MEDITATION

Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

What does prayer mean to us Nicotine Addicts?

Prayer is the act of talking to God or to our Higher Power (HP). It is very personal. There is no incorrect way of praying, how to pray or place to pray. Some do it in elaborate rituals to simple conversation. It can be done alone or in groups. Before I go into meditation, I always have a conversation with my Higher Power. I review or take an inventory of what is going on in my life, my fears, resentment, attitude, my unkind deeds and what I need to correct.  Sometimes I do that in a personal plan out ritual I go through, in church or just by talking to HP.   

What does meditation mean to us as Nicotine Addicts?

Meditation is state of being, which for goal of this page, is to produce a calmness or stillness in us in order to gain knowledge of our Higher Power's will for us, and the power to carry that out.  It also can be used to build a personal relationship with the God of our understanding.  

When should we use Guided Meditation?

It is recommended that to me that I do meditate each morning and then again at night, although it is not set in stone to be done this way. It is done after I say my prayers.  It was helpful to have structure with prayer and meditation, especially when I was new to it and desperate in needing help or answers.  I found that meditation times should not become fixable, so that I would be able to meditate at any given time or at any place, but yet, in order to be successful I had to do it routinely.  What I am suggesting on this page is only one form of meditation.  Some people get the same effect just from nice stroll or listening to the waves crash on a open shore.  Meditation is a very personal experience also.

In the beginning of my quit, I found that I needed to meditate more during my heavy cravings periods. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, just so long as once I was over my urges and I was restored to sanity of taking the first puff,  I  still needed my meditation time.  At first I was alarmed that it was not working for me they way I thought it should. Only to find that it was not time for anything to be revealed to me. That meant I had to keep doing it.  

Also the more I  meditated and found ways to solve my problems, the more I wanted to do this step. I was guided by my higher power just how to meditate and pray, so long as I tried it. 

Basic Steps to Guided Meditation.

1. Find some uninterrupted time. Take the phone off the hook, turn the cell phone and beeper off.  Background meditation music may be used.  Light a candle to fix eyes on if you want.  Light incense or turn on the essential oil diffuser. Props are nice for getting in the mood but they are not necessary or mandatory.  If anyone uses flamed props, be sure to remember safety measures.

2. Sit or lie down, what ever is comfortable and allowing the spine to be straight and in good body alignment.  

3. Close your eyes or keep them focus in one spot.

4. Focus on the breathe, just be aware of it for a few minutes. The raise and fall of the chest, the movement of the breath.  Count breath in  saying to  "1, 2, 3, 4" and breath out twice as slow as breath in, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8".   

5. Listen to sounds in the room, just be aware of them and accept them and let them go. If more sounds come in, just allow them to become part of the meditation. If intruding, annoying thoughts occur, just put them aside, allowing them to be, make a mental note and tell them you will get back to them later and then go on with the next step.

6. Relax your body starting from top of the head to feet. Release the tension in neck, face, shoulders, arms, chest, spine, legs, then feet by saying  "I am releasing all tension from my neck, I feel it flowing, draining out of my neck", Fill them with blue light, warmth, or coolness whatever it is that you need to feel relaxed. Let it pulsate, vibrate, radiate or what ever it needs to do to heal or relax you - it is okay.

7. Sit in the calmness for awhile asking your higher power what you need to know for the day. If you don't get any answer right off, you did nothing wrong,  answers may come later in the day or it may take more time.  HP may want you to see something else first before the answers are to come. 

8. When ready to close,  thank your higher power for whatever it is that he/she gave you and for the power of carrying it out. 

9. Start becoming aware of your breathe again.  The raise and fall of the chest, the warmth of the breath.

10. Start to wiggle your fingers and toes, arms, legs,  have the awareness of coming back and when ready, open eyes.     

11. Have a journal close by so you can record your experience.