Below are 2 videos demonstrating the short, simple yoga routine, below the videos is a link to a PDF file explaining the Five Tibetans, and below the PDF file there are writings and links to more about the meditative life.
Whole human meditation is a process of feeling, being and embodying. Being fully present to any experience, with heart, can bridge to a higher meditative state.
Whatever works for you will nourish the inner landscape. The ultimate of whole human meditation is communion with the one Being, embodied by acting from higher human feelings.
According to Giovanni Dienstmann, author of in-depth articles on Live and Dare, there are hundreds of meditation types, categorized generally as 'Focused Attention,' 'Open Monitoring,' and 'Effortless Presence.' My chosen practice is a meditative life, self-developed after experiencing a variety of meditation and consciousness expanding techniques.
The meditative life constantly evolves in a natural learning and growing process, so does not risk stagnating in a system, technique or tradition. It is customized to the individual by the individual, guided by the inner voice (which may also lead one to experience a system, technique or tradition for a time.)
On my journey, I have experimented with and 'practiced' bio-feedback and sound/color brainwave entrainment, breath focus, chanting, dream work, meditative writing, labyrinth walking, plant spirits and sensory deprivation.
Meditative living refers to every minute, every breath, of every day. It applies to all aspects of life, including the seven dimensions of wellness (adapted here from the NDSU wellness center [1]):
PHYSICAL
A healthy body well-maintained....
INTELLECTUAL
A mind engaged in lively interaction with the world around ....
EMOTIONAL
Awareness of emotions and feelings, acceptance of what is, mental and emotional stability ...
SOCIAL
The ability to relate well to others....
SPIRITUAL
The sense that life is meaningful and has a purpose....
OCCUPATIONAL
Use of gifts, skills and talents in order to serve wholeness in life ....
ENVIRONMENTAL
Acknowledging that nothing is external, and living in a way that honors the sacred in everything with respect for the earth and all beings.
"You know, with years of daily meditation, I’m not the same person I once was. Nowadays:
If someone now cuts me in traffic, my natural reaction is to breathe and relax (not to tense and curse). The same thingwhenever most times my computer hangs.
I’m more at ease when going through hard conversations, ordealing with difficult people. There is an extra space before any reaction comes, which allows me to be more in control.
Increased self-awareness allows me to stop feeding negative thoughts and emotions, before they have a chance to take root.
Will power and concentration are stronger than ever, which means that pretty much everything else in life is easier. From making lifestyle changes to living with authenticity in relation to my true values and goals, there is less friction in making things happen.
There is no more addiction to entertainment, and I don’t get bored either.
It often feels as if life is a dream… So even though I participate with joy and intensity, there is this underlying feeling thatnothing can disturb me, and that I need to fear nothing - because I can always accept the reality of the present moment as it is.
My predominant mood changed from restlessness to a sense of energetic presence, peace and contentment.
There is no doubt that I still have a long way to go in this path. Yet I can see that what meditation has given me is precious - and that many people seem to want a bit of this too." - http://liveanddare.com/meditation-course
I would add to the above that applying 'communion' offers similar benefits and shifts one's awareness to non-duality and an expanded perspective.
This is an example of talks given by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche:
