​A Guided Journey Into the Mind

A Guided Meditation Story with Breathing Activation Session, Color & Sound Bath

2019 is upon us and many people love to make New Years' resolutions related to improving their overall health and wellness. I remember in 2008, I was in my second year as a research scientist and my stress load was immense. On New Year's Day 2009, my resolution was to find an effective way to calmly handle high stress situations with calm and composure. That was the year I was first introduced to practices related to spiritual alchemy and meditation.

"Newcomers" to meditation often picture the practice as sitting in near silence, trying to be "mindful" while clearing one’s mind of excess thoughts… But understanding the practice of meditation should be no more elusive than understanding the power of focused thought with intention.

Indeed, it's that powerful combination of concentration with intention which inspires me to use an underlying theme for most of our workshops. Often times, I create them with a broad intention in mind, focusing on our psychic, spiritual, and physical wellness. This intention is then greatly heightened by the bridge between our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system: the breath work.

We’re demo-ing a new meditation protocol of ours with a different spin. After you've arrived in our cozy space, while you lay comfortably and begin to "decompress," I'll start us off with a brief discussion about the concepts & themes we'll be contemplating during the session; then we'll begin a 15-minute circulation activation exercise, and once we've warmed up our lungs, I will be your guide for a meditative story time while you float through your minds on that oxygen high created from our breath work. After that, we will finish up with another round of heavy breathing, and use the remainder of our time for relaxation, introspection, and rebooting.

Click here for a sample of an old pre-recorded meditation I made for beta testing our format.

I'll be using a slightly different format from here on out, but just to get an idea of what we'll be doing, this is a very good place to start.

There's a reason why people from the Far East to the Far West have incorporated breathing protocols into their meditation practices: Our breath is one of the most valuable tools over which we have conscious control which can help us gain power over our nervous system; and our nervous system is the command center of our entire body. With the knowledge of how we can intentionally make our breath work for us, we can strengthen our conscious connection with our minds, bodies, and souls, and learn to become nearly “superhuman.” ;-)

Speaking of Superhuman, quite a number of our guests enjoy cold water immersion as a means to wake-up, recharge, or simply challenge themselves, using breathing protocols while they're submerged, in order to maintain control of their body's cold-shock response reflex. It is certainly not required, nor is it a part of the meditation; if you have ever tried cold-water immersion before, however, or would like to try it for the first time, guests are welcome to stay for the hour following the meditation, free of charge, in order to give it a shot. I will coach you through it, and the maximum time you will spend in the water is 120 seconds---but 120 seconds in 45 degree water will feel like a very long time indeed, for most people. If you are interested in participating in this part, then please remember to bring a towel and a swimsuit (or clothes you don't mind getting wet); we provide the cold bath.

Just as our bodies need to be "worked out" in order to build physical strength and stamina; similarly, improving our ability to focus and concentrate, as well as organizing our mental patterns to process psychological stress more easily, are necessary practices for our minds to function at their highest potential.

So, with the lights dim and music both challenging and facilitating our focus, let’s go on a mental journey with a guided story as I lead you closer to the center of yourself. Find yourself fully engaged with my words, or even drifting into your own narrative. If it seems exciting, explore where it leads.

(Optional: recreational dips in the cold bath for 1 hour after the meditation class.)

No need to worry about bringing yoga mats; we supply those. Only thing to bring is a towel and swimsuit (or clothes you don't mind getting wet) IF you plan to try the cold water submersion recreationally, after the meditation session.