Keystone Meditation

Keystone Meditation:

The ‘Keystone’ in the Arch of Consciousness

 The Keystoneway is a simple, progressive approach to Meditation and Life Management that can be practised as a simple routine from just one minute at the start of each day.

Audio – Morning body-scan (click here) – being present (click here)

Audio – Keystone rest and sleep (click here)

Daily Reflections – (click here)

In today’s fast moving world we all know how busy we can be… just to keep up.  The average householder (as opposed to monks and mystics) finds enough to do just to sustain a healthy and productive life.

To help meet the needs of a busy life, Keystoneway employs a routine of brief moments of mindfulness; a program of slow, steady self-improvement within everybody’s reach.  As simple as this may appear, if done in the right way it can be very effective.

As with regular fitness exercises, the benefits of meditation are well documented.  Just notice how, taking a moment to reflect, or a deep breath before moments of intense emotion can have a marked effect on that which follows.  Regular moments of stillness and reflection, however brief, can have a profound effect on one’s entire life.  As with homeopathic remedies the tiniest amount of the right stuff, applied in the right way, at the right time can bring life changing benefits.

Do you ever forget where you put things down… only to spend frustrated moments in time searching?  Well, just remind yourself that you just weren’t there when you put it down.  Do you ever read a page, or listen to a friend, only to discover you hadn’t taken in a single word?  You will soon discover that’s because most of the time you were… somewhere else.  Do you find your space, work or home full of clutter? Your outer world is a reflection of the order of your mind.

How often do we find easier things to do before taking on your most important tasks, or consume time with ‘interesting’ distractions before moving on to the next?  Well, the regular discipline of attentive mindful focus can change all that.

We are so busy chasing after moments of pleasure that the truth, of real happiness…

 >>>W e – r u s h – r i g h t – p a s t – i t >>>

Keystone Meditation

is for:

• Anyone who has tried meditation, found it beneficial, but struggles to keep up the practice. From just one minute per day – nothing to lose, all to gain.  Please feel free to pass this on – www.keystoneway.com
• Experienced practitioners committed to passing the practice and benefits on to others but notice that many, even knowing the rewards, don’t sustain the discipline. If you add Keystone to your own practice, you are likely to find some very interesting, unexpected benefits – and you can pass these on to others.  It can bring the deep calmness of meditation to any life circumstance, in intense activity or calm passive reflection.

Why ‘Keystone’?  – It represents the eternal moment ‘Being Present’, beyond past and future, the space between actions, wisdom between thoughts, joy between musical notes. It is to know the real joy of ‘Communion’ between your-Self and all that is, seen and unseen.  It is the Keystone <0> in the arch of consciousness.

By learning to live a present-centered life so much more is available to you.  It is where natural intuition is found – your inner ‘Satnav’ to life and your infinite potential.  Real happiness is found ‘here, present’, and not somewhere else, or pleasure, to be chased after.  It is a world of insight and growth beyond your greatest dreams.  It is here, present, right now.  A world of inner peace and quietude that allows you the freedom to fully enjoy ‘the moment’, not as separate from past and future, but at ‘one-with…’  Just learn to be, and live ‘In-the-present’, and the rest will follow… true happiness and peace of mind that we all seek.

From day one, fully grounded and with open eyes, the Keystoneway can be productively and calmly integrated into all your activities – work, rest and play – for a calmer, more interesting, productive and happier life.

~~~~~~~~~~

MEDITATION… The Keystoneway, is any consciously sustained attempt to be here-now-present (In-The-Now).

• It does not matter how deep, how silent, and for how long that attempt may last, at rest… or in action.  Without expectation, regular practise will find its own way, and of its own accord.
• It does matter that it is practiced with regularity and consistency, and with conscious will and attention to ‘being present’, as it gets just that bit deeper and wider, day by day.

Just one-minute Keystone done in the right way, coupled with daily reading, or hearing and sharing a few words of <wisdom> particularly in the company of others of like mind, can have a profound effect on your inner and outer life and peace of mind.

Done with regularity and consistency, the act of growth and reward will follow as naturally as from a tiny seed to a mighty tree… when planted in fertile soil, and carefully nurtured.  You will feel your inner strength, your will, growing.  No plan or expectation is necessary or helpful, for that would only get in the way.

“BE-HERE-NOW”

With mindful attention, all senses focused ‘here-now-present’, everything you could possibly need for healthy development – joy, happiness and growth is found, already here, within.  Like a very practical ‘Satnav’, your destination set, true Knowing; your pathway is here for you just as you need it.  As you learn to open your mind’s eye all will come to you, quite naturally, spontaneously, when you are ready… it is nature’s way… your way.  As with the ‘Satnav’ you only need the next step in your journey – anymore is just noise!  And your destination?..  As a river finds its way to the ocean, your destination is set, regardless of the storms and turmoil you encounter along the way.  It is your natural state… calm, peaceful contentment, nowhere to be found but here, in Being-Present.  With insight, in the light of mindful attention, you will see that too.

Hold no expectation of results.  No ideas about the taste of sugar can come close before tasting it – the taste is in the mouth, not in the sugar – so it is with meditation.  Your senses and inner understanding are touched in ways you cannot foresee.  Any ideas about it are always based on what you think you already know, or your interpretation of what you have read or others have said – a barrier to new discovery.  Genuine results are always new, fresh, unexpected and exciting for you will discover who and what you really are, along with your natural path in life.

“The purpose of all valid spiritual disciplines, whatever the religion from which they spring, is to enable us to return to this native state of being – not after death but here now, in unbroken awareness of the purity within and throughout creation.  Theologians may quarrel, but the mystics of the world speak the same language, and the practices they follow lead to the same goal.”  ~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad – Vedic Indian text.

A busy mind, occupied with thoughts of the past and ideas of the future is like a tent in a high wind.  Unless it is well pegged to the ground, in ‘being present’, it is soon blown away… only to fall upon the rocks of memory, anxiety and expectation.

With regular and consistent practice your inner sense of presence and strength of mind will grow, and with it deep life enhancing connectedness – with yourself and your world.  Silence of mind, not to be forced, will come on its own as thoughts and distractions naturally dissolve in the light of your own attentive presence.

One simple question can be very revealing:  of 100% of your mind, just how much of it is here-present, and how much is absorbed in the turbulent ideas of past and ideas about your world and your place in it.  Some studies suggest that in our normal state we are probably less than 10% present.  If you think you are really paying attention it is probably no more than 20%.  Ask yourself too: ‘Can you think of any good reason to be anywhere else but here and present?’  Library shelves are filled with books on the benefits of being present, in-the-now, the eternal now.

Ultimately, if you can find within yourself, that place of absolute peace and stability while in the world of noise and activity, that is a thousand times more superior to any seated posture in a quiet environment.

“Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm”.        ~ Robert Louis Stephenson 

But for now, that may not be instantly possible but it can be learned.  The strength of mind to be here, present is like a muscle that can be progressively strengthened.  And anybody can do it if practiced in simple but regular steps.

GETTING STARTED – KEYSTONE MEDITATION –

(The Keystone in the arch of consciousness)

This begins from just one minute per day, first thing after rising from sleep.  Sit on the side of the bed, in a chair or on a cushion, back upright, hands in the lap and eyes open.  Take a few deep breaths and have a good stretch and come back to your most relaxed state.  Just ask yourself, ‘Am I present?‘.  You already know what being present is.  You just need reminding.

Be careful not to put psychological pressure on yourself by saying “this is something I ‘have to do’, but rather ‘I am going to do this’.  Just notice the difference between the feeling of ‘I have to’, and ‘I am going to’.  ‘I have to’ is binding, ‘I’m going to’ is enabling.  In time, telling yourself “I have to”, will wear you down and most likely foil your best intentions. 

Now, pay attention to any mark, object or shadow ahead.  While your visual attention is held firmly ahead now bring attention to the inward and outward motion of your breath.  As you attend to the gentle rhythm of your breath, pay attention to the sensation of contact of your feet on the ground, your sense of touch.  This is like three tent pegs, breath, touch and sight, anchoring the tent of your mind against your turbulence of your thoughts, to the ground of ‘being present’. Within this silent state of attention is where the ‘still small voice’ of intuition is found.

‘The wind cannot defeat a tree with strong roots’ ~ Indian proverb

For timing the one minute, approximation is fine or you can use any timer by sound or visually (hands or digits on a clock will do).  For an excellent timer and practical support the ‘Insight Timer’ www.insighttimer.com described below can be of great help.  Insighttimer is an independent on-line timer connected to many thousands of meditators around the world and growing.  For direct keystone support you are welcome to join, for free, our Keystone Group found on the timer.  This is highly recommended to help you sustain the discipline, with the added benefit of meeting and making like-minded friends.

Many have found even one minute to be a challenge – no problem.  You can start with a slow, daily count up to 5 or 10.  It is the intention, daily practice and the action that follows that’s important.  And to increase the time as you develop your power and will.  As soon as you can, upon waking, is the most effective time of day for this practice.  It is usually your most relaxed time before the rush of thoughts and events takes over… it sets your ‘rudder’ for the day (refer ‘Keystone Day’). It will have a natural impact on every action that follows throughout the day.  By making it the first thing you do in the day will also strengthen your sense of discipline towards all the actions that follow throughout the day.

CONNECTING INNER AND OUTER WORLD

Maintaining outward and inward connection is essential to the principle of Keystone Meditation.  Consider a symbolic reference for inward and outward connection as a tree.  The trunk, branches and leaves representing your outer, worldly connection, and the root system anchoring to the ground representing your inner connection.  The point where the ‘trunk’ meet the roots represents the central, or ‘golden mean’ where your true heart resides. This is where the seed began its journey and where the still, small voice of intuition can be heard.  This is the very core of who you really are, at ‘the hub’ of life, where your deepest questions and answers are waiting to reveal themselves.

“I will tell you one thing that will make you rich for life.  There are two struggles: an Inner-world struggle and an Outer-world struggle… you must make an intentional contact between these two worlds; then you can crystallize data for the Third World, the World of the Soul.”  ~ George Gurdjieff 1866-1949

Just pay your best attention to your ‘anchor points’.  By strengthening your attention to your anchors ‘in-the-present’, other thoughts will lose their power to drag you away from being here, present.  Not that you should deny your thoughts, that would not be helpful and you probably can’t… Try not to resist a playful puppy as it tears at the loose edges of a book or shoe (your mind), the more you resist and it just pulls harder.  Just favour the reality of ‘being present’, let go to all other thoughts and they will just lose their grip in the face and calmness ‘of the act of being present’, and the mind will steadily quieten; calm as the sea under a gentle breeze.

Have you noticed when your greatest revelations, or answers to long held questions come to you?  It’s when your mind is here and at peace, least distracted.

With daily, regular unbroken practice over 30 days it will become as habitual and natural as a regular morning act or duty.  Like a homeopathic remedy – a tiny amount done in the right way, with regularity can have a life changing effect on mind and body.  One tiny seed planted, well and regularly nurtured, in time will become a mighty forest.

Once regularity is established, bring Keystone moments, (just seconds is enough; more if inclined), and in time you will find it as your most natural practice of the day.  Far from taking time out of your day it will add to the quality and vitality of your actions and deepen the quality of your rest.  In time, with gentle persistence, these moments will become many and join up into one deep, continuous sense of awareness throughout.  An awareness you have never known but will instantly recognise as who you really are.  But even before that your practice will steadily raise your general level of present-centered awareness, with all the life enhancing benefits that come with it.

Keep it simple, be patient; compassionate with the trips and falls you find yourself in from time to time.  And one day, when you are asked, “Do you meditation, and when?” you will be able to say, “Yes, I do – all day.”  It will surprise even you how true that will be!  “I have only three things to teach, ‘simplicity, patience and compassion.’ ” Lao Tzu,  Tao Te Ching

For audio introduction and guide to the Keystone minute, please  (click here)  

RESULTS COME NATURALLY – NO EXPECTATION

Any results will just come naturally.  You will more clearly hear the voice of intuitive reason, and your actions will naturally follow as if guided by your ‘inner ‘Satnav’ – clearly understood direction.  Greater understanding and creative thoughts will come to you quite spontaneously.

With enhanced spatial memory you will far better remember where you placed things.  Important moments when your attention is most needed will not be lost to distraction.  You will not be distracted from your chosen path or actions of the day.  In short, life will become so much more of what you might wish it to be, all for the sake of at least one minute per day, done in the right way, followed by ever increasing moments of presence.  Answers to problems you have been struggling with will come to you quite naturally and unexpectedly.  Simple seeds planted in deep, fertile soil of awareness will, in time, spread their roots far and wide.

For many, one of the unforeseen benefits is that when you are really paying attention, just one minute seems to last so much longer than the one minute you know!  Paying absolute attention appears to stretch time.  Many who have been in a serious accident report that ‘time’ seems to ‘stand-still’.  High speed racetrack drivers report this too.  It’s what helps them to notice and react so much more rapidly to events on the road.

PRACTICE AND REMEMBER

As best as you can, remember to apply Keystone moments, however brief, as often as you can into activities of the day.  Here are some useful examples, and I’m sure you will think of many more: at a stop light; in line at a store; walking to the entrance of work or home or a meeting room, etc.

With your regular daily one minute Keystone exercise, these moments that follow will come to you quite naturally.  This is not a ‘quick fix’ for anything.  With proper practice, it will bring steady growth throughout your life, just as light weight-lifting, regularly and properly applied brings greater strength to your body.

This ‘Keystone Mind’, your greater sense of presence, will bring better performance and safety to everything you do, driving a car, playing sport or just enjoying the activities of the day.  A fighter pilot once told me that his life depended on total presence to everything he saw and felt and it was exhilarating!

WHAT NEXT?

There is no next but just the regular practise of being present, in the middle of forever, forever beginning without end. However, as you apply the exercise, experience the benefits and fully understand how to bring greater awareness into your life you will find and develop methods for greater connectedness, growth and insight.  Asking for ‘what next?’ is trying to be somewhere else that you are not.  There is nowhere else to be but here, now, present.  With the light of awareness reaching out for understanding, let curiosity be your guide. As described below you will gain other points of connection, inner and outer.  In time with gentle and persistent practice these points will merge together as one.  The inner and outer world will be known, in reality, AS ONE.

You will begin to notice the difference between the ‘thinking mind’ of conditions, attachments, plans and strategies, and the greater ‘mindful-awareness’ – free of boundaries, conditions and attachments.

The real work and benefits of mindfulness is to be found in the growing practice of active, attentive mindfulness throughout your active day.  We just need to know what it is and be reminded.  Your daily one minute Keystone exercise, at the start of each day sets the reminders running.  And as you sense the benefits they will become more regular, deeper, longer and so much more rewarding.

This state of ‘total inclusive presence’ has been variously called by many names under the general label of Mindfulness – Total Awareness, Full Mastery of Oneself or Total Self-Remembering.  This is not to be thought of as a destination but a ‘knowing’ that will arise all by itself.  Your ‘inner Satnav’ is already set for it!  Any idea of destination only gets in the way of being present.  You will discover that this, you have always known… you have just been looking the other way.

NOTE:  if you try to do more than the one minute before the routine is established, the effort may cause you to break the habit and you may lose momentum.  If you desire to do more, and you will, do the keystone minute first – then short break, then more as you wish but never less than the one minute keystone once you have built up to it, a convenient ‘Back-Stop’ minimum within easy reach.  That way continuity will not be lost and steady growth will be assured.

GROWING THE PRACTICE

If and when you are ready, a suggestion for an extended practice is a further 15 minute exercise.  This can be done as little as one or more times during the day, at any time, eyes closed at first to help avoid visual distraction.  It will help you to understand and deepen your keystone moments.  This time extend your sense of body consciousness.  Bring attention to your breath, feel the touch of your feet on the ground, clothes on the body, air across the skin, etc. This will ensure that the ‘anchor’ of touch is driven deep into the ground of present-centered consciousness, and help you to give greater depth to your ‘Keystone’ moments.

Further senses can also be captured and brought into the present.  This can be extended from breath, touch and sight, to sound, smell and taste.  It can be formed into a simple and very practical mantra – “Breath, Touch, Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste”.  Practice this mantra until it’s well established in your memory and easily recalled.  Explore and deepen attention to each sense as you bring them, gently, one by one to your attention; ultimately merging all as one.

This exercise in attention, guided by this mantra will be helpful at times of anxiety or mental disturbance, particularly when experiencing difficulties with sleep and relaxation, or when your mind starts to wander.

This greater sense of presence will bring an even deeper connectedness into your daily Keystone exercise, and all the moments that follow.  You will find a deeper sense of love and connectedness with family and friends.  They too will feel your greater presence, kindness and understanding.

As your interest in the benefits of mindful meditation grow, more will come to you quite naturally.  And there is no shortage of material on the subject.

This journey upon which you are about to embark can be a long, fruitful lifetime of discovery.  Life is seldom about the destination.  It’s more about the joy of adventure and discovery (ask any explorer) in science, art or land.  Or just a great holiday adventure!

As the veil of shadows lift through greater awakening to the reality of your world, new and exciting questions will arise for you to explore.

EXTENDING WISDOM AND COMMITMENT

A useful resource to help you to explore such questions can be found at: (NaturesDestiny).  Remember, what you read here is only a map and your interpretation… not the territory.  For that requires personal experience and discovery for yourself.  You may find much there that you disagree with.  That is healthy – in the spirit of enquiry it will help you to challenge it, or your own long held beliefs.

You may find it very helpful to join or develop a support group for regular meetings and discussions to share such questions.

The one minute Keystone exercise per day may not sound like a big task, but you might discover that you are tempted to put it aside or forget it altogether for other things.  The difficulty to commit just one minute to such a simple daily exercise can be quite a revelation!  See how little personal control you actually have over your life and activities.  What or who is in charge of your will to act??  From just one minute per day, and you are on your way to being in full mastery of your life.

~~~~~~~~~~

Do not underestimate the power of the Keystone exercise: The most likely time to let this discipline slip is when faced with the great challenges of life’s natural turmoils, or when you find yourself ‘out of routine’.  This can be when the regularity of the Keystone exercise is the most helpful.  You can think of your regular daily practice as the one ‘golden thread or chain’ of stability in your life. It will help you to anchor yourself at the most difficult and turbulent times.

For most of us, the world we perceive around us appears two dimensional, flat and rather boring.  We have little conception of the multidimensional world we share.  It is perhaps a bit like watching a 3D film and not knowing about wearing 3D glasses.  With consistent application, the Keystone exercise is like putting on the glasses and opening your perception to your multidimensional world.  It’s a joy to behold and certainly not boring.  Slowly, day by day, your vision will clear.  Every moment can be a revelation!

A wise man does not cross the same river twice, for he is not the same man and it is not the same river. ~ Sufi wisdom

‘An Enlightened man does not need to cross the river, for He is the river and the river is He’

Do join the timer and our Keystone group, and sign up free as a friend as outlined below.  With group support and encouragement the regularity of your Keystone work becomes much easier to sustain.  That is quite natural, and human nature.

INSIGHT TIMER and KEYSTONE support

For practical support and sharing with other Keystone members, the app at www.insighttimer.com (an independent service) is recommended along with the ‘Insighttimer App’ (download from Google or Apple App Store) on your smart phone or tablet.  There may be a small charge to get the full timer benefits.  When installed, join the Keystone Group and join me as a friend in the App for global connection and Keystone support.

Set the timer to four minutes with one minute interval bells.  From experience this has shown to be a good approach to the practice.  It is still a one minute exercise but attempted four times in sequence.  With practice you will be able to hold one of those minutes steady.  Don’t be surprised when that one minute seems to last so much longer than you expected, – it simply means you are so much more awake and present!

Do explore the use of interval bells for extended exercises in mindfulness during the day, when it feels right for you, fully attentive – eyes open; perhaps 15 minutes with 5 minute interval bells.  The interval bells can be a stark reminder of just how distracted we can be.

For those who drive or have any fast moving activity, a 15 minute wide awake exercise with 5 minute interval bells can be an excellent tool for learning enhanced mindfulness.  It may be a shock to realize you were really somewhere else when the bell sounded.  Just how safe is that!  There is nothing better than learning to be totally present, inwardly and outwardly whilst in any activity.  It’s the safest and most effective way to learn to live your life.

Getting started: 

Guided body-scan – Audio (click here)

Being present – Audio (click here)

Daily Reflections – (click here)

~~~~~~~~~~

There is a Sea of Tranquillity in all of us, and if we can only be at one with that, then whatever takes place in the external world of our lives it will awaken us to all we seek, and we will be truly free, content and at peace.

Warm wishes for a lifetime of discovery, greater understanding, and peace of mind.

 Roy Maunder  2018 —  < Background link >

If you would like to know more, make comment or if you would like to be on the list for any future publications or workshops, please contact me on the form below.  Your email address will be held in strictest confidence and will not be passed on for any other use except that requested by you.