Self-directed series of meditations to accompany Chambered Nautilus program for Permanent Stress Reduction. Useful for anyone practicing meditation, looking for a different approach to dealing with stress and frustration, or as a key practice (Segment 2) in supporting life changes as described in our 5 Segment program of Permanent Stress Reduction.

1. MEDITATION,
The Basic Tool
A Path to
Reducing Stress
Permanently

2. Challenging our
Perceptions
This Segment of
Permanent Stress
Reduction refers to
meditation as The Basic
Tool. It is a tool for
learning new ways to
see our selves on a
daily basis and be open
to change.
Our Conscious awareness
usually shows us only a
world of commonplace
perceptions…a reality
we accept but don’t
always appreciate the
beauty and power it
contains.

3. E = mc2
Speaking of perceptions:
Matter and energy are interchangeable.
More than 100 years after
Einstein changed our
understanding of how the world
works, individuals still function in
a very Newtonian frame of mind.
We are as much related to the sun and
stars as we are to the humans
who brought us into this world.
We are children of the universe,
Thinking Bodies of Matter and Energy.
We are truly amazing creatures; more
amazing than our ordinary
awareness can handle.

4. Who do we Think we are
If we think of ourselves as
Energy-Matter creatures we begin to
see ourselves differently
If we change how we think,
we change how we react.
Much of our meditation time
will be focused on this
Energy-Matter way of
approaching life.
The implications are far
reaching.
The effects are life changing.

5. Some liberties with Language:
We have made up some words because
the usual ones come with too much
“history”
Since energy and matter are the
same, we speak of them as one:
“energy’s-matter” or “matter’s
energy” **
Since the brain is a body part, we choose not to
separate it’s function from the rest of
the body. Therefore we refer to
Thinking Bodies or “BodyThinking” to
be sure we understand that the “mind”
working is only the whole person acting
intelligently.
We use “self” sparingly, preferring to use
“Consciousness” instead.
***For this concept, the author is
deeply indebted to Tony Equale
and his powerful book, The
Mystery of Matter, available from
his blog site,
https://tonyequale.wordpress.com/

6. These Meditation Points should be
read slowly, with many
pauses, as indicated by the
sometimes unusual phrasing
found there.
The ideas are meant to be the
background for freeing up the
ThinkingBody and it’s subtle
focus on how we direct our
conscious actions.
Ideally, the Points should be
covered during at least 15
minutes of relaxed reflection.
The actual amount of time that
passes is less important than
the quality of time actually
spent meditating.

7. A few words about the meditation units
themselves.
Each Unit will remind the reader-
practitioner of:
A) Orientation; the physical preparation
for meditating
B) Further steps to begin the
meditation;
presents ideas embodied in the
meditation that set the stage
for a personal application
as a result of the exercise.
C) Meditation;
Points of Consideration
Thoughts to focus on from that Unit

8. Review the important ideas you have just seen.
Now you are ready to begin the Meditations

9. Prelude to
Meditation
1
Developing an
Awareness
of Thought
Processes and
Consequences

10. {1} Orientation
Always start by practicing the Total
Breath technique. The more Total
Breath sequences you perform
the better you relaxation will be.
Find that ThinkingBody place in which
you can reduce the number of
distractions,
let go of all your anxious concerns
Allow your Consciousness
to observe your meditation

11. {2} Further steps to begin the
Meditation
I will develop a sense of my self as a
BodyThinking-Matter-Energy
entity;
I will have an awareness that I can
see myself as others see me;
I “Witness” myself acting,
past and present
I will have a willingness
to be constantly aware
of many possibilities
which mindfulness,
as a way of life, presents;
I acknowledge that life is often painful
contradictory;
I will avoid the role of victim
I acknowledge the possibility
of personal change

12. Further steps continued
I resolve to carry mindfulness
forward into the day.
I realize that reactions to
Phenomena can range
from joy and embracing,
to fear and recoil.
I am learning to recognize
Phenomena, how
passing they are
and I am confident
in my ability to ignore or
accept
and manage them.

13. 1st Meditation
Points of
Consideration
• Phenomena:
the constant procession of
ideas and images
that drive my emotions,
that drive my choices
simply rise and fall
in my consciousness
Uninvited,
Meaningless
until I give them meaning
Only some are worth attending to
and…once attended to
they become the “stuff” of my
Life

14. I create the dimensions of
my life
trying to shape
consequences
of my thoughts
the steps to my future are
never beyond modifying...
only the outcome
is beyond me
I will become expert at
Acceptance

15. Review the important ideas you have just seen
before going forward.
Begin Meditation 2

16. Meditation 2
Understanding
My Consciousness
In It’s Fullest
Dimensions

17. {1} Orientation
Remember the background:
continue to focus on
fundamentals of the Total Breath
,relaxed body, concentration,
awareness of my Witness - the
Observer within;
life is at once awesomely beautiful
and frightfully threatening
– a paradox;
Mindful Awareness will allow me to
engage all possibilities
and remind me
that I already have
all that I need;

18. I daily increase the awareness of my
Consciousness,
learning to deal with Phenomena,
distractions and contradictions;
I am completely aware that I am
grounded in
Infinite Matter/Energy
constantly flowing through me
rising up within me
carrying me forward
with the universe,
in space and time
{2} Further steps to begin the
meditation:

19. Further steps continued…
This meditation step helps me
access and maintain
this connectedness to
the infinity of my life;
This Tool of Meditation allows
me to
bring this connectedness to the
fullness of my Consciousness
bringing me
confidence and balance.
The more aware I am of my
matter-energy-reality,
the more I see that life offers
me
infinite potential
and infinite resources

20. Meditation 2 Points of
Consideration
Awareness
I cannot..not participate..
in the universe of
Energy’s-Matter
I want to participate
actively, consciously.
To know every sense of my
BodyThinking Experience
who I am that experiences
the world that is both
outside me and within
me.
My Consciousness,
the Matter’s Energy Being
I am
extends through
space and time.

21. I am a single,
whole entity
... Energy's Matter
Not a spirit trapped in
matter
Not matter in search of
spiritual fulfillment

22. I am a ThinkingBody
Not suffering enslavement
Not needing other-worldly
completion
I am
Matter Energized,
a Body-Thinking Whole Being
Because I Exist
I am Whole

23. Phenomena
of space and time
arise and fall away
in constant progression
through my consciousness
My stable,
Consciousness/Energy/Matter
perceives and observes
Aware
without judgment
without attachment

24. Review the important ideas you have just seen
before going forward.
Begin Meditation 3

25. Meditation 3 Enlivening My Consciousness

26. {3} Orientation
Remember the starting points
fundamentals of breathing and
concentration;
awareness of the Witness within;
My growing awareness of the
stable-self that guides me;
the seeming “paradox” of my
existence
I am Conscious Matter

27. {2} Further steps to
begin the meditation
Increased Consciousness
allows me to understand
that I have all that I need
…already …within me.
Who I am is the culmination
of my experiences up to now;
What I shall become will be
the product of my continuing
Conscious Experiences
It is said that
we make ourselves
as we journey.

28. Further steps (continued)
my meditation experience
brings a clear consciousness
that readily engages
life’s moment to moment
changes.
Each moment has infinite
possibilities of choice
and consequences.
Well practiced Attentiveness,
Mindfulness,
allows me to embrace
and live in life’s flow ...
fully, in all its paradoxical
wonder.

29. As a ThinkingBody
I, too, create in wonderful
ways.
I strive to Mindfully enter each
moment of the day
gleefully aware of my infinite
capacity to accept and choose
My mindful energy-matter-
Consciousness embraces
Life’s environment
Absorbing each moment as if
experiencing it for the first time
Flooding my senses,
confirming my aliveness
validating my seeming
paradoxical
condition

30. Meditation 3
Points of
Consideration
I enrich myself with life daily.
Mindfulness of breath,
of thoughts, of my
matter-energy existence
awakens me
to the incredible beauty of
ThinkingBody Reality
Everything that is me is
charged with the same
Energy-Matter
that has made
all creation
to be what it is

31. As experience constantly
enriches the self, so
does my
Consciousness
constantly move on ...
changes, fades away.
My awareness
becomes expert at grasping
feeling the fullness
of all sense experience
then letting go of what
has been...
graciously,
without remorse
without attachment

32. My matter-energy Consciousness
and the evolving, passing
environment are One
And I am immersed in the
Sensual Experience
of the Universe.
Living my Mindful Awareness
I enrich the Universe
in return for the Universe
Having enriched me
with
Life

33. corollary
Focusing on Sensation
A practice in bringing attentiveness to
daily experience:
Following the 3rd unit (or week) try this
exercise in sensory awareness.
Begin with eyes and ears.
For two days, imagine different ways
that you can reawaken your
Sense of Vision.
Look at things in different lighting,
change colors, scenery. Find
things to look at that you seldom
see; examine the gigantic and the
microscopic.
Challenge all that you now take for
granted.

34. For the next 2 days do the same
with the Sense of Hearing.
Listen to the different times of the
day; different voices, accents,
various singing styles that you
usually don’t tune in to; sounds of
birds, animals, different
environments and don’t forget to
listen to Silence.
For the final 2-3 days combine your
attentiveness of sights and
sounds, things that grasp you,
bother you, awaken you.
Keep a journal if you like and share
your experiences with others.

35. Review the important ideas you have just seen
before going forward.
Begin Meditation 4

36. Meditation 4 Being-in-Touch
All Information Comes to Me Through My Senses

37. Perform the gentle physical stretch;
take at least 3 deep, calming
breaths;
a deep inhale,
holding,
then a controlled exhale;
I visualize my own Consciousness
observing my actions
my meditation.
I am aware… of my Conscious-
matter,
…. an Energy-Material-Being
{1} Orientation

38. {B} Further steps to
the meditation:
All my senses engage the world;
each sense brings the universe
into me
and me
into the universe.
In any moment of my living,
one does not exist
without the other.
All Ways
One is the Other

39. The envelope of my flesh, my
Skin, sets the physical
boundaries of my
Thinking Body
Consciousness
It mediates what is not-me and
translates it into my
perceptions
This largest of my sensory
organs is often taken for
granted, but it can set
the entire parameter of my
existence
without my knowing it

40. How and what I perceive are
often pre-judged by the
comfort-level
I experience in heat, cold,
dry, wet, rough, gentle
smooth, ruffled and so on…
As with all my senses,
I strive to better understand
and appreciate what my
boundary-setting skin
communicates to me
and how it shapes my
perceptions….
My reality

41. Meditation 4 Points of
consideration
Energy-porous membrane
that separates
and connects me
so intimately with the creating
energy-matter of existence
more aware of my envelope of
Skin …..
constantly, often unconsciously,
communicates with
This Thinking/Body-Consciousness
Keeping me…. in spite of me,
mindful of the vast, infinite changes
taking place every moment
in my Energy-Matter
Environment

42. Its messages and awareness are as
old as the brain stem itself,
mediating the seen and the
unseen
so that I do not just survive in
my environment,
I prosper,
Excel.

43. The energy of matter
permeates the
Body/Thinking Consciousness,
as through the walls of human
cells,
sensual information
arrives,
warming the matter-energy flesh
I experience as Me
bringing changes,
opportunities
new growth

44. It carries the Not-me into the
Experienced Me
blending the Not Me
into Me
I cannot exist without the boundary
of my skin
but I know this boundary is not a Limit
It is a most important organ
of my
Energy-Matter-Reality

45. Review the important ideas you have just seen
before going forward.
Begin Meditation 5

46. Meditation 5
Energy’s Matter Striving to Live Mindfully

47. {A} Orientation
I gather my ThinkBody,
Consciousness, stretching; relaxed,
feet flat and back straight,
my Total Breath
is my vehicle to calm
both body and mind.
I become totally aware of my
complex Consciousness
and the Environment in which I live.
I am conscious matter,
an energy-matter-entity,
an apparent paradox.

48. {B} Further steps to the
meditation
I will live fully, every moment of precious
life, attuned to every
sense-sational opportunity that offers
itself to me
I need not, cannot, deprive myself
of the uniquely human sensual
experience that melts my
Consciousness into such intimate
relations with my environment …
that which seems not-me
penetrates me, and if I allow it to flow
within my banks
it shapes the response that my
Consciousness brings to the world
How do I benefit from and contribute to
the Universe,
my extended self,
unless I freely embrace what it offers
at each
moment in time

49. My mindfulness tells me that I cannot
let sensual experience be ignored.
My mindfulness constantly reminds
me to attend to those
messages from the
environment as they enrich my
Thinking/Body-Consciousness
bringing awareness of safety,
satisfaction
and rest to my
Thinking/Body-Wholeness

50. Fully Conscious Life
is a dance of my personal
paradoxical condition;
My personal Energized-Matter,
sensation and perception,
move to the rhythm
of the universe itself.
There is no secret way to
Fully Conscious living
There is only true mindfulness
of the art of living daily
Sensually, Totally,
Immersed in the Universe

51. Meditation 5 Points of
Consideration
The my Consciousness comes alive to it’s
immersion in the material universe,
I am Immersed,
Discovered
not a lost soul…
My ThinkingBody Consciousness is
awakening to an evermore intense
awareness of being fully alive
My ThinkingBody-Energized-Matter
needs to live
consciously participating in this world.
The universe is the medium of my Reality
My matter-energy-being learns daily
how to best embrace the world
not how to be saved from it
……. in doing so it thrives

52. a corollary
Focusing on Sensuous
Experience
Mindfulness allows me to participate
intensely in all my sense
experiences
so that embracing them becomes
a life-fulfilling grace-gift in itself
A gift of mysterious sacredness
of Energy’s Matter.

53. Sensuous experience continued
An incredible gift to us all
Of sound; music, oceans, friends’ voices,
• Of light; color, beauty everywhere I look
• Of scent; nature, foods, family gatherings, childhood places
• Of taste; earth’s bounty, clear water, an infant’s cheek, a lover’s kiss
• Of sun and breeze, a friendly touch or hug, fine fabric, spring rain,
all
• Those things that subtly tell my skin, my flesh, that I too am of the
• Universe

54. Following Meditation 5,
practice as many ways as you
can to enhance and dwell
on more awareness of
sense experience over
several days.
Spend a day or two on
each sense, exploring,
remembering how things
affected you when you
were younger and how
they affect you now.
Share your new
awareness with others.

55. Review the important ideas you have just seen
before going forward.
Begin Meditation 6

56. Meditation 6
Moving Forward Mindfully
Moving Forward Mindfully

57. {A} Orientation
I gather my
ThinkBody-Consciousness,
stretching; relaxed,
feet flat, back straight
my Total Breath is my vehicle
to calm my BodyThoughts
I have become totally aware of
my complex self and
Life’s Environment in which
I dwell
and move
I am conscious matter,
an energy-matter entity

58.
I am often stressed, fearful
of unknown,
uncertain of my future.
I want answers,
solutions
to my daily difficulties
So I look outward, or
upward, past the distant
lakes and mountains
Wanting, believing,
waiting for something
other than me,
my Self
to guide me…direct me

59. I could see only me
But everything I know; my awareness,
my perceptions, are intimately
connected
I can see only sky, lakes, mountains,
fellow human beings
I see all Energy-Matter,
all my experience as a sensuous
Consciousness,
past, present and future
Instinctively I know
this is a good way to be.
The only way I can be

60. Meditation 6
Points of Consideration
I am a creature of the Universe
at my best when I allow the Universe to
guide, direct, move me ..
to Teach me that
Realization…
Awakening…
Conscious Understanding…
are to be found
in the life
I am already living
Often fragile, confused, uncertain,
passionate, longing
…to Be
Mindfully in Touch with all Creation

61. All That Is,
reveals itself
within me
when I stop looking beyond…
squandering my glorious
present in favor of
another’s vision
of who I am
Today I will be mindful of who
I am
and of what I owe
to the Universe around me
that creates me daily
and caresses me so

62. Review the important ideas you have just seen
before going forward.
Begin Meditation 7

63. Meditation 7
Preserving the Vision

64. {A} Orientation
Calm the thought process,
Now is the time to empty all
anxious concerns
Find that physical and mental place
to relax in.
Breathe deeply and slowly
allowing the witnessing
Consciousness
to observe….

65. {B} Further steps to begin the
meditation:
Loss of vision is my only enemy.
The only heroic struggle I face
is the challenge
to Live each mundane moment
of my life in
a focused and conscious manner.
All I have is
This Moment
This “Now”

66.
Future “Nows” are
only possibilities
Past “Nows” are simply
what they are, or were
I let them fall away
without regret,
without attachment.

67. I seek to have my Consciousness
available to each experience of
every day’s moments
So that mindfulness of life’s own
loving grace assures my
wandering vision
I am brimming with creation’s fullness
at every sight,
sound,
scent,
taste,
touch
The very essence of creation
breathes in me
I am truly alive

68. Meditation 7
Points of
Consideration
Mindfulness means living a vibrant,
paradoxical life
The “spirituality” I seek
is simply
part and parcel of my daily
human, material-energy
experience.
Ever-creating-Life
is a Matter-Energized Dynamic
I have learned that being a
BodyThinking person is not an
attempt to escape the reality
of my human condition
but rather a function of
embracing that reality…

69. This is. after all, the only reality,
the only Now available to me
It has been here all along
My task is not
to become something I am not,
but rather to allow what I already am
to connect
with creation’s energy that lives and
moves within me
and reaches out ….
linking me with all that exists with me.
I now choose to live Mindfully,
work Mindfully,
to help, love, see, touch,
… to Be
Mindful-Energy-Matter-Being

70. Live Peace
Absorb Life
Refuse Anxiety
Meditate Habitually
Reach Out
Embrace All