For someone who had been quite restless for at least a decade the idea of meditation and sitting still was a real tough one for me to get to. For years I tried many kinds of techniques and aides alike - like all the apps, but admittedly the more I tried the more I failed. It wasn’t until I found myself in India during yoga teacher training at a Hindu ashram where I practiced asana class four hours a day with proper relaxation time in the end (that is way more than the 2min you usually get in a class in the city) that I realised how much easier it was to be still after having worked my body through conscious movement for a good hour and a half.

Now for me that works every time, after a dedicated asana practice I can definitely relax into a meditation. With time I have come to a few more tricks that help me ground with less effort and time. The key here is to turn your meditation practice into a ceremonial experience.

I find that each of the following works well on its own but doing it all and in sequence provides an added boost of stillness and clarity of mind.

Smell & clearing | engaging the senses and particularly smell with some grounding and cleansing scents from burning sage, palo santo or red cedar can be very powerful in bringing you in the moment as well as clearing energies from your personal field. You can buy from so many different places or pick your own from nature and tie together into a smudge.

Voice toning & mantras | when used consciously sound can be a powerful tool to carry our intentions into manifestation and especially the sound generated by our own voice as it has the most immediate impact on the body coming from within. For me personally doing some vocal exercises like chanting Om for a while or the bija mantras feels very grounding, and especially when I have a clear intention such as being relaxed and able to sit uninterrupted for my meditation practice. Using an instrument to help you tune in is a great idea, I use any one of my Tibetan Singing bowls.

Breath of fire | This is one of the basic breathing techniques from Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan that can be practiced in so many ways, sitting, in different postures, using mudras and a myriad other ways for all kinds of wonderful healing results on all levels. It does take some practice to really feel the benefits and it is recommended to start with just a few minutes and build up to 31 adding a minute per day. I do it in the morning as a daily practice, when I feel stressed and in need of shifting some energy, and for sure before I settle in for my meditation practice. Here’s a video about this simple and so powerful breath from one of my favourite teachers.

Extra tip: make the experience of sitting for meditation feel as comfortable and enjoyable as you can by investing in items that you really like - a beautiful meditation cushion, aroma diffuser, eye mask, favourite sound instrument..for inspiration check out some meditation equipment here.

And above all - tell yourself you are doing this for yourself, to feel good, to be a better human being, to live a happy life. Visualise yourself as that. Enjoy the feelings of that reality. Be clear about why you do what you do. Take a deep inhale and a long exhale…and enjoy the silence.

ABOUT ELENA & LIVING ON SOURCE

Welcome to my online portal!

I am a former Googler reborn as conscious living advocate, transformational mentor, conscious business advisor, yogini, sound healing practitioner and workshop & retreat facilitator.

I help people connect to their authenticity and harness their innate power so that they can manifest the life they truly desire through individual sessions, group events and retreats.

It is my passion to inspire people into reconnecting with their true desire; I write regularly on the Living on Source journal and curate events to bring the LOS community together in London & Amsterdam.

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