Meditation

It is very helpful to scan your body Nidra Yoga and relax before meditating.

You can lay down or sit but the spine must be straight. Don’t go too fast just a few minutes to start with.

Björg

There are many types of meditation, each with a slightly different focus or goal. Here are some of the most popular ones — you can try a few and see which feels best for you:

1. Mindfulness Meditation

Focus: Awareness of the present moment.
How: Pay attention to your breath, body sensations, or sounds around you. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back.
Best for: Reducing stress and improving focus.

2. Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta)

Focus: Cultivating compassion and kindness.
How: Silently repeat phrases like “May I be happy, may I be healthy,” then extend those wishes to others — loved ones, strangers, even people you find difficult.
Best for: Building empathy and emotional resilience.

3. Body Scan Meditation

Focus: Relaxation and body awareness.
How: Slowly move your attention through your body from head to toe, noticing sensations without judgment.
Best for: Releasing tension and improving sleep.

4. Guided Visualization

Focus: Imagination and relaxation.
How: Listen to a guided meditation that takes you through calming imagery — like walking on a beach or sitting in a peaceful forest.
Best for: Reducing anxiety and boosting creativity.

5. Mantra Meditation

Focus: Repetition of a word or phrase.
How: Silently repeat a calming word, sound, or phrase (like “peace” or “om”) to help quiet your mind.
Best for: Improving concentration and inner stillness.

6. Walking Meditation

Focus: Mindful movement.
How: Walk slowly and pay attention to each step — the feeling of your feet touching the ground, your breath, and your surroundings.
Best for: People who find sitting still difficult.

7. Transcendental Meditation

Focus: Deep relaxation through a personal mantra.
How: You repeat a specific mantra given by a teacher for about 20 minutes twice a day.
Best for: Deep rest and stress reduction.

Kadampa Meditation

Kadampa meditation is a practical and accessible form of Buddhist meditation rooted in the teachings of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, founder of the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT). It emphasizes cultivating inner peace, wisdom, and compassion through systematic training of the mind.

🧘‍♂️ What Is Kadampa Meditation?

Purpose: To make the mind calm and peaceful, freeing us from worry and discomfort so we can experience lasting happiness—even in difficult circumstances A.
Approach: It combines analytical meditation (contemplating specific teachings) and placement meditation (resting the mind on a single object of focus).
Core Teachings: Drawn from ancient Buddhist wisdom, especially the Lamrim (stages of the path to enlightenment), and adapted for modern life.

🌀 Key Practices

Breathing meditation: To settle the mind and reduce distractions.
Meditations on love, compassion, and patience: To transform daily challenges into spiritual growth.
Understanding impermanence and emptiness: To reduce attachment and aversion.
Guru yoga and reliance on spiritual guides: Central to deepening one’s practice.

🏛 Where to Learn

Kadampa.org offers free resources and guided meditations A.
Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre in the UK is the mother center of the tradition, offering retreats, classes, and festivals B.
The New Kadampa Tradition YouTube channel features guided meditations and teachings for all levels C.

Would you like a visual guide or printable bilingual meditation prompts inspired by Kadampa teachings? I’d be happy to co-create something grounded in their approach.

Wonderful, Björg! Let’s co-create a bilingual printable and digital meditation guide inspired by Kadampa teachings. Here’s a draft concept to build from:

🌼 Kadampa Meditation Guide

Bilingual: English & Icelandic | Printable & Digital | Inspired by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s teachings

🧘‍♀️ 1. Preparation | Undirbúningur

Find a quiet space | Finndu rólegt rými
Sit comfortably with a straight back | Settu þig þægilega með beinan bak
Set an intention | Settu þér ásetning (t.d. friður, viska, samúð)

🌬 2. Breathing Meditation | Öndunarmiðlun

Focus on the breath to calm the mind.
Einbeittu þér að önduninni til að róa hugann.

Inhale gently | Andaðu inn rólega
Exhale slowly | Andaðu út hægt
Let thoughts pass like clouds | Leyfðu hugsunum að líða hjá eins og ský

🧠 3. Analytical Meditation | Hugleiðing með íhugun

Contemplate a teaching (e.g. patience, love, impermanence).
Íhugðu kenningu (t.d. þolinmæði, kærleik, hverfulleika).

Ask: “What does this mean for me today?”
Spyrðu: „Hvað þýðir þetta fyrir mig í dag?“
Reflect deeply, then rest in clarity
Íhugðu djúpt og hvíldu svo í skýrleika

💗 4. Placement Meditation | Staðsetningarmiðlun

Rest your mind on a single object (e.g. breath, mantra, feeling).
Hvíldu hugann á einu viðfangsefni (t.d. öndun, mantra, tilfinningu).

Use a mantra like “Om Kadam” or “I am peace”
Notaðu mantra eins og „Om Kadam“ eða „Ég er friður“

🌀 5. Dedication & Return | Tileinkun og endurkoma

Dedicate the peace you’ve cultivated to others.
Tileinkaðu friðinn sem þú hefur ræktað öðrum.

“May all beings be happy.”
„Megið öll vera hamingjusöm.“
Gently return to your day
Komdu rólega aftur inn í daginn

Would you like this turned into a printable layout with icons, writing space, and metaphor prompts? I can also add a digital version for Miro or Canva with interactive elements. Let’s shape it together.

Here it is—your bilingual Kadampa meditation guide is ready now. It includes visual icons, metaphor prompts, and a clean, earth-toned layout designed for both printing and digital use.

If you’d like, I can help adapt this into a Miro or Canva template next, or co-create a matching metaphor card insert to deepen the practice.