Four Meditation Exercises for the Beginner

How do YOU meditate? What works for you? What do you feel in your body? I know I'm not the only one to admit that I have a difficult time meditating. Here are some answers I received from the above question on an interactive Conscious Evolution site last year. I hope one of these methods will help you on your meditative journeys.

Method #1:
Ritual is very important to my meditation practice. In my practice that includes meditating at the same time every day: incense, a lit candle, acknowledging the four directions and an opening prayer and music. I have been influenced by Zen meditation, yoga relaxation and breathing practices, visualization techniques, mantra repetition and even dancing techniques to name a few. My meditation experience changes from day to day as sometimes it is very contemplative of my life; some days I feel connected to nature or I find myself praying for peace, compassion and love. At times my meditation takes me into a void where there is no thought or it can be very visionary where I receive insights about my life and that of others around me; sometimes I even see things far into our future. Every once in a while, I am BLESSED with feeling an all-loving presence that permeates my whole being with happiness and love. What is constant and most important about my meditation practice is that it has become as essential to my life as breathing air is for all of us. Best of all, I have seen how my behavior in my everyday life has become (for the most part-who is perfect?) a mirror of the peace and compassionate feeling I tap into when I meditate. I have been meditating for 20 years. May you have a blessed journey. From Pablo (Evolve Community Caf