Meditations by Susan Kramer

Quiet Time
Feeling Fine

1. Sitting Meditation

2 to 10 minutes

Sit cross-legged, with straight back as in The Leaf pose, and face forward. Clasp your hands and let them rest in your lap. Close your eyes.

Breathe easily and evenly, in and out. Silently count each breath in as one count, and each breath out as one count, till 50 counts, or another even number.

Example:
Count 1: breathe in
Count 2: breathe out
Count 3: breathe in
Continue…

To finish, take a final deep breath in, slowly let it out, open your eyes, stand up, and stretch.

2. Walking Meditation

At least 2 minutes

This meditation has 2 parts that combine to energize the body and coordinate mind-body (thinking-moving) functioning:
1. Even breathing.
2. Walking with arms and legs in opposition.

Walk briskly while swinging arms easily back and forth. When the left foot steps forward, the right arm swings forward. And, when the right foot steps forward the left arm swings forward.

While walking concentrate on breathing evenly in and out. This practice develops and teaches about concentration.

Example:
Count 1: breathe in
Count 2: breathe out
Count 3: breathe in
Continue…

To finish, stretch arms overhead; bring arms down to sides; resume other activities.

3. Lying Down Meditation

2 to 10 minutes

Lying on a piece of carpet, stretch out on your back as in the pose The Starfish. Close your eyes, let your body go limp as a starfish laying on a rock.

Lying so still and relaxed, keeping your eyes closed, visualize walking onto a playground on a warm sunny day.

In your mind, just feel yourself standing still for a moment looking around, then seeing a child on a swing going back and forth in a regular rhythm, over and over again…

Enjoy the relaxed feeling in your own body that is lying so limply and undisturbed. Feel whole and comfortable in your resting body.

After some time, begin to come back to your everyday active self by taking a deep breathe, opening your eyes, stretching out your arms and legs, sitting up.

Susan Kramer is an international author of more than 50 collections and 150 articles on philosophy, yoga, rhythmic dance, music, social issues and practical spirituality for children, teens, adults and those challenged, and with her husband, Stan Schaap— http://www.powertoshare.com resides in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.