How to Amplify Your Meditation Practice
My first exposure to anything remotely meditative was lying in my lounge on the sofa with The Orb’s 90’s album, Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld. It was an ambient drift that allowed me to breath deeply and connect with my inner self. I thought nothing of it, I simply knew it felt nice.
Years later, I sat crossed legged as the only man in a circle of 11 women. The smell of incense filled the room. We’d just got completed the colours and sounds of a Chakra meditation. Somehow the circle in which I sat had amplified the process.
It was as if I’d hovered above the floor
And my head had expanded out of the room and beyond the stars. Whatever was going on was like nothing I’d ever experienced. It felt unbelievable, it felt calm and it felt centering.
We are in an era of digital over-exposure. Our brains are frazzled. The part of the brain responsible for storing memories is saturated. A culture of lack of sleep, socially acceptable stimulants and screen overload, has left a big hole on our consciousness. It has left us drained, anxious and often helpless.
Every great journey has a first step
Meditation is without doubt the easiest and most powerful discipline you can learn. It costs nothing but your time. You don’t need to be physically adept, nor any particular age. It is a super power within us all.
Regular and often is the key to meditation. And like anything in life worth doing, it takes time, commitment and practice. So many people along my professional wellness journey have complained that “they just don’t get meditation”. However, this often comes after two attempts of five minutes. Bearing in mind, some people devote their whole life to the pursuit of enlightenment. Every moment of everyday.
So, if it’s inner peace and a sharpened intuition you seek, be prepared to put the time in. Look at meditation as a life-long friend, a good friend and even a best friend.
Step one — it’s all about the breath
Basic breath awareness is the beginning of everything. The simple act of sitting still and observing one’s breath is the entrance to the gateway to inner bliss.
There are those that suggest starting with 5 minutes, but I disagree. This suggestion has been encouraged by the quick fix, zero attention span culture we all embrace. To get anything out of your time sitting and observing your breath you need to get past the thoughts of the day. This will take longer than 5 minutes.
The skill is to not follow the thoughts. Instead, acknowledge them before refocusing the mind on the tip of your nose. Focus on the breath coming in and out. The thoughts will inevitably come. But, the longer you sit, the more you process these thoughts and importantly, oxygenate the brain.
From my experience of sitting for an hour or more, twice a day for over a year, there’s a moment where I yawn repeatedly. It is as if my physical tension has evaporated and my yawns drag more oxygen to the new free flow of blood supply required. It is a softening of my physical self.
Step two – adding the sound and colour
The eternal Ohm has been chanted for 1000’s of years by many enlightened spiritual leaders. Ultimately, we are own spiritual leader, we all have the inner power to create peace and tranquillity. Chakras have been a round for as long as the Ohm. They are related. They are the inner energy wheels of spiritual self. They go hand in hand.
It’s a leap of confidence and trust to suddenly emit guttural and phonic sounds from yourself. But, I cannot emphasise how powerful this practice is. It’s the amplification of breath observation.
Meditation on steroids.
The Chakras help you emit energy throughout the length of the spinal column, culminating at the top of the head. Each sound and colour has a representation of a theme in our life, an emotion and a feeling to observe. It is the ultimate mindfulness practice, bringing you to the moment like nothing else.
There are seven Chakras in total. All have a colour and a corresponding sound. You will need to imagine a wheel or ball of colour spinning inside yourself as you make your corresponding sound. The direction of the wheel of colour is down to you. Each sound and colour visualisation is individually repeated three times.
1. The root – the base of the spine
Colour — Red
Sound — A deep UOOOOOOOOOrrrrrrrrrr
This is your foundation, your root. It is responsible for creating structure and limitation. You need limitation to realise your dreams. Unbalanced, it results in anxiety and the feeling of being overwhelmed.
2. The sacral – below the lumber spine above the root
Colour — Orange
Sound — A deep AHHHHHHRRrrrrrrrrrr
Your emotion, creativity and sexual energy are harnessed here. It is the hub that allows you to embrace the joy of life. You’ll know it’s out of kilter if you feel lifeless and sluggish or too emotional.
3. The navel – the belly button
Colour — Yellow
Sounds — OHHHHHHhhhhhmmmmm
Seen as your centre of will power, this Chakra governs your ability to get things done. It’s a place for contemplation and understanding your relationship with power, ego and confidence. If you feel often and easily angry, this is a sign your third Chakra is out of sync.
4. The heart – the central chest area
Colour — Green
Sound — AAAAaaaHHHHHHHHhhhhh
Your heart is needed to do anything in life, which is meaningful to the soul. You must understand how to be loved and to love others. You must love yourself. You must understand and connect with what makes you feel good inside.
If you are moving sluggishly from a place of sadness and despair, you must revert to the things that offer a slither of light. A slither becomes a shard, and a shard an open door on a bright sunny day.
5. The throat – the centre of the throat
Colour – Blue
Sound – Ehhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
This Chakra gives you the ability to communicate who you actually are. Knowing who you are at your core is necessary to remain authentic and deeply real to yourself and others. It takes time to actualise who you really are aside of the major influences of family, friends and society. Speaking ones truth, takes courage yet it comes with immense responsibility.
When you talk too much, don’t actively listen, constantly compare yourself and say what you believe others want to hear, your communication will not be positive. You’ll need to re-balance and slow your head down to communicate in a more positive manner.
6. Third eye — middle of the forehead, in-between the eyes
Colour – Purple
Sound- EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeehhh
This is the home of your intuition, the place to analyse the world as it comes at you at a million miles an hour. Your intuition is the master of your decision making and the place you shape every step of your journey.
Indecision is the sure fire sign your third eye needs to be re-balanced. Dithering around a menu for lunch or what to wear in the morning, procrastinating over a job offer or what vacation to choose, are all examples of over-thinking. When finely tuned, your intuition will be sharp and you will have the trust and courage to lead yourself on this amazing journey of life.
7. The crown — the top of the head
Colour — white
Sound — all of the sounds in one long breath
Oooohhhhaaaarrrooohmmmmmaaaaahhhheeeehhhheeeeeeee
This is your spiritual gateway. Once the other sounds and colours are evoked, a wonderful place of stillness is abound. This is a place to consider your position in the universe, to contemplate your higher self. It is too easy, in this fast-paced society to lose sight of your higher self.
By obtaining a moment of true stillness you can let go and surrender the perceived troubles of your experiences. You can forgive those who may have been been negative, and you will be able to move more freely.
Many people are scared of silence, scared of the stillness where their true self comes running into the scene. They are fearful of the outcome of zero external stimulation. However, this is a place of great growth and discovery for you.
There is only growth, strength and reward in moments of true silence.
Chakra meditation takes time. Over the weeks, you will use your inhalation and exhalation to lengthen each of the sounds mentioned above. It will take a few months to inhale long enough to deliver the long sounds of the final Chakra — the crown.
Over the months you will open a channel and gateway inside yourself that will add fulfilment, peace and calm to your life. It takes confidence and practice, but everything worth achieving does.
Crucially, you must reverse out of your opened Chakra meditation
Once fluid in your practice you will accomplish the breathing, the colours and the sounds. The amplification of your meditative practice is hugely personal and sacred to you.
You must protect your new found resonance. You will appear more centred, more vibrant and more energetic to the world. You must protect yourself, you must not let others steal your power.
This is done by firmly rubbing the top of your head and in reverse order, your third eye, throat, heart, navel, sacrum and sitting bone. It is hugely powerful and symbolic closing down of your universal flow and should be done after each meditation session. It internalises the energy created for you, during your Chakra meditation, helping you to live your truth and feel energised.
I totally understand that this practice is a big ask for many and a huge step from a five minute mind or meditation app. However, the question to ask yourself is, “Why would I not do this?”
Of course, life is a constant juggling of billions of thoughts, emotions, reactions, experiences and influences that make you walk every step you take. This heady, often overwhelming mixture is who you are and who you allow others to see.
Amplifying your meditation practice will give you a deep confidence, comfort and inner peace. You will reflect well to others, make better choices and ultimately be a happier person.