Artful Meditation Practice & Sleeping Guide

Artful Meditation Practice & Sleeping Guide 

(Photos from The Dance Within Fleeting Dreams by Harrison Love)

Scientific studies suggest that regular introspective meditation can help lower cortisol levels, improve focus, and even enhance neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt and grow. It has been proposed as an effective tool for managing anxiety, depression, PTSD, and chronic pain, as well as improving sleep quality and emotional regulation. By fostering a mindful relationship with one’s thoughts and emotions, introspective meditation encourages a more balanced and harmonious state of being.

I. Meditative Practice

Active Meditation (Focused Awareness)

For strengthening focus, clarity, and creative flow.

1. Choose Your Icon — Find a personal image or symbol to focus on. For me, it’s a candle in a dark room. Choose something simple yet meaningful to you.

2. Visualize in Detail — Bring the icon to life with sensory depth. Imagine its texture, movement, warmth, and even its scent. Let it become more than imagined — let it be.

3. Deepen the Experience — When the icon feels as real as anything in the physical world, you have entered a state beyond the conscious mind. Stay present in this space.

4. Introduce the Mantra — If your mind wanders, guide yourself back with the mantra:

• “In, in, through, through, in, through, out, out, out, through, through.”

• Or, for expansion: “Up, up, through, through, out, out, through, through, up.”

5. Transcend Mental Barriers — Repeat the mantra as needed to move beyond mental distractions or resistance. With time, barriers dissolve.

6. Reach the Summit — The goal is to touch the fifth point of the pyramid within your mind — the apex of clarity, insight, and stillness.

7. Explore Without Fear — Go as deep within or as far beyond as you dare. Your body remains safe, anchored in the physical world.

8. Emerge with Love — Carry what you’ve learned into your waking life with love, understanding, and openness.

9. Reflect & Absorb — Ask yourself: What did I learn? What was revealed?

10. Create — Use these experiences as fuel for your creative pursuits and personal growth.

Self-Reflection Meditation

For processing emotions, understanding oneself, and gaining inner wisdom.

1. Settle into Stillness — Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Sit or lie comfortably.

2. Breathe with Awareness — Inhale deeply, feeling breath enter your body; exhale, releasing tension. Repeat until your mind settles.

3. Call Forth a Question — Think of a question about your life, purpose, or emotions. It can be as simple as “What do I need to know right now?”

4. Allow the Answer to Surface — Don’t force thoughts — let the response rise naturally from within. It may come as an image, a feeling, or an intuitive knowing.

5. Witness Without Judgment — Observe emotions, memories, or insights without reacting. Let them pass through like clouds.

6. Find the Core Truth — What is the lesson? What truth lies beneath the surface of your thoughts?

7. End with Gratitude — Even if you receive no clear answer, trust that clarity will come in time. Give thanks for the space you created for yourself.

Out-of-Body Meditation

For exploring the boundaries of consciousness and the unknown.

1. Begin with Deep Relaxation — Lie down in a quiet, dark space. Relax each muscle from head to toe.

2. Focus on Lightness — Imagine yourself becoming lighter with each breath, as if your body is dissolving into air.

3. The Rope Technique — Picture an invisible rope above you. Mentally reach for it and pull yourself upward, leaving your physical form behind.

4. The Vibrational State — You may feel vibrations, tingling, or a sense of separation. Stay calm and allow it to happen.

5. Step Beyond the Physical — Once free, explore your surroundings. Observe without fear — this space is part of you.

6. Anchor Your Return — When ready, focus on your body and gently reintegrate. Move your fingers or toes to fully return.

7. Reflect on the Experience — What did you see? What did you feel? Take notes, as the memory may fade upon waking.

II. Guide to Restful Sleep

1. Cool Your Brain — Lowering body temperature slightly helps induce sleep. Drink cool water or let fresh air in before bed.
2. Limit Digital Distractions — Place your phone away from your head. Let the desk in your room serve its true purpose for once.
3. Embrace the Darkness — Close your eyes and notice the vast space behind them. It is a canvas, not an absence — let colors, lights, and memories emerge.
4. Let Go of Thought — If your mind is restless, don’t chase thoughts — watch them drift like leaves on a stream.

Relaxation Technique

1. Lie Down Comfortably — Find a position where your body feels completely at ease.

2. Relax Each Muscle — Start from your toes and move upward, relaxing each muscle as you go.

3. Name Your Muscles as Sheep — Playfully count them if you like, giving them names. By the time you reach the last one, sleep should already be near.

4. Breathe Softly — Inhale for four seconds, hold briefly, exhale for six. Slow your breath to a gentle rhythm.

5. Surrender to Sleep — Do not seek it — let it find you. Sleep is a door that opens only when you stop knocking.

The Dream Awareness Practice

1. Recognize Sleep as a Threshold — Dreams are a bridge between dimensions, where time and space bend.

2. Invite Lucid Awareness — Before bed, remind yourself: “I will remember my dreams.” This plants the seed of awareness.

3. Reflect on Deja Vu — Ask yourself, What even is Deja Vu? Perhaps a glimpse into a reality you’ve already touched in dreams.

4. Keep a Dream Journal — The moment you wake, write down anything you remember, even fragments. This strengthens dream recall over time.

Sleep and meditation are not separate — they are doors to the same house. One brings you inward, the other outward. Both lead to discovery, if you are willing to enter.

Rest well, dream deeply, and awaken renewed.