Meditation

These meditation practices hone in on mindfulness, or focus of the present moment, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Pivoting your awareness to the present moment promotes relaxation and calms your body.

For the ideal meditation session, choose a quiet, distraction-free setting with soft or dim lighting. Aim to train your mind with meditation practices often to see progress.

Time needed: 12 minutes a day, 5 days a week—or start off with 3 minutes at a time and still experience some benefits

Focused attention meditation

The focused attention meditation practice is the cornerstone of this guide. This is a great practice to start with, especially for beginners, since it provides a foundation that many other meditation techniques build on.

1. Find an environment to practice in. Somewhere comfortable and quiet works best for beginners.
2. Sit in an upright and alert posture, without straining your body. You should feel comfortable, but not too relaxed. To make this practice more accessible, feel free to lie down, but try to stay alert.
3. Close or lower your eyes to reduce distractions and focus on your practice.
4. Start by focusing on your breath without trying to control it. Just observe the way you naturally breathe. Don’t try to alter your inhalations or exhalations.
5. Pay attention to the sensations related to your breath. If you need to feel them more prominently, take a deeper breath. You may notice the air coming in and out of your nose, the breath moving in and out of your belly, or any other sensation specific to your breath.
6. Choose one sensation that feels best to you and focus your attention on it for the duration of the exercise.
7. Notice when your attention drifts from your chosen focus point. It could be a distracting thought, memory, or physical sensation. Remember that this is completely normal, and our minds are made to wander.
8. Accept that you are present with thoughts or sensations other than your breath, and gently bring your attention back to your breath. Remind yourself that you’re doing this practice to better yourself. The key is to focus on progress, not perfection.
9. After noticing your mind has wandered, guide your focus back to where it needs to be and continue your practice with compassion for yourself.
10. Remember that you can always return to this meditation when needed. And try HPRC’s guided meditation for even more practice.

Body awareness meditation

If you ever noticed yourself being physically present somewhere important, but your attention and focus were elsewhere or lacking, you’re not alone. This meditation helps you train your mind to retain more of your life experience and reality.

1. Find an environment to practice in. Somewhere comfortable and quiet works best for beginners.
2. For this practice, feel free to lay in a supine position, but try to stay alert. You also can do this meditation while sitting, but it may be easier to gauge sensations while you’re lying down.
3. Close or lower your eyes to reduce distractions and focus on your practice.
4. Start by directing your attention to your breath. Observe the way you naturally breathe. Don’t try to alter your inhalations or exhalations.
5. Now breathe in and focus your attention on the sensations within your body. To get a clear sense of the physical sensations of the given moment, gently wiggle and mentally scan your body for whatever it’s feeling.
6. Try directing your attention to your toes and notice any sensations you’re feeling. There may be a cold breeze, tingling, or tightness.
7. Take note of the sensations, then slowly move to the next part of your body, such as your shins and calves. You can scan your body from bottom to top, top to bottom, or even randomly.
8. Pay attention to all the sensations, but do not stay on one part of your body or fixate on one sensation for too long. Scan your body at a steady pace and stay curious as to what it’s feeling.
9. If your mind wanders, redirect your attention to the area of the body your attention was focused on before. Finish your practice with a few deep breaths.
10. Remember that you can always return to this meditation when needed.

Passing clouds meditation

Have you ever fixated on one thought or topic and struggled to direct your focus to the present moment? This practice helps you improve your flow of thought and build purposeful focus, which can be useful in high-pressure environments.

1. For your initial position, start by standing, feet hip distance apart. Allow your arms to relax at your side, palms facing out. You have now taken a mountain or “tadasana” pose, which is a great stability point for this practice. You can do this practice sitting or lying down.
2. Close or lower your eyes to reduce distractions and focus on your practice.
3. Start by directing your attention to your breath. Observe the way you naturally breathe. Don’t try to alter your inhalations or exhalations.
4. Now let go of your focus on any specific sensation or target, such as your breath, and allow your thoughts to open up.
5. Imagine your mind as the sky and your thoughts as the clouds passing.
6. Picture your thoughts, memories, sensations, and emotions drift past you. As the clouds (thoughts) float by, let them pass without any attachment or judgment. Allow your mind to wander freely, but do not engage with it or go down any thought spirals.
7. The key to this practice is to let your thoughts move past you without any involvement.
8. If you’re struggling with this technique, return to the breath to build your focus. Try again when you feel ready.
9. Remember that you can always return to this meditation when needed.

Loving-kindness meditation

Your support system and relationships in the military are essential for relaxation. The loving-kindness meditation is a valuable tool that enhances social bonds and improves well-being.

1. Sit comfortably, yet upright and alert. Allow your body to feel loose and at ease. Feel free to close your eyes.
   • Relax and think about your intention for this practice and why you’re doing this meditation today. Sit with your intention for a few moments.
2. Start by using your breath as the focus of your attention. Breathe naturally to anchor your attention in the present moment.
3. Focus on your breath moving in and out of your nostrils or your belly expanding as you inhale and contracting as you exhale. It may be helpful to follow your breath by thinking “In” as you inhale and “Out” as you exhale.
   • If your attention wanders and you get distracted, allow your thoughts to pass like clouds, without any judgment. Simply observe the thoughts as they come and slowly redirect your attention back to your breath.
4. Now turn your focus to someone you care about and wish them well in your thoughts. This can be someone close to you or a person who’s always accepted and appreciated you. If you have difficulty thinking of someone, imagine someone who loves you unconditionally—and embrace those feelings of love and appreciation.
5. With them in mind, silently repeat the following phrases for a few minutes:
   • May you be healthy.
   • May you be happy.
   • May you feel loved.
   • May you find peace.
6. The exact phrases don’t matter. Say what resonates with you and uplifts your loved one in your mind.
   • If your mind wanders, allow your thoughts to pass and slowly redirect your attention to the phrases or person in mind and repeat the phrases.
7. Next, direct your attention to someone you feel neutral about, with whom you’ve no real connection. This might be a neighbor or a cashier you see often, but it should be someone you don’t know well. Keep them in mind and repeat the phrases:
   • May you be healthy.
   • May you be happy.
   • May you feel loved.
   • May you find peace.
8. Next, think about someone you struggle to feel good about. This can be someone from the present or your past. This practice isn’t about forgiving them or rehashing the situation—it’s simply to send them good wishes. Repeat the phrases:
   • May you be healthy.
   • May you be happy.
   • May you feel loved.
   • May you find peace.
9. After silently saying these phrases to yourself, take a moment to relish how good it feels to send out positive energy to others. As you’re chanting, focus on sending out your good wishes, not just repeating the phrases.
10. Now, shift your attention to yourself and send yourself the positive, loving energy you created for others. Silently repeat the following phrases for a few minutes:
    • May I be healthy.
    • May I be happy.
    • May I feel loved.
    • May I find peace.
11. Now, consider a beautiful place in nature. It can be somewhere you love to go, a place you want to visit, or the first place that comes to mind that makes you happy! Repeat these phrases to yourself:
    • I’m thankful for the happiness I feel here.
    • I’m thankful for the peace this place brings.
    • I send this place peace and happiness so others who come here can feel joy too.
12. Lastly, expand your kindness outwards. Zoom out and think of your community, town, state, country, and more. Send well wishes until you reach human beings everywhere. Spend a few minutes visualizing your kindness spreading across the globe and repeat these phrases:
    • I’m sending the Earth peace.
    • I’m sending the Earth happiness.
    • May this positive energy carry on.
13. Once you’ve spread your well wishes to everyone, return to your breath for a few moments. With your next breath, take in the energy from all the love and kindness around you. Pause for a moment to relish in it. Exhale and breathe outwards the love and positivity to those you thought of during practice.
    • Repeat this last inhale-and-exhale, love-and-positivity process one more time.
14. Slowly bring movement back to your body. First, wiggle your fingers and toes, and be slow and intentional as you end your practice.
    • As you open your eyes, keep the positive, loving, and kind energy with you during the rest of your day or night.
    • Remember that you can always return to this meditation when needed.