FYB Feel Your Best - Yoga Teacher Training, Pilates Teacher Training and Stress Management Teacher Training

Mind, Body & Spirit:

Question and Answers

About Yoga, Pilates & Stress Management

By Debra Mundt, RYT500, CPT
FYB (Feel Your Best)^®

Yoga, Pilates & Stress Management

Teacher Certification Training School

Meditation

Q: I want to learn how to meditate, but most of the books I pick up are so involved. Is there an easier way to get started? Also, are there any resources you can recommend for beginners? --M.N.

A: Meditation, while it can be portrayed as pretty simplistic (you just sit down cross-legged, close your eyes, and—poof!—you’re meditating!), can take a lifetime to learn. But that doesn’t mean that the benefits of meditation are unattainable to beginners, by any means! Herbert Benson, M.D. (author of The Relaxation Response, 1975—to this day one of the most valuable resources I recommend to beginners) and his group at Harvard’s Thorndike Memorial Laboratory developed a technique called the Relaxation Response. According to Benson, there are four elements that elicit the Relaxation Response:

1. A quiet environment
2. A comfortable position
3. A passive attitude
4. An object to dwell upon

These four elements are loosely translated into most forms of meditation. You may experiment with different techniques, and find the one that you connect with more than others, or you may vary the techniques. Just keep in mind the four elements: finding a quiet place; a position (seated or even lying down) in which you feel comfortable; maintaining a mindset in which you are not waiting for something “magical” to happen, just allowing whatever happens to happen; and creating a focal point for the mind. That focal point can be as simple as listening to your breath, or as involved as you feel comfortable.

Here’s a technique that I find to be helpful for beginners, called Backwards Meditation, as suggested by renowned Yoga instructor Erich Schiffmann: Begin in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. In this meditation, your focus will be on the breath. Begin by silently counting your next exhalation as number 30. Inhale, 29…exhale, 28, and so on. When you reach number 10, count only your exhalations. You will probably notice that with each number, your breath becomes longer and your body more relaxed. When you reach number one, you may continue focusing on the breath quietly, or open your eyes to finish your practice.

When you are ready for some new techniques, make an appointment with a meditation instructor or a Yoga instructor trained in meditation; he / she can help you on your new journey. Best of luck, and happy meditating!

Do you (or does someone close to you) have a medical condition, or have an injury that you think Yoga, Pilates or Stress Management might be helpful in treating? Perhaps, you have general or specific Yoga, Pilates or Stress Management related questions. I’d love to hear from you! Please send your question to Info@FeelYourBest.com. I regret that I will not be able to personally answer each question submitted, due to time and space constraints.

Debra Mundt, RYT500, CPT, is the founder of FYB (Feel Your Best)^® Yoga, Pilates & Horizons (Stress Management). She is also Director of the FYB Teacher Certification Training School. Debra and the School Faculty members may be reached at 262-241-8796, or by e-mailing Info@FeelYourBest.com.