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Mind Illuminated Stage One Meditation: Foundational Practice · The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to this guided meditation based on the Mind Illuminated Meditation Training System.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Track is designed to be listened to repeatedly, helping you establish a consistent and diligent meditation practice.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: While there is a good amount of guidance provided, there will also be periods of silence for you to practice the prompts on your own.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: This allows you to gradually become more independent in your meditation practice.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: The track can be listened to over and over again until you feel a sense of mastery over the skills.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we will be focusing on stage one practice, aimed at developing a regular meditation routine.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: This is the kind of meditation that you can return to when you fall off track.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: When you find that you don't have consistency in your practice, and you can come back to this daily or return to it as often as you like.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Before we even start thinking about the meditation object, we are going to prepare ourselves with a six-point preparation for meditation.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: This preparation helps us set a strong foundation for our practice by addressing our motivation, goals, expectations, diligence, distractions, and posture.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: So to start, let's look at motivation.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment to review your motivation for meditating today.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Be honest with yourself and accept your reasons without judgment.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: For example, you might think, I want more peace of mind.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Doesn't matter.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever your motivation is, acknowledge it and let it guide your practice.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: This helps to provide direction and focus.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: For instance, you might set a goal like I will not get annoyed when my mind wanders.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Bring to mind the dangers of having expectations.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's important to be gentle with yourself, and to remember that there is no such thing as bad meditation.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: The key is to find enjoyment in every session, regardless of the outcome.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Attitude helps to cultivate a positive and accepting mindset.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: For is diligence.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Diligence means engaging wholeheartedly in the practice rather than spending your time on the cushion planning or daydreaming.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Recall that the best way to overcome resistance is simply by continuing to practice without judging yourself.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Acknowledge these thoughts and emotions, and set the intention too.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Set them aside during your meditation.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, you may not be wholly successful in keeping these distractions at bay, but planting the seed of intention is an important step.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: And the sixth point, finally, is to review your posture and to get comfortable.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: So ensure your head, neck, and back are aligned, your shoulders are even, hands are level.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Close your lips, breathe naturally through your nose, and relax your body like a lump of soft clay.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Solid and stable, but pliant.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: This helps to minimize physical distractions.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: That we have prepared our mind for meditation.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to move a gradual four-step transition to our meditation object.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Ultimately will be the breath at the nose.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Transition that we are going to go through helps to calm the mind and focus our attention.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: And would argue that this transition to the meditation object is even more important than the final stage of focusing on the object.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's not something we need to get through to start meditating.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: This is meditation.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: Remember that there will be periods of silence during this practice to allow you to deepen your experience with each prompt.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Step one in the transition to the meditation object.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Focus on the present.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Close your eyes and just become fully present.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Open your peripheral awareness to take in everything presented to the senses.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: So now limit your attention to bodily sensations.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: Step three, we'll be focusing on bodily sensations related to the breath.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: Without suppressing anything else.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: A general sense of the movement of breath.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: Notice the invigorating sensation during the in breath and the relaxing sensation during the out breath.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: To direct your attention to the sensations produced by the air moving in and out of your nostrils.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: Inside the nostrils, at the tip of the nose, or on the upper lip, or elsewhere.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: Maintaining peripheral awareness of background sensations.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: We want to keep our attention on this area.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: We also don't want to suppress peripheral awareness.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay to keep our peripheral awareness on background sensations while at the same time aiming our attention at the sensations at the nose.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: This step helps to refine our focus on the meditation object.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: We have transitioned to a meditation object.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: And the remainder of our focus hanging on the second of the breath.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_00: We can stop it all together.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: Adjust your goal to five breaths.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: Successful.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: Continue observing the breath sensations without counting.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: Counting is just a tool to help stabilize the mind.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: Also not trying to suppress anything in your peripheral awareness.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: It can be there.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_00: You want to break the breath cycle up and notice in particular endings and beginnings of each breath.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_00: Beginning and ending.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_00: The inhale and the beginning and ending of the exhale.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, throughout the practice, maintain peripheral awareness.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_00: Your attention.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_00: The breath at the nose.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_00: Of the cultivated balance and inclusive awareness.
• 59:24
  SPEAKER_01: We conclude our session.
• 59:25
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment to reflect on your practice.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_00: During stage one.
• 59:33
  SPEAKER_00: And you never miss a day of practice except when absolutely unavoidable.
• 59:41
  SPEAKER_00: You really procrastinate or spend your time on the cushion doing something besides meditating.
• 1:00:32
  SPEAKER_01: If you need to, and open your eyes.
• 1:00:49
  SPEAKER_00: Bringing peace and clarity into your life.