About this Meditation

The basic candlelight meditation is one that every practitioner of meditation should try at some point. The beauty of it is that it is so simple. Simplicity is akin to quietness, which is one of the hallmarks of meditation. Quietness on the inside of one’s mind is essential. To effectively use this meditation it is recommended that one uses headphones so that outside sounds that can be disturbing are not heard. The sound in this meditation is that of the nature noises at night here at Digging Cat Homestead. The visual of the single candle is good for those who wish to have a visual experience to focus on. The flickering of the flame is a great way to see slight change over time to keep the eyes busy and still allow for one to achieve quietness in the mind. The soft light from the candlelight can also provide a soft glow in a dark room that does not need to be stared at. It is one of the simplest and most effective meditations one can try.

If you find that you have trouble quieting the internal verbal dialogue, keep in mind that trying to order it to stop does not work. One needs to let it run a bit, then gently stop it. Let it start again, and then gently stop it. As this continues, you will find that it will eventually come back weaker and weaker and eventually stop. Practicing full breathing is also recommended. Slowly take in air through the nose slowly. Fill up the bottom of your lungs, feeling it press down gently in your abdomen. Then let the lungs fill up from bottom to top as you feel gentle pressure on your sides and ultimately higher and higher in your abdomen. After you fill up, without pushing it, let the air slowly comeout through your mouth. It can help to imagine that you are breathing in clean air full of light and exhaling the stress from your body. Hopefully this will be one of your staple meditations in the future.

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