Intro Guided Meditation

IIA. First, take note of the moods you’ve experienced.

Out of the feelings listed on the chart, I’d say I am confused, sad, overwhelmed, and a bit lonely today.

B. Assess your overall level of anxiety on a scale of 1 to 10.

I am not anxious about the meditation, but I guess worried about my own issues; worried about all the due dates in school, maintaining my performance at work, and since I just got out of a relationship, dealing with all the thoughts going through my mind as of now. I’d say my anxiety level would be a 6.

C. Assess the level of physical tension in your body- where do you notice the tension? Try rating your overall tension on a scale of 1 to 10.

Between balancing work, school, and my own personal issues, I’ve been in desperate need of a massage. I’d say my tension would be an 8; mainly on my shoulders and back.

III. After you have finished your meditation, re-asses your state of mind and body.

A. Reassess your mood on the chart.

My feelings now aren’t exactly on the chart, but I’m feeling tired, sleepy (as usual), and ambivalent.

B. Reassess your level of anxiety from 1 to 10.

I am still worrying about all the pressures in life, so I’d say about a 5 now.

C. Reassess your level of physical tension and rate it from 1 to 10.

To be honest, I still feel the tension in my shoulders, so I’d give this category an 8.

IV. Describe the experience– What type of meditation did you choose? Describe what was going on in your mind and your body, what kind of thoughts and sensations did you experience during the meditation? Were there any challenging or frustrating aspects of the experience, and if so, what were they? Would you try this again in the future? Why or why not?

For my meditation, I chose “Intro Guided Meditation” by Ajahn Sundara (19:34) because I never really meditated before so I thought this introduction would be a good start. It started off with a voice instructing me of how to position myself and how to relax, I followed as instructed. I think the purpose of meditation is to release your mind and relax, but I was in a conscious state of mind the whole time. I was very aware of every little detail around me, such as my dog’s breathing or the refrigerator opening. I could not really “let myself go” in a sense that as the meditation began, I tried to be aware of everything the instructor said. I kept my ears open the whole time, even during the silence just in case I’d miss an important step. Throughout the whole process, I guess the most frustrating was the thought of “when is this going to end?” This thought ran through my mind countless times. The silence was a challenge for me, I hate being alone and I hate the thought of it, and even when I knew this was a meditation, it was hard for me to let go of this notion.

I know meditation is a good way to clear one’s mind of troubles, so I’d definitely try this again in the future. But probably not now because there’s just too much going on in my head, and I am the type that wouldn’t stop worrying until I know things are over and the problems are gone. I’d probably take on Yoga in the future though, I think it’s a great way to relax and exercise both the mind and body at the same time. I enjoy listening to audios with cheesy sounds of the waves of the ocean and rainfall. This was what I expected to hear in this meditation process, but I guess silence is another way for one to reflect on themselves.