly engaged. Our physical selves are moving a million times a minute while our
brains are going even faster. We scarf down our food without even tasting it or even
remembering what we ate a few hours later. We have poor sleep quality because it
is hard for our minds to relax and turn off. Meditation can help with that. It can
bring us back to the present and help us to focus on our inner selves. Even when we
are not actively practicing meditation it will help us with focus and awareness. You
will be able to sleep better and be more peaceful with yourself and others. As you
learn not to judge yourself this extends to a better understanding of others.

We have all had a science class where during experiments you learn to judge the
data objectively and without emotion. During meditation, it is next to impossible to
completely clear your mind, especially when you are just beginning. You learn to
acknowledge the thoughts that come to mind free of judgment and “observe, watch
and examine as a scientist would” without fear, anger, or any other emotion. You set
them aside and return your focus to the meditation.
Take a moment and reflect on the following thoughts:
1. Intention shapes our thoughts and words.
2. Thoughts and words mold our actions.
3. Thoughts, words, and actions shape our behaviors.
4. Behaviors sculpt our bodily expressions.
5. Bodily expressions fashion our character.
6. Our character hardens into what we look like.

Do any thoughts come to mind? It kind of sounds like molding clay, right? There is a
saying that by the time you are old, you have the face you deserve. Think about that
for a second. Think of your parents, grandparents, and their faces. What do you want
your face to look like when you become their age? Our faces are like roadmaps that
tell the story of our life.

Types of Meditation
 Mindful Breathing
 Walking Meditation
 Body Scan
 Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain
 Sitting Meditation
 Mindful Lying Yoga

Benefits
Meditation can help with:
 Depression
 Anxiety
 improve quality of sleep
 Chronic pain
 Compassion, love, and kindness. Empathy
 Improving blood pressure and circulation

Let’s watch this quick video to see how simply breathing properly can improve our
health
https://youtu.be/SQf53VLXNsU

Mindful Breathing:
Is the basis for most meditation practices. It helps to keep you centered and present
in the moment. It is the awareness of your body pulling air into your body and your
body exchanging and releasing air.
Sit with your feet flat on the floor. It is helpful to have one hand lightly on your
abdomen. Breath deeply in through your nose. Feel your lower abdomen around
your belly button contract. Slowly release the air from your mouth feeling your belly
push against your hand. Become aware of the sensation of the air moving in and out
of your body. If it helps, you can picture the air you are breathing in as white or
pure, crystal-like air, and the air that you are breathing out as dark and cloudy. That
air contains all of the stress, worry, and tension that you are holding in your body.

Walking Meditation:
All meditation doesn’t have to be still! You can actually meditate while you get your
steps in. No excuses now!
Take a moment before you start your walk to check in with your body, to feel
connected and present. How are you feeling, are there any aches and pains
anywhere? Do you feel tired or energized? Take a moment and look around at your
surroundings. Take in any sights, smells, sounds, or sensations.
Now start walking. This is something that we do every day without even thinking
about it. This time stop and fully become present in the moment. Feel each step as
you pick your foot up, and place it down in front of the other one. Shift your weight
to your other leg, pick it up and set it down.
If you notice your mind wandering, gently acknowledge it and bring it back to the
lifting and lowering of each foot.

Body Scan
Body scans can help to identify and release any tension, stress or anxiety that the
body may be experiencing. Sometimes if you do these scans enough the body will
tell us things that we may not notice. We can identify areas of stress and tension and
work to actively relax those muscles. The “Triangle of Awareness” consists of
physical tension, thoughts, and emotions. Body scans can help with the
communication that we might tune out otherwise.

Meditation for Chronic pain

This type of meditation also involves body scanning. Usually, chronic pain stems
from an initial injury and can be exacerbated by emotional tension and stress. So the
first step is to do a body scan, accessing where the pain lies and where we hold on to
tension. You also deal with the emotions of the pain and tension and lastly you learn
to live in the moment with the pain.

Sitting Meditation
For the last part of the class, we are going to go on a virtual field trip to participate
in our own sitting meditation.

https://youtu.be/ZToicYcHIOU

Buddha Quote:
“Silence the angry man with love, Silence the ill-natured man with kindness,
Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth.”
Resources
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BUDDHA'S ENLIGHTENMENT - Buddhism Zone

Seaward, B. (2018). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-
being (9th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2019). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook

(2nd ed.). New Harbinger Publications
This can also be found on Amazon: A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Workbook (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) - Kindle edition by Stahl, Bob,
Goldstein, Elisha, Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @
Amazon.com.