Energize!

Lying down meditation is one of the best ways to recharge and re-energize yourself in as little as 5 to 15 minutes.

Lay completely flat someplace comfortable. You can lay flat on a bed, a carpeted floor, or even someplace out amongst nature.

It's important to choose someplace you are not likely to be disturbed or have someone accidently walk on you!

Lay flat. let you arms rest by your side. Palms can either be facing or up or down. It's your choice. Do what feels natural and comfortable to you.

Take a full breath of air. Pause. Let it out slowly. Notice when you breathe that your lower abdomen naturally expands and contracts. Be aware of how doing this allows your lungs to fill with air.

Take another full breath of air. Pause. Let it out. Feel the tensions begin to fade away with each exhalation.

Take another full breath of air. Pause. Let out 90 percent. Keep 10 percent.

This is going to be a judgement call on your part. You must estimate what 90 percent is to you. It can change with each breath and from person to person.

Pause. Keeping the 10 percent of air in your lungs, take a full breath. Pause. Let it all out.

Take a full breath. Pause. Let out 70 percent. Keep 30 percent in your lungs.

Take a full breath. Pause. Let it all out.

Take a full breath. Let out 50 percent. Take a full breath. Let it all out.

Take a full breath. Let out 1 percent. Take a full breath. Let it all out.

Relax and meditate (with your eyes closed, of course) for anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes.

Just relax. Breathe naturally. Feel all your tensions fade away.

Let your body "sink" into the ground. The more you sink, the more relaxed you become. The more relaxed, the more you allow your body to naturally recharge and re-energize.

What is going on here? You are doing several things. Breathing allows chi, or life force energy, to naturally fill your body.

By laying prone, your body aligns naturally with the earth and sky. Letting yourself "relax into the ground" allows yourself to naturally become one with the earth and thus recharge naturally using the Earth's naturally energy.

By letting go, you may even feel yourself "floating." This is good. Just go with it. Or you may just feel yourself becoming very solid with the Earth. That's fine, too. Either way, you align naturally with the unlimited sky and the bottomless earth.

Lay like this for anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. If you want to go longer, that's fine. At the end, simply take a full breath. Let it out slowly and allow yourself to ease out of the meditation. Stand up SLOWLY. Don't rush it!

You will feel energized, focused, and grounded.

You may want to try this meditation before you go to bed and use it to ease yourself into sleep.