05.14.07
Posted in Meditation at 7:17 pm by admin
While there are many stress busting techniques available, nothing is as simple and effective as relaxation through meditation. Meditation is simply the process of cultivating inner peace within our self and the world around you through a positive and spiritual way. The essence of mediation is to create positive and peaceful thoughts to bring peace to our mind. Meditation is the transformation of the mind, body and soul.
The first step to meditation is to change our thoughts from being negative to positive. And most meditation techniques simply involve a process of transforming negative thoughts into positive and peaceful thoughts. Through meditation, one embarks on a journey to rediscover one self and to become free of negativity.
How to Meditate
- Create a quiet, relaxing environment. Free yourself from any external distractions, your cellphone in particular.
- Sit on a chair or a cushion; make sure you are comfortable in that position. Take care to sit erect, allowing for free and easy breathing
- Keep head upright. Eyes may be closed or open. If open they should focus on your hands or a spot nearby.
- Breathe in a relaxed and natural way. Exhale at the count of ten. Then begin again at one and repeat. Continue to breathe naturally.
- Continue for 15 minutes.
Permalink
05.13.07
Posted in Meditation at 10:57 am by admin
The first reason that comes to my mind, on why to relax through meditation, is that the ability to be present in the moment, “to relax here and now”, beside being useful, is that it makes you feel very, very good.
The sensation of letting go of muscle tension, anxiety, heavy thoughts, and everything else that doesn’t belong of a “being relaxed” state is a wonderful, wonderful experience.
Meditation is, in my opinion, a “No-thinking tool” that can help you create a transition from the ordinary conscious perception of the world into an open mind, a new level of awareness. From there you’ll be able to see, get access and put into use forgotten sub-conscious resources. This new perception of awareness could help you manifest your purposes and fulfill your daily activities in smooth, spontaneous, surprising ways.
Yes. Being able to unwind the mind from the tangle of stress and enter a state of deep relaxation is one of the most important skills you can learn. And meditation can help you in that. Meditation is a “no-thinking state” that will benefit both your physical and mental health as well as making you happier and giving you a sense of having more freedom in your life.
Not only is it possible for everyone to learn how to use meditation fundamentals to relax oneself, but it can be considered as a necessity. To be relaxed means to be fully alive, free from physical and mental tension. It is one of our most fundamental needs. And don’t forget that the ability to “relax when you want to relax” will help you be more productive, not less.
Unfortunately, relaxation is a need that is frequently ignored. And meditation is still view as a “spiritual prayer” that is not meant for daily activities integration or healing purposes. Perhaps not so much ignored as given a low priority. Everything else you have to do comes first, and you never quite get around to find the time to relax into the now, later on.
Even if it doesn’t last too long, relaxation awareness benefits our overall being in many ways. Physically, it recharges and revitalizes us. By allowing muscles to release tension and to stop exertion, relaxation recharges our muscles with fresh energy.
Through meditation we can learn the thinking patterns that will lead us of letting go our muscle’s tension. It can bring us a significant pain relief experience ideal for healing or fighting illness. Plus, it is fundamental for the body’s healing process to be able to relax easily and effortlessly.
The body is able to generate a new flood of energy when it relaxes completely. Research on the immune system shows that stress depletes our immune function and relaxation restores it.
Relaxation through meditation has numerous mental benefits also. A calm mind has the ability to focus at will, being more clear headed. With the increased attentional capacity that relaxation brings we often feel more able to handle whatever problems we have to face. Somehow, by relaxing through meditation, we feel we have gained more freedom in our lives. In these ways, the ability to meditate is a valuable coping skill for most of life’s problems.
One of the easiest ways I’ve found to relax through meditation is with the Centerpointe Holosync system. Just put on your headsets, press play, sit back and listen.
Permalink
05.12.07
Posted in Meditation at 11:48 am by admin
Only a few years ago any one who said that they meditate would have been thought to be a bit cranky. Now, however it is a practice that is rapidly gaining in popularity and is even being recommended by regular doctors as an excellent way to relieve stress, help in certain mental dis-orders and as a general ‘mind tonic’.
The word ‘meditate’ simply means to focus your mind on a particular subject. That means that you are becoming aware of that subject and that subject alone. Because of this there are so many varieties of meditation. Some are labelled according to the religious or spiritual belonging such as ‘Buddhist Meditation’. Then there is a further demarcation such as ‘Tibetan Buddhist Meditation’. Others are labelled according to the actual practice of meditation such as ‘Pranayama Meditation’ which is essentially breathing exercises.
The benefit in all the varieties of meditation is that the person meditating will be able to relax, discover latent abilities, feel peaceful and calm, realise the self and perhaps even realize God. Naturally a lot depends on the type of meditation practiced and the aim of the practitioner.
If you meditate on a flower you may well experience whatever you associate with a flower such as beauty, naturalness, freshness, freedom, etc.
If you meditate on your breathing you may well experience relaxation and stillness.
If you meditate on your self then you may well experience…..your self. If you experience your ’self’ then that would be called an experience of self realisation. But and it is a big but, to meditate on your self requires introspection and also some knowledge as to what the self is. And here you enter into an unlimited field of choice; and how do you know if the choice you made is the right one?
The best way to know you are doing the right thing is that you feel comfortable with both the meditation practice and with the experience you are getting. If you are not getting any experience then don’t worry or give up as it happens to a lot of people. Give some time, focus on the practice and not the result you want. It will happen.
One of the easiest ways that I’ve found to meditate is a system called Centerpointe. It’s simple to use – all that’s involved is putting on your headphones and listening to a CD. Yet it’s incredibly powerful. Studies have shown that Centerpointe gets you to meditation levels only normally experienced by masters of the art. You can get a free trial of their system here.
Permalink
05.06.07
Posted in Meditation at 8:28 am by admin
In order to maximise the benefits of meditation, it should be practiced daily and preferably at the same time each day. By so doing, your brain becomes disciplined to the practice more quickly and comes to expect the process at the same time daily. Some people meditate twice daily for 20-35 minutes at a time. The choice is up to the individual and what works best for them. That is one of the secrets of successful meditation. Finding out what works best for you. This can take a little bit of experimentation in order to find what works for you, but if you persevere, the results can be well worth it.
To begin with, you are unlikely to be able to meditate for more than 15-20 minutes without having extraneous thoughts intrude. With practice, this period will increase as your ability to focus increases.
Permalink
05.05.07
Posted in Meditation at 11:47 am by admin
The point of meditation of course is to achieve the feeling of being centered, and to let go of everyday concerns and issues. While this concept is certainly easy to understand, putting that theory into practice can be quite difficult to achieve. How to actually achieve that balance and sense of well-being can be quite elusive, and there are many ways to achieve this important goal.
Some of the most common ways to achieve the inner balance that meditation offers include reciting mantras, controlling breathing patterns and even more physically demanding activities like trance dancing and yoga.
The best practice is to make the most of the time you have available and do what works for you personally. There is no one right way to meditate, and too many people make the mistake of making meditation into a bigger challenge than it really is.
For many people, simply repeating a word or mantra provides a great deal of mental and physical relaxation. While there are of course common words and phrases that are used, it is important to find the one that works best for you personally. Whether it is the traditional “Om†or a phrase that is understood only by you, the key is to personalize your mantra to make it work for you.
Many people who are new to meditation make too much of a deal out of controlling their breathing patterns. Controlling breathing patterns is not as difficult or as complicated as it sounds – the key is to simply breathe. Meditation can be as simple as taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out.
One of the best ways to achieve the benefits of meditation and the benefits of exercise at the same time is to engage in a physically active meditation like yoga or trance dancing. If you think such activities are right for you, be sure to look for a gym or community organization that offers them.
It is important to remember that traditional forms of exercise can be a form of meditation as well. If swimming in the local pool relaxes you, include it as part of your meditation program. If you prefer martial arts, include that. Often simply going for a long walk in the woods can provide a powerful antidote to a stressful day. The key is to do what works for you, rather than to try to fit your meditation program into a one size fits all mold.
One of the most common obstacles encountered by those who are new to meditation is feeling that there is not enough time to meditate. We all lead busy lives these days, and it can be difficult to make time for yet another activity, no matter how important it may be. As you can see, however, meditation can be made into a part of everyday life, and this can make it much easier to enjoy the benefits of this ancient practice without sacrificing your precious spare time.
Discover the easiest way to meditate as deeply as a Zen monk. Simply sit down, put on your stereo headset, press ‘play’ and listen. This is the meditation program that I personally use every day.
Permalink
05.04.07
Posted in Meditation at 7:06 am by admin
A good way to relieve stress for those who don’t want to exert too much effort is meditation. This is one of the many low impact exercises which is designed to help strengthen both the mind and the body. While some think that it is just sitting down in comfortable positions and thinking, there is more to it than that which is probably why this has been practiced for more than 5000 years.
The key to meditation is breathing. Meditation allows the person to relax. After closing one’s eyes, the individual can listen to the silence and escape to that special place. For a few minutes, it allows the participant to forget about the problems in life and then wake up feeling rested.
Meditation has evolved through the years and there are many forms to choose from. Everyone does it differently but once the person is able to get in tune with it, the rest will become easy. The best way to achieve this is by drawing the spine to a straight position and keeping it there the whole time while relaxing and concentrating. Those who are not used to maintaining a lotus position on the floor can still practice this by sitting on a straight back chair or even a couch.
Anyone can learn and be able to master meditation. There are DVD’s available in the market so this can be practiced in the comforts of one’s home. Those who want to try something else can try Bikram or Yoga too. Sometimes going on a vacation may seem the best to be way to relax but if the cost of air travel and the planning is a hassle, there is no harm in sitting on a mat and doing some meditation.
Permalink
05.03.07
Posted in Meditation at 5:59 pm by admin
Proper Posture – On the one hand meditation can be done in any position. But there are certain things that happen during meditation that are enhanced by proper posture. The first thing to consider is staying awake. Since you are producing a state of extreme relaxation the most likely outcome, from a rushed and hectic life, is to fall asleep. But with that aside meditation will let energy (chi) flow through your body. The energy follows certain paths and a seated upright position is the most enabling for this energy flow.
Proper Breathing – Another reason for proper posture is that many meditation methods have a breathing component. Not only is there breath control involved but there are certain visualization that go along with the breath. The most common visualization is that on the inhale through the nose to see the breath come in through the nose, travel up over the head, down the back and up the front of the body to the stomach area. On the exhale to see the breath rise up from the stomach area up the chest and out of the nose.
Proper Attitude – Meditation is a process of refinement that cannot be rushed. An attitude of calm expectation is needed to progress. If you become annoyed or angry at the speed of your progress then rest assured your progress will become even slower. Since on of the goals of meditation is to calm the mind then an angry or agitated mind will only stand in the way of the desired goal.
How to Concentrate – The most often given advice on how to meditate is to simply let your thoughts go. To just watch them and not to follow them. Which is very difficult. We have a great tendency to follow our thoughts into long stories until we forget completely about the act of meditating. An easier way to help slow down our thoughts is to concentrate on something. Imagine sitting on the edge of a lake at night and a full moon is clearly reflected in the lake. Keep your thoughts focused on the reflection until you can hold the image without there being any ripples in the water.
Permalink
Posted in Meditation at 8:13 am by admin
In search of the right type of meditation, you will not often come across the combination of meditation with visualization. But, disregarding what type of meditation you select to use, you can always start with a very simple visualization technique.
This technique is very good to do, especially at the beginning of any type of meditation. Let’s say you choose the Breath watching meditation technique.
This technique involves paying attention to your breath for a few minutes.
Sit comfortably with your back straight, either in a chair or cross legged on the floor.
Close your eyes, breath slowly and deeply counting down from 10 to 1 until you feel deeply relaxed.
Establish breathing through your nose all the way to the bottom of your lungs.
Visualize that there is a long cord attached to the base of your spine and extending down through the floor and way down into the earth. If it is more comfortable for you, you can visualize this cord as the root of a tree.
Now visualize that the energy of the earth is flowing up through this cord from the depth of the earth through your feet to all parts of your body and out through the top of your head to the sky. Imagine this until you really feel the flow well established.
If your mind starts to wander, re-focus your attention on the air going in and out and come back to visualization afterwards. Now imagine that the energy from the sky is flowing in through the top of your head, through all the organs of your body, charging you with enormous energy and flowing through your feet and cord deep down into the earth.
Feel both these flows going in different directions and charging your body with energy and mixing harmoniously in your body.
Do complete exercises for a few minutes, or till you feel comfortable. With more practice you will get used to it.
Permalink
05.02.07
Posted in Meditation at 4:48 pm by admin
Lots of people are worried about meditating because they think it involves sitting in crazy positions, chanting strange words or humming wierd noises while focusing on nothing.
Okay, that might be, but it’s certainly not the norm 
To get started with meditation you can do a few simple things.
Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed or distracted. Then make yourself comfortable, but not too comfortable. Take a few deep, slow breathes and relax your body. I like to start with my focusing on my feet, then calves, knees… working my way up to my head as I relax. You might need some time (few minutes or so) at first, but after a few times of practicing this, it will come much faster and easier.
Remember that “meditation” doesn’t mean thinking of “nothing”, it really means thinking about what you want or choose to think about.
Don’t worry that you “don’t know what you’re doing” just yet, just give it a try.
Permalink
Posted in Meditation at 7:05 am by admin
For a simple but effective meditation, let’s turn to Achaan Chan, a Buddhist monk living and practicing in Thailand, who tells us…
“If you let go a little, you will have a
little peace. If you let go a lot, you will
have even more peace. So wherever you are
attached, let go of that and come back to the
center. Learn to see all movement of life
with balance and openness.”
In life, the more you let go of things, the more bliss you’ll experience.
When you’re meditating deeply and your mind is silent, that is when you’ll experience the remarkable peace that comes with just letting it all go.
You don’t have to meditate deeply to let go.
When something arises in your life that causes upset, consciously take a deep breath. As you’re breathing in, close your eyes and feel the peace that comes with breath awareness.
Let your breath be still for a second or two before you breathe out. Note the peace and stillness at the pause between in and out breaths. That peace and stillness is always there. You just have to slow down enough to become aware of it.
Now breathe out and let go of what was bothering you.
It’s that simple.
Repeat this exercise whenever you feel off center or stressed.
Permalink
« Previous entries Next Page » Next Page »
