After comparing many world traditions, we now have a simple map of consciousness with just two targeted brain states. While each tradition has its own terminology, these states can generically be called a “focused” state, and the “silence” state. In our map, we call them Single Point Awareness (SPA) and The Harmony Point (THP) respectively.
Last time, we covered a simple breathing technique that anyone can use to easily reach SPA. Today, we’ll put it all together into a simple approach to meditation that is easy to do, and produces fast and noticeable results.
Before we do, let’s define meditation:
Meditation is a practice that helps you become more aware of your body, mind and spirit. It is also a practice that helps you attain “the silence,” the place where higher states of consciousness become more accessible.
Meditation Made Easy
Think of meditation as a series of mental workouts that allow you to take control of your mind. Harmony Point Meditation is a systematic approach that uses Single Point Awareness (SPA) to gain control over the distractions that are competing for your attention. We call these distractions “attention seekers,” and we call this systematic approach “scanning.”
Scanning
Scanning is simply the process of moving your Single Point Awareness (SPA) from one attention seeker to the next in an orderly way, and resetting each of them as you go. The two main ways of scanning are 1) in a sequential order, or 2) based on the intensity of the distraction.
This process of scanning and resetting attention seekers is consistent across all realms. In other words, once you learn how to use SPA to reset your breathing, it can be used to reset the rest of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual distractions as well.
Harmony Point Meditation
- Enter into SPA with your breathing, and reset it.
- Scan for bodily attention seekers, and reset them using SPA.
- Scan for mental attention seekers, and reset them using SPA.
- Scan for emotional attention seekers, and reset them using SPA.
- Scan for spiritual attention seekers, and reset them using SPA.
- Enter The Harmony Point (THP).
Now, there are too many attention seekers to go through them all every time you meditate. Instead, spend a fixed amount of time within each realm. For example, start with breathing, then spend 5 minutes per realm, ending your session attempting to achieve the “silence” (THP). Then, every time you meditate, you can pursue a different set of attention seekers within each realm.
Using this approach, you’ll quickly gain control over all of your thoughts, feelings, emotions and actions. And with practice, you’ll gain access to THP as well.
Harmony Point Yoga
Just like our simple breathing meditation is an easy way to learn SPA, Harmony Point Yoga is an easy way to learn scanning. In this case, we use standard yoga poses and special transitions to focus in on a series of body parts, and reset them along the way.
Next time, we’ll explore these concepts in more detail, and explain how they are related to mindfulness.