Combatting Depression With Meditation
If you or a client are experiencing ruminating thoughts as part of depression, relief may be found in a Focus meditation that shifts attention away from the ruminations.
The practices below begin to shift the heart into a more open state, and they do not require experiencing feelings of love, compassion, or gratitude - feelings that may be difficult to invoke during depression.
Heart Focus
Begin by setting a timer for 3-5 minutes.
Settle into a comfortable seated position and breathe deeply from the belly a few times.
Next, shift the focus of your attention on the breath. With each inhalation, imagine breathing healing energy into the heart center. With each exhalation, imagine that energy flowing outward from the heart center. The focus need not be on the physical heart, but rather the center of the chest.
Place a very slight grin on the face and imagine smiling down to the heart.
Imagine a healing light in the heart that grows with each inhalation. Colors such as white, gold, and purple may be ideal. The light may also be in the form of a flame.
When the timer goes off, pause to reflect on your experience or write briefly in a journal what you notice before returning to your day.
Three-Fold Flame
Begin by setting a timer for 3-5 minutes.
Settle into a comfortable seated position and breathe deeply from the belly a few times.
Next, shift the focus to the physical heart. Imagine that there is a three-limbed flame in the heart, much like a fleur de lis. For each inhale, focus on tracing one branch of the flame from the root to the tip as if the breath were filling and activating that branch of the flame. Begin with the branch toward your left arm. On the exhale, mentally trace back from the tip to the root. On the next breath, shift attention to the center branch and then the third branch.
When the timer goes off, pause to reflect on your experience or write briefly in a journal what you notice before returning to your day.
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