Guiding Meditation - Sound Meditation...With any voiced sound meditation; such as mantras or chanting,cover the position and atmosphere, grounding and body awareness stages and then

Certificate in Guiding and Teaching Meditation – Session 5 Guiding Meditation for Groups 2 excerpt

© Lisa Forde & Australian Centre for Holistic Studies

Guiding Meditation - Sound Meditation

When guiding active forms of meditation, we will still follow the stages of meditation, however we will do so in varied formats and with different emphases.

Let’s recap the stages:

1. Position and Atmosphere

2. Grounding (including breath and sensory awareness)

3. Relaxation/Body Awareness

4. Technique

5. SIC

6. Grounding/Close

And the types of Sound Meditation covered in Session 3:

1. Chanting

2. Mantras

3. Japa Mala (Types 1-3 involve voicing or silent repetition)

4. Listening to Crystal Singing Bowls, Didgeridoo, Tibetan Bowls and inspiring lyrical or instrumental music

Let’s look at facilitating each type of sound meditation in turn.



Guiding Sound Meditation - Chanting and Mantras

Different meditation and religious traditions have specific and varied rituals for conducting certain types of sound meditation. In this section we will keep it practical and non-denominational by detailing general methods that can be applied to most kinds of sound meditation.

With any voiced sound meditation; such as mantras or chanting, cover the position and atmosphere, grounding and body awareness stages and then move into the technique.

So you might:

1. Begin by explaining correct position and checking that everyone is in position to begin the meditation. You can do this informally or within the guided sequence.

2. Then begin the guided sequence by taking clients through a grounding. This can be particularly powerful when used with a focus on opening the senses as sound meditation can potentially be particularly stimulating to the senses. It also helps people engage with the here and now in order to be present to the sound meditation in the fullest sense.

3. Follow the grounding with a brief body awareness sequence. Again, the focus can be on inner sensing and connection with the body. This helps people prepare to centre on the sound stimulus and feel the effects more deeply and immediately throughout their body.

For a sound meditation Steps 1-3 can be completed in 5-10 minutes. It can be conducted with eyes open or closed and applies to all kinds of sound meditation.

4. Then for the chanting or mantra techniques, the facilitator can lead the chant by beginning the sequence themselves and allowing others to follow when they are ready. I do not tend to give out the chant in written form as I find this a distraction for most people. (Unless the chant is particularly long and complex as in certain Buddhist chants).

If conducting a silent mantra meditation, begin with a few rounds of voiced mantras and then instruct the group to continue silently, instructing clients to let go of the mantra when they feel ready to. (This allows the technique stage to blend silently with the SIC stage)

5. If chanting aloud, when it is time to let go of the chant or mantra, (this time can be determined intuitively or at a certain point in time) the facilitator can trail their voice of and sit in silence. The group will follow and this is a time for everyone to sit with the energy they have created and be in stillness (SIC).

6. When the facilitator is ready to bring everyone back, they can conduct a short grounding.



Guiding Sound Meditation - Japa Mala

If conducting Japa Mala, Steps 1-3 would be a little shorter, say 5-8 minutes, or you might deliver them informally prior to beginning to use the mantra and mala beads.

For the first few times that you guide this meditation (or with new group members) provide detailed instructions as per the information on pages 24-26 of Session 3.

You might do a visual check to make sure students are positioned correctly and holding the beads correctly. Do a quick demonstration together.

Always begin with Baikhari (out aloud) with a new group or when new members are present.

Once everyone is ready to begin; have a short practise (perhaps one round) and then a discussion to check technique again and address questions.

Then, once everyone is comfortable with the technique, you can conduct a longer session of Japa Mala (up to half an hour or more).

Before you begin the session proper, explain the sequence that you have chosen for your technique eg. I will start out aloud then move to a whisper, so students know what to expect.

1. For the first few sessions, you will have checked position already. For subsequent sessions, you might like to reiterate key points.

2. Conduct a short grounding and body awareness to connect everyone to the present and harness their focus and concentration. Focus on the senses. This can be conducted with eyes open.

3. Begin the Japa Mala by leading the chant. Speak slowly and clearly.

4. From here you have a few choices:

a) Continue the chant out loud for 10-15 minutes.

b) Chant out loud for 10 minutes then lower the voice to a whisper

c) (For advanced meditators) Chant out loud for 10 minutes, then whisper for 10 minutes, then continue the mantra silently for 10 minutes.

5. Ask the group to let go of the mantra now and be in stillness (SIC)

6. Grounding to return, particularly noticing the effects of the vibration and resonance of the mantra through the body.



Other variations for Japa Mala include:

a) Conducting Japa Mala only as a whisper (or under the breath)

b) Conducting Japa Mala as a silent mantra (Advanced groups)

c) Beginning out aloud then moving to a whisper

d) Beginning as a whisper then moving to a silent mantra (Advanced groups)

In all cases, at some point, the group will need to be asked to let go of the mantra and be in silence. Another option, (for silent mantra) is to allow the individuals in the group to decide when THEY are ready to let go of the mantra and be in stillness by not giving any such instruction, but explaining at the beginning of the meditation that individuals are free to let go of the mantra whenever they feel ready to.

Japa Mala can also be conducted as a walking meditation (chanting whilst holding the beads and walking mindfully and slowly together). This can be adapted from the sequence above. (Also see the moving meditation section of this session).

With Japa Mala, there is no particular way to breathe with the mantra, other than keeping the breath low in the abdomen. Once you settle into a rhythm with the repetition of your mantra the breath will follow that rhythm.



Guiding Sound Meditation- Listening Meditations

Guiding listening meditations work in a similar way to voiced meditations.

Cover the position and atmosphere, grounding and body awareness stages and then begin the sound for the technique stage (this has a more dramatic effect) OR Use the sound at a lower volume as background sound during steps 1-3 and increase the volume and tone once the technique stage begins.

So here, you might:

1. Begin by explaining correct position and checking that everyone is in position to begin the meditation. You can do this informally or within the guided sequence.

2. Then begin the guided sequence by taking clients through a grounding. This can be particularly powerful when used with a focus on opening the senses as sound meditation can potentially be particularly stimulating to the senses.

For a listening meditation, it can be particularly powerful to centre on the sense of hearing. Jon Kabat-Zinn talks about “becoming the hearing”. Experiencing the body as pure sensation in order to be fully present to sound; allowing the sense of hearing to dominate the field of perception. As if your whole body is listening. If you recall our discourse about centring in Session 2, this state of awareness allows us to centre on the sensations in the body stimulated or triggered by the sound, thereby deepening the meditation. Allowing and welcoming these sensations mindfully and in spacious awareness. This process, if thorough, can encompass the body awareness stage.

3. When you are ready to introduce the sound technique, begin the audio, or begin playing the chosen instrument. (Or turn up the volume if it was already playing)

Your sound technique could be crystal singing bowls, didgeridoo, piano, Tibetan bowls, drums, or music of some kind. It can be live or a recording.

4. The SIC stage will most likely happen spontaneously during the delivery of the sound technique, however, if you are playing the instrument live, you might like to allow a short time in silence at the end of the sound technique. If you began the meditation with the sound at low volume you might return the sound to a low volume during the SIC, or you might like to keep the volume the same and allow the SIC to happen spontaneously during the listening process at normal volume.



5. When you are ready to bring everyone back, conduct a grounding.

Alternatively, you can conduct a sound meditation in a similar way to a moving meditation, where you deliver a brief position, grounding and body awareness before you formally begin the meditation, then introduce sound, and then simply return and conduct a short grounding with eyes open.

Here is a sample of just one way to conduct a sound meditation.

Be aware that your choice of sound is crucial.

Some kinds of sound work better than others. Here are some hints:

- Strong or fast music/vocals make it hard to relax - Some kinds of drumming can be too stimulating to meditate to and can actually

trigger emotions and anger. - Be aware of not having the sound too loud or too soft - Vocals that are very engaging may make it difficult to let go. Choose vocals that

are soft and gentle or no vocals at all if you are unsure.

Sound meditation can be very healing, and some may find it too stimulating or that it triggers emotion for them. This is part of the healing process and is ok. If it is too strong for some, then voiced meditation may help people feel more in control.

Guiding silent meditations work in a similar way.

1. Position and Atmosphere

2. Grounding

3. Body Awareness (steps 1-3 can be delivered informally before the meditation begins or as part of a guided sequence. It can be fairly short if the emphasis is on silence).

4. The technique is sitting in silence (and includes the SIC)

5. Grounding and close to return

https://www.holisticstudies.com.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sound-meditation-example.mp3



Guiding Moving Meditation- Walking

The 3 types of moving meditations covered in this course are Walking Meditation, Drawing Meditation and Dancing Meditation.

Conducting moving meditation requires a strong degree of familiarity and comfort with the technique, as much of the guidance is spontaneous and triggered in response to what you are observing in your clients. So it is essential that before guiding a moving meditation (or even a sound meditation for that matter), you practise it many times yourself. It is also important to imbue a sense of safety with participants so that the space feels private and supportive, since moving meditation involves a higher degree of vulnerability than people may be used to, especially in our culture. So this means ensuring people cannot be seen by anyone outside the group – no passers by or anyone walking in unexpectedly, facilitators should also participate so that participants don’t feel observed (but should also be available to support if needed), creating group boundaries around confidentiality and respectful listening, mobile phones etc., by facilitators taking a compassionate and non judgmental approach and using active listening skills and taking the time and care to create a conducive environment for meditation.

Let’s begin with walking meditation.

There are 2 ways this can be conducted:

1. Instructions given at the beginning of the session and then clients left on their own to conduct the meditation; either outside in nature or inside.

Here is a sample of an introduction to a walking meditation (audio)

Or

2. Guidance given throughout the meditation- more like the other meditations you have conducted.

I will detail the second option, since the first option is just a variation of the second.

1. Give an introduction to the goal and philosophical themes of walking meditation:

- Slowing down, moving feet and legs much slower than your normal pace. Become aware of the action of your body and muscles as you place one foot in front of the other (so much can be said about this as a metaphor for the need to slow down throughout all of life)

- Being in our sensory awareness, using a beginner’s mind, our inner child. - Can be more comfortable than stillness as it allows the slowing and gradual

processing of emotions and thoughts. - Grounding and centring

https://www.holisticstudies.com.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Sample-introduction-to-walking-meditation.mp3



- Being in the present, being present to your surroundings, enjoying the bigger picture and the small things, allowing yourself to be drawn to any aspect of nature.

- Observing your own thoughts and feelings - Observing your inner states and sensations - Allowing the feelings inherent in nature to be absorbed - Allow movements to be less directed, not going anywhere. Be directed by your

body and senses (like a toddler is).

You might like to make some notes from Jack Kornfield’s walking meditation talk in Session 3.

1. Position – talk about how to move the body, noticing and being mindful of each movement (explain prior to beginning or whilst walking)

2. Grounding/body awareness/technique – Conduct the grounding– you might begin seated and during the grounding, guide students to begin walking, or start walking at the outset. Bring awareness to inner and outer sensations. Note that this will be the main part of your guidance since walking meditation is primarily a grounding meditation.

Noting particularly:

- The feel of the temperature of the air against the skin - The sensation of moving the body - The inner sensations being experienced during the meditation - If conducting the meditation barefoot – the sensation of the grass or dirt or hard

surface under the feet. - Noticing fragrances as you walk around - Noticing feelings that pop up - Noticing sounds you can hear - Touching any objects, noticing their shape, colour, temperature, variations and

texture - Being mindful of inner and outer sensations - Noticing the energy and feeling of the place - Noticing parts of the body that feel warm, cool, places that feel tight/open. - Noticing any strangeness felt around slowing down

This guidance may be given all at once and then you can leave people in SIC, or you can give it little by little - as intuitively required.

3. When the technique is done, all gather and return to sit (you can just allow others to follow your lead without speaking). Sit in stillness for a time to integrate the effects of the meditation on the body.

4. Grounding and return then begin sharing.



Guiding Moving Meditation - Drawing

Drawing Meditation is conducted with only minimal guidance. The guidance that is given however is crucial as it will allow students permission to connect to the essence of this technique which is about letting go of judgment and allowing free release and expression. Giving over to the process and act of expression allows emotions to shift and consciousness to flow, allowing the student to raise their consciousness through the act of meditative drawing.

You will need plenty of space for each person so that they do not feel like others are looking at their drawing. Use soft oil pastels as this allows movement to flow more easily. Provide towels, tissues or wipes for people to clean up afterwards. Use cheap large paper and provide a good amount of sheets per person (depending on the time you will be allowing for drawing). Cheap paper helps people get away from the notion that they have to create something artistic or that looks good. You may like to cover the floor with an old blanket if you are working on a carpeted floor. You may also provide cushions since this activity is conducted sitting on the floor. (This allows best grounding connection, connection with the inner child and ease of movement when drawing). It is preferable for each person to have their own set of colours so that they do not have to interact with anyone else when changing colours or search for a colour. This takes them out of their flow and centredness.

1. Give an introduction to the goals and philosophical themes of drawing meditation:

- Slowing down movements - Moving hands and drawing much slower than your normal pace. Become aware of

the action of your hands and muscles as you draw. - Let go of analysis or interpretation as this interrupts the flow - Draw with less dominant hand in order to let go of habitual ways of drawing - Don’t “draw” anything in particular – just move the pastel – oil pastels are best as

they move more easily. Do not use textas, chalk (unless drawing outside on the pavement) or pencils, it’s ok to get fingers dirty.

- Being in our sensory awareness, using a beginner’s mind, our inner child. - Allows the processing of emotions and thoughts. - If you find your thoughts straying, just return awareness to the movement of your

hand on paper. Notice thoughts and emotional reactions mindfully. - Practise being in the moment. Allowing the pastel or the colour to move where it

wants to, rather than controlling its movement with the mind. - If you go blank, keep moving the pastel anyway - Let go of drawing for product – ie. trying to create a picture. - Let go of needing to draw anything in particular. - Choose colours with your less dominant hand – intuitively. Don’t change colours

just because you feel you should. Sky doesn’t have to be blue, grass doesn’t have to be green.

- Let the music draw through you.



- Observe your own thoughts and feelings - Observe your inner states and sensations - Allowing the feelings in your drawings to be

absorbed - Allow drawing to be less directed, not going

anywhere. Be directed by your body and senses or the music. There are no shoulds.

- Be brave and draw like no-one is watching – because they aren’t.

- Change paper whenever you need to. You are the master of your meditation.

- Let go of drawing outlines and colouring in. This encourages us to draw things we already know and that means working in the past, not the present.

1. Position – Sitting on the floor, with a cushion if needed. Wad of paper on the floor.

2. Begin with a Grounding/body awareness/relaxation with eyes closed. Bring about an awareness of the body, then hands and how we habitually move and use the hands. Preparing for an opportunity to allow the body/hands to express themselves rather than being used simply as tools of the mind. Open up sensory and feeling awareness. Use breath to centre and bring students to the present moment (very important).

3. Mindfully begin the technique as they open their eyes. As they begin, note any philosophical themes you might like to reiterate through the early stages:

- spontaneity - staying connected to the breath - allowing the flow without intellectualization or analysis - Working intuitively - Letting go of product or looking good - Slowing down - Inner sensations being experienced or anything else from above.

(During this stage, you might like to play some music, being aware that this may influence the process, as in any meditation – it’s your choice)

Allow time and space for drawing (10 -15 mins) – you might like to draw as well so that you are not looking at anyone’s drawing and you can stay connected to the process. (A sense of privacy, timing and space is important)

4. After the time (you can intuit the time that feels right- often towards the end there is a sense of resolution around feelings opened up during the process), ask students to put their pastels down and sit with what they have drawn for a while. (Looking at their drawing if they wish to)



5. Then close their eyes and spend some time in stillness and awareness. (SIC)

6. Return with the usual grounding.

7. Sharing and discussion with active listening.

Variations

Once your group has practised individual unstructured drawing meditation, and has achieved a sense of flow and expression, you can experiment with drawing as a group. You might stick large pieces of paper together to create a large group paper and conduct the drawing meditation together. This can harness the group energy for healing, bonding and connection.

In the image to the right, the group have used a circular piece of paper to create a mandala.

Another variation is to use varied pieces of music in the background to stimulate a deepening of the experience. This involves choosing specific music (or parts of pieces) and having an edited audio track to play during the technique stage, or a list of pieces on your ipod that you can flick to easily and without delay.



Guiding Moving Meditation - Dancing

Dancing Meditation can be the most challenging but rewarding kind of meditation to facilitate. As was discussed in the body relaxation section of this course, there can be a lot of resistance around loving the body and moving it freely due to our cultural conditioning- now more than ever. As a facilitator you will have to go to battle with this (and your own) conditioning in order to help people move freely. Hence, the more comfortable you are with your own body and free movement, the more authentically you will be able to guide this meditation. Role modelling the movement in the session can also work well – that is; participating in the meditation yourself.

You will need a pre-prepared playlist that you can put on and will play automatically. Choose music that begins softly and builds up in pace, then returns to a slower beat at the end. Consider the progression through the meditation stages as you choose your music.

As with walking and drawing meditation:

It can be helpful to give instructions before beginning the meditation, and then reiterate the relevant instructions during the technique stage.

So to begin with;

1. Give an introduction to the goal and philosophical themes of dancing meditation:

- Slowing down, moving the body slower than your normal pace. Become aware of the action of your body and muscles as you move.

- Listen to how your body wants to move, let it tell you, rather than the mind guiding the movements.

- Be in your sensory awareness, using a beginner’s mind, or inner child. - Can be more comfortable than stillness as movement allows the slowing and

gradual processing of emotions and thoughts. - Let go of habitual (unmindful) ways of moving the body to music, be free. - Be in the present, allow yourself to be drawn to a particular part of the body that

needs to move more than others at any stage - Observe your own thoughts and feelings - Observe your inner states and sensations - Allowing the feelings inherent in the music to be absorbed - Allow movements to be less directed, not going anywhere. Be directed by your

body and senses (like a toddler is).

1. Position – (not needed) – Loose comfortable, cool clothing, bare feet preferably. You will need a big space.



2. Grounding/body awareness/technique – Begin with a connection to the breath. Conduct the grounding and body awareness once the music is on and you have begun moving

Noting particularly:

- The sensation of moving the body - The inner sensations being experienced during the movement - If conducting the meditation barefoot – the sensation of the grass or dirt or hard

surface under the feet. - Noticing smells as you move around - Noticing feelings that pop up - Opening up the sense of hearing to the music, becoming the hearing, embodying

the music. - Noticing the sensations of your clothing against your body. - Being mindful of inner and outer sensations - Noticing parts of the body that feel warm, cool, places that feel tight/open. - Noticing any strangeness felt around slowing down or moving with mindfulness - Connecting with your body, your core. - Feeling a focus on certain parts of the body at certain times. Asking your arms,

legs, hips what they would like to do, how they would like to move. - Giving yourself permission to be free; to move authentically. - Let go of preconceptions of how you should move. - Move like no-one is watching. - If you find yourself getting distracted return your awareness to your breath and

body.

This guidance may be given all at once and then you can leave people in SIC, or you can give it little by little or as intuitively required.

(You don’t have to include all these points)

Be aware that as the technique time transpires, students will be moving deeper into their own space. So as in all meditation types, whilst you might be more directive at the beginning, the guidance should become gentler and more respectful of individual states and experiences as you move closer to the SIC. Many students may reach a SIC whilst they are still moving.

3. When the dancing and music is finished, all gather and return to sit (you can just allow others to follow your lead without speaking). Sit in stillness for a minimum of 5 minutes to integrate and notice the effects of the meditation on the body.

4. Grounding and return

5. Discussion and sharing (use active listening skills)



Variations

Dance blindfolded if in a small group if you have plenty of space.

Choose music that provides a journey through the chakras. For example, start with the base chakra (heavy bass or drum beat), then the sacral (sensual music), then the solar plexus (empowering music) etc. you can guide people to breathe into and focus on particular chakras as they dance. (You might like to complete the Chakra elective for guidance on working with the Chakras).

You might like to provide coloured scarves, blindfolds or other props to help people loosen up.

Your music could be focused on a particular musical style eg. drums, didgeridoo, so that you combine sound and dance meditation.

You can allow people to face the wall (away from each other) to begin with and then gradually move through the group as they get used to moving this way.

Whilst you are participating in the mediation with the group, notice intuitively what you need as this can be a guide as to how to encourage others.



Guiding Meditation – Insight and Contemplation

This is a beautiful and relatively straightforward kind of meditation to facilitate. However it can be more suitable for experienced groups since it requires basic meditation skills. Insight meditation allows us to sit with a stimulus – such as a reading, or question and through meditation, let go of seeking an intellectual answer, whilst allowing deeper wisdom to emerge and provide insight and connection.

It requires us to let go of intellectual grasping, control and analysis, and to be open to spontaneous inspiration and new insights that we might not otherwise have considered. It is less an intellectual, than a feeling and sensory process. It really requires no effort, other than the sensory and feeling ingestion and absorption of the words and then a letting go of the mind in order to reach deeper truths.

There is no pressure to come up with something brilliant at the end of the meditation. Rather it is about being exactly where you are at right now. For some the stimulus might illicit an emotional reaction – fear or grief. If so, then sit mindfully with that response, and allow it to process. The meditation is about taking the next step towards embracing the stimulus – whatever that step might be for you.

Therefore during discussion it is important to honour each person’s experience fully and not to compare insights. To discourage analysis and intellectualization and to be present to whatever occurs for each person as an individual.

The stages of meditation are followed in a straight forward way:

1. Position and atmosphere

2. Grounding (with a focus on the breath)

3. Body awareness – not so much relaxation as we want to be alert for this concentrative part of the meditation.

4. Technique – read the insight stimulus. Introduce it very simply and read it or introduce the question. For example: Now allow yourself to tune into your bodily awareness as you contemplate and sit with the question: Who am I? You might like to repeat the question over and over in your mind a few times, then let it go and keep returning to the breath as your anchor whilst the question (or reading) resonates throughout your body, your inner sensations and your senses.

5. Time for SIC

6. Grounding.

7. Sharing and discussion using active listening. (Let go of your own need to analyse, compare or intellectualize. Provide a neutral platform for sharing.)



Listen to a sample of a guided Insight Meditation.

https://www.holisticstudies.com.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Insight-Meditation-sample.mp3

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Guiding Meditation - Sound Meditation...With any voiced sound meditation; such as mantras or chanting,cover the position and atmosphere, grounding and body awareness stages and then