I've had the opportunity to share meditation practices at yoga studios, homeless shelters, Oregon Health Sciences University, social work schools, and JFK University's Graduate program in Integral Studies.
My name is John Records. I'd like to share with you the Shortcuts to Meditation that I've learned in over 40 years of meditating in several traditions. I've shared meditation with countless people over many years and in many settings.
These shortcuts can be used individually or stacked together — to enhance your existing practice, or as a complete practice in themselves. I'll guide you through each one, then show you how to use them all sequentially.
I recommend meditating daily. On waking, use the toilet, don't pick up your phone, and go straight to your meditation place. Try an experiment: meditate daily for at least five minutes for a week. See what your life is like. 20 or 30 minutes works well for many people.
I hope you enjoy these shortcuts, and find deep peace within.
Much love, John
"Dissatisfaction with your meditation is like the feelings you get while working out — you are building strength and endurance. Assess your practice by how it affects your life."
Meditation works beautifully for most people most of the time. These honest notes are offered in the spirit of care — so you can navigate your practice wisely.
Meditation can provide peace of mind, strength, and other desirable qualities. However, it is also transformative — and transformation can be uncomfortable, potentially disruptive to life as you've known it. It's not uncommon for people with a dedicated practice to find that former relationships and employment no longer fit them well. Changes in these areas are often ultimately welcome, if sometimes difficult.
Be very careful about using mind-altering substances in conjunction with your meditation. Alcohol or cannabis, even in small amounts, can negatively affect your practice. I suggest experimenting for a week or more without them — see what your meditation is like, then gradually reintroduce them and observe the effect. Then decide what is best for you.
Sometimes people feel distress associated with meditation. Old trauma and emotions can arise — sometimes in disturbing detail. Overwhelming feelings of anger, hunger, or lust may surface. Often this passes with perseverance. If it doesn't:
In the words of Chris Faison — a friend and long-time practitioner
The first shortcut is the bow — variations are found in Hatha Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Judaism, and Islam. It brings immediate calmness. The essence: slowly bringing the head down to the level of the knees. This brings blood into the forebrain, helps empty the lungs prior to refilling, and stretches the spinal column.
At work? Drop your pen and bow to find it, taking your time. No one's the wiser that you've taken a shortcut to meditation — and who says you can't meditate at your desk?
Meditation is easier when we are relaxed. Gestures give us immediate relaxation and freedom from distracting feelings — by embodying them first, then releasing them through the body.
We give the feeling its due — then let it go. We're used to letting go of things with our hands by opening them and dropping what's held. Gestures of release take advantage of this habitual wisdom.
You can also use gestures of release in social situations — just open your hand(s) naturally as part of your expression. Let go of social anxiety or fear of speaking without anyone being the wiser. Be careful about visibly clenching, though — people may misunderstand your intentions!
Use gestures of release before meditating, or during meditation when distracting thoughts arise, or anytime during your day. You can clench and unclench with awareness of a particular feeling, or without reference to any specific feeling.
A vocal gesture of release
We're always breathing and often don't notice our breath. The sighing exhalation is a variant of gesture of release — made with your vocal apparatus: the epiglottis, throat, tongue, mouth, and lungs.
Exhale and make a sound like "haaah" or "whew." It's not a laugh — experiment and use what feels easy and natural. Practice privately, as others may take your sigh personally.
You can bring to mind something you'd like to let go of — something that comes up often and that you'd just as soon not carry — and sigh as you release it. This is very much like opening your hand as a gesture of release.
The sighing exhalation can be included at any point in your practice. Use it while bowing, or while opening a clenched hand. It naturally leads into the next shortcut: Resting in Stillness — because the stillness is found most easily right at the end of the exhalation.
"Each exhalation is like a wave gently lapping the shore. Instead of wishing you were at the beach, you can bring the feeling of relaxing by the seashore to yourself — on command, anywhere, anytime."
— Chris Faison, practitionerWe can have different tones and sounds in our sigh. These express our mood, and each can provide relaxation and release. Do it now with a different sound — notice what comes up for you.
The ground of all being · always here · always you
A very simple shortcut to meditation is resting in the stillness at the end of the sighing exhalation, prior to the next inhalation.
There is a still place after you exhale and before you inhale. It is that moment when the air is no longer leaving your lungs, but has not yet started coming back in. That pause is a wonderful portal to peace.
In time you will realize that you're not merely in relationship with the stillness — not any more than you are in relationship with your bones. Just as your bones are part of your body, your stillness is part of your being.
It's different from bones, though: this stillness is an aspect of the ground of all Being. And that's not other than the foundation of you — your very own Self.
The locus of your identity can shift to include the stillness. Your ups and downs will still arise — but now in the context of your continuing awareness of stillness: the ground of all Being.
If your mind wanders, simply resume — or do a bow or gesture of release to clear your mind and refocus. It's okay to lose count of breaths. This is not a failure; it is the work itself.
The Divine in me
honors the Divine in you
While the previous shortcuts were gestures of release — preparation for meditation — namaste is a gesture of coming together. This joins the two palm chakras (energy centers) in front of the heart chakra, creating a felt sense of wholeness.
"When we share namaste with another person, we are acknowledging the wholeness, the unity, the Spirit, the Divinity in them. Our wholeness sees and recognizes their wholeness — like a mirror for the Divine to see itself in the form of another."
It's not a coincidence that when people are depicted praying in the Judeo-Christian tradition, their palms come together. Across traditions, this gesture is a shortcut to meditation and peace.
I find it best to do namaste at the end of my practice, to reintegrate myself after having let go and abided in stillness. Stay in that position as long as you want, and think lovingly of any person or creature. As you bring more wholeness into your own life, you bring more wholeness into the world.
Use any shortcut individually, or stack them all sequentially — looping back to deepen your peace.
Sit on the floor with a cushion, or in a chair. Maintain your spine reasonably erect so you don't fall asleep — but not rigid. Close your eyes. Put your attention at the tip of your tailbone.
Inhale slowly, pulling attention from the tailbone to the top of the head. Bring the chin to the chest, making a sighing sound as you exhale and bow gently forward — comfortable stretch, never pain.
Let any intruding thoughts or feelings clench your hand — or if powerful, your whole body. Unclench and notice your peace. Repeat as needed. Return to the bow if your mind is agitated.
When ready, bring your palms together over your heart. Give thanks to all who have ever supported you. Offer blessings to any who come to mind — living or dead. Ask for whatever you need.
Sit quietly for a bit. Then, as you continue to feel your peace, go about your day.
Morning is ideal — right after waking, before the phone. Many also practice before dinner or before bed. 20–30 minutes is wonderful; 5 minutes is a genuine start. Meditate first, then adjust the rest of the day around it.
Each shortcut can be used individually, anytime, anywhere. Drop a pen and bow to find it. Open your hand during a tense moment. Sigh quietly as you release something. The stillness is always available to you.
It's okay to lose count of breaths. If your mind wanders, simply resume — or use a bow or gesture of release to clear and refocus. This wandering and returning is not a failure. It is the practice itself.
Do not assess your meditation by how you feel during the practice. Assess it by the calmness and resilience you notice in your daily life — even if your sessions feel difficult or scattered.
Thank you for receiving these shortcuts. I encourage you to use any or all of them anytime — and at least once a day. Perhaps in the morning, before you eat. Just sit down in your quiet place and begin. I suggest also practicing in the evening before dinner, or before going to bed.
My wish and my blessing for you is that these shortcuts support your peace, joy, and fulfillment. As you bring more wholeness into your own life, you bring more wholeness into the world. In our human experience, there is no greater gift than this.
☸