Drinking Straw Meditation Technique

Join Mat as he guides you through a simple variation of “following the breath” that allows you to experience energy rising in your Chakras.

This is another variation of the “Simple Breathing Meditation” but with an added strategy to help the mind focus.

I find this technique quite effective but it’s still as simple as meditations get.

In my “mind”, simpler is better.

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Meditation Peace Happiness
Meditation Peace Happiness

Drinking Straw Meditation Theory

As with the “Simple Breathing Meditation“, the basic premise behind this meditation is that the breath is always present whether we are paying attention to it or not. So whenever our mind pulls us away from concentrating on the breath, inevitably we will notice at some point, and are able to easily come back to it.

The added twist here, is that we actively use our breath to draw energy up from the base of the spine.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand the energy we’re using, Chakras or anything like that, the technique will still work.

Hopefully you will feel a sensation of energy rising and that’s all that this technique requires. That sensation will simply help you remain focused on the meditation more easily.

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Simple Meditation Technique

How do we get the energy to rise without knowing how the energy works?

Funny you should ask.

I call this meditation, “The Drinking Straw Meditation”, because we will visualize slurping a thick drink through a straw when we breath in. The energy thing will just happen on its own.

NOTE – you don’t use a real drinking straw for this meditation. We just visualize using one.

You don’t have to purse your lips, or make slurping sounds, but as you breathe in, just imagine that you are drawing a milkshake up through a drinking straw.

By doing that, you will feel your stomach muscles engage more and it will naturally squeeze your abdomen. By only concentrating on the in-breath and allowing the out-breath to just relax, you create a pumping effect in your body.

You will feel as though you are drawing the drink up the straw and you will also feel the energy tingling in your abdomen/spine and rise up towards your head as you progress.

Don’t focus so much on the tingling, but focus on the action. The tingling will simply give you something interesting to remain focused on during your meditation.

I have never felt lightheaded doing this, it’s all visual, but if you do feel lightheaded I would recommend stopping. I’d also love to hear from you in the comments if you do.

If you haven’t already checked out the Meditation Boot Camp, I highly recommend starting there first to avoid some of the many pitfalls. This meditation assumes you already know how to set up your space, remove distractions, relax your body and get the fundamentals right.

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How to do the Meditation

  • Set up your environment
  • Sit in your favorite meditation posture
  • Close your eyes
  • Relax your body
  • Take a few deep breaths in and out to signal to your body that you’re about to start
  • Relax into a slow and natural breathing pattern
  • When you’re ready, visualize drinking a milkshake through a drinking straw. Feel the tightness in your chest as you work to pull the drink up against gravity. Feel your stomach muscles gently joining the fight. Notice the feeling of energy rising.
  • On the out-breath, notice the relaxation and calm.
  • Do this for as long as you like (15-20 minutes recommended)
  • When you find your mind has wandered, gently bring it back to focusing on the breath
  • When you are finished, slowly open your eyes and become aware of your surroundings

That’s it. Hopefully that was a beautiful experience for you and left your body refreshed and full of energy. Literally.

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Tips and Things to Look For

Be Gentle – I always say this, but be gentle with yourself. Your mind has been distracting you for a very long time and is really good at taking you on a journey. So don’t criticize yourself for losing focus. Don’t get annoyed. Don’t make promises for next time. Just gently come back to the meditation.

Repetition – Stick with the same method for at least a week before you decide to try another.

Focus Intensely – The drinking straw helps you focus and gives you some interesting sensations to keep you engaged. But still, try to concentrate on every detail of the meditation.

Energy Flowing – you are doing a breathing exercise that draws energy up through your spine. The energy should feel quite mild, but obviously stop if you feel uncomfortable. If you get interesting sensations, let me know in the comments below.

Have fun and enjoy.

Leave comments below if you have any questions.

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