Guided Meditation for Busy People

Free yourself from stress in this 15-minute guided meditation for busy people. Experience peace of mind through this short and simple meditation for everyone.

Mai Lee  is a longtime meditator and lives at Ananda Village, California.

Transcript

Mai Lee:

Hello, friends,

Thank you for joining me today, I want to walk you through my daily practice. Coming from a big city like Los Angeles, I’ve really had to tune into finding my own peace. The important thing about your meditation is relaxing. And so, after a hard day of work or just a stressful day, I do several deep breaths, tensing and relaxing the body. And so, we can do that together. So, deep breath. The way you want to do that is you're taking two breaths in and tensing the whole body, and then breathing out. So, let's do it again.

I just want to make sure that you're not holding any tension in the body, otherwise, you'll be meditating on that. So just relax. Today, I'm sitting at the edge of my couch, but you can sit cross-legged, you can sit on a cushion. I think the most important thing is making sure that you feel comfortable so that you can meditate for longer than you normally would.

So, I'd like to start with a reading. But before we do that, let's open with a prayer. So, let's close our eyes. And prayers are really important that it just comes from the heart. So, …

Divine Mother, Heavenly Father, friend, beloved God, Jesus Christ, Babaji, Krishna, Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, and beloved Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, saints of all religions, we humbly bow to you all. Join us in this meditation. Inspire our hearts. Grow our mind and wisdom and channel your wisdom through us, so that we may be perfect reflections of Thee. AUM, Peace, Amen.

A Prayer Demand to Find God

And before we go into meditation, I'd like to share a reading with you from Whispers from Eternity by Paramhansa Yogananda. This prayer demand is called Demand to Find God at Any Time, Anywhere.

Teach me, O Father, to find Thee in the cave of my heart, that I may walk with Thee everywhere. Teach me to hear Thee in silence, that I may hear Thy voice beneath outer noises. Teach me to find Thee in inner peace, that I may be with Thee calmly in the midst of outer tumult. Hubbub or silence, tumult or peace: I care not, so as long as Thou wilt teach me to find Thee anywhere, at any time.

And now just, I like to just shake my body a little bit because sometimes it just helps me relax. So, I like to sit with my palms up so that I can receive blessings in my meditation.

Now, let's just close our eyes taking a deep breath.

Guided Meditation for Focusing on the Breath

I like to start off with just focusing on the breath. Starting to focus in on the breath here [Mai touches her abdomen under her belly button.] Your stomach breathing in. Usually after a long day, I'm breathing up here. [Mai touches her chest.]  So, we're starting here, [Mai touches her abdomen again.]  just to focus in on a breath. Inhaling, filling the stomach, exhaling moving up, inhaling bringing all that intention and energy, inhaling (slowly, then exhale slowly)

What this will do is help you focus in on that breath. Inhaling, and you'll feel that coolness right in here at that the bridge of your nose. Inhale and the warmth as you exhale, drawing that breath in and out and just focusing your intention at the spiritual eye

What's really important here is that you have a very straight spine. That straight spine will give you many benefits, and that is what will keep you from falling asleep. But the other thing is to really help you channel your energy. It's really important to focus between the eyebrows here. Some people call that the spiritual eye. Sometimes, I like to just imagine that I'm watching the sunset behind closed eyes, and that's where you want to keep your gaze.

So, let's meditate together. When I'm meditating, I'm trying to feel peace in my heart by keeping all the attention at the spiritual eye.  I like to feel peace throughout my body, through my bones, through my muscles, put a smile on my face, and feel that energy rise to the spiritual eye, feeling peace wrapping me and letting the day go.

You want to just observe your breath. Feel it coming into your body through your nose. As it enters, fill your body, exhaling, and observe where the breath goes.  inhaling, filling the lungs the diaphragm, expanding the stomach, observing it go, inhaling, feeling the body rise but just observing the breath, focusing all of your attention at the spiritual eye but continuing to observe the breath as you inhale and exhale.

And now, enfolding the mantra Hong and Sau with your inhale and exhale, silently chanting Hong as you inhale and Sau as you exhale.

Focusing all that attention in your silent mantra at the spiritual eye, focusing on the warmth, focusing on any light, but silently chanting on the inhale, Hong, exhale, Sau.

Then you want to end that mantra with just a double breath, sitting in silence. And holding that gaze at the spiritual eye and going into silence.

I like to close every meditation with a healing prayer. It's really important you do this because you've received all these blessings from your meditation. By sharing all the blessings with the world, you're sharing a piece of yourself with the world. I do this because it helps me change from within. Being that I'm a person of service, this is my service to the world. So, closing your eyes and then you want to bring to mind friends, strangers, loved ones, those in need, Divine Mother, Thou art Omnipresent. Thou art in these souls. Manifest Thy healing presence in their bodies, minds, and souls. You’re going to rub your palms together and chant three AUMs, sending out these blessings to the world.

AUM, AUM, AUM

AUM Peace, Amen