Meditation Techniques for Inner Peace : หน้า 150/164

eyelashes to lightly touch your cheeks, as though you are falling asleep. (Please do not force your eyelids closed or squeeze them shut because that causes tension in this area, as well as other areas, of your body.) In closing your eyes, you are effectively shutting out all of the stuff that is out there trying to grab your attention. You are, in fact, going to begin looking at your inner space, not your outer space. 5. As you gently close your eyes, begin to smile from the inside. Make an effort to feel this new sensation of relaxation sweep through your body. Do not worry about falling asleep or losing control of your outside. Just smile, knowing that this personal space you have created for yourself is vitally important for your own well-being and that you now have the opportunity to enjoy some solitude. 6. Once you are initially relaxed, your eyes are closed, and you are smiling, take a few deep breaths. Slowly inhale for a few seconds and fill up your lungs really well. Hold that breath and then ever so slowly release it. Try to take your time by using several seconds to release your breath. This deep breathing helps your body truly relax, and it helps you begin to find your inner center, or comfort zone, which will eventually rest right around the base of your deepest inhalation. This center point is the home of the mind. Continue to breathe deeply for a few minutes until you actually sense your physical body relaxing even more. And, then, breathe normally. Focus now on that center point until you gain confidence that you can find that point again when you need to still your mind. 7. This next step I call "Dumping Your Garbage”. You can also call this "Cleaning Your Mind". Once you are relaxed and beginning to get comfortable, various thoughts or visuals might appear. Most people tend to think and think and think – endlessly – and if you don’t think, you believe that this is a troublesome sign – or that, somehow, your mind will stop working or (even worse) be taken over by something. It’s kind of like the old adage: idle hands are a devil’s workshop – except this is taken to mean idle minds are a devil’s workshop. So you think, and think, and think. There is nothing wrong with thinking, of course, but you usually think about the wrong things, or things that are not really beneficial. Much of what surrounds you is negative news: i.e., gossip or chatter. This is why Luang Por says that in cleaning your mind through meditation, you are wiping away some of the negative energy that surrounds you as well as cleansing what negativity has already affected you. 8. Right here, I would like to say that IF you need some help because you are thinking too much, then you may need a mantra. A mantra is simply a word or phrase that is