MORNING RITUAL: ≈ Twenty MINUTES

With this ritual, you connect and align the purpose and intentions of practice with the whole of your being. It’s a meditative form of mind-body-presence training. Its benefits are cumulative: broadening your perspective and bringing clarity to every area of your life.

Do this centering ritual as soon as possible after waking up. A cup of room-temperature water is okay before starting, but avoid eating and drinking anything else. Avoid conversation, checking email, social media, weather, and news feeds.

PREPARATION

Have a quiet place where you can sit comfortably and with minimum distractions. You may find arranging a small space dedicated to meditation and rituals is pleasing. For example, use a small table to serve as an altar where you can place a photo of your family or a loved one; perhaps a small vase with a fresh-cut flower; a scented candle or incense burner; a personal journal for insights, book of suttas, scriptures, poems, or inspirational quotes. If you're incorporating Sāntimāggā into your religious practice, a statue, photo, or other appropriate representation of your religion is a comforting touch. Do what best supports your disposition and sense of spiritual ritual.

Śāntimāggā uses a straight-back chair to sit on for rituals and meditation. Sit with head, neck, and spine straight and vertically aligned but not stiff. The preferred position is dignified, upright, noble, relaxed, and present. Place your back against the chair's back. Don't have your back so firmly against the chair that it causes your shoulders to tire and fall forward during meditation. This position is most comfortable when placing the back of your pelvis softly against the chair's back where its seat and back meet. Place your feet a comfortable distance apart with their soles flat on the floor.

If this is uncomfortable for you, move forward in the chair seat so your back and pelvis are not touching the chair's back. Move forward enough so that the soles of your feet are flat on the floor, and there's no uncomfortable pressure on the back of your knees and thighs. To sit comfortably for an extended time in this position and keep your head, neck, and back vertically aligned, it's helpful to place a folded towel under the back half of your buttocks. This sitting aid tilts the pelvis slightly forward, straightening the spine and preventing your back from tiring and your shoulders from falling forward. Determining how thick the towel folds should be is a matter of trial and error.

In both the above positions, your chin should be level, not tilted up or down. Your upper arms hang straight down from their shoulders and are parallel to your body's trunk. With a natural bend at the elbows, place the palms of your hands down on each thigh. Note: For Sāntimāggā practice, there are no hand mudras.

Depending on your space, a shawl or blanket can help ward off drafts or morning chills. In addition, you may find it beneficial to set a timer to sound when 20 minutes have passed.

Begin by taking a few moments to relax and setting an intention to perform each part of this ritual wholeheartedly.

GRATITUDE MEDITATION (counting your blessings): ≈ 10 MINUTES

Note: If this is your first experience with gratitude meditation, you might find it beneficial to read this white paper from the Greater Good Science Center.

Gratitude is a counter to ingratitude and greed. Feeling grateful for what we have is a positive way to start each day. It’s a compliment to self-appreciation and self-compassion, both essential for peace of mind, the foundation of Sāntimāggā. Assume a sitting position as described above. Always begin this meditation by expressing gratitude for having another day to live. For example, "I'm grateful for this day and my physical, mental, and emotional capacities to enjoy and share it with others. I vow to be peaceful within myself and with others wherever I am, doing whatever I'm doing as I do it.” Follow this statement with others expressing gratitude for situations, experiences, people, communities, and life-supporting conditions for which you are grateful. Make your statements descriptive regarding how and or why you feel grateful. Please reserve the last minute to observe how you feel after having done this meditation. When you're ready, move into Metta Meditation.

METTA MEDITATION: ≈ 10 MINUTES

Metta is a Pali word translated variously as goodwill, friendliness, or lovingkindness. As a practice, it counters fear, hate, and ill will. It fosters compassion and respect for oneself and others, promoting peacefulness. If this is your first experience with metta, consider listening to this guided meditation. You may also find it beneficial to read this article from Psychology Today written by Emma Seppala, Ph.D. If you prefer not to use the guided meditation link above, use the instructions below.

Sit comfortably with your eyes closed and your arms crossed at your wrists, placed over your heart. Metta meditation involves repeating phrases of well-being to yourself and for others. You can use any offering phrases that suit your liking or the ones provided here. After each offering, please take a moment to reflect on your thoughts and feelings about offering loving kindness to yourself and others.

This practice builds upon the sitting meditation above, stabilizing attention on the sensations of the breathing cycle in your body's trunk. Enjoy and appreciate the wonder of being present with this moment-to-moment experience of living. When you're ready:

  1. Bring into awareness and sustain attention on an image of yourself. Silently say these phrases: May I always be happy. May I always be well. May I always be comfortable and at peace. Time permitting, you may repeat this several times.

  2. Bring into awareness and sustain attention on an image of a loved one. Silently say these phrases: May you always be happy. May you always be well. May you always be comfortable and at peace. Time permitting, you may repeat this several times and for more than one person.

  3. Bring into awareness and sustain attention on an image of someone you see as neutral, someone you may often see but with whom you rarely, if ever, interact. Perhaps a custodian you often see at your workplace or school, the person helping children at the school crossing, or a grocery-store clerk you often see stocking shelves. Silently say, May you always be happy. May you always be well. May you always be comfortable and at peace. Time permitting, you may repeat this several times and for more than one person.

  4. Bring into awareness and sustain attention on someone with whom you have conflict or difficulty. Silently say these phrases: May you always be happy. May you always be well. May you always be comfortable and at peace. Time permitting, you may repeat this several times and for more than one person.

  5. Bring into awareness and sustain attention on images of people of every kind and persuasion living in every place on our shared planet. Silently say these phrases: May we always be happy. May we always be well. May we always be comfortable and at peace. Time permitting, you may repeat this several times and for various populations.

Please reserve the last minute to repeat the practice Mantra and Intention Statement three times aloud: Sāntimāggā: for myself and the good of all others. Sāntimāggā: for myself and the good of all others. Sāntimāggā: for myself and the good of all others. After the three repetitions, please take a few moments to examine your thoughts and how it feels to state your intention in this way. This recitation reminds you of the reason why you've chosen to do this practice – for your peace of mind, psychological well-being, and the peacefulness of those you're around, wherever you are, doing whatever you're doing, as you do it.

When you’re finished, slowly open your eyes and expand your attention to take in your surroundings. Appreciate how you feel at this moment and for taking the time for this ritual. Then, move on to start a new day.

Some Metta Meditation Alternatives:

For the second offering, consider bringing into awareness an image of you together with one or more immediate family members. Then, silently say these phrases: May we always be happy. May we always be well. May we always be comfortable and at peace. 

For the third offering, consider bringing to awareness images of specific groups, such as members of your police and fire departments, emergency medical teams, doctors and nurses, road construction crews, sons' or daughters' soccer teams, church groups, etc. Then, silently say these phrases: May we always be happy. May we always be well. May we always be comfortable and at peace.

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MEDITATION INFORMATION FOR NEWBIES.

Tricycle Magazine: This informative article, published in the Buddhist publication Tricycle Magazine, is a helpful resource for beginners. Note: One does not have to be a Buddhist to practice meditation and Sāntimāggā.

TED Talk on mindfulness meditation for 10 minutes a day was given by Andy Puddicombe, founder of Headspace.com.

YouTube: Easy and fun Lewis Howes Podcast with Andy Puddicombe wherein he discusses his years as a Buddhist Monk, provides a really great overview of meditation, and talks about his transition back into secular life without giving up his meditation practice.