MEDITATIONCOMPLETEGUIDETORELIEVINGSTRESSANDLIVINGAPEACEFUL

LIFE

JenSteifer

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Copyright2014-Allrightsreserved.

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TABLEOFCONTENTSINTRODUCTION

CHAPTERONE:WHATISMEDITATION?ANDOTHERQUESTIONSANSWERED

CHAPTERTWO:MEDITATIONINGENERAL

CHAPTERTHREE:BENEFITSOFMEDITATION

CHAPTERFOUR:TYPESOFMEDITATION

CHAPTERFIVE:PRECAUTIONSTOOBSERVE

CHAPTERSIX:EXPECTATIONSANDEXERCISES

CHAPTERSEVEN:WHATPROFESSIONALDOCTORSSAYABOUTMEDITATION

CHAPTEREIGHT:MEDITATION–FOCUSEDMEDITATIONVERSUSMINDFULNESS

CHAPTERNINE:CREATINGYOUROWNMEDITATIONROOM

CHAPTERTEN:POSITIVEAFFIRMATIONINMEDITATION

CONCLUSION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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INTRODUCTION

I can tellyouareabrilliantpersonbecauseyoumade thechoice topurchasethisbook.Ibelievethatyouwilllearnagreatdealofinformationandthatyouwillopenyoureyesandgainanewperspectiveinyourlife.

Withlifebeing

sohecticinthisdayandage,itisnowonderthatpeopleareseekingawaytofindrelaxation.Stressisastateofmindthatmanyaresufferingfromasaresultoftheirunhealthylifestylesandthefastpaceinwhichwelive.Theproblemsassociatedwithstressgofurtherthansimplyamentalimbalanceandafeelingofedginess.Stresscanresultinalongtermmentalconditionandcanmanifestitselfphysicallyintheformofmanydifferentphysicaldisorders.

Theprimarydisordersthatmanifestareanxietydisordersandheartconditions.

Stressorscanhaveseriouslynegativeeffectsonotheraspectsofyourphysicalhealthaswell,suchasbloodpressureandoverallmentalstability.Youneedtobeawarethatstresscanleadtoseriousillnessincludingcardiovasculardiseasesandthepotentialonsetofcancer.Thus,thishasaseriousimpactonlivestoday,tomorrowandinthenearfuture.Insteadoflettingstresstakeover,peoplearebecomingawareoftheneedforacertainamountofrelaxationandareseekingitinmanydifferentways.

Living a life that is hectic without any relief can cause you to developdepression,insomniaandotherpsychologicalproblems.Whileitmaystartasasmallissue,itcanslowlydevelopintoalarger,unbearableissue.

Youwillfindthatyourbodybecomesweaker,alongwithyourimmunesystemandself-esteem.Yourbodywillbelesslikelytofightoffcommonbacteria,likethecommoncold,headachesandsimilarailments.Thisiswhypsychologistsbelievethatstressistherootofmanydifferentdisorders.Itisimportanttorealizeandkeepinmindthatwhilemuchoflifeisoutsideofourcontrol,whatwecancontrolisourselves,ouractionsandourdestiny.

andourdestiny.

Therearemany

alternativesopentopeoplethatwishtotakechargeoftheirliveswhichisvital.Stresscanleadtobloodpressureproblems,whichcanleadtomoreserioushealthhazards,andit’stimetore-appraiseyourlifestyletoseeifyourstresslevelsareacceptableorwhetheryoucanbenefitfrommeditation.

Therearemanywhodismissmeditationasbeingsomethingthatisdifficulttodo,orsomethingsilly.However,itiseasierthanyoumightimagine.

Althoughyoudo

haveachoiceofdifferentmethodsofrelaxationthatareavailableintoday’sworldsuchasyoga,acupuncture,massageandachangetoyourlifestyle;meditationissomethingthatyoucanincludeinyourcurrentlifestyletomakeitamoreviablewaytolive.Thisbookiswrittenfortheuninitiatedinanefforttointroducethemtodifferentformsofmeditation,sothatindividualreaderscanchosewhichmethodwhichfitsbestwiththeircharacterandtheirlifestyle.

Meditationisa

formofrelaxationthathasbeenpracticedforthousandsofyears.Itismainlyusedforthetreatmentofanxietybutcanbeusedforspiritualpurposesaswell.Inthisbook,youwillhavetheopportunitytoreadaboutthevariouswaysinwhichmeditationcanbebeneficialtoyourhealth.WeintroducetheoverallconceptofmeditationinChapter2andthenwewillbreakitdowninsubsequentchapters.Youwillbesurprisedathowmanydifferentkindsofmeditationthereare,andoneoftheavailableoptionswillinevitablybesuitableforyou.

Wealsolookat

thedifferenttypesofmeditationsfromapracticalpointofviewsothatyoucanseewhichtypeofmeditationcanhelpyoutoachievepeaceofmindandtheabilitytorelax.Youmaybelievethatmeditationisforthetree-huggingbrigade,butyoucouldn'tbefurtherfromthetruth.It'sasystemthathelpspeopletobecomegrounded,happyandsometimesevenmoreeffectiveinthehighprofilejobsthattheyhave.Itisn'tacrazeorsomethingthatisonlydonebypeoplewhohavetoomuchtimeontheirhands.Ithelpseveryoneequallywhoiswillingtotryit.Whileithelpstotreatvariousdiseases,italsohelpstopreventthesamediseasesfromdeveloping.

Themainaimof

thebookwillbetogiveyouaguidetomeditationandhelpyoutounderstandtheprinciplesandpracticeofmeditation.Youmaylearnabouttechniquesyouhaveneverheardofbefore,butthesemaybesuitabletoincorporateintoyourlifetomakeyourlifeamuchmoresatisfyingplacetobe.

AGreatAlternativetoMedicationTherapy

Many people have found that meditation can greatly reduce the amount ofmedicationtheytakeonadailybasis,andover time, itcancompletelyreplace

themedicationthatyoutake.Instudies,meditationhasshownsignificantstridesin its ability to treat medical conditions that were previously treated bymedication. Many doctors have found themselves recommending meditationbefore they recommend medication, which shows how powerful this simpleactioncanbe.

Theimportance

ofmeditationisespeciallytrueforpeoplewhohaveheartdisease,heartproblems,bloodpressureproblems,anxiety,depression,andmanyothermentaldisorders.

WhatisRelaxation?

In common terminology, relaxation means that we leave ourselves free oftension.Relaxingmindmaymeanthatthemindisnotunderstressoractive.Intoday'slifestyle,thislooksdifficult.

Doesn’tit?

Nowaday,most of us believe to bebeingunder stress duringmost of theweekand relaxonlyon theweekends.This is considered thecommonwayoflife. Is this the rightwayof living?Is livinga relaxed lifeall the timenotourright?Letusreclaimit.

Badstress

Ifyouaskanyonewhy they’reunderstressmostof theweek,whatanswerdoyouexpect toget? ‘Ihavesomuchwork todo,deadlines tomeet, tasks tobecompleted,prepareforthenewlaunch’,etc.Don'tyouthinkthatsomethinglikethisistheresponse?

Letusdiscusswhymostofusarestressedallthetime.Atsometimeinourlife,whilewearechasingdreamsweloseourhabitofsittingbackandreflecting.Webegingivingautoresponses.Ifweareheldupinatrafficjam,ourresponseis either to worry about the work ahead, blame the system, or some as suchnegativethought.Notmanyofusthink‘Alright.Ifthetrafficisn’tmoving,let’srelax and listen to some good music, go back to some childhood memories,

remembergoodfriends,letmemakethebestuseofthetimetorelaxandenjoylife’. Not many of us respond in this way. We respond in stressed wayswheneverwecomeacrossanysimilarsituation.Thishabitistakingabigtollonourqualityoflife.WhatisMeditation?

Meditationisbothanartandascience.Meditationisinfactthetrainingofthebrainsothatitisabletoretainpositivethoughtandbanishnegativethought

Theactof

meditationisnotasingleentity.Itisagroupoftrainingexercisesthatfocusonthemind.Meditationcanimprovementalhealthandphysicalhealth.Manyofthetechniquesinvolvedinmeditationareeasytolearn,andyoucanlearnthemfromabook,article,orguidancefromameditationspecialist.

Mostofthe

techniquesthatyouuseinmeditationinvolvethefollowingcomponents:ØSittingorlyinginarelaxedposition.

ØDeepbreathing–youbreathedeeplyenough togetenoughoxygen torelax your muscles. You should exhale deeply enough to completelyemptyyourlungs.

ØStopthinkingofeverydayproblemsandmattersinyourlife.Clearyourmindcompletely.

ØConcentrateonyourthoughtsonasound,arepeatedword,animage,aconceptorafeeling.

Youshouldpointallofyourattentiontothisonespecifictopic.

Ø When foreign thoughts make their way into your thought process,exhaleandgobacktoyourobjectofmeditation.Thepurposeistolearnnottobreakyourfocusonyourconcentrationpoint.

Thereare

differentmeditationtechniquestouse,accordingtothedegreeofconcentrationandhowyoupersonallyhandleforeignthoughts.Inmanycases,theobjectiveistoconcentratesohardonaspecificthingthatnoforeignthoughtsoccur.Whenforeignthoughtsenteryourmind,youaretoforcethemoutandbringyourconcentrationback.Afterenoughpractice,youwillbeabletopreventforeignthoughtsfromenteringyourmind.

mind.

Other

techniquesarecompletedinamannerthatforeignthoughtshavethecapabilityofpoppingup.Whentheseforeignthoughtsdodevelop,thepersonistostopandgobacktopuremeditation,inarelaxedmanner.Thoughtsthatcomeuparetypicallythingsyouhaveforgotten,suppressedorfindmaterialinnature.

Manytimes,meditationallowsyoutorediscovermaterialthatyouhavehiddenfromyourself.Theactofrediscoverywillhavepsychotherapeuticeffects.

Ifyouhavehad

atraumaticexperience,meditationcanhelpyoutogetpasttheeventbyallowingyoutocontrolthethoughtsandre-designthetraumaticeventinyourmind.Thepurposeofthisistotakebackcontrolofyourpastsothatyourpresentcanbecomemorepositiveinnature.Itcanchangeyourlifeforthebetter,aslongasyouareabletomanipulateyourthoughprocessinapositivemanner.

TheEffectsofMeditation

Meditation has the following effects: 1.Meditation will give yourestandrecreation.2.Youlearntorelax.

3.Youlearntoconcentratebetteronproblemsolving.

4.Meditationoftenhasagoodeffectuponthebloodpressure.

5.Meditationhasbeneficialeffectsuponinnerbodyprocesses,likecirculation,respirationanddigestion.

6.Regularmeditationwillhaveapsychotherapeuticallyeffect.

7.Regularmeditationwillfacilitatetheimmunesystem.

8.Meditationisusuallypleasant.TheDifferencebetweenHypnosisandMeditation

Hypnosismayhavesomeofthesamerelaxingandpsychotherapeuticeffectsasmeditation. However, when you meditate you are in control yourself; byhypnosisyouletsomeotherpersonorsomemechanicaldevicecontrolyou.Alsohypnosiswillnothaveatrainingeffectupontheabilitytoconcentrate.

Hypnosisallowssomeoneelsetocontrolyoursubconscious.

Thismeansthatyouarenotincontroloftheeventsthataregoingoninyourheadduringhypnosis.Thiscanbeextremelydangerous,especiallyifthepersonwhoishypnotizingyouisnotexperiencedenoughtoproperlyenterthesubconsciousorfollowtheethicalguidelinesthataresetforthbyhypnosis.

Ifyouaretryingtobecomecalmandliveaserenelife,allowingsomeoneelsetomanipulateyoursubconsciousisnotapositivewaytodothis.Youwanttobeincontrolofyoursubconsciousatalltimesandmeditationallowsyoutodothis.

ASimpleFormofMeditation

Hereisasimpleformofmeditation:1.Sitinagoodchairinacomfortableposition.

2.Relaxallyourmusclesaswellasyoucan.

3.Stopthinkingaboutanything,oratleasttrynottothinkaboutanything.

4.Breathout,relaxingallthemusclesinyourbreathingapparatus.

5.Repeatthefollowingin10–20

minutes:

—Breathinsodeepthatyoufeelyougetenoughoxygen.—Breathout,relaxingyourchestanddiaphragmcompletely.—Everytimeyoubreatheout,thinktheword“one”oranothersimplewordinsideyourself.Youshouldthinkthewordinaprolongedmanner,andsothatyouhearitinsideyou,butyoushouldtrytoavoidusingyourmouthorvoice.

6.Ifforeignthoughtscomein,juststopthesethoughtsinarelaxedmanner,andkeeponconcentratinguponthebreathingandthewordyourepeat.

Asyouproceedthroughthismeditation,youshouldfeelsteadilymorerelaxedinyourmindandbody.Youwillfeelthatyoubreathesteadilymoreeffectively,andthatthebloodcirculationthroughoutyourbodygetsmoreefficient.Youmayalsofeelanincreasingmentalpleasurethroughoutthemeditation.Youwillfeelfullyrelaxedandatpeacewithyourcurrentsituation,nomatterwhatitis.TheEffectsofMeditationonDiseases

Asanykindoftraining,meditationmaybeexaggeratedsothatyougettiredandwornout.Thereforeyoushouldnotmeditatesolongorsoconcentratedthatyoufeeltiredormentallyemptied.Meditation may sometimes cause problems for people suffering from mentaldiseases,epilepsy,seriousheartproblemsorneurologicaldiseases.Ontheotherhand,meditationmaybeofhelp in the treatmentof theseconditionsandotherconditionsthatarenotmentionedhere.

People suffering from such conditions should check out what effects thedifferentkindsofmeditationhaveontheirownkindofhealthproblems,beforebeginning to practice meditation, and be cautious if they choose to begin tomeditate. It may be wise to learn meditation from an experienced teacher,psychologistorhealthworkerthatusemeditationasatreatmentmodulefortheactualdisease.

Youmayalsowanttocheckwithyourprimarycaredoctortoensurethatitissafeforyoutomeditate.Thisisespeciallytrueifyouhaveanyexistinghealthproblems that affect your breathing, yourmental state, or your ability to stayawake.

Some disorders, especially ones that cause fatigue, can be made worse bymeditation. Your doctor will be able to tell youwhether it is safe for you tomeditate on a regular basis, or how long you should meditate to avoidexhaustion.MeditationasaSpiritualExercise

According toBuddhism, a person can reach “Nirvana”, or the highest state ofenlightenment, through continuous meditation and by participating in theBuddha's daily service among other things. Through time, many people havebenefitedfromthepracticeofmeditation.

Meditation,as

practicedbyBuddhistmonksandpractitioners,hasbecomeaspiritualtoolandhealthenhancerinone.It’smorethanjustthechantsandmeditativeposture.

Meditationisaboutproperbreathingandconcentrationofone'sthoughts.Asahealthandspiritualpractice,meditationcameintoprominencecenturiesagointheEastwherepeople'slivesandculturedemandeda

meditationcameintoprominencecenturiesagointheEastwherepeople'slivesandculturedemandedawayto“escape”therealitiesoflife.

Howdoweknow

ifwe’realreadyinastateofmeditationorjustwastingawaywithoureyesclosed?Meditationisastateofmindthatleadstoinnerpeace,self-fulfillment,self-improvement,andthedevelopmentofapositiveoutlookinlife.Therearetwotypesofmeditation;theconcentrativeandthemindfulnesstype.Concentrativeismoreontheperson'sconcentrationthatissittingquietlyandcalmlywithgoodbreathingpatterns.Itissaidthattheone'smindissomewhatconnectedtoone'sbreathofair.Continuousrhythmofinhalesandexhalesofthebreathwillmakethepersonfeelcalmerandrelaxed,focusingontheirsteadyflowofairinandoutoftheirbodies.Thiswillresultinthemindbeingmoreawareandtranquilatthesametime.Mindfulness,ontheotherhand,involvesattentionandawarenessonpassingwavesofsensations,images,feelings,thoughts,sounds,andsmell.

Prettymuchanythingthatyourbodycaninteractwith.This,inturn,willgivethepersonamorenon-reactivemindstate.Muchlikelookingatatelevisionwithoutanyfeelingorthoughtsthatcanbotheryouaway.

Meditationand

relaxationoftengohandinhand.Inscientificstudies,ithasbeenproventhattherearehealthbenefitsinpracticingthiskindofactivity.Bybeinginarelaxedstateofmind,thepersonisalsoregardedtoasinalphastate,ofwhichalevelofconsciousnessthatpromotesgoodhealing.Relaxationinapersonishighlyrecommendedsincepeoplealwaysmoveandthinkandbybeingrelaxeditcanalsogiverelaxationtothebodyandmindthatwilleventuallyenhanceourwellbeing.

Knowingallof

this,onecanseetheconnectionofbothscientificandreligiousfactorsallbecauseofmeditation.Indeed,thisactivityshowsauniquephilosophythatcanreallyhelponeself.Inpracticingsuchkindofrelaxationprocess,thepersonseestheinnermostselfatitsfullest.Thishelpsthepersonindealingwithexternaldifficulties,seeingpastallthisandinawaybecomeshumbleandcalmindealingwithsituations.Thisrelaxedstateofmeditatingallowsthepersoninhelpingoneselfhealth-wise,sincethistocantakeawaysimpleheadaches,stress,orevenmildanxiety.Itbeganwaybefore,anditwillnevergoaway.Thiskindofactivitybringsoutthepersoninyou.Bymeditating,thiswillgiveyouasenseofcalmnessinapositivestate.Therearenoknownfactsthatthiscanbeharmfultoyou,sowhydon'tyougiveitatry?

CHAPTERONE

WHATISMEDITATION?ANDOTHERQUESTIONSANSWERED

“Feelingscomeandgolikecloudsinawindysky.Consciousbreathingismyanchor.”

ThíchNhấtHạnhMeditation101

Meditationreferstoastateinwhichyourbodyandmindareconsciouslyrelaxedandfocused.Practitionersof thisarthave reported increasedawareness, focus,concentration,aswellasamorepositiveoutlookonlife.

Meditation is most commonly associated with monks, mystics and otherspiritualdisciplines.However,youdon’thavetobeamonkoramystictoenjoyitsbenefits,andyoucertainlydon’thavetobeinaspecialplacetopractice it.Youcouldeventryitinyourownlivingroom!

Though there aremanydifferent approaches tomeditation, the fundamentalprinciplesremainthesame.Themostimportantamongtheseprinciplesisthatofremovingobstructive,negative,andwanderingthoughtsorfantasies,soyoucancalm themindwith a deep sense of focus.This clears themindof debris andpreparesitforahigherqualityofactivity.

Thenegativethoughtsyouhaveofthosenoisyneighbors,bossyofficemates,

that parking ticket you got, and unwanted spam are said to contribute to the‘polluting’ofthemind.Shuttingthemoutallowsforthe‘cleansing’ofthemindsothatitmayfocusondeeper,moremeaningfulthoughts.

Somepractitionersevenshutoutall sensory input.Thatmeans therearenosights,nosounds,andnothingtotouchsothattheycantrytodetachthemselvesfrom the commotion around them. You may now focus on a deep, profoundthoughtifthisisyourgoal.Itmayseemdeafeningatfirst,sincewearealltooaccustomed to constantly hearing and seeing things. But as you continue thisexercise,youwillfindyourselfbecomingmoreawareofeverythingaroundyou.

If you find the meditating positions you see on television threatening; theoneswith impossibly arched backs and painful-looking contortions, you don’thavetoworry!Theprinciplehereistobeinacomfortablepositionconducivetoconcentration.Thismaybewhilesittingcross-legged,standing,lyingdown,andevenwalking.

If thepositionallowsyou to relaxand focus, thatwouldbeagoodstartingpoint.Whilesittingorstanding,thebackshouldbestraight,butnottootenseortight.Inotherpositions,theonlyno-noisslouchingandfallingasleep.

Looseandcomfortableclotheshelpa lot in theprocessofmeditation sincetightfittingclotheshaveatendencytosqueezeyouandmakeyoufeeltense.

Theplaceyouperformmeditationshouldhaveasoothingatmosphere.Itmaybeinyourlivingroom,bedroom,oranyplacethatyoufeelcomfortablein.Youmight want to purchase an exercise mat if you plan to take on the morechallengingpositions(ifyoufeelmorefocuseddoingso,andifthecontortionistinyou is screaming for release).Youmaywant tohave theplace arranged sothatitissoothingtoyoursenses.

Silencehelpsmostpeople relaxandmeditate,soyoumaywantaquietandisolatedareafarfromtheringingof thephoneor thehummingof thewashingmachine. Pleasing scents also help in that regard, so stocking up on aromaticcandlesisn’tsuchabadideaeither.

The monks you see on television making those monotonous sounds areactually performing their mantra. This, in simple terms, is a short creed. Asimplesoundwhichthesepractitionersholdamysticvalue.Youdonotneedtoperformsuchcreeds;however,itwouldpayofftonotethatfocusingonrepeatedactionssuchasbreathing,andhumminghelpthepractitionerenterahigherstateofconsciousness.

The principle here is focus. You could try focusing on a certain object orthought,evenwhilekeepingyoureyesopen,focusonasinglesight.Onesampleroutinewouldbeto,whileinameditativestate,silentlynameeverypartofyourbodyandfocusingyourconsciousnessonthatpart.

Whiledoingthisyoushouldbeawareofanytensiononanypartofyourbody.

Mentallyvisualizereleasingthistension.Itdoesinfactworkwonders.TherearealsomanymeditationCDsonthemarketthathavebeenscientificallyproventoalteryourbrainwavesinsuchawaytohelpyouachievedeepmeditation.

Findoutmoreaboutthesehere:MeditationCDs.

In all, meditation is a relatively risk-free practice and its benefits are wellworththeeffort(ornon-effortrememberswe’rerelaxing).

Studieshave shown thatmeditationdoesbringaboutbeneficialphysiologiceffects to the body. There has been a growing consensus in the medicalcommunitytofurtherstudytheeffectsofsuchmeditation.Startnowincreatingyourhealthandwellbeing...Meditatetoday!Q:Whatismeditation?

A:Meditationisbothanartandascience.Meditationisinfact thetrainingofthebrainsothatitisabletoretainpositivethoughtandbanishnegativethought.It isreferredtoasasciencebecauseit involvesalteringbrainpatterns,andthereason that it is also thoughtof as an art is because it requires agreat deal ofsynchronization between the mind, body and soul (or subconscious mind).Through simple breathing techniques and concentration of different kinds,depending upon themeditation technique employed, the practitioner is able tohelp the mind and body to heal, to achieve spiritual thought and to embrace

positivityandhumility.Theseareallconsciouslypartofthemeditationprocess.

Withpractice,

onecanusemeditationtorelaxandtorecoilfromthebusyworld.Whileindividualswillhavetheirownthoughtsandfeelings,meditationsetstheseasideandgivestheindividualsomethingseparatetofocusupon.Theconcentrationonbreathingoruponotherstimuliiswhatmakesmeditationsoeffective.Theoveralleffectofmeditationisthatithelpstheindividualtofeelasenseofwellbeingthattheywouldnothavefeltwithouttheprocessofmeditation.That'swhymeditationissorelevanttotoday'ssociety.

Q:Whataretheoriginsandrootsofmeditation?

A:TheoriginsofmeditationcanbetracedbacktoancientIndia.MonksinIndiaaresaidtohavepracticedmeditationextensivelyinordertodevelopaspiritualconnectionwith god. It then slowlymoved to thewesternworld,wheremoreand more people started to recognize the benefits that could be gained frommeditation.ThiswasalsopracticedbyBuddhistmonksinordertogetclosertothe moment in which they find themselves, so as to maximize the benefit ofliving a lifetime of humility and closer understanding of the nature of life.Monks today still practicemeditation and itwasmeditation itself that broughtaboutthephilosophybehindBuddhistbelief.

Indian

scriptures,whichareknownas“Tantras,”bearwitnesstothefactthatmeditationhasbeenusedformorethan5000years.

Withthislonghistoryofsuccess,thereislittlewonderwhypeoplearediggingdeeperintofindingoutwhatmeditationisallabout.Communesandretreatsworldwideofferpeopleaninsightintomeditation,thoughitissomethingthatpeoplecandoontheirownorevenwithinayogaclass.

Today,

thousandsofpeopleworldwidepracticemeditationtohelpthemtobeatstressandleadamuchcalmerlife.WhetherpracticedinanAshramorinasilentmomentwithinyourhome,therootsofthisgreatformofrelaxationstandintestamentofitseffectivenessandabilitytohelppeoplegetclosertonatureandmoreintouchwiththeirbeliefs.Itisalsothoughtthatmeditationhelpsthemindtobemorecontrolledasmindandbodycomeintoharmonywitheachotherthroughtheprocessofmeditation.

Q:Whatisthemainpurposeofmeditation?

A: Ithasseveralbenefitsbut themainpurposeofmeditation is tohelppeopleovercomestressandanxiety.Sincestresscanbeassociatedwithanguishthatcancause illness, thus anything that diminishes that stress must be thought of aspositive. This is the purpose ofmeditation. If you have a life that causes youmental concern andworry, thenmeditation can help you to bemore focused.However,itshouldalsobenotedthatmanypeopleusemeditationinordertogetclosertothetruthwithintheirlives.Buddhistmeditationdoesjustthis,strippinglifedowntobarenecessitiesandlearningtobreatheinacertainwaythatallowsfullacceptanceofself.

Meditation

helpsinreducingstressandanxietyandslowlyallowspeopletogaincontrolovertheirmindsandstartmakingrationaldecisions.Infact,it'ssogoodathelpinggivethepractitionerclaritythatmanybusinesspeopleusemeditationtohelpsharpentheskillsoftheirworkforce.Thebigpushthesedaysisforpeopletobecomemoremindfulandmindfulmeditation,asopposedtotraditionalmeditation,helpspeopletofocusonthethingsthatarereallyimportantandletgoofallthingsnegativewhichmaybeholdingthembackorindeedcausingthemstress.

Q:Whocanperformit?

A:MeditationismainlydesignedforpeoplewhoareundergoingalotofstressintheirlivesbutitisalsousedforpeopletogetclosertotheirrootsortotheirGod. It is for thosepeoplewhoare finding it tough tocopewith theeverydaystresses and tensions and are constantly finding themselves having healthproblemsbecauseof thosestruggles.Thesehealthproblemscanbementalandphysicalinnature.Thatmeansthattheymayimpairproductivity.Itmightalsobeaffectingaperson’sthinkingcapacityandreducingtheamountofjoythatapersoncanexperienceintheirlives.

Meditationis

greatforpeoplewhowanttobecomemorepositive.It'salsosuitableforthosewhohavenevertriedit,sinceithassomanypossibilities.Ifyoudon'tfeelthatyousufferfromstress,butknowyourselftobebusy,itmaybenefityousinceithelpspeopletosleepwellandalsotoremaincentered.Thisbalanceinturngivesthebodyachancetohealitselfduringtheprocessofsleep.Ifyouaresomeonewhodoesnotgetsufficientsleep,youmayfindthatmeditationwillhelpandalthoughyoudon'tseethelackofsleepasaproblem,youshouldbeawarethatsleepistheprocesswherebythebodyhasachancetohealnaturally.Thus,withoutit,youcannotliveuptoyourownpotential.

Q:Howdoesstresscomeabout?

A: There can be several triggers for stress. Daily work tensions, familyproblems,socialpressures,psychologicalproblemsetc.arealltriggersforstress.Many people forget to breathe correctly and that can cause them to developtensions that can be alleviated by correct breathing techniques practiced inmeditation.Thatmaysoundalittleodd,butpeoplearesobusywiththeirlivesthat they need correct breathing techniques reinforced. If you have ever seensomeone in a panic breathing into a paper bag, youwill see the relevance ofbreathing.Theoverpollutionofthelungsortheinabilitytobreathecorrectlycancontribute to high blood pressure and the stress that goes alongwith it. Thus,breathingcorrectlyiscentraltogoodhealth.

Childhood

problemscanalsoplayapartindevelopingstressthroughthedevelopmentofself-esteemissues.Evenalcoholconsumptionisseenasbeingamajorfactorinapersondevelopingtensionsandstress.Tensionandstresscanalsoarisebecauseofcircumstancesbeyondtheircontrol.Eventhehighflyingbusinessmanleaveshimselfopentohealthrisksbecauseheputshisworkbeforehisownstateofhealth.Meditationcanhelphimtofocusandtobesuccessfulatthesametime.Itcanalsogivehimtherestthatheneedsinordertoperform.

Therearemany

causesofstress.Thespeedoflife,theexpectationsofothersandtheexpectationsofselfcanallcontribute.Therearethosewhoarestressedordepressedsimplybecauseofself-esteemissuesthathavetheirrootsinthelifeexperienceoftheindividual.Stressisn'tsomethingwithacausethatiseasytopinpoint,thoughtheAnxietyandDepressionAssociationofAmericaquotesthattheUSspendsover$43billionayearonanxietyrelatedtreatments.

Nowthat'sahugeamountandpinpointsthevastnessoftheprobleminjustonecountry.Worldwide,thatnumberismultipliedbymanyotherstatistics,meaningthatstressisavastcauseofillnessandwearonthebody.

Q:Ismeditationdifficulttoperform?

A:No.Meditationisveryeasytoperform.Youjusthavetofindaquietplaceandhavesufficienttimetoconcentrateonyourmeditationpractice.

PeoplethinkthatmeditationishardtoperformbecauseoftheimagestheyseeofpeoplesittingintheLotusposition.Itisnotnecessarytositinthispositiontopracticemeditation.Theimportantelementisthatyouarecomfortableandabletorelaxduringyourmeditationsession.Simplysittinginachairisenoughtorelaxandpracticemeditation,sodon’tthinkthatcomplicatedpositionsareneededinordertoachievetheperfectpositionformediation.Stillothersprefertomeditateinahorizontalposition.Yes,that’sright,youcanlaydowntomeditateifyouwouldlike.Prettymuchanywherethatiscomfortablewillworkformeditationpurposes.

Thecorrect

processofmeditatingisexplainedinchapter4andyouwilllearnthevariancessothatyoucanchoosethesystemofmeditationthatyoubelievesuitsyourownabilitiesandneeds.

Q:Isittimeconsuming?

A: No. You can set your own time for meditation. Although the standardpracticeistoperformitforaminimumof15minutesperday,it iscompletelyuptoyoutosetthetime.Thereareformsofmeditationthatonlytakeminutesaswell.

Youcanperform

meditationforaslittleas5minutesorevenasmuchas30minutesaday.Youcanalsodoitintwosittings,e.g.15minutesinthemorningand15intheevening.Meditationcanbedoneanywhereincludingyouroffice,providedthatthechosenplaceissufficientlycalmandthatyouareuninterruptedduringyourpractice.

Itmighttakea

littlemoretimefortheeffectstobefeltifyoudoa5-minuteroutinebutitwilldefinitelyworkandyouwillfeelthatyourmeditationishelpful.Inthepark,atlunchtime,youmaynotevenbeawareofpeoplemeditating.Suchisthevarietyofmeditationmethodsthatthemanontheparkbenchcouldbeusinghislunchbreaktogetupcloseandpersonalwithhimselfthroughmindfulmeditation.

Themost

importantpartofmeditationistoensurethatyoucanperformitwithoutwearingyourselfout.Donotunderestimatehowmuchmentaleffortfocusingtakes.Thepointistomeditateuntilyoufeelrefreshed,notexhausted.

Q:Willitrequiremetoresorttocontortions?

A:No.Unlikeexercise andyoga,youwill nothave to twistyourbodyorgetintoanypositions thatyou finduncomfortable.There is little tonomovementinvolved inmeditation. You are not required to exercise in any physical waywhenmeditating.Meditationisrelaxationandthusallyouwillneedtodoistobe seated andexercise themind, rather than thebody.Theonly time that youmayusephysical exercise is ifyouare training inyogaandusemeditationaspartofyourroutine.

Theeffortthat

isexertedduringmeditationiscompletelymental.However,ifyouoverdoyourmeditationexercises,youmayfeelphysicallydrainedasanaftereffect.Theenergyrequiredtopushexternalthoughtsfromyourmindandfocusononespecificthingcanwearyououtovertime.

Itisimportant

thatyouareseatedcomfortablyduringmeditation.Meditationismoreexerciseforthemindthanitisforanyotherpartofthebody.

Itisamental

exerciseroutinethatwillnotrequireyoutomovearound.Theonlytypeofmeditationthatinvolvesmovementisthatwhichisclassedaswalkingmeditation,thoughthisisusedbypeoplewhofinditaneasiermethodthanstayinginoneplaceanddoesnotsuiteveryone.Thinkofmeditationasrelaxationfromlife.Itisexerciseforthemindratherthanthebody.

Q:Isitreallyeffective?

A:Yes. Meditation is extremely effective in helping you cut down on yourstress. It is, in fact, muchmore effective in helping you beat your tension incomparisontootheractivitiessuchasexercising.Mentallytrainingyourbraintokeep the stress out canhelp youbetter than trying to prevent it by avoidance.Theformerismorepragmaticasopposedtothelatter.Itworksasasystemtohelp you beat stress andmay even help you to eliminate having to take veryinvasive medication, although you will need to check with your healthpractitioner before cutting out any medication prescribed. The sense of well-being that you will experience once you have mastered the technique ofmeditationwillhelpyou toovercome thebadhabitsof a lifetimeandbecomeverymuchmoreatpeaceinyourlife.

Thelevelof

itsefficiencymaydifferfrompersontopersonbuttheeffectswillbevisiblewithinafewdaysofstartingtheroutine.Evenifittakesyoulonger,thebeneficialeffectsofmeditationarewellestablishedandtheeventualsuccessyouexperiencewillbelifechanging.

Sciencehas

proventhatthosewhopracticemeditationonaregularbasishavealowerbloodpressurethanpeoplewhodonot.Thisisbecausetheycanavoidthefeelingofstress,eveninstressfulsituations.

Q:Isageafactor?

A:Yesandno.Althoughmeditationcanbesafelyfollowedbyanybodyofanyage, it isbetter ifchildrenundertake itwithadult supervision.Andsincemostchildrendonotfeelstressed,theymightnotneeditasmuchasadults.Itcanhelpstudentswhoaregoingthroughexaminations.Itcanhelpkidswhodofeelstressand are unable to relax, though professional instructionmay be the answer ifthere is any communication problem between the child and the parent or thechildandpeers.Thisgives thechildachance toexperiencepersonalspaceforrelaxation.

Childrenwho

havetroublefocusing,likekidswithADHD,tendtobenefitfrommeditationmorethanchildrenwhodonotsufferfromadisorderlikethis.StudieshaveproventhatchildrenwithADHDbenefitgreatlyfromexerciseslikemeditation.

However,youhavetoensurethatyourchildunderstandstheconceptofmeditationbeforeyouallowthemtoperformtheexercisesontheirown.

However,

meditationcanbeundertakenbystudentsthatarefeelingthepressuresofstudiesandtheycansafelypracticemeditation.Theywillfeelmorerelaxedandwillbebetterabletobetterconcentrateontheirstudies.Thus,universitycampusesmayrunmeditationcoursesforstudentsandthesewouldbeworthwhilefollowingbecausetheyhelpthestudenttofeellesspressuredandtofeelmorecapable,thushelpingtheteenwiththeirstudies.

Asfarasage

goes,thereisnohigherlimitasfarasageisconcerned.Infact,peopleofallagesenjoyitimmensely.Olderpeoplefindthatithelpsthemwithphysicalproblemsaswellaspsychologicalonesasitgivesthemthechancetoexercisetherespiratorysystemcorrectlyandtakeadvantageoftherelaxationitaffordsthem.Italsohelpselderlypeopletotakecontroloftheirbloodpressure,whichinturncanhelptheiroverallgeneralhealthstate.That'sanimportanttooltouseagainsttheprocessofaging.

CHAPTERTWO

MEDITATIONINGENERAL

Mediationisoneofthemostnaturalremediesknowntoman.Itisatimethat

youcantakeandallowyourbodytohealitselfthroughdeepbreathingandre-oxygenation. The more oxygen your cells and muscles receive, the better offtheyarewhenitcomestoregeneratinghealthycells.Yourbodywillthankyougreatly and will heal a lot faster through mediation than it will throughtraditionalmedicine.

Itisimportant

torealizethatmediationisnotareplacementformodernmedicinebutmoreofanassistancetothecurrentmedicationregimenyoucurrentlyhave,atleastuntilyourdoctordeterminesthatitissafetoquittakingyourmedication.

Letyourdoctor

knowthatyouarepracticingmeditationandwhatyourgoalsare.Theywillmonitoryourconditiontodeterminewhenitissafetoreduceyourmedicationoreventakeyouoffofyourmedicationifyouhavelearnedtocontrolyourbloodpressureorheartproblemenoughtobeoffofyourmedication.

HowMeditationCanChangeYourLife

Isitaccuratetosaythatyouareexperiencinganxietyinyourlifeorstressoveryour physical, mental or in other words your health? Is it true that you arewishing that you carryonwithyour lifewithout anxiety and tension?Doyoujustwanttolivealifewithaconsiderableamountofpeaceandharmony?

Anxietyisoneoftheworstmentaldisordersthatyoucansufferfrom.Itfeelsas though the condition swallows your entire life and slowly envelops yourentirebeing.Youcannotgoouttoplaceswithlargegroupsofpeopleoryoufeeloverwhelmed at the smallest of glitches in your day.Meditation can help youlearntocontrolyouranxietyandyourfrustrationthatisassociatedwithit.Thefactthatthereisanexercisethatcanhelpyoudealwithanxietywithoutleavingyoutofeeldruggedandsluggish isarelief in itself.Youcanfinally takebackcontrolofyourlife.

You don't need to stress any longer in the light of the fact that numerousindividualshaveexperiencedthroughverysimilarexperienceintheir livesandhoweverthatitisshockinglywasbettertothemtodie.

You may be focused on working for extended periods consistently thatadditionallyrepresentatonofanxietytoyou.Youmaybefocusedoninlightofthefactthatyouhaveafamilythatobligesyoutohavetimewiththem,yetthisis impractical in light of your employment. What's more, you may haveadvances, educational cost expenses, doctor's visit expenses, duties to pay andmanydebtsthatyouneedtopay.

Whenyoufallundersuchascircumstance,youwillbeconcentratingmoreonthemostproficientmethodtomakethingsworkout,yetyouwillstillneedtimeforyourself.Atthepointwhenyouarelyingonyourbed,yourheartwouldstarttobeat so fast becauseof anxiety andhave abnormal stateof stress.Thiswill

happen in light of the fact that you are stressing over your children, charges,health,marriageandyourgeneralsanity.

Yourhealthwillbeanoteworthyissueandyouwillatfeeltiredallthetime.Youmayendupputtingonasignificantmeasureofweight,haveharmingbacktorment.Youwillunderstandthatevenbygoingupthestairsyouwillgettiredand maybe a shortness of breath. Generally speaking, you will feel thateverythinginyourlifehasbrokenapart.

You stress yourself about things, yet youmay not realizewhat to do.Youmay choose to visit your gym class; in an attempt to loseweight, purchase ahomepracticemachineanddifferentprojects tohelpyoudealwithyour time.Thebest frustrationsmaycomewhenyouunderstand thatyougetcomparableresultsafteryouattempteveryoneof thealternatives.At first theymaywork,yetyouwillmostlikelybeunabletostickonanyofthemforalongtime.Thegreaterstrategiesofferaresult thatdoesn't lastforaverylongtime.Thus,youneedtofigureouthowtochangeyourlife.

Youhavealongwaytogo,howevercertainlyyouwillbeunabletobuyallbooksandyoumight likewise feelas thoughasyouare readingsoasyouarecheating yourself by reading everything. In any case, as you are reading thebooksyouwillcomeovermeditationthatisthebestprocessthatwillofferyouawesomeresults.Whenyoubeginmeditation,thiswillbethedefiningmomentofyourlife.Yououghtnottoexpectinamomentresultsonthefactthatthisisaprocessthatrequiressomeseriousenergyandmaybetryingeverynowandthen.

Asyoumeditate,youwillinanycasebeholdingyourmoststressfuljobandotherissuesthatmayexistsinpresentaswell,howeverthroughmeditation,youwill feelmoreenergetic andbetter. Itwon't helpyou resolveeveryoneof theissuesthroughoutyour life,yetyouwillfeelnotsomuchstressedandbecomemore relaxed.Youwill likewisehave thecapacity to focusondifferent thingsthatwillmakeyouachievespiritual,mentalandphysicalhealth.

You can meditate at home and incorporate the right practice plan, for

example, yoga, light walkout and walking. When you join such things withfittingeatingroutine,youwillencounteracompletelychangedlifeinwhichyouareinpeacewithyoursurroundings.Meditationistheprocessthatwillworkforyou.

HowtoMeditateMeditating: breathing and watching your breath Meditation has beenproven to be a major benefit towards reducing anxiety. Minimizedepression, lessen irritability,andboost thecreativityand learningabilityhigher.Eveninthebeginningthesearefewofthebenefitsyouwillreceive.There are some larger benefits that will help to increase vitality, reduceaging,reducedstress,reenergize, increaseoxygen levels,andreducestressandreducedbloodpressure.

TheRightwaytoMeditate

Therearetechniquesthatare

possibleinshowingresultsinstantlyandtheyareasfollows.Findachairthatiscomfortable,sitinitandtenseyourbodyentirelywithyoureyesclosed.Nowletoutadeepbreathlikeasighandreleasethetensionyouheldthroughyourentirebody.Thiswillallowyourbodytofeelwhereallthetensionisheldreleaseandrelaxgently.Thiswillallowyourbodytoachievegreatrest.

If your body is still experiencing some tenseness in areas than repeat theprocessmakingsuretotensetheareasthatarestilltight.Ifasecondtimedoesnotfixit,repeatacoupletimesuntilyoufeelcompletelyrelaxed.Themoreyourepeatthis,themoreyouwillgetusedtoyouusingthistechnique.Youshouldalwaysmake time formeditation because it is good for you and if you don’trepeat it youwill not get the full effects ofmeditation that youmaywant toexperience.

Breathingthroughyournoseisbetter thanbreathingthroughyourmouthsothatyourbodyreceivesmoreoxygen.Thisiscausedbythediaphragmworkingmore. You can test it by breathing through your mouth. You will notice thatwhen you breathe through yourmouth the breathingwill be shallower.Whenyoubreathethroughyournoseyouwillnoticethatthereisafurtherextensionofthe abdomen.Whenbreathing throughyour nose the airwill reach the fartherpartsofyourlungsallowingmoreorallofyourbodypartstorelax.

Keepyourbreathingsteadyandinaconstantcycle.Focusonyourbreathingpattern as the air flows in andout of the nose.Make sure to keep focusedonyourbreathingandifyougetsidetrackedtrytobringyourfocusbacktoyourbreathing. It will help you to meditate and relax giving you results that arepositive.Themoreyoudo this the easier itwill be to focusand the faster themeditationwillhelptoprovideapositiveresponseinyourbody.

Inthecasewhereyourmindisstillcompletelyactive,youwillneedtopusheverything that is distracting you out of your way one at a time. There aredifferent methods that you can use to make identification of distractions andelimination of distractions in your life possible. Move forward for six to tenminutes, or make one hundred deep breaths. After you have completed this

cycle,openyoureyesandsitcomfortablywithoutexternaldistractionforafewminutes.Thiswillensurethatyouarecompletelyrefreshedandpreparedtofacethechallengesofyourday.

Youhave successfully carried out an effective session ofmeditation, yes itreallyisthatsimple!

EffectsofMeditation

In the 1970's western researchers began to study impacts of speculation topeople. Amid the studies they understood that sweat, heart rate and differentemphasissignslessenedasmiddlepersonloose.RichardDavidsonaresearcherin theUniversityofBadgerStatehasbeen takingaganderat the long termofmeditation.HegotaninvitationfromthefourteenthDalaiLamain1992.HewaswelcomedtomakerepresentationofthebrainsoftheBuddhistmonkswhowerethefirstmediatorson theplanet.He lateronmoved toBharatwithgenerators,laptopcomputers,andEEGrecordingtools,andthenhestartedtoworkontheongoingproject.

Meanwhileinthemoderndays,themonksmovetohisWIlabtowatchsomeexasperatingvisualpicturesonthefactthatEEGstakerecordsofthereactionstoknowhowtheirregulationarousedresponses.

Any type ofmovement aids inmaking of new pathways andmakes a fewsectionsofthebrainstronger.AccordingtowhatStephenKosslynsaidthisfitsintotheentireneuroscienceliteratureofprofessionalism.Itregardstakenoteofthatwhenyoudosomethingforaquartercenturyeighthoursforeachday,youcreatesomethingotherthanwhat'sexpectedinyourmind,whichtheindividualswho don't do anything won't have. Monks were able to make three types ofmeditationwhichincorporate:·

Mediationthatincludesfocusingononeparticularobjectforquiteawhile.

·

Cultivationbyconsideringcircumstancesthatcauseoutrageandmodifythefeelingintomoreempathyencounters·

Openpresencethatincludesknowingeveryoneofthefeelings,musingsandimpressionsthatareavailablewithoutrespondingtotheminanycase.

withoutrespondingtotheminanycase.

By getting to understandwhatwas on themonks'mind,RichardDavidsonchose toknowthe impacts ithasonamateurs.Hemadeacogitation includingforty oneworkers close to a biotech firm inRiverWisconsin. Twenty-five ofthemedifiedcarewhichisanaccentminimizingshapethatsupportsmindfulnessthatisnonjudgmentalofthepresentcircumstancesastaughtbyJonKabatZinn.

They tookan interest in a sevenhours retreat andweekafterweekclasses.Amidthetwomonthweekperiod,theyweretoldtothoroughlyconsiderfor60minuteseach.Theestimationsofthebrainweretakenbeforethedirectionsweregiven, at the staying two months and four months after the retreat. Theestimations takendemonstrated that increasedsubstantialprocess in the frontalareaofthenousthatissituatedontheleft.Thisispartthatisconnectedwithlowanxietylevelsandstateofficethatisdecidedlyenergized.What'smore,towardtheendoftheeightweeks,themembersandsixteencontrolsgotinfluenzashotstolookattheirreactiontoinvulnerable.

Specialistslikewisetooktestofbloodfromeachofthemeverymonthandtwomonthsaftertheywereinfused.Theoutcomesdemonstratedthattheindividualswhomeditatedhadhighnumberofantibodiesagainstinfectionthatcauseinfluenzacontrastedwiththeindividualswhodidnotmeditate.Thisdemonstratedthatcontemplationmakesthebodymorestableandhavethecapacitytobattleagainstillnesscreatingorganisms.Alongtheselines,ontheoffchancethatyouhaveneverconsideredmeditation,thisisthecorrecttimetodoassuchandgettheadvantagesincluded.

WhyYouNeedtoMeditate

Therearecountlesssideeffectstomeditationandallpositive.

Demonstrationshavebeenstudiedonmeditationandthosewhodoregularlyreduceneedforrest,stressandillness.

Thebestreason

thatcompelsthosewhomeditatetodosoistheprocessitself.Meditationisamazingandtheendresultisnotthebestpartit’stheactualmeditationitselfthatissublime.Duringmeditationyouarecarriedawaytotranquilawarenessandcontentmentandnotjustwhenyouarefinished.Thisisacontinuouscyclethatyoucanrepeatanytimeyouneedtorelaxandthemoreyoudoitthebetteryouwillfeel.

Nowofdayswe

constantlyexperiencestressthroughourdailylives.Thisstressisbroughtonbynoisepollution,television,angryandenviouspeopleandarguments.Theenlighteningenergyandinternalreservoirofcleansingpowerthatresidesdeepinsideourselvescanbetappedintothroughmeditation.Thiscanhelptoreversetheeffectsoftheenormous,negative,distressthatoverwhelmsusdaily.

Inthepast

therewasanabundanceofnaturesuchastrees,streams,andothernaturaloccurrences.Thereweredailyroutinesandritualsthatwerefollowedonaregularbasis.Therewerenotasmanydisturbancesintheuniverse,likeartificialsoundvibrationsfromtelephones,machineryandcomputers.Overall,thestressesoffromthevariouscomplexitiesofurbanindustriallifedidnotexist.Peopleenjoyedthesoundofwater,thegentlehumofthewind,thebeautyoftheskyandthestars.Theyenjoyedthetruesoundsandsmellsfromtheearth.Lifehadanaturaltempoaspeopleplantedseeds,nurturedthemintofoodandobservedthegivencyclesofnature.Theyfeltaconnectiontotheearthdirectly.Now,everythingweputintoourbodiescomesfromafactory.Wehavecompletelydivorcednatureandourorganiclifestyle.

Meditation

allowsusagreatwaytoreenterthenaturalrhythmsandaestheticsbyclosingouttheunnaturalworldaroundusandridourbodiesofartificialstressthatgathersandbuildsupinourlives.

Thebestpart

isthatmeditationcostabsolutelynothinghasabsolutelynoharmfuleffects.

Itdoesnotaddcaloriestoyourdietanditdoesnotaddanyadversechemicalseither.Itisnotaddictiveanditdoesnothavethesamenegativeeffectsasdrugsoralcohol,whichmostpeopleusetounwindfromtheirday.However,ithasbeenproventhatmeditationprovidesahighersenseofwellbeingandpractitionershaveproveneffectsofmediationcanbecomparedtoanatural“high.”

Thehumanbody

isacomplexmachineandthehumanbrainproducesnaturalchemicalsthatarethousandsoftimesmorepowerfulthanpharmaceuticalsornarcotics.Asapersonmedicates,thebodysecreteshormonesthatallowyoutofeelbetterandprovidearushofenergythatbringshappiness.Thisisanotheroftheamazingsideeffectsofmeditationthatisworthmentioning.

Meditation

providesdifferentfeelingstoeveryone.Someuseitinplaceoftherapyorseeingapsychologist.Othersfinditavaluabletooltoboosttheirsportsperformanceorworkperformance.Yetothersuseittoboosttheirmemoryandexpandtheirmentalfunctions.

Ithasalso

beenproventhatmeditationgivesusastrongerandmoresustainablevigor,sexualenergyandcalmfeeling.Italsoprovidesrestfulnessthatisconducivetoexceptionallyrefreshingsleep.

MediationRelaxingtheBodyandtheMind

Meditation is a condition of being centered on a certain idea and includes the"Quietingthemind",asyouthinkinternally,comingabouttoamorecasualandcoolfeeling.ThisrelaxationsystemcanhelpamanaddtohisidentitythroughmentalorderandalsosupporthisspiritualhealthbycommuningwithGod.

Generally connected with some old eastern religions going back a fewcenturies, meditation has been assimilated in western society by means ofspiritualpracticesandtherapeutictreatmentsthatconcentrateonvarioustypesofrecuperatingwiththeassistanceofthepsycheandtheinnerenergy.

AssaidbyDr.Borysenko,creatorof'MendingtheBody,MendingtheMind',"...through meditation, we figure out how to get to the relaxing reaction (thephysiological reaction inspired by meditation) and we turn out to be moremindfulofthebrainandthewayourdemeanorproducesstress."Hetruststhatthroughmeditation,onecanlikewisereachthe"innerphysician"andpermitthebody'sowninnerwisdomtobeheard.

In Taoism, the mind that controls and feels emotions is controlled by the“Fire”energyoftheheart.

Unrestrained,thisFireenergysendsitsflaresupwardandbecomesablewastefullytoburnuptheenergyandalsosmothersthemind.Ontheotherhand,themindthatcontrolsintent,orwillpower,iscontrolledbytheWaterenergyofthehumankidneys.Withoutanytypeofdirection,the“Water”energyisbeingflusheddownthesexualorganthatdrainstheessenceandalsospirit.Anyway,whenyoupracticemeditation,theseflowsofWaterandFireenergiesarenowbeingreversed.TheWaterenergyisnowbeingdrawnuptothehead,throughthecenterofthesechannels,whiletheFireenergythatcomesfromtheheartisbeingdrawndownintothelowestpartoftheElixirFieldintheabdomen,Wheretheenergyisbeingrefinedaswellasbeingtransformed.Thisprocessletsthemindthatcontrolsintent,whichisWater,tobeabletoprovideasoothingandrelaxingeffectalloverthemindthatcontrolsemotions,whichisFire.Hence,meditationrelaxationhappens.

Duringnowadays,whereintheworldweliveinthereissomuchchaosandnegativismbroughtbymanswhoaregoingafterwealthandpower,manywere

victimstostressandanxiety,noneedtoalsomentionalotofmedicalconditionslikecardiovascularandrespiratorydiseases.

Meditationrelaxationcoversthewholeofthebodyandmind.

Itreallybenefitinginprovidingrelieftothepeoplewhoaresufferingfromanxietydisordersbecauseitallowsthepersontobeabletoexperiencerelaxationanditisalsoabletoreleasenegativeenergiesstoredinthebody,lettingyouacquireatotallydifferenttypeofhealingwhichisnotavailableusingonlymedications.Butthis

strategyisanoteasytolearn,anditneedstobelearnedproperly.Wheneveryouaretrainingontheartofamazingmediationyouneedtomakesurethattherearenodistractions.

A yogameditation key principle in this process is attention and breathing.These twoprinciplescanwork togethernaturallyandperfectly inallowing thebodytoreachitsfullrelaxationandmindit,aswellasthemind.

There are timeswhen themind is restless that it couldnotkeep itself fromgettingdistractedandhavethetendencytoopentheeyesormakeunnecessarymovementsduringtheprocess.

Whatsomepractitionersdoistomakeuseofexternaldeviceorstimuluslikemusicorvisualsupporttogettothatstateofrelaxation.However,totrainthemindmeansnotrelyingonthisexternaltechniquebutdirectlyworkingintheminditself.

If you are interested in training the restless mind, you need to firstlyacknowledge it as restless and it doesn't reallyhappen in the easyway,whichyou are expecting it. Make sure that you give your mind something to do,somethingthatistotallyinternalandreal,notsomethingthatisexternalorapartofafantasy.Makesureyoufocusonwhatiswithinthebodyandalsopleasedonotcreatesomethingthatdoesn'tactuallyexistinreal.Thatiswhatmakesyogameditation so amazing. So, whether your goal is to get rid of the stress youhave, cure illness or gaining a higher level of spiritual connection, Yogameditation is thebest forall thataswellasother relaxationstrategies thatcanhelpyou find thehealingpoweryouneedor acquire, all that byonly trainingyourmindhowtoreachthepoweroftheinnerbeinginyou.

TheHealingWondersofMeditation

Meditation is an ancient practice common among religions for its spiritualenlightenmentandhealing.Ithasbeenprovenandisacceptedasanalternativetherapyknownas“mind-bodymedicine.”

Meditationhas

beenfoundmoreandmorethroughtheyearsforitseffectivenesstoimprovehearthealth,easechronicpain,relieveanxietyandstress,boostimmunityandmood,andresolvepregnancyproblems.Meditationisbeingprescribedbydoctorstohelpimproveexerciseperformanceforanginapatients;helplowerbloodpressure;relieveinsomnia;andhelppeopletocontroltheirasthmaandbreathemoreeasily.Meditationcanbeusedasasimpleandsafewaytostabilizeaperson’semotional,physical,andmentalwellbeing.

Accordingto

cardiologistHerbertBenson,MD:“Anyconditionthat’scausedorworsenedbystresscanbealleviatedthroughmeditation.”AtHarvardMedicalSchool’sBethIsraelDeaconessMedicalCentertheMind/Body’sfounderisBenson.Bensonsaysthatmeditationcanhelptoinducerelaxationandhelplowerbloodpressure,decreasemetabolism,andimprovebreathing,heartrate,andbrainwaves.Aperson’sbody’smuscleswillstarttodrainawaythetightnessandtensionfromthemuscleswhenitreceivesaquietmessage.

Meditationhas

beenproventoreallyworkwhenabrainscan(orMagneticResonanceImaging,orMRI)wasperformedonpeoplewhohavemeditated.Thesescansshowandactivityincreaseintheareasofthebrainthatcontrolheartrateandmetabolism.

TherehavebeenstudiesthroughBuddhistmonksthatshowlong-lastingchangestoactivityinthebraininvolvingworkingmemory,attention,consciousperceptionandlearning.

Meditationisa

easytaskinitselfbutdifficulttocontrolinitsentirety.Itmustbepracticedtodeveloptheabilitytoignoredistractionofthesurroundingandyourthoughtsalongwithfocusingonyourbreathingpatterns.Attheendofmeditatingamantra,phraseorwordisusuallychantedtohelpwiththebiologicalresponsetohelpinrelaxation.Repetitionissoothingandthekeytomeditation.Themorewepracticetheeasierthemeditativestatewillcometousandthemorewewillrelax.Meditatingmultipletimesadaycanhelptokeepourdayrelaxedandmorestressfreethroughtheentireday.

BenefitsofMeditation

HeartHealth:Therehavebeenmanystudiesthatshowpracticingmeditationcanhelp significantly with reducing high blood pressure. Studies have beenconducted at the College ofMaharishiVedicMedicine in Fairield, Iowa, thatshowtheheart rate inblackadultswere loweredsignificantlywithmeditation.TherehavealsobeenstudiesconductedonteenagersbytheAmericanJournalofHypertension showing that two sessions of meditation for 15 minutes over aperiodoffourmonthscanhelptolowertheirbloodpressurebyafewpoints.

ImmuneBooster:

MeditationhasbeenstudiedwithPsychosomaticMedicineforitseffectonimmunefunction.Ithasshowntohelpinwardingoffinfectionsandillness.Inagroupofvolunteerswhomeditatedfor8weeksandthosewhodidn’ttheyweregivenflushots.Whentheycheckedbloodtestsinthegroupthatmeditatedithadshownthattheyproducedantibodiesinhigherlevelsagainstthefluvirus.

Women’sHealth:

Ithasshownthatbreastfeeding,infertilityproblems,andPremenstrualsyndrome(PMS)inthosewhomeditateregularlyhavebeenimproved.Therewasastudy,PMSsymptomsinwomenwhomeditatedsubsidedby58%.Therewasalsoastudythatshowswomenwhomeditatehavelessintensehotflashes.Anxiety,fatigueanddepressioninwomenstrugglingwiththeirinfertilityweredecreasedbythosewhomeditatedfor10weeks.34%ofthosewhodidthemeditationbecamepregnantinthefirstsixmonths.Motherswereabletodoubletheirmilkproductionwhentheymeditatedonaflowofmilkfromtheirbreasts.

MeditationEnhancesBrainActivity

Abrainactivity thatwas shown tobehigher in those thatmeditates regularly.Thisisshownthroughactivityknowasgammawaves,whicharethehappinessand learningcentersof thebrain.Memory,attention,consciousperceptionandlearningareallpartofthementalprocessshownthroughgammawaves.

Meditationis

beingconsideredbyhealthcareprovidersandbeingintegratedasakeyelementforthehealthprogram.Alsoifyouarehavingahardtimegettingstartedintoastateofmeditationthereareclassesyoucanenrollin.Theycanshowyoumaypracticesthatwillhelpyoutostarttherelaxationprocessthatisbeneficial.Thiscanbeachievedthroughyoga,meditation,orprayer.Studiesareshowingthatmeditationisjustasgoodasanyotheralternativetherapies.

PositiveThoughtProcess

Your negative or positive attitude is completely up to you. Your mind set iscreated by you. You are the one whomakes the decisions such as who yourfriendsare,theenvironmentyouliveinortheattitudeyouhave.

Yourmindis

justlikeacomputer.Itabsorbsthedataarounditandgrowswithwhatyoutakein.Alotofpeoplethinkthattheirmindisnotundertheircontrol.Inallrealitythisisamisjudgmentbecauseofsurroundingnegativity.Thisnegativityisfoundintheenvironmentorinfluencefromothersunconstructiveideas.

Yourbrainis

justlikeacomputer.Wheninfectedwithbaddatasuchasavirustoacomputeryouneedtonoticeitassoonaspossiblesothatitdoesnotspreadthroughyourmind.Thisbadnegativedatacanbepassedaroundtoyourfriendsorotherpeoplearoundyou.Sointhiswayyouarespreadingenergythatisnegativetoeveryoneelselikeaflu.

Youyourself

arelikeafarmer.Youalsohavetheabilitytohelpnourishtheinformationorpositivethoughtsthatyourmindgrowswith.Justlikeafieldthatgrowswithnohelpornourishmentitwillnotbeasabundantandhealthyasafieldthatdoeshavepositiveinputandcare.

Thisworksthe

samewayforourmindandtheenergyitgrowswith.

Youarethe

decidingfactortothequalityofinformationyoutakeinsuchasreadingeBooks,books,CD’s,DVD’s,courses,lectures,seminars,andworkshops.Thisinformationwillhelptoimproveyourpositivemindset.

Youcannotstop

atjusttakinginpositiveinformation.Youalsoneedtoreinforceyourenergybycontinuouslyaddingtotheenergyyoutakein.Neverstopfeedingongoodthoughtsandenergies.Helpyourmindtogrowlikethefarmerhelpshiscropsbygivinghiscropswaterandfertilizer.Justrememberyoustillhavetoblockoutthenegativeinformation.Justlikeanygardenyouhavetokeepatitconstantlyornegativitywillcontinuetogrowandbreakitswaythrough.

Meditationisoneofthewayswecanhelptofocusontheenergywetakeinandincreaseourthoughtprocessaboutwhatispositiveandnegative.

Meditationis

focusingonathought,object,taskoranyotherobstacleyoumaycomeacrosstomakeagood,healthydecision.

Meditation

makesusslowdownandobservethepositiveandnegativesidestoaproblemsothatwecanlearnandgrowtocontinuetomaketherightdecisions.Itwillalsohelpwithtakingnegativeissuesandturnthemintopositiveexperiencestolearnby.Youwillhelptocreateapositivemindsettosetyouforwardinyourlife.Theoutcomewillbereachingyourgoals,makingnewfriends,developastrongwilledspirit,andhelpyoutohandleproblemsmoreeasily.

Whenyou

remembertheaccomplishmentsyoumadeinthepastitgivesyouagoodfeelingofempowermenttocontinuemovingforward.Theabilitytohavethesefeelingsareinsideallofusandcreatetheformulathatdrivesustobesuccessful,butitisuptoyoutobringtheformulatogetherforyourpositivemindset.

Thereisahugemajorityouttherethatwillnottakeactiontopushforwardandbepositive.

Usemeditation

tosettleyourmindandsoulandhelpyoutomakethedecisiontogetoutfromtheeverydaypackofpeopleandpushaheadwithactionandeducation.

CHAPTERTHREE

BENEFITSOFMEDITATION

“Ifyouwanttoconquertheanxietiesoflife,liveinthemoment,liveinthebreath.”

AmitRay

Meditation has several benefits to the body.These benefits encompass both

thementalandphysicalaspectsofahumanbeing.

Theseaspects

arementionedinthischapter,thoughthereareotherwaysinwhichmeditationhelpswhicharecoveredinotherchaptersofthisbook.

PhysicalBenefitsofMeditation

Blood

pressure

Oneofthebiggestbenefitsofmeditationisthatithelpsincuttingdownonhighlevelsofbloodpressuresomepeopleexperience,andalsohelpsinmaintaininganormal levelwhenmeditation practice becomes regular.Blood pressure is themainculpritthatcausespeopletodevelopsomeofthemostfataldiseasesintheworld including heart disease and hypertension. Although it might take sometime for people to develop high blood pressure, its slow build up can gounnoticedforalongtime.Thus,preventionisbetterthanseekingacure.Iftheblood pressure is controlled by a healthy lifestyle and meditation, then therewon'tbetheneedtofacethemanyoftheproblemsthatareassociatedwithhighbloodpressure.Thatmakesitawin-winsituation.

Simplybyusing

meditation,youaregoingtobeabletocalmyourselfthroughtheconcentrationonyourbreathing.Oftenthepaceatwhichyouarebreathingwilldeterminehowhardyourheartisbeating.Ifyouarebreathingreallyquickly,thenyourheartismorelikelytobepumpingfasterandyourbloodpressureisgoingtobehigher.Thereareavarietyofreasonswhyyoumighthaveahigherheartrateincludingstress,butthebreathingtechniquesusedinmeditationwillbeabletorelaxyouandgetyourbloodpressuredownatthesametime.

Sincepeople

whosufferstressleavethemselvespronetoheartdisease,thiscanonlybeseenasaboosttothebody.Meditationmakesyoumindfulandthusyouareawareofyourbody'sneedsandalsoawareofanyneedtoslowdowntohelpthebloodpressurereturntonormalwithouttheuseofmedications.Thisisindeedaboostbecauseitmeansthatyouwon'thavetosufferthesideeffectsofmedicationseither.

Joints

Meditationhelps inkeepingallpartsof thebody ingoodshape.Among thesebodypartsare thevariousjoints in thebody.Thebrainreleaseschemicals thathelptokeepthemlubricatedandthereforeseveraldiseasesrelatedtojointssuchasarthritiscanbekeptatbay. It isespeciallyuseful inolderpeopleand thosewho have a predisposition towards arthritic conditions. If you know, forexample,thatrelativeshavesufferedfromarthritis,meditationwillhelpyoutocontroltheonsetinyourparticularcase.

Italsohelps

infightingcarpeltunnelsyndrome,whichisaverycommonjointrelateddiseaseamongstyouthowingtotheamountoftimethattheyspendtypingontheircomputerkeyboardsandcellphonekeypads.Theanti-inflammatoryeffectofrelaxationhelpsconsiderablythosewhosuffertheseproblemsandsotherelaxationgainedfrommeditationwillhelpyouifyousuffer.Therepetitivemotionusedduringthistechnologicalcommunicationmaybesomethingthatshouldbeseenasacauseofcarpeltunnelsyndromeanditmaybebettertochangeyourlifestyletohelpyoutoavoiditaswell.

Immunity

Regularmeditationcanhelpinkeepingthebodyextremelyfitandhealthy.Themindcontrolsthefunctioningofthebodytoaverylargeextentandinwaysthatarehardtoimagine.

Itwillpromote

thereleaseofantioxidantsthatwillhelpfightthefreeradicalsincells,whichcancausecancers.ItalsohelpsinstimulatingtheKupffercellsintheliver,whicharethebody’s

firstlineofdefenseagainstdisease.

Regular

meditationcanhelpthebodydeveloparesistancetocommondiseasessuchascoughsandcoldsandalsohelppreventcontagiousdiseasesfromaffectingthebody.ThiscanbemoreeffectivethanusingcoldremediesortakinginalotofvitaminC.Thebestpartisthatyouwillnothavetospendalotoftimeonmeditationforittohaveeffect.Fifteenminutesorsoisusuallyenoughtoreapthebenefitsthatyouarelookingfor.

Theimmunesystemisaveryimportantpartofhumanbiologyandifyoucankeepthishealthy,youarehalfwaytoachievingthehealthbenefitsandprecautionarymeasurestoshieldoffdisease.Themindisexcessivelypowerful,asisthought,butwhenyouconsiderconcentratedthought,suchasusedinmeditation,thepowerisincreased.

Energy

levels

Regular meditating can help in maintaining high levels of energy. When apersonbreathesrapidly,he/sheinhalesalotoffreshoxygen.Thisoxygenhelpsinrejuvenatingeverysinglecell in thebody.Whencellsfeelrejuvenated, theyexpandandcanholdmoreenergygivingnutrientssuchascarbohydrates.

Alongwitha

balanceddiet,apersoncaneasilyaddseveralyearstotheirageand,infact,reversetheeffectsofagingandstarttoappearmuchyounger.Severalcelebritiesundertakemeditationforthispurposeandtrytoavoidgoingundertheknifeasmuchaspossible.

Achesand

pains

Aswassaidearlier, themindcontrols thebody toavery largeextent. It takescareofallthefunctioningofthebodyandalsohelpsinkeepingthebodyfitandhealthy.Ifapersonhasamindfulloftensionandworriesthenhe/sheissuretodevelop a headache or other potential symptoms of a negative nature. Withmigraine being one of the most common types of diseases, it is even moreimportant for people to relax and take up meditation to avoid this fromhappening.

Regular

meditationcanhelpinkeepingmusclepains,jointaches,jointswellingsetc.

atbay.Itcanalsohelpinreducingexistingachesandpains.

Age

reversaleffects

Byfaronethegreatestandmostbeneficialeffectsofmeditationistheabilitytomakeyoufeelyounger. Ifyoudon'tbelieve that, thenhearwhat issaidby theexperts.DharmaSinghKhalsa,who isa leadingexpertonAlzheimer'sdiseaseresearch,states:

“MeditationlowersbloodpressureandothermarkersofagingincludingMVO2or oxygen demand. It enhances psychological well-being, perhaps the mostsignificant determinate of telomere length (telomeres are the end cap of ourDNA), which is a very important marker of aging and longevity: longertelomeres=lessillness+longerlife.”

That'sapretty

powerfulmessagetopeoplewhoarethinkingaboutmeditationbutwhoarenotyetconvincedofthebenefitsitcangivethem.Imaginefeelingyounger,imagineyourbodybeingabletowithstandtheprocessofaginginamoregracefulwayandyoumayindeedseethatit'smorepowerfulthanotherformsofnaturalmedicineinachievingwhatitsetsouttodo.

MentalBenefitsofMeditation

Tensions

canbereduced

Whenapersonmeditates,he/ sheautomatically starts tocontrol themind inamuchbetterway.Oncethemindistrained,itcanautomaticallykeeptensionoutandmaintainacalmstateofmind.Assoonasitrealizesthatthereisasourceoftension, then it automatically sends thebrain into a stateof conscious control.That's theway that peoplewhomeditate are able to control theway that theyreacttogivenstimuli.Meditationhelpsthemtofocuselsewhereandthusavoidthe negative effects of situations that can be turned into positive learningexperiences.This isalsowhypeoplewhomeditate regularlyrarelyhavebloodpressure problems or heart conditions.The ones that do have these conditionsmanagetheirconditioneasilybecausetheirbraincancontroltheirlevelofstressunlikethetypicalhumanbrain.

The

subconsciousthenpreparesitselftotakeproblemsheadonanddealswiththemtothefullestcapacity.Intheprocess,italsodevelopsaresistanceandpreventsfutureattacks.Regularmeditationisthereforesaidtobeextremelybeneficialinbeatingeverydaytensionsandhelpingpeopletoleadacalmerlife.Giventhepowerofmeditation,it'snotsurprisingthatthebodyisbetterabletodealwiththeharshblowsthatlifemayaimatit.Noonecanpretendthatbadthingsdon'thappen,butitpreparesthebodyandmakesitbetterabletodealwithbadeventsornegativeinfluences.

Anxiety

prevention

Anxietyisastateofmindthatisbroughtonbyregulartension.

Severaldaysoftensionandstresscancauseanxietytooccurandthebestwaytopreventitisbypracticingmeditation.

Meditationcan,

infact,rootoutanxiety,asitwillnotatallallowyoutoundergostressinthefirstplace.Andso,whenstressisleftoutofthepicture,thepersonwillautomaticallynotdevelopanyanxietyorareactiontothestressthatisassociatedwithagivensituation.Withafewminutesspentonadailybasistoundertakemeditation,apersoncaneasilyremedyhis/heranxietylevels.Therehavebeenamultitudeofpeoplewhohavereversedchronicanxietydisordersusingmeditationastheprimarytreatmentfortheirdisorder.

Howthisworks

isthatthroughmeditation,ahumanbeingisbetterabletocontrolemotionsthatmaytriggeranxietyattacks.Thus,withtheseemotionsbeingcontrolled,it'sunlikelythatthestageofanxietywillbereached,sincethemindwillknowhowtodealwiththeproblemsthatmayleadtothatstatewhereanxietytakesover.

Optimism

promotion

Apositiveattitudeisextremelyimportantinlife.Ifapersononlythinksnegativethoughtsthenhe/sheisboundtoexperiencetensionandstress.Inordertobeatstress,itisimportanttothinkpositivelynomatterwhatthesituation.Peoplewhosuffer frommajor diseases such as cancer are taught that positive attitude andthinkingwillhelpthemtogothroughtheterribleordealandtocomeoutoftheother side feeling better. Positive attitude heals, and is thus something that allpeople should try to adopt as a generally healthy attitude helps healing.Negativity cando theopposite, so that all that yougain fromyourmeditationwillhelptooptimizeyourfeelingofbeingatpeacewiththeworldandkilloffthosefeelingsofpessimism.

Andtothink

positively,itisimportanttomeditateandtrainthemindonaregularbasis.

Itisimportanttogainacontroloverthemindandalterthetrainofthought.

Thisway,youarebetterabletodealwithstressandallofthepessimismthatgoeswithit.Apersonpracticingmeditationonaregularbasiswillstarttodevelopoptimismandstophavingnegativethoughtsandfeelingsthatwilldirectlyaffecttheirlivesinapositivemanner.

Emotional

stability

Lifehasbecomeextremelyunpredictablethesedaysandtherearejustsomanyrelationships to manage that we often find ourselves having to deal withemotional instability.There are somanyups and downs in life that can causestressandemotionaldisturbances.Meditationhelpsyoutocontrolthatelementinyourlife.

Itistheera

ofdivorce,andthatmeansthatemotionalstabilitywillbeaffected.Withworryaboutchildren,possessionsandallthetrappingsoflife,it'snowonderthatpeoplefallintothetrapofemotionalinstability.However,meditationhelpsthemtocentertheirthoughtsandtogetbeyondalloftheseeventswitharealstrengththatisabletohelpthemtothinkovertheproblemsthatmayotherwisehavebeentoodifficulttoface.Itstrengthenstheresolveandhelpspeopletolookfromadistanceatproblemsthathavebecometooclose,thusfindingsolutionsthattakeintoaccounteveryonewhoisinvolvedinthesituation.

Thesimple

answertothequestionofemotionalinstabilityismeditationnotmedication.

Withmeditation,youcantakecontrolofyouremotions.Youcancontrolhowyoufeelincertainsituationsandalsomoveawayfromasituationwhenyourecognizeittobedetrimental.Youwillturnintoamoreforgivingpersonandstopgettingsoangryaboutlife.Infact,meditationhelpsyoutoseethepicturefromallsidesandtobalanceandweighyourdecisionsinamuchclearermanner.Italsohelpsyoutofeelempathyandhumilityandtheseareimportantaspectswhenconsideringyourownmentalfragility.Mostpeoplearefragileinbadsituationsbecausetheyallowtheiremotionstoruletheirphysicalstate.

However,withmeditationonaregularbasis,thebalanceisaddressedandprogressismadethatdivertsattentionawayfrominstabilitytoaplaceofsecurity.

Intelligence

canbeimproved

Withmeditation, you can easily increase yourmemory power.Andwhenyouincreaseyourmemorypower,youwillbeabletorememberthingsbetterandusethis toyourownbenefit.The trouble is thatpeople stop learningbecause theycloseoff theirminds tonew ideas.Meditationhelpsyou to remainopenat alltimesandthathelpsyouinturntobecomeamuchmorecompletehumanbeing.Youseethingsdifferentlyandwithaclaritythathelpsyoutoretaininformation.

Youwillfeel

likeasmarterpersonandstarttohavebetterconversationswithpeople.Youwillstartmakingbetterdecisionsthatwillhelpyougarnermoresuccessandalsoaidinbuildingabetterrapportwithyourfamilyandfriends.Therelationshipbetweenmeditationandunderstandingothersiswellknown,becausemeditationmakesyoustopinyourtracksandthinkaboutyournextaction,insteadofmakingmanyofthemistakesthatpeoplemakebynotgivingasituationsufficientthought.

Youmaybe

surprisedatwhatyoucanachieve,becauseinsteadoflettinglifepassyouby,youarestoppingtogreetitandtoseealltheopportunitiesthatpassyourway,ratherthanbeingtoobusytonoticethem.Youalsogarnermuchintelligencefromobservationandpeoplewhodonotfindthetimetoobservearemissingoutontheopportunitytoimprovewhotheyareandhowtheyseetheworld.Thisisallpartofintelligence.Itisn'tjustaboutbooklearning.

It'saboutbeingabletoformrelationshipswiththosearoundyouanddoingsoinaveryhumane,intelligentandunderstandingway.

ThePowerofYourSubconsciousMind

Scientistssaythatweonlyuseapproximately10%ofourminds.Theother90%isbeingwasted.Thinkofitinthismanner,whatwouldhappenifyouonlyused10%ofyoursalary?Yousurviveon10%ofthemoneythatyoumake?

Formostpeopletheanswertothisquestionisno.

Whatabout10%

ofthefoodyoueatonadailybasis?Oronly80minutesofsleepoutofthat8

hoursthatisrecommended.Yourlifewouldbecompletechaos.Imaginelivingoffofonly10%oftheoxygenthatyoutakeineveryday?Justthethoughtofthisispetrifying!

Soifwecan’t

lifeusing10%ofanythingelse,whywouldwesettleforusingonly10%ofourbrain?

Areyouliving

thelifethatyouwant?Actuallylivinglifeonyourtermsandnotthetermsthattheuniversehaddealtyou?Whilemakingyourlifebettermayseemlikeafairytale,thinkaboutthepotentialyouhaveifyoubeginunlockingpiecesofyourmindthatyouarenotusingrightnow.Meditationallowsyoutofocusandusethepowerofyoursubconscioustotakeoverandtodothingsthatyouneverdreamedpossible.Includinghealyourmindandbody.

Ithasbeen

provenscientificallythatthosewhomeditatelivealifefilledwithmoreharmony,wealth,health,joyandsuccess.Ifyoudonothavethesethingsyet,itisnotyourfault.Youwerenevertaughthowtouseyourmindcorrectlyandneitherwereyourancestors.

Themomentyou

pickedupthisbook,everythingthathappenedbeforethatpointbecameyourpast.Yoursubconsciousnowdoeswhatyoutellitto.Wanttoproveit?Lookattheclockbeforeyougotosleeptonightandtellyoursubconscioustowakeyouupat7:00am.Ibetthatwithinafewminutesof7:00am,youreyeswillpopopen.

During

meditationyouhavethepowertotellyoursubconsciouswhatitis.Notwhatitwantstobe.Youcantellyoursubconscioustolistentoyou.Itisgoingtobecomemoreefficientatworkanditisgoingtogetyoutheraiseyouhavewantedforthelastfewyears.Youaregoingtostartlivinghealthierandbecomeahealthierperson.

Whileyouaredoing

this,usethepowerofaffirmation,orthepowerofconvincingyourselfthatitispossibletobecomeexactlywhatyouwanttobe.Tellyourselfwhatyouareinapositivewayandthisiswhatyouwillbecome.

CHAPTERFOUR

TYPESOFMEDITATION

“Themindcangoinathousanddirections,butonthisbeautifulpath,Iwalkinpeace.Witheachstep,thewindblows,witheachstep,aflowerblooms.”

ThíchNhấtHạnh

When people mention meditation, often people think about the sight of a

person sittingwith folded legs and chanting “om.” That ismainly because ofhowmeditation isprojected in themedia.Butmeditation isnot limited to justthatkindofactivity.Therearemanytypesofmeditationpracticesthatapersoncanadoptandwhenyouknowthedifferenttypes,youcanchoosetheonethatbest suit your needs. Some people try all the different types of meditation inorder to find themost suitable.Younever know,youmay find that there is asystem of meditation that suits you better than all others. Look through thedifferent types because if you can find one that fits your lifestyle, this willbenefityou.Thereissomuchtogainfrommeditationandyoucanonlyfindouthowmuchbytakingpart.Onceyoudo,it'sunlikelythatyouwilllookbacktoatimewhenmeditationwasnotpartofyourlife.

The various types of meditation practices along with their methods areexplainedbelowindetailsothatyoucanworkoutwhichfitswithyourneedsoryourlifestyle.

Traditionalmeditation

Alsoknownastranscendentalmeditation,thisformispopularforitssimplicityandextremeeffectiveness.This formofmeditation is extensivelypracticedallover the world and is said to be one of the most effective methods. Thismeditationisbestperformedeverydayandpreferablyduringtheearlymorninghoursbeforetheworldbeginstobecomebusy.Whenyoupracticethisformofmeditationinthemorning,youareallowingyourbodythechancetorejuvenatethewaythatitneedsto.Youcangiveyourselfsomeextraenergyinordertogetthrough the day feeling more relaxed and without the usual stresses that youmightbeusedtodealingwith.

Thisformofmeditationisprobablythemostpopularformwiththewesternworldalthoughmindfulmeditationisbeginningtobecomeeverybitaspopularwithpeoplewhosuffer fromstress. Itsworthwhilecheckingoutbothstylesofmeditation as each have their merits. Traditional meditation is likely to thatwhichiseasiertolearninagroupsituationoroneononewithaninstructor.Ofcourse, you can learn to do this yourself at home but do read the instructionscarefully.Thebenefitofdoingmeditationaspartofagroupisthatothersgiveyou the incentive to carry on and achieve the different exercises taught, tomaximizethebenefitthatyoureapfromthemeditation.

Howtoperform

Toperformtranscendentalmeditation,youmustsitdownandfoldyourlegs.Ifyou have the capacity to, then you can place both your heels on the oppositethigh,asshownin thepage,by interlockingyour legs (this isaveryadvancedformandyoumightwanttoexercisecaution).Stretchoutyourhandsandplacethebackofyourhandsontheknee.Takeadeepbreathandholditforacoupleofseconds.Slowlyreleaseandcloseyoureyesasyoudo.

Image:CreativeCommonsAttribution:Jemasty

The position shown in the image is the lotus position and is a standardpositionformeditation,althoughsomepeoplemayfindthisalittleawkwardatfirst. This is because tucking your legs into this position may not seemcomfortable. If you do have circulation problems, you should talk to yourinstructor about positions that can be used until your body is a little moreversatile.Thereissomegoodadviceshownhereaboutthedifferentposturesthatapractitionerofmeditationcanuseasanalternative,bearinginmindhowhardit is tokeep the feet in thispositionwithoutpractice.Thehalf lotusmaybeagood alternative for a newcomer, although you should note that posture is ofparamountimportanttomeditationtechniquesandthatthespineshouldalwaysbekeptinastraightposition.

Whenyoustarttotakeinthenextbreath,chantasoothingwordlike“om”oranyotherwordthatwillhelpyoutostabilizeyourbreathingandrelax.Theideabehindthe“om”chantisthatitgivesthemindsomethingcentraltoconcentrateonandhelpsyoutoavoidbeingdistracted.Omdoesn’thaveameaningandthusitcannottakeyouoffintoachainofthought,whichiswhyanonsensewordisused.

Repeatfor5-15minutes.Youcanstartwith5andthenslowlyincreaseto15.

Lessadvancedstudentswillfirstbetaughthowtobreathecorrectlyandwillbeencouraged to try thedifferentpositionsuntilasuitableone is foundwhichallowsthebodyfullstabilityaswellashelpingkeeptheposturestraight.Usuallythisinvolvessimplycrossingthelegscomfortably.

Thebenefitsoftraditionalmeditation

This method of meditation was practiced in India and it was found that thebeneficialeffectsofthisstyleofmeditationtakeawhileforapractitionertofeel.It takespracticebecause thestillness isnot something thatmoderndaypeopleare accustomed to. It isn't merely a question of sitting in a certain position,breathingandusingachant.It'saquestionofinnerfocusandthat'swherepeoplefind this hard. Once you do master it, it will help your health, your mentalaptitude and your concentration levels. Traditionalmeditation concentrates onthe mantra or chant because it helps to take away concentration on worldlythings,thusrelaxingthemindandallowingitthebenefitoftherestthatitneeds.Thus,itgivesthebodyachancetoheal,torelaxandthusslowdownthebloodpressure,helptheimmunesystemtorepairitselfandmakesthebodyandmindfeelatonewiththeworldaroundit.

Breathingmeditation

Also known as yoga meditation, breathing meditation causes a person toconcentrate on his/ her breath. The breath has amazing powers and its truebenefitscanonlybeharnessedbyapersonifhe/shemakesuseofthistypeofpractice.Withthiskindofmeditation,youaregoingtolearnhowtobreatheinandouttoacertainrhythm,focusingonlyonthebreathsthatyouaretakingandnothingelse.Thebreathsareabletohelpyoutocalmdownbecauseyouwillbeabletofocusonlongslowbreathsandyouwillbeabletowatchthetensionmeltaway.It isalsoagoodthing toconcentrateonso thatyouarenotfocusingonanythingelseorgettingdistracted.

Bearinmindthatdifferentexercisesareusefulinthismethodofmeditation,sincedifferentbreathingexerciseshone inonareasofdifficultyandhelpwithcertainproblems,suchaslackofconcentration,anxietylevels,etc.

There are two types of breathing meditation practices with one being thepranayama and the other being Bhrastrika pranayama. Both of these types ofmeditationusethebreathingexercisesinconjunctionwithconcentrationonthebreathinginandout.It'slikeexploringyourbodyfromtheinsideandwillhelpyoutobeconsciousofbreathingcorrectlyandusingyourdiaphragmareainthe

rightway.

Howtoperform

ToperformPranayama,sitwithyourlegsfoldedandhandsstretchedout.Nowplaceyour thumbonyourrightnostrilandbreathe in throughyour leftnostril.Holditforacoupleofsecondsbeforeclosingyourleftnostrilwithyourindexfingerandexhaling throughyourrightnostril.Thismaysoundstrange,but it'snecessary to follow the flow of the breathing as you are doing this, thusbecomingawareofthebreaththatyoutake,followingitdownfromthenostriltothethroat,fromthethroattothelungs.Whenbreathingout,youshouldbeawareof themovement of your diaphragm and also of the breath escaping from thediaphragmareaupthroughyourbodyandout.

Repeat for5-15minutes.Remember to take it slowly for the first fewdaysandthenyoucandoitforamaximumof30minutesperday.

Have your eyes closed and concentrate on your lungs expanding andcontracting. Feel the air flow into your body and be aware of its movementwithinthebodyatalltimes.It'snotacaseofjustbreathing;it'saboutlivingthatbreath. Just as in traditional meditation, the practitioner concentrates on the“om”thepractitionerofthisformofmeditationconcentratesontheveryairthatentersandleavesthebody.

ToperformBhrastrikapranayama,sitwithastraightbackandfoldedlegsandallowyourbodytodrawabreathandexhale.Concentrateagainandtakeadeepbreath.

Continue for 2-3 minutes. Remember that this is an advanced form ofmeditation and you must not do this for more than 5 minutes a day and onalternatedays.Ifyouoverdoitthenyoumightstartfeelingdizzyandmightevenpassout.

Note: Concentrating, used in this sense, means taking in the joy of themomentandthat'savitalpartofthisformofmeditation.

This formofmeditation is common to thosewhopracticeyogaandayoga

teacher can talk you through the process and guide you in your endeavors tomakebreathingmeditationpartofyourlifestyle.

Benefitsofbreathingmeditation

The idea of this kind ofmeditation is that the link between themind and thebreathing creates a bridge. Being conscious of your breathing methods, youactuallyimprovethewaythatthebodytakesinandexpelsair.Manypeopleinthisdayandagehave forgottenhowtobreathecorrectlyanddonotgive theirbodiesthechancetogetsufficientoxygenation, thusmakingthebodysluggishin its responses. This kind of meditation can sharpen the senses, make thepractitionermoreawareofcaringoftheirbodyandmakethemalotlesslikelytosufferfromstress.Stressisoftenrelatedtobadbreathingpracticecoupledwithemotionaldifficulties.Byusingthisformofmeditation,youareabletocounterthese problems and thus avoid stress or anxiety, which can become out ofcontrol.

Listentoyourownbreathingforamomentandevenlookatthewaythatyoubreathe.Ifyouarenotbreathingthroughthenostrils,andmanypeopledon't,youmaynotbegivingyourbodyalltheairthatitneedsforit tobefullyefficient.Watchhowyoubreatheout.Doyouexpelair fromyour lungs,yourabdomenarea?Beconsciousofyourbreathingbecausebreathingmeditationcanhelpyouconsiderably to ward off illnesses and help the immune system to be moreeffective.Itcanalsosharpenconcentrationandmakeyoumuchmoreawareofyourbodyanditscurrentcondition.

Heartrhythmmeditation

As the name suggests, heart rhythmmeditationdealswith you followingyourheart’s rhythm. This form of meditation is extremely popular owing to itseffectiveness in bringing about an instant calm. You will have to work oncontrolling the heart rate that youhave if youwant this to be effective. If theheart is beating really quickly, this means that you are stressed out and havethingsthatareweighingonyourmind.

Youneedtobeabletoworkoncontrollinghowfasttheheartisgoingsothatyoucandothiseffectively.Aniceandsteadyheartbeatisidealforyourhealthbutalsoincalmingyoudownsothatyouareabletoperformtheothertasksthatyou need in your life without all of the stresses that can come from beinganxiousorworryingaboutotherthings.

Howtoperformthisformofmeditation:

Toperformthistypeofmeditation,sitwithyourlegsfoldedandcloseyoureyes.Now stretch your left hand out and fold your right palm. Place your foldedfingers over your heart. Now draw in a deep breath and visualize the breathmoving into your body and reaching your heart. As you feel your heart beat,visualizethefreshaircleansingyourheartandyourheartfeelingtherefreshmentoftheexercise.Nowvisualizeallthebadairandtoxinsexitingyourbody.

Continue for a few minutes. It is ideal for you to perform this type ofmeditation foras longas iscomfortable foryou.Makesure thatyouare inanopen-airatmosphereandthereispindropsilence.

Howheartbeatrhythmmeditationhelps

Thisformofmeditationdatesbackasfaras8000years.ItispopularlyusedinTaiChibecauseofitspowertohelppractitionerstoachievebettersleep.Sleepisthetimewhenthebodyisdoingthemajorityofitshealing.Infact,whileyousleep, thehealingpowerof thebodyworksmakingsure thatyouare in tiptopconditionthenextmorning.That'swhysleepissoimportant.Heartlisteningalsoenablesyoutohavemoreenergyduringthedayandthususethis tohelpyourlogicalprocesses.Itisusedtohelpyouhoneinonyournaturalabilitiesandtofeelthejoyofliving.

KundalinimeditationorSahajaYogaMeditation

Kundalini refers to a form of energy that is present inside everybody’s body.Kundalini awakening is achievedbyusing themethodofmeditation,which iscalledSahajaYogaMeditation.Everybody ismadeupof7 chakrasorwheels

that rotate and cause a person to be healthy. If there are blockages in thesechakras then the personwill face bad health and also suffer from tension andstress. This type of meditation practice will help in clearing the variousblockages.

Howtoperform:

To perform this type ofmeditation, sit with your legs folded and your handsstretchedout.Nowvisualize a ball of light to originate fromyour first chakrathatis locatedbehindthepubicbone.Nowimaginethatit isslowlymovingtothesecondchakra,whichislocatedinyourstomach.Itthenmovestothethirdone located next to your heart. Then to the fourth one that is located in yourthroat.Itthenmovestothefifthonelocatedinyourtemple,thentothesixthonethatislocatedinsideyourbrain.Finally,itpiercesthroughyourmindandgoesthroughtheaura,whichislocatedaboveyourhead.

Dothisfornomorethan15minutesaday.

Thebenefitsofthisformofmeditation

This formofmeditation isassociatedwithyour spiritualwellbeing.Thishelpsyoutobeclosertoyouroriginsandbeliefs.Therefore,itiscapableofbringingyougreatinnerpeace.Peoplewhofeelthisinnerpeacearelesslikelytosufferfromstressesorfromanxietyasthemeditationteachesacertainamountofcalm,whichpeoplecanescapetoinsteadofsuccumbingtostress.

Walkingmeditation

Asthenamesuggeststhisformofmeditationdealswithperformingmeditationasyouwalkaround.Thisformofmeditationissaidtonotonlyhelpyouexerciseyourmindbutalsoallowyoutoattainahealthybody.TheoriginofthisformofmeditationisthatitwasusedbyTheBuddhawhenhewaslookingforanswers.Whathefoundwasthatthisformofmeditationallowedhimtobeawareofhissurroundingsandtobeatpeacewiththem.

Howtoperform:

Toperformthistypeofmeditation,findaquietareawhereyoucanwalkaroundincircles.Thesecirclesneednotbetoobigandcanbemadeupofsmallturns.Now startwalking aroundwith your arms folded behind you.Every time thatyouplaceyourrightlegforward,youmustdrawinabreathandwhenyouplaceyourleftlegforward,youmustletyourbreathout.

If it feels too tiring todo so, thenyou canbreathe in andout during everyalternatestep.Youcanalsohaveawatchthatwillallowyoutomatchthestepswith its second hand although this way takes away from the original idea ofwalkingmeditation,inthatifyouuseastopwatch,youwillbemoreintentuponwatchingthatthanbeingawareofyoursurroundings.Thusifyoucangaugethelevel of your breathing simply by trying to breathe in harmony with yourmovement,youwillfindthistobemuchmoreefficient.Anothermethodinsteadofusingthestepsasaguideistoholdameditationnecklaceandusethebeadstoindicatetheinandoutbreaths.

Thebenefitsofwalkingmeditation

Walkingmeditation is a good practice for the deep thinker or thosewho findkeeping still difficult. However, the goodness from this form of meditationcomes from the concentration on the breathing and the awareness of yoursurroundings,thoughwithoutusingtheseasadistraction.It'sverycomplexbutwhat it does is make you feel an inner peace and understanding. Just as theBuddha established great understanding in order to write his findings onmindfulness.

Qigongmeditation

Qi gong is a traditional form of meditation technique that is said to haveoriginated inChina. It issaid tobequiteuseful incalmingdownapersonandclearinghis/hermindofproblems.Qigongiseasytoperformandyoucandoitduring any time of the day. This form of meditation is closely related toKundaliniandfollowsasimilarpattern.Thissystemofmeditationwillhelpyouto focus your attention on specific things within your life, improving your

approachtothem.

Howtoperform

Toperformqigongformofmeditation,sitwithyourlegsfoldedandyourpalmsonyourknees.Nowimagineaballofairoriginatingfromyourfirstchakraandmovetoyourfourthandthentoyourthroatchakra.Thesameballkeepsmovingup and down between these chakras and clears all blockages and allows thechakrastoturnwithoutanyhindrance.

You can perform this meditation for 15 minutes and for a maximum of 30minutesperday.

Howthisformofmeditationhelps:

Qigonghelpsyoutobemorefocusedandmorefocusedpeoplesufferlesswithemotionalproblems.Theyareabletoseespecificproblemsandfindanswerstothemfairlyeasilybecausethemeditationhelpsthemtoclearuptheirbreathing,their awareness and their mental focus. It is also unlikely that people whopractice this kind of meditation would suffer from stress or from depression,sinceitisgearedtowardpositiveenergy.

Zazenmeditation

The zazen form ofmeditation is designed for individualswho have notmuchtimeontheirhandsandarealwaysrushingfromoneplacetoanother.Thisformof meditation is best performed by those people who are looking for a verysimple form of meditation and nothing as elaborate as concentrating on thebreath,heartbeatorchakras.

Howtoperform:

Toperformthismeditation,thepersonmustsimplysitwiththelegsfoldedandrelax. He/ she should stop all thought processes and think about absolutelynothing.

Thiscanbedoneforaslongasapersonthinkshe/shecanpeacefullyperformit

withoutbeingaffectedbyoutsidedistractionsanddisturbances.

Thevalueofthiskindofmeditation:

Astillmindisaverypeacefulone.Ifyoucanmanagewithsilencetothinkofnothingatall,thenyouarestoppingallthenegativethoughtsfromgettinginthewayofspiritualandmentaldevelopmentandabilities.Thismaysoundsimple,althoughittakesalotofpracticeforittobebeneficial.Peopleareaccustomedtoliving in a busyworld, and silencing it or locking out the interference of theworldwillbenefitpractitionersbecauseitfreesthemind,eveniftemporarily,ofworries and stresses. This, in turn, strengthens the emotional side of yourcharacterandalsoputsthingsintobetterperspective.

Trancebasedmeditation

Trancebasedmeditationisonewhereanotherpersonisrequiredtohelpinduceatrance.This technique isslightlyadvancedandis tobefollowedbythosewhoareinanadvancedstateofanxiety.Itmayhelptocalmthenerves.

Howtoperform:

Toperformthistypeofmeditation,apersonmustgetaprofessionalhypnotisttohypnotize him/ her.This can be done inmanyways and the trained hypnotistwillrecognizethebestmethodtouseoncehe/shegetsacquaintedwithyou.

Justmake sure that thepersonbringsyouback to consciousness after a setperiod of time. This kind of guided trancewhen performed by a professionalonlytakesyouintoamediumtrance.Thisiswhereyourbodyisguidedbytheirwords.Yourhandsmayfeelheavy,youreyelidsmayalsobeheavyandwhenyouawakenfromthetrance,youwillfeelasenseofwellbeing.

Lighttrance

Toachievethis,youneedtowatchyourownbodyandunderstandhowitworks.Whenyougotobedatnight,justbeforeyoudropofftosleep,yourbodygoesintoalighttrance.Byobservingthis,youareabletoreplicatetheeffect.Itis,in

effect,averylightfeelingwherenothingworriesyouandwherenothingreallygoesthroughyourmind.

Trancemeditationbenefits

Thiscanhelpanindividualwithanxietyproblemsandthosewhoareseekingtofindsomekindof relaxation technique thatworks for them. In fact, the trancestate in light form is that wonderful relaxing feeling of nothingness thatovercomes all thoughts and allows you total relaxation. Since relaxation isextremelyimportant tohealth, thereareobviousbenefits toyourmentalabilitytocope,yourstateoftirednessandyourabilitytowakeupfreshandbeabletosolveproblems.

Guidedvisualization

This formofmeditationcanbeverycalming. It iseasy toperformandcanbeundertaken at any timeof theday.Thiskindofvisualization is verypowerfulindeedandcanhelpyoutoachieveyourhopesanddreams,thusleavingyouinavery happy state. Use this to reinforce positive thoughts and you willimmediatelyreapthebenefits.

Howtoperform:

Toperformthistypeofmeditation,youmustassumearelaxingposeandcloseyoureyes.Nowvisualizesomethingniceandcalminglikesleepinginthemiddleofaforestoropenfieldandstaringattheclearsky.Allyourworrieshaveleftyouandyouarefeelingextremelylightandhappy.Thisisthesimplestformofmeditation that there is, though be careful not to let anything distract thosepleasantthoughts.Ifyoudo,startagainandpracticeuntilthenegativethoughtsof the day and the interruptions stop. It takes practice but can be equated tosomethingassimpleasdaydreaming.

Dothisforabout15minutesaday.

Benefitsofthistypeofmeditation:

Thebenefitsaremultiple.Youcanovercomestigmas, findyourselfmovepastallofyourself-esteemproblemsandthisleadstoamorepeacefulexistencewithyourself.Thismeansthatmentalstrainislessandthatyouleadamorepositivelife. Positivity is very good for your health and, in turn, helps your immunesystemtostaveofftheeffectsofillnesses.Ifyouimaginepleasantthingsandletthem penetrate into yourmind, you are letting go of negative things and thishelpsyoutobecomemuchmorepositiveinyourapproachtolife.

Vipasanameditation

Thisformofmeditationpracticeisalsoknownasmindfulnessmeditation.Thistypehelpsyouincleansingyourrespiratorytractandalsohelpsyouclearyourmind.

Howtoperform:

Toperformthistypeofanexercise,sitwithlegsfolded.

Maintain a straight back and draw in a few deep breaths. Increase theintensityofyourbreathandstarttodrawthebreathfromyourstomach.Afteracouple ofminutes, increase the intensity of your exhale breath and reduce thetime taken to inhale.This typeofmeditation isexplained inmoredetail in thefinalchapterbecauseit'smorecomplexandcanbeperformedevenduringyourgeneraldaytodayactivities.Stop,takeintheatmosphereandtheambianceandallowyourthoughtprocessestostopandtobebathedinthemoment.

Repeatitfor15minutesandyoucanperformthisexerciseonceadayfornotmorethan15-20minutes.

Thebenefitsofthistypeofmeditation

Mindfulnessmeditationmakes youmuchmore aware of your surroundings. Ithelps you to find a peaceful balance so that you can live your life in amorerelaxedway.Itisusefulforthosesufferingfromanxietyandalsoforthosewhowant to feel better about being themselves. In theworld of today, people aregetting away from the basics of living their lives to the full. They forget thepowerofthemind,andtheword“mindfulness”isareminderofhowpowerful

the mind can be. Be aware of it; allow your breathing to help you to avoidrespiratoryproblemsandalsotomakeyoufeelveryawareofyourselfandyourplacewithin your surroundings. Thiswill sharpen your thought processes andmakeyouamuchhappier,morefulfilledperson.

CHAPTERFIVE

PRECAUTIONSTOOBSERVE

“Workisnotalwaysrequired.Thereissuchathingassacredidleness”

~GeorgeMacDonald

Inthepreviouschapter,welookedatthevariousformsofmeditationpracticesandhowyoucanperformthemtoattainasenseofcalm.

Whenallis

saidanddone,youhavetorealizethattoomuchofsomethingcanbeabadthing.Andthatruleappliestomeditationaswell.Whenyouundertakemeditation,youhavetorealizethatitwillhavetobedonewithintherightlimits.Youmustalsorememberthatyouwillhavetokeepinmindthevarioussettingsthatwillallowyoutoconcentrateonyourpracticeandhelpyouaddleveragetoit.

Letusbeginby

lookingattherightsettings:

Therightsettingformeditation

Place

Beforeyousitdowntomeditate,youhavetomakesurethatyoufindtherightplace.Theplaceneedstobecleanandthereshouldbenoclutter.

Preferablysomewherethatmakesyoufeelnaturallyrelaxedisgood.Althoughitisadvisableforyoutositdirectlyonthefloor,youcanalsositonachairorastoolifyouhavebackorlegproblems.Somepeopleuseayogamatoriftheykneel,theyuseacushionovertheirlegstoprotectthebodyfromcrampsandtostopcirculationproblemsthatmayotherwiseoccur.

Youmust

ideallyhaveaclearviewofnatureinfrontofyouwhenyousitdowntomeditateoratleasthaveaposterofnature.YoucanalsoplaceacalmingpictureoftheBuddhainfrontofyouorhaveanobjecttofocusonintheeventthatyouchoosetomeditatewithyoureyesopen.Somepeopledothisandhavingsomethingthatgivesyouthatextrafocusishelpful.

Youalsoneeda

placethatisnottoolitup.Thedimlightofearlymorningsunisidealbutifyouchooseaplaceindoors,thenthisshouldbesomewherewhereyoucandimthelightandfeelsafeandcomfortable.Aromasarequiteimportant.Ifyouchooseaplacethatisnottoofilledwitharomasthatarestrong,thishelpsbecauseitstopsyoufromgettingtoodistractedfromwhatitisyouaretryingtoachieve.

Aroomshould

alsohavewindowsthatdonotshowbusystreetsoutside,asthesecanprovetobedistracting.

Position

Whenyousitdowntomeditate,youhavetomakesurethatyouassumethelotusposeoroneof thevariantsshownon thepage linked to inapreviouschapter.The lotus pose is when where you sit with your legs folded and your handsstretchedout.Youhavetoplacethebackofyourpalmsonyourkneesandjointhetipsofyourindexandthumbfingers.Youmustmaintainastraightbackandbreathe inandout.Youmustalsocloseyoureyesandsitwithaclearmind ifyourchosenstyleofmeditationcallsforthis.Focusedmeditationisusedwhenyou find thatyouareable toconcentrateonone focal spot rather thanclosingyoureyes.Somepeoplefindthistobeverybeneficial.

Atmosphere

Whenyousitdowntomeditate,makesurethattheatmosphereiscalmandfreefromnoise.Ifitisthenaturalsoundofbirdschirpingthenitisfine,butifitisthenoiseoftrafficorsomeothersuchsoundthenitwilldisturbyouanddisruptyourpractice.Turnoffmusic,asthisisarealdistraction.Althoughmusiccanbecalming,itdoestendtodistractyourmindfromthepurposeofyourmeditationmoment.

Precautions

Physicalimplications

Ifyouover-meditatethenitcanhaveafewphysicalimplications.

Tobeginwith,

afteryougetup,youmightnotbeabletofeelyourlegsasalotoflacticacidwouldhaveaccumulatedandtheycangonumb.Ifthisisthecase,thenyoudoneedtofindabetterposition.Meditationisnotabouttorture.It'saboutcentralizingyourselfandfocusinguponwhatyouaredoing.Theidealpositionis,ofcourse,thelotusposition,thoughifyouarenewtomeditation,instructorswillbeabletoshowyoupositionsthatareeasierforyoutoachieveuntilyouaremoreexperienced.

Secondly,you

willfacetemporaryblindnessafterhavingyoureyesclosedforalongtime.

Thisisperfectlynormalasitwouldbehadyoubeeninadarkroomforanylengthoftime.Beforegettingupandgettingonwithyourday,calmlyopenyoureyesandre-adjusttotheambientlight.Thenyouwillbeabletoadjusteasilywithoutendangeringyourself.

Mentalimplications

Many times, after you finishmeditating, you will feel like going back into atrancebecauseit'sacomfortablestatetobein.Youwillbetemptedtocontinueandgobacktothesubconsciousstate.Itisbetterthatyousetyourselftimesformeditationandkeeptothem,sincethebenefitsyouhavealreadygleanedfromyoursessionwillhelpyoutofacetheworldasastrongerperson.

Youmightalso

feelalittledizzyandfinditdifficulttowalkinastraightline.Youarethereforeadvisedtositwithyoureyesopenforafewminutesandregainyourfullconsciousnessorawareness.Thisisn'treallyanydifferentfromwakingupfromadeepsleepandjustasyouwouldhavetoadjusttobeingawake,youneedtoadjustyourmentalstatetothisnewsenseofawakening.

Thesearejust

someofthesideeffectsofmeditationthatyouwillhavetobewaryofandtryandpreventdifficultiesarisingfromthem,asmuchasispossible.

Overallhelpthatyourmeditationsessionswillgiveyou

Providedthatyouaresensibleinyourapproachtomeditation,youwillfindthatthebenefitsarefairlyimmediate.Youmayfindittakesyouacoupleofsessions

tofeelmoreconfidentinyourabilitiestomeditate.Itisalsolikelythatyouwillfindthatthoughtsgetintheway.Thisshouldn'tputyouofftrying.It'sanormalresponse. If you think that a healthy person can have hundreds of thoughtsinvadingtheirmindswithinthetimeyoutooktomeditate,itwouldactuallybesurprisingifyouwereabletolockoutallofthosethoughtsintheearlystagesofmeditation.

Whenyouare

abletodothat,youwillfeelfresherandsharperandthemeditationskillisoneofthoseskillswhereyouinstantlyknowyougotsomethingright.Ifyoudothinkofthingsduringthecourseofyourmeditationsessionthatyoushouldnotbeallowingtoinvadeyourthoughtprocesses,simplytrytoswitchthedistractionoffandgobacktoconcentratingonthesystemofmeditationthatyouhavechosenasonesuitableforyou.Nevergiveup.It'saveryworthwhileprocessandittakestime.Don'tthinkofyourselfasafailure.Thinkofyourselfasbeingsomeonewhoistryingtoimprovelifeandwhoisexperiencingdifficulties.Youcandoitifyoulookatyourmistakesandlearnfromthem.

CountingBreathsisn’tLikeCountingSheep

"Justcloseyoureyesandcountyourbreaths,"theysay.Howsimplecanitbe?"Don't think about anything else though. Just concentrate on your breathing."Well,anyonewhohastriedthis"simple"meditationknowsthatitjustisn'tthateasy.

Therearemany

obstaclestothisseeminglyeffortlesstask.Ourmindstendtowandernaturallysoifwetrytocompletelyfocusonanythingformorethanafewseconds,randomthoughtstakeover.Breathingisboring;let'sfaceit.Howcanyouconcentrateonsomethingsomundanewhentherearemuchmoreinterestingthingsracingaroundinyourhead?

Atypical

sessionmightgolikethis:Iclosemyeyes,sitcomfortably,andbegincounting.Inhaleone,inhaletwo,inhale..."AmIdoingthisright?Iguessso,I'malreadyon...ohthree."Inhalefour..."Now,amIsupposedtostartoveratoneorjustkeepgoing?"Inhaleone,inhaletwo,inhalethree,andinhalefour."Wow,I'mreallygettingthehangofthis.

Oops."Inhaleone,inhaletwo..."DidIremembertopaythephonebill?I'msureIdid.I'mreallygoodatstayingontopofmybills.I’mnotlikeSusan,she'salways...Darn,Ididitagain."Inhaleone,inhaletwo...

Thegoodnews

is,itdoesgetbetterwithpractice.Thebadnewsis,itcanstillbeastruggleforexperiencedmeditators,especiallyduringbusyorturbulentperiodsintheirlives.Luckily,thereismoregoodnews.Therearesome

especiallyduringbusyorturbulentperiodsintheirlives.Luckily,thereismoregoodnews.Therearesomespecificthingsyoucandotohelpyoufocusandreducethefrustrationinyourmeditationpractice.Inthisarticle,Iwouldliketoofferthreetipstohelpyouwithyourpractice.Theyare:Observedon'tcontrol,becompassionate,andenjoyyourself.

First,don't

forceortrytocontrolyourbreathing.Thisisamistakethatalotofbeginnersmake.Manyinexperiencedmeditatorsconsciouslyorunconsciouslyaltertheirbreathinginanefforttofocusonit.Whatitresultsisanexaggeratedandoftenirregularbreathingpattern.Thiscanactuallyinhibityourmeditationratherthanhelpit.

Whatyouwant

todoisjust"watch"yourbreathing.Youdon'thavetoexertanyadditionaleffortatall.Ifyoujustwaitandobserve,youwillbreathe.Then,youcancount.Ofcourse,weallknowthisbutmanypeoplestillfindthemselvesforcingit.Ifyoucatchyourselfcontrollingyourbreaths,justgentlyremindyourselfthatit'snotnecessaryandthenwaitforthenextbreathtocomenaturally.

Thisbringsme

tothenexttip,whichiscompassion.Inthiscase,Imeanforyouinyourmeditationpractice.Aswe'vebeendiscussing,it'snotaneasythingtodotoconcentrateonone'sbreath.It'sveryimportantnottoscoldyourselfwhenyourmindwandersoryoucatchyourselfcontrollingyourbreathing.Ifyouthinkaboutit,thetimeyouwouldspendreprimandingyourselfforbreakingyourfocusisjustmoretimeawayfromyourmeditation.Itisbesttosoftlybringyourselfbacktoyourpracticeassoonasyounoticeyou'rewavering.

Don'tgetdownonyourselfandstartthinking,"Ican'tdothis.Thisisnevergoingtoworkforme."Thesenegativethoughtsdonothingtohelpyourpracticeandwastevaluabletime.Becompassionate.Justbrushitoffandreturntoyourmeditation.

Anotherwayto

lookatthesewanderingsistorealizethattheyareanimportantpartofyourprogression.Meditationisaskill.Andlikemostskills,itrequirespractice.

Abaseballplayerdoesn'tstepintothebatter'sboxforthefirsttimeandstarthittinghomeruns.Hemakesmistakesandcorrections,andthenimprovesovertime.Hecanthengaugehisprogressbythereductionoferrors.Evenafterheisanexperiencedbatsman,hewillstillstrikeoutmoreoftenthanhewouldlike.Buthishitsshouldincreaseaswell.

Inyour

meditationpractice,yourmindwilllikelywandermoreinthebeginning.Butdon'tgiveup.Itwillgetbetter.Justlikethebaseballplayer,youwillrealizefewermistakesovertimeandyouwilllearntorecoverfromthemmorequickly.Sure,youwillstillhavechallengesandevenslumpsfromtimetotimebutyouwillalsohavemoresuccesses.

ThefinaltipI

wouldliketooffer,istofindenjoymentinyourpractice.Eventhoughitmaybetoughattimes,dailymeditationcangreatlyenhanceyourlife.Don'trateyourselfandexpecttoprogressorimprovetoaparticulardegreewithinaparticulartimeframe.Unlikebaseball,mediationisalife-longexperience.

Rememberthisisyourtime.Letitbeyouroasis,notachore.Nomatterwhatelseisgoingoninyourlife,yourmeditationtimecanbeyourescape.AsaZenmasteroncesaid,"It'sjustyouandyourbreathandthenit'sjustyourbreath."Breathein,breatheout,andforgetabouttheworldaroundyou.Evenwhenyou'rebusyorpreoccupiedwithsomeproblem,evenifyoucanonlyfindtenorfifteenminutestobealonewithyourbreath,enjoyit.

Ihopethese

tipswillhelpyoutoenhanceyourmeditationexperience.Theyhavecertainlyprovedtobevaluableinmyownpracticeovertheyears.OfcourseIstillstrugglefromtimetotimewiththeverysameissueswe'vediscussedhere.Butthroughobservingratherthancontrolling,beingcompassionatetomyselfwhenIfalter,andenjoyingmyspecialtimealone;Ihavemademylifefullerandhappier.

MeditationforPeopleontheGo

Meditation is an ancient ritual that’s perfect for individuals seeking a bit ofpeace, quiet, and inner reflection into their daily lives. However, manyindividualserroneouslybelievetheydon’thavetheappropriatetimetodevotetomeditation.Thispracticedoesnotrequireaspecialroomandhoursuponhoursof inner reflection to be done properly and receive the best results. In fact,meditationcanbedoneinanyquietcorner, includingyourlivingroom,office,orhotel.

Inorder toachieve thepropermeditation in someof theseplaces,youmayneedtopracticecertaintechniquesorbringalongspecialdevicesthatwillblocknoiseandensuresilenceforyourdesignatedmeditationtime.

Consider joining a meditation group so that you can effectively learn themethodsofmeditationbeforeyouattempttomeditateinunusualsurroundings.Thetechniquesandmethodsyoulearnthroughameditationinstructorwillhelpyouaccomplishyourownpersonalgoalsofmeditationandinnerexploration.

Meditationdoesnothavetobeincrediblytimeconsuming.

Makeitapointtodedicateafewminuteseachdaytoyourmeditationgoalsandspendsometimereflectinginward.Morningsareexcellenttimestobeginmeditationsinceyouarethemostateaseduringthistimeandyourhomeisprobablythequietest.Considerwakingupbeforetherestofyourhouseholdtosnagafew

yourhomeisprobablythequietest.Considerwakingupbeforetherestofyourhouseholdtosnagafewmuchneededminutesalonginordertosuccessfullycompleteyourmeditationprocess.Thisiscriticalforbothmenandwomenwithchildrenwhofindithardtomeditateamidstthenoisesanddemandsofchildren.

When you are on the go, do not leave yourmeditation practices at home!Considersnatchingupapairofnoisecancelingheadphones toblockoutnoiseontrains,planes,orautomobiles.Thiswillallowyouthegreatestsenseofpeaceandquietsothatyoucancontinuewithyourmeditationtechniques.Bringalongaspecialmeditationsoundtrack,or familiar tunes towhichyoucanalsoblockoutunnecessarybackgroundnoiseinordertomeditate.

Meditationcanbeanexcellentwaytounwindafteralongdayoftraveling,soconsidertakingtimetopracticeyourtechniquesonceyoureachyourdestination.Forindividualswhoareconstantlycallinghotelroomshome,itcanbequiteeasytomissyourpersonalmeditationspace.Forthisreason,carryasmalltokenorafewitemswithyouonyourtravelstoremindyouofhome.Considerbringingafavorite blanket, pillow, ormat to aid you in yourmeditation practices.Also,bring along a photograph of your family or friends to help with thehomesickness.

Usescentstotransportyoutoamoresereneworld.

Aromatherapyhasbeenusedinconjunctionwithmeditationforthousandsofyears.Considerbeginningyourmeditationtocomfortingorexoticsmellsofincenseandcandles.Forindividualsonthego,considerbringingalongtravelcandlesoravialofessentialoilthatyoucanleaveopentopervadetheatmosphere.

CHAPTERSIX

EXPECTATIONSANDEXERCISES

“Thewaytodo,istobe.”

-LaoTzu

Whenyou startwith theprocessofmeditation,youhave tounderstand that

youneedtohavereasonableexpectations.

Ifyoudonot,thenyousetyourselfupfordisappointmentandthatgoesagainstthewholeprocessofwhatmeditationisallabout.

Youcannot

expecttoomuchandthenwonderwhatwentwrong.Youwillbedisappointedifyouwanttoomuchoutofitandnotbeabletofulfillallyourexpectationsstraightaway.Ittakesyearsofpracticebeforeyoubecomeamasterandevenmastersareimprovingtheirtechniquesallofthetime.Nevertakeforgrantedthatyouwillperfecttheartofmeditationsincethereisalwaysroomforimprovement.

Youmust

understandthatmeditationisameretoolforyoutoremedyyourstressandnotacure.Itisjustaformoftreatmentthatwillhelpreduceyourworriesandshrinkyourproblems.Youhavethepowerwithinyourmindtodoallofthat,butsinceyouhavelivedyourlifeforaperiodoftime,youhavetobeawarethatyouhavealsobuiltuphabitsinyourbehaviorthatyouneedtoovercomeinordertomeditatesuccessfully.Themoretimeyougivethelearningprocess,thebetteryouwillbecomeatitandthemoreyourbodywillbenefitfromwhatmeditationisdoing.Remember,inapreviouschapter,welinkedtoproofthatmeditationcanactuallymakeyoufeelyounger.Ittookyouawhiletoreachtheagethatyouare,sogiveittimetoworkitswondersonyou,anddon'texpectinstantresults.Somepeopledoachieveasenseofwellbeingearlyonintheirexperience,whileothersneedmoretime.

intheirexperience,whileothersneedmoretime.

Unlikedrugs

andalcohol,whichwillactasmerebandaidsandhelpcoverthewoundforsometimeandthenpushyoubackintoyouroldlife,meditationwillhelpinreducingyourproblemsandnotmerelymaskingthem.That'saveryvaluableassettohaveonyourside.

Itwillalter

yourthoughtprocessandhelpingeneratingendorphins.Theseendorphinswillkeepyouhappyandstressfreeandthemoreyoumeditatethemorethattheseendorphinsgetreleased.

It is therefore important tomeditateon avery regularbasis andnot simplyuseitasatoolduringtimesofstress.

Thebodywill

notacceptthepracticeifyoutakebreaksfrommeditatingorperformitrandomly.Youhavetoestablisharoutineandmakemeditatingahabit.

Andonceit

turnsintoahabit,yourmindwillnothavetoputintoomuchefforttoconstantlytellyoutostartmeditating.Youhavetostartputtingyourmindonautopilotandsitdowntomeditate.

Youmustalso

remembertomeditateatthesametimedailysothatyourbodywillgetusedtoit.Youmuststartbywarmingupnomatterhowfaryouareintoyourpractice.

Bywarmingup,youwillnotjustaddleveragetoyourpracticebutalsodevelopthepatiencetositthroughit.

Warmingupexercisesformeditation

Thewhole ideaof limberingupexercisesbeforemeditationsessions is tohelpthebodyadjusttothenewrelaxedposition.Theseareveryeasytodo.

Ifyouaresimplyhavingashortmindfulnessmeditationsession,thenthesearenotsonecessarybecausethisformofmeditationcanbedoneinashortspaceoftime.Thus,exercisingwouldextendthattimetoomuchandmaketheshortersessionthatyourequireamidyourbusydaytooonerous.

However, if youwant tomake themost out of yourmeditation, these helpyou because they tense the body and then relax it which sets the mood forperfectmeditationpractice.

Handsagainsthead

Claspthecupofyourhandsagainstyourforeheadandpress.Thismustbedonewith a little pressure andwith your hand curled up.Hold for a fewmoments.Thenmove your hands flat against your face, which is of coursemuchmorerelaxed.Leavethehandsthereforamoment.

Thesecond

exercisealsoinvolvesthefists.Holdyourhandsoutinfrontofyouandmakeatightfist.Thenslackenthefistandholdyourhandoutasifreceivingsomething.Thishelpstomakethehandsmuchmorerelaxedandhelpsrelieveanger.

Arms

Inthisexercise,holdonearmouttotheside,parallelwithyourshoulder.Movetheotherarmoversothat itcrossesyourchestandyourhandtouchesthearmjustabovethearmpitarea.Nowreversethisanddoitwiththeotherarm.

Placeyour

fistsontoyourneckateachsideofthehead.Rotatethearmfromtheelbowforwardfivetimesandbackfivetimes.Thishelpsflexibility.Anotherexerciseyoucanuseistoholdyourarmoutinfrontofyouandthenclaspyourotherarm,bothhandsholdingontotheoppositearmjustabovewristlevel.Circlethearmsbringingthemuptogethertowardyourbodyandcirclingthemawayfromyourbodyandbackagain.Thisisusefultogetridofanymuscularknots.

Aheadandneckexercise

Thisisparticularlyusefulifyouhavealotonyourmindandarenotyetreadytogointoyourmeditationstate.Thishelpstorelievethemusclesaroundtheneckarea that is particularly prone to aches caused by stress. Look to the right,movingyourheadsothatitlooksoveryourrightshoulder,andthenmoveittotheleftdoingthesamething.Movetheheadsoyouarelookingupwardandthendownward.Theseareslowmovementsthatenableyoutofeelthemusclesintheneckloosenup.Theseshouldbeperformedabout5timesforeachsideandonceforupanddown.

Bodyexercises

Theseareperformedtogiveyourbodymoresuppleness.Standwithyourlegsalittleapartandwithouttakingyourfeetfromthefloortwistyourbodyaroundtotherightfromthewaistarea.Thenbacktoacentralpositionandfinallytwisttheotherway.Repeattheseexercisesuptotentimes.Thesehelptoloosentheknotinyourstomachareaandgivethebodymoreflexibility.

Stretchingexercises

Theseareparticularlybeneficialbeforeameditationsession.Stretchyourhandsabove your head, lean over to the right and then to the left. Leg stretching isparticularlyrelevant,asthiswillhelpyoutoholdthemeditationposesthatmayhelpyourexperience.Forthelegstretches,youneedtokeepyourfeettogetherandstandupright.Thenbendsothatyouaretouchingyourtoes.Pullyourrearendoutwardandloweryourselfuntilyoufindthatyouareinacrouchedpositionandthengraduallystandupagainuntilyouareonceagaintouchingyourtoes.

Thesemay sound rather a lot of exercises, though they are very simple toperform and there aremore exercises if you should need them,whichmerelystretch the area of, the body where you find is most stressed. For example,stretchskywardwithyourarms,ifyouhaveheavyshouldersandthencirclethearms.Ifyourneckhurts,leanforwardasfarasyoucan,stretchingthetendonsatthebackoftheneckbytuckingyourchinintoyourchest.Thenslowlyraisetheheaduntilyouarelookingupasfarasyoucan.Repeat theseexercisesseveraltimes until you feel the benefit of the exercise and are sufficiently relaxed tomeditate.

CHAPTERSEVEN

WHATPROFESSIONALDOCTORSSAYABOUTMEDITATION

“Tounderstandtheimmeasurable,themindmustbeextraordinarilyquiet,still.”

-JidduKrishnamurti

It's vital that you take in what professionals say about the benefits ofmeditation.Thesearepeoplethatyouentrustyourhealthtoandifyouknowthatyou have the backing of the medical field, then this may give you moreconfidencetocarryonwithyourmeditationpracticeonaregularbasis.

In a reportbyRobertPuff,Ph.D, a studydonebyHarvardMedicalSchooland the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical center shows that more doctors areactuallyprescribingmeditationforpatientsonaregularbasis.Whenyou thinkof the benefits these are somany that itmakes sense that they do continue toprescribethisformoftherapyfortheirpatients.

Withouttheuseofmedications,thesetreatmentsworkoutrelativelycheapincomparisonwithtraditionaltherapiesandcanactuallyhelpyoutogetintogoodhabitsthatinturnmakeyoufeelfitterandmorementallyagilethanbefore.

Thishastosaysomethingaboutthebenefitsderivedfrommeditationandthe

wayinwhichthemindcanbeassistedinitsmanagementofstressindaytodaylife. If this can also help in diminishing the amount of anti-depressants beingprescribed, thismeansthatpeoplearefindingtheirwayusingnaturalmethods,rather than depending upon drugs to do the work for them. This can beextremelyusefulandmeanthatpeopleareabletogetbacktobeingproductivemuchearlierthantheywouldbeonprescribedmedications.

Scientific

Americanranareportthatshowedmoderateproofthatmeditationhelpswithdepressionandanxietyandalsowithpainmanagement.Thereport,issuedinMay2014,reportedastudyonasmallgroupofindividualswithsimilarsymptomsandbackgroundtoseeifthosewhopracticedmeditationdidbetterthanthosewhodidnot.Thepositivityofthisreportwasindicativethatmeditationdoeshelp,thoughthescientistswantedtokeepanopenmindbecausetheythoughtthatmeditationshouldbegivenlargertrialsbeforeconclusiveevidencecouldbeconfirmed.However,therearetwowaysoflookingatthisreport.Thoseseekinghelpfrommeditationmaybepulledtowardthepositiveaspectsthatthereportdidnotwriteoffthebenefitsofmeditation,whileskepticsmaywanttowaituntilmoreevidenceisavailablefromascientificviewpoint.

Onestudythat

wasratherinterestingwasdoneonAfricanAmericansandshowedadistinctadvantagetothosewhounderwenttranscendentalmeditation,inthattheytestedAfricanAmericanwomenandmenwithcardiovasculardiseases.Theconclusionswerestartlinginthattheyconfirmedthatthiskindofmeditationcouldactuallypreventmyocardialinfarctionandstrokeinthoseparticipantswhowereusingthemeditationsystemtosupporttheirhealth.Thisisaverygreatbreakthroughforthosewithheartproblems,sincemanywilldieorsufferincapacitatingillnessbecauseoftheirheartproblemsundernormaltreatmentcircumstances.ThestudydonebyTheInstitutionforNaturalMedicineandPreventionwasamazingandgavehopetomanythattheirconditioncouldbecontrolledtosuchanextentbytheuseofmeditationthatitmeantthedifferencebetweenlifeanddeath.

A further study done by the Institute of Psychological Research inconjunction with Leiden University in Holland found that meditation actuallytriggered the parts of the brain which are responsible for creativity and thatpeople who performed meditation on a regular basis were more likely to becreativeandbeabletothink“outsideofthebox”

andusetheircreativity

productively.Thisisn'tsurprisingsincemeditationstopstheflowoflifesufficientlytoallowapersontolettheircreativesidekickin.Ifyouarebusy,forexample,withapressuredlife,youdon'tgiveyourselfthetimeforthatpartofthebrainresponsibleforcreativitytoactuallydoanything.Withmeditation,thestudyshowedthatthosewhodidperformmeditationonaregularbasiswerehelpingbothconvergentanddivergentthoughtprocesses,whichmakesthemmoreopentocreativity.

Thereisso

muchevidenceoutthereonthebenefitsofmeditationthatonecannothelpbutbepulledintothetruthofhowmeditationhelpsthebody.UCLAresearcherscameupwithsomethingevenmorestartling,inthattheyfoundthattheformationofthebrainitselfinthosewhomeditateonaregularbasiswasdifferent,andthatfoldshadappearedinthecerebralcortex.Whatthismeantwasthatthebrainwasabletoprocessinformationinafasterandmoreefficientway,thusfavoringmeditationasopeninguptheabilitytolearnfasterandtohaveasharperlearningcurve.

Meditationhas

manybenefits.Thosewhopracticeitswearbyitsefficiency,thoughwhenyoulookatthenumberofaspectsthatmeditationtouchesupon,it'ssmallwonderthatthemedicalworldistryingitsbesttodecidewhethertodiscredititinfavorofstandardmedicationsortofavoritonthebasisthatitisanaturalwayforpeopletomanagetheirillnesses,theirpotentialforillnessesandtheirownlevelsofanxietywithouttheuseofexpensivemedicationsthatrequirelongtermcommitment.

Whenyoulook

attheamountofmoneyspentintheUnitedStatesonanti-depressantsinoneyear,it'shorrific.Theriseinusebyteensasfarbackas2011was400

percent,andthatfigurecontinuestorise.Withteensattendingclassesformeditation,theycouldbehelpedbeforeanxietysetsinandfindthemselvesmoregroundedandabletotakeonthestressesoftheworldwithoutsuchmedications.Similarly,womenwhoweretakingmedicationssuchasEffexor,Celexa,Zoloftetc.,increasedinnumbersothatin2011therewasshowntobe23percentofallwomenbetweentheagesof40and50.Thesenumberscontinuetoriseandareaworryingreflectionofthekindofworldthatwearelivingintoday.Thoseinthisagegroupareinthelateryearsoftheircareersandhavepotentiallyhadtodealwithprogressandthechangesthatgowithit.Theunacceptablyhighproportionofwomentakingmedicationfordepressionordepressionrelatedillnessescouldberefocusedonnaturaltreatmentssuchasmeditationinordertohelpthepatientsgaincontroloftheirlives.

Unfortunately,

onceapatientisonthesekindsofdrugs,theyareusuallyonthemlongtermbecausethesearenotdrugsthatyoucansimplystoptaking.Whilesomemayseeitasa“conspiracy”

theory,withallofthesupportedevidenceshownabove,canonenotbealittlesuspectabouttheprofitsofpharmaceuticalcompaniesweighedupagainstthepromotionofnaturalhealthcuresthatcostnothingatall?

Themedical

worldismostlyinagreementaboutthebenefitsofmeditation.Theyseethisasabreakthrough.Peoplethemselvesarefindingthatmeditationisbenefitingthem.TherearemanyreportsonthisandvideosonwebsitessuchasYouTube,whichshowthebenefitsofmeditation,andyetpeoplestillresistit.Theproblemisthatpeoplefindithardtogobackwardandtheyfindgettingofftheroundaboutofactivityandstressveryhardindeed,althoughoncetheydo,theywishtheyhaddoneitearlier,becauseitallowsthemsuchfreedom.

Talktoyour

doctor.Talktoyogapractitionersandevenifyoutakeupyogaassomethingyouthinkyoucando,throughthismediumyouwillbeintroducedtomeditationandcanthenexpandyourviewofmeditationbaseduponyouryogaexperience.

Formostpeople,yogasessionsareavailablelocallyandthisisasteptowardactuallyincorporatingmeditationintoyourlife.Thisfirststepintherightdirectioncouldbenefityourbody,yourmindandyourabilitytostaveofftheeffectsofanxiety.Ifyoutalktoyourpracticinggeneralpractitioneraboutmeditation,she/hemaybealittlewary.Trytalkingtothemaboutyoga,andasthisisanestablishedbeneficialactivity,theyaremorelikelytosaythatthiswillbenefitthehealth.Whattheyarefailingtoseeisthatyogainitselfintroducespractitionerstomeditationandthatmeditationmaybewhatishelpingthebodyandmindtostayfit.

TheBuddhausedmeditationtogetclaritysothathewouldbeabletoexplaintothosewishingtofollowBuddhistwaysoflifehowtheyshouldbehavetowardothersand toward themselves.There isverypowerfulevidence thatBuddhismandthemeditationthatgoeswithithelpspeopletofindahappierplacewithinthemselveswhereacceptance iseasier than itwouldbewithout thisdiscipline.PeopleareabletofindacompletepeacewithinthemselvesusingmeditationofthiskindandwhenyouseeconversationswithpowerfulpeoplesuchastheDalaiLama,youcannothelpbutbeimpressedbyhisstateofcalmanditisthisstateofcalmthatpeoplewhoaresufferingfromstressandanxietyseek.Ofcourse,youdon'thavetoshaveyourheadorevendontherobesofaBuddhistmonk,butyoudohavetoputasidetimetoallowyourselfthatsilencethatisaspowerfulasahealingtool.

GuidedMeditation

Therearemanydifferentmethodsofguidedmeditation.Sinceeachpersonhasadifferent goal when starting themeditation process, there are several ways toachieve thesegoalswithdiverseguidedmeditationprograms.There are a fewstepsthatthemeditatingpersonmustgothroughinordertoachieveacompletemeditative state.Mostof these steps in theprocess focusmainlyon relaxationandtheclearingofthemindsinceitcanbeadifficulttasktoachieve.

Peoplewhofindinterestinmeditationturntoguidedmeditationtohelpthemto center their minds and bodies. The guided meditation process can make

meditatingseemachievableandcanhelptheusertofeelmoregroundedandintouchwiththemselvesratherthanfeelinglostwhiletryingtoquiettheirmind.

Therearemanydifferentwaystoachieveameditativestatebutmostoftheseprocessesstartbyinstructingthepersontositinacomfortableposition.Itisalsoveryimportantthatthepersonisinaquietspacewithnodistractionsorsoundsaround that could divert the concentration that is needed. Guided meditationgenerallyinstructsthepersonwhoismeditatingtoquietandstopthemind.Thismeans that the person should release any thoughts from his or her mind andconcentrate onnothingness.Themeditatingperson should alsomake sure thathis or her body is completely relaxed and there is no strain on any body partwhilesittingintheposition.

Meditationchairscanupgrade theexperienceof investigationbypermittingyoutositinacomfortableandloosepositionamidyourrelaxingsession.Ontheoffchancethatyouhavebackissuesorconstrainedadaptability,theseatoffersacomfortableoptionforsittingonthefloor.

For those simply who are starting the meditation, a sitting chair can be asuccessfulmethodforupgradingfocusandconcentration.Therearedistinctivesortsofseatsaccessible includingmeditationseats,ergonomicallydesignedtiltchairsandinflatablecushions.

Ameditationchairallowsyoutositcomfortablywithoutputtingpressureonyourback.A tilt chair canalso supportyourbackand this iswillbeallowingyoutoremain in theperfectuprightposition.Alotofcompanies thatprovidesmeditation supplies also manufacture sell some meditation chairs, inflatablecushions and folding benches, to enable you to meditate in any setting orenvironment.Aperfectchairisanexcellentinvestmentifyouarecontinuouslyexercisingmeditation.

Meditationchairshavemanytypesofadvantagesmorethanjustsittingonthefloor or a regular chair.Meditation needs harmony of body andmind, whichmeans that physical discomfort should not really exist during the meditation

experience.Toexpandourconsciousnessandreachclarityofmind, it is reallyimportant to be as comfortable as you can get during the meditation session.Sittinginanypositionforalongtimeisboundtocausecrampinganddistress.The designed chairs can provide the proper support and comfort necessary toallowyoutogetallwhatyouneedofyourmeditationexperience.Itisalsoveryimportanttoknowthatregularchairsdonotmoldtothebodyinthesamewayasanergonomicallydesignedmeditationdevice.

Theperfectmeditationchairshaveaslightforwardangle,whichpreventsyoufromslumpingduringthemeditationsession.However,makesurethatthechairisnottoosteeplyangled,asthismightcauseoverarching.

Theidealtiltshouldbenomorethanafewinches.Themosteffectiveoptionistopurchaseameditationchairthatyouarecapableofadjustingaccordingtoyourheight,weightandcomfortlevel.Havinganexperiencedpersonwhoistheretoguideyouthroughthemeditationsessionandadjustyourpostureisalsoagreatidea.

A sitting devicemay be in somanyways useful if you are practicing Zenmeditation, which needs many sitting postures. Zen meditation chairs can bemadeoutofalotofmaterialsandcomeinseveraldifferentstyles.

Youcanpickupethestylethatsuitsyouthebestaslongasthedeviceenablesyourdiaphragmtocontractandexpandinafreeway.

Meditationisallaboutdiscoveringyourinnerpeace.Asopposedtoprevalentthinking, discipline andphysical uneasiness degrades insteadof improving theexperience.Ameditation chair is a device that helps us to focus on themostimportant thing during our meditation session. With the proper tools andsurroundings,themeditationsessionwillsurelybethebestexperienceyoueverhad.

CHAPTEREIGHT

MEDITATION–FOCUSEDMEDITATIONVERSUS

MINDFULNESS

Forpeoplewhodonotreallyunderstandmuchaboutmeditation,anargument

may come to mind as to whether you can be mindful as well as meditating.People seemeditation as a closingof themindor a switchingoffof activitieswithinthebrainwithfocusbeingonchant,mantras,focusedobjectsorbreathingsounds.Howdoesthisthenequatewithmindfulness?

Ifyouare

mindfuldoesn'tthatmakeyouveryconsciousandveryaware?

Thetruthis

thattherearedifferentwaystomeditate.Somedofocusoninnerelementssuchastheheartbeatorthebreathing,buttheseareallverypositivethings.Evenwithmindfulmeditation,ithelpstobeawareofthebreathingbecausepeoplehavelearnedsomanybadhabitsthatthistakesawaythebenefitofgoodoxygenationtothebody.However,mindfulmeditationgoesalittlefurtherthanotherformsofmeditation,inthatyoudon'thavetositcrossleggedallofthetimeyouaremeditating.Peoplewhohavemasteredthiskindofmeditationfindthemselvespresentintheactualmomentandareawareoftheirsurroundingsandthingsthatpeoplehavelongforgottenaboutasimportant.

Themindfulnessdoesn'tmeanfillingthemindwithworriesandanxieties.Itmeansdroppingthoseinfavorofbeingtotallyawareofthemoment.Thatmaysoundalittlewishy-washyforpeoplewhoarenewtomeditation,solet'sexplainit another way. Instead of the stress of a moment, someone who practicesmindfulnessallowsthepositivitywithintheirsurroundingstopenetrateintotheirminds,leavingnospacefornegativity.

If you stand in a garden and look at the cobwebs that are forming on theplants, thesemaybe filledwithmorningdew.The sparkleof the cobwebwillgive the impression of becoming a diamond necklace. It's a beautiful sight tobehold.Those toobusywith lifewouldpassby itandnotsee it forwhat it is.Thosewhoaremindfulofthatmomentwouldembracetheexperienceasbeingsomethingthatisfilledwithwonderment.

Beingmindfuldoesnotmeanthatyoucannotmeditatebecauseyourmindistoo busy. The kind of mindfulness that you practice is concentrating on onemoment in your life and that's a help, in itself. If you concentrate on onemoment, forexample,youareunable toallowother thoughts thatarenegativefromthepasttointerfere,andyouarealsounabletoplaninadvanceandhaveyourmind filledwithambitious thoughts.Beingplanted in themomentmakesyoumuchmoreawareofeverythingaroundyouandabletotakethingsinyourpace.Thiscutsdownonstress levels. Ithelpspeople tobeable togo throughtheirlivesandtopracticemeditationatanytimetheywish.

Transcendental meditation calls for silence of the mind. Focused attentionmeditation uses an object as a focal point and exercises the front area of the

brain,helping thosewhouse thisformofmeditation togainfocuswithin theirlives.

Mindfulness

takesalloftheactualprocessofevaluationandmanipulationoutofthepictureandteachespractitionerstoacceptthatwhichispresentedwithoutquestionandwithoutanykindofmentalfight.Thisallowsalphabrainwavestofillthemindanditisthesethatgivethesubjectsuchafeelingofwell-beingandrelaxation.Thus,thesubjectisnotactivelythinkingofanythingandonecoulddescribetheirmindasemptyasisthepurposeinotherformsofmeditation,whilemindfulofitssurrounding.Itletsthesurroundingspermeatewithouthavingtoactuallygivethemsenseormeaning.

Thisis

extremelygoodforstressedpeopletopracticeandthosewhoachieveitfeelacertainsenseofinnocence.Ifyoucanimagineababylyinginacradleandlookinguptowardabubble.Ithasnopreconceivedideasaboutwhatthebubbleis,norwhetheritissolidornot.Thebabyseesitandacceptsitforwhatitis.Thissimplicityofnatureofacceptanceiswhatmindfulnessisallabout–seeing,beingmindfuland

accepting?Thus,althoughthemindisnotemptyofvision,itisemptyofpreconceivedideasaboutwhatthevisionisshowingit.

Fromthis

illustration,youshouldbeabletoseethedifferencebetweenmindfulnessmeditationandotherformsofmeditation.TheBuddhaactuallymadethepointofexplainingtothoseseekinghishelpthatthelessyouare,themoreyouareandthishasbeentranslatedinmanywayssince.Mindfulnessmeansawareness.

Itdoesn'tmeananyactionneedstobetakenoranyjudgmentmade.Justliketheinnocentbabywhosawthebubble,themindseesthebeautyoftheearthandallthatisinitandletsthosevisionspermeatewithouthavingtohaveanyinteractionwiththem.

Finishing this chapterwith aquotationaboutmindfulness, taken from“TheMiracle ofMindfulness:An Introduction to thePractice ofMeditation” seemsveryappropriateasgiving the reader foodfor thought in their journey into theunknownworldofmeditation.

“Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed,recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both areourselves.The tangerine Iameating isme.Themustardgreens Iamplantingareme.Iplantwithallmyheartandmind.IcleanthisteapotwiththekindofattentionIwouldhavewereIgivingthebabyBuddhaorJesusabath.Nothingshouldbetreatedmorecarefullythananythingelse.Inmindfulness,compassion,irritation,mustardgreenplant,andteapotareallsacred.”-ThíchNhấtHạnh

You

havebutonelife.Mindfulnessallowsyoumaximumenjoymentandenlightenmentfromthatmomentyoustarttopracticeitaswellashelpingyoutoreapthementalandhealthbenefitsthatcomeaspartandparcelofyouracceptanceofthisgreatformofrelaxationandacceptanceoflife,asthegiftitis.

CHAPTERNINE

CREATINGYOUROWNMEDITATIONROOM

Alotofpeoplearetakinguptheactivityofyogathesedaystokeepthemselves

inpeakhealthandfarawayfromthedangersthestressoftoday'smodernsocietycanbringtoaperson.Yogaisakindformofexercise,morekindthanmostoftheotherformsofexercisesuchasaerobics,weightlifting,orevensomethingassimpleasrunning!Mostpeoplewhopracticeyogahavetheirveryownprivatemeditationrooms.

Meditation rooms don’t have to be exactly rooms per se.Most of the timethey’rejustsecludednooksandcranny’sinsomeone’shomewheretheycanbein total isolation to be able to think, relax, and meditate. Having a privatemeditation room, however, is not something that has to be exclusive to yogapractitioners.Youtoocanhaveyourveryownmeditationroomthatcanbeusedasaplace to justsitbackandgetawayfromthefast-pacedandstressfuldailylife that most of us live. Your meditation room can be your own hideaway,whereyoucanbreathefreelyandgatheryourthoughts.

ChoosingaSpotforYourMeditationRoom

Silenceandisolationaretheprimaryqualitiesthatameditationroommusthave.

Nomatterhowsmallyourhomeis,itispossibletohaveameditationroomwhereyoucanhaveabitofpeacefulrespite.Justfindaplacetosetitupthatisalittleoutofthewayinyourhome.Youcansituateyourownmeditationroominyourownbedroomifneedbe.Anycornerthatcanbemadesecludedwillsuffice,infact.Allyouneedtodoifyourmeditationroomisnotaseparateroominitselfistopartitionitcreativelysoyouwouldnotbebotheredifyou’reinsideyournook.

FurnishingtheMeditationRoom

A meditation room doesn’t require much in terms of furnishing. The mostessential pieceof furniture there is,wouldbe a comfortable chair that iswideenoughforyoutocurlyourlegsin.Eventhat,achairisnotexactlynecessary.Ifspaceisaproblem,acushioncanserveinitsstead.

ACD player, however,may be necessary. It helps a lot tomeditate whilelisteningtosoft,instrumentalmusic.Orperhapstorecordednaturalsoundslikethesingingofthebirds,thesoundofthewaves,andthesoundoffallingrain.

How your meditation room is lit may affect how well you focus andconcentrate in clearing your mind. The lighting you ought to install in yourmeditation room is something that should be soft and subtle. Stay away fromharshlyglowingfluorescentbulbswhenyou’relightingyourmeditationroom.

Youdonothave todecorate thewallsofyourmeditation room. Ifyoucanpaint the walls a neutral color, it would be best to do so. You don’t needanythingthatcandistractyoufrommeditationinsideyourmeditationroom.Tosetandenhance themood,however,youcanput shelveswhereyoucanplacesomescentedcandlesoravaseof flowers,perhapsevena figurineor two. Apotted plant can help set themood aswell. These are all the decorations youwouldneedforyourmeditationroom.

MaintainingtheMeditationRoom

Yourmeditationroomisideallytheoneplaceinyourhouse,ifnotinthewholeworld,whereyoucangetawaytorelaxandtoclearyourmindofanythingthatisbotheringyou.Theonethingthatwilldefeatthispurposeisifyouleaveyourmeditationroomcluttered.

Nomatterhowbusyyoumaybewithyourdailylife,alwaysfindthetimetokeepyourmeditation roomcleanand freeofclutter.Cleaningyourmeditationroommaybeseenasaformofmeditationinitself.Afterall,thereasonyouhaveameditationroomistokeepyourmindclearandunburnedbychaos.Toachievethat, you have to keep yourmeditation room clean and unburned by chaos aswell.

YouDoNotNeedaMeditationRoom

Even thoughwehavecovered theconceptofmeditation roomsdoesnotmeanthatyouneedone.Allyoureallyneedisarelaxingcorner inorder toperformmeditation. If this is the corner of your living room, then that is enough tosuffice for you.You do not need anything special tomeditate.All you reallyneedisaclearspaceandaclearmindinordertoperformthisexercise.Thatisoneofthebestpartsofmeditation…noequipmentneeded.

CHAPTERTEN

POSITIVEAFFIRMATIONINMEDITATION

Asahumanbeingitisveryimportantandextremelycrucialtohaveapositive

self-esteemforourwellbeingandhappiness.Ourself-esteembeingpositiveiswhatmakes thedifferenceas towhatwetakeon in lifeandhowwedecide tocreateandwhatwepushtoachieve.Inorderforustohaveahappyandhealthyrelationship with other people along with experiencing intimacy that is reallytrue we must have a positive self-esteem. You could also think of having apositive self-esteem can grant us a pure spirituality. A poor self-esteem canallow us to be pulled down to a large amount of negativity in our life. Theseinclude anxiety, depression, stress, fear and loneliness. Having a poor self-esteem or negative attitude is believed to correspond with a drug or alcoholdependency.

Therearesomepeoplewhobelievethataself-imagethatispoorornegativecanbethereasonfortheseaddictions.

Whenwelookatself-esteemanditsimportancewethinkwecanunderstandit somewhat, but there is always the question that has remained unansweredabouthowwecanenhanceor improvesomeonesself-esteem.Therearesome

who believe that self-esteem is controlled by a person being successful, byaccomplishingthetasksthattheytakeonduringtheirlifetime.Becauseofthisalot of effort is place on assisting other people in efficiently and effectivelyplanningwhat theywill do in life. Some think that our relationships arewhatdetermineourself-esteem,orthatifwearesurroundedbypositivepeoplewhoacknowledge or appreciate us that it will affect our self-esteem in a positivemanner. There is training that can be given to help improve a person’sinterpersonal skills such as relating and communicating with other people.Positive self-esteem is not gainedbydoingorhaving these skills even thoughtheybotharestillveryimportant.

Positive affirmations are an extremely effectiveway to help improve one’sself-esteem.Apersonwillultimatelychangehowtheyacttowardsothersorhowthey see them or even what they think about themselves through positiveaffirmations. Our positive affirmations help us decide what decisions we aregoing tomake fromwhatwe feel insideourmind.Theattitudeorpersonality,ouridentitiesofwhoweseeourselvesas,ourwayofthinkingallcomefromtheaffirmationsthatwehave.Thesearefundamentallycomposedofmerelanguageorwords.Allthethoughtsandallthewayswethinkareouraffirmations.Whenwe use affirmations that are positive repetitively we will change the internalprevalentlanguagepattern.Althoughitsoundslikeabadthingwearecapableofhaving negative affirmations thatwe can use constant positive affirmations tochangethewaywethinkgivingusinternalpositivedialogueorself-talk.

Usingourownvoicecanbethebestwaytouseourpositiveaffirmations.Wecanlistentoaproductthatisdevelopedforcommercialuseandgainbeneficialresultsfromthepositiveaffirmationsfoundwithin.Youcanhelptoimprovethepower of these commercial products by using your own voice to quote them.Thismakes it easier because the resistance ismuch lesswhen the voice yourmind hears is already a familiar voice and it hears it all day. Now apply thepositiveaffirmation.

Music that is for therapeutic relaxation can help to strengthen the positive

affirmations alongside using your own voice. Using your own voice for yourpositive affirmations can be extremely powerful and therapeutic relaxationmusicthatwillhelptocreateanaudiospacemakingtheaffirmationswhenwearerelaxeditispossibletobemoresuggestibleoropentopositiveaffirmations.Therapeutic relaxation music can be enhanced greatly by combining it withbinauralaudiotonesandthedeliveryofpositiveenhancingaffirmationsthatwillhaveahighamountofeffectonimprovingandtransformingsomeone’sinternalself-esteemandself-talk.Usingaffirmationsthatarerecordedinsomeone’sownvoiceandusingtherapeuticrelaxationtypemusicofthemostcommonmethodsoftreatmentforsomeonewhoissufferingfromsubstanceabuseproblems.Itisagreat method of improving someone’s self-esteem that is a great method ofutilizingaffirmations.

LawofAttraction:HowtoUseAffirmations

In order to affirm something means to declare that something is true andalreadyexistent.Itworksthesamewhenyouwanttoattractthingsortransformsomething into one of our desires. In order to create an affirmation, onemustdeclaretotheuniverseandtoyourselfthatyoualreadyarewhatyouwanttobe.Asyourepeattheaffirmationsyoumustholdyourthoughtsclearanduseintensefocus onwhat you intend to create. This iswhatmakes the time that you aremeditatingperfectforrepeatingaffirmations.

Affirmationsservealotofdifferentpurposeswhenyouaretryingtomanifestwhatyouwantoutoflife.Applyingthelawsofattractioncanbeextremelyhardwhile you are trying tomaintain a positive and uplifting thought process. Formostpeople,itisverydifficulttomonitoreverythoughtthatgoesthroughyourhead.However, once you create very clear affirmations, you can use them tocontrolyourthoughtsandinfluenceyourthoughtprocesstowardamorepositivethoughtprocessingeneral.

ThreeWaystoUseAffirmations

1.

One

ofthefirststepstousingaffirmationsistoexplainveryclearaboutwhatyouwantfromtheuniverse.Inordertobecomeclearenoughfortheuniversetorecognizeyouraffirmations,youshouldwriteoutinfulldetailswhatyouwanttoexperienceandseeinyourgoal.Thecleareryouareaboutyourintentionstochangethingsandwhatyouwanttomanifest,themorepoweryouhavetocreatewhatyoureallywant.

2.

Writeyourpositiveaffirmationinthefirstpersonstating,whatyouwantfromlifetheeasieritistomanifest.Donotstatethatyou“wish”or“someday.”Youshouldcompletelyomitthewords“Iwish,”“someday”or“Idon’twantto.”

Whenconsideringaffirmations,youshouldmake“Iam”

statements.

3.

Alwaysmakesurethatyouenteryouraffirmationzonewithapositivefeeling.Youshouldalwaysuseyouraffirmationwithafeelingthatwillempoweryourdesires.Thesefeelingsgeneratetheinternalenergynecessarytomanifestwhatyouwantfromtheuniverse.

At times, people find it hard to create success with affirmations. This isbecausetheenergywereleaseintotheuniversehasalottodowithwhatwegetback from theuniverse. In order tomanifest positive things from theuniverseyou must have a positive attitude. The affirmation must be more than justmindless,feeling-lessrepetition.

TheLawofAttractionCanHelpWithYourAnxiety

Thelawofattractionhashelpedcountlesspeople,allovertheworldtodevelopease over your stress and anxiety. If you are one of the tens of thousands ofpeoplewhosuffer fromanxietyorhighstressyouwill appreciate the fact thatpositive affirmations can help you to develop control over your anxiety andstress. You are not alone and the number of people who are suffering fromanxietyandstressisrisingdaily.Ifyoufindthatyouaresufferingfromanxiety

orstressyoumayneedtoseekthehelpofalicensedtherapist.

While you are seeking the help of a licensed professional, you can use thelaws of attraction to help speed up your recovery and aid the medication intreatingyourdisorder.Formanypeoplewhopracticethelawofattraction,itisthefocalpointofrecovery.Licensedtherapistsrecommendthepracticebecauseitdatesback to theAncientBabyloniansbecauseof itspower tohealphysicalmentalandemotionalproblems.

Even though the practice is considered ancient and is well known to helppeople manifest things in their lives that they feel are important, the law ofattractionhasonlyrecentlymadebooksforitsabilitytomakelivesbetter.Ithasmostly been passed down through word of mouth for those who practicedmeditationormartialarts.

Itissadtothinkthatwearejustnowlearninghowtotakecontrolofourownlives and we are just now learning that we are the creator of our own lifeexperience. Whether we are religious or not, we now recognize that somesupernaturalbeingisnotinchargeourlives.Whiletheremaybeahigherpower,weare in thedriver’sseatofour livesandwechoosewhichroadswewant totakeandwhatturnswewanttotakeinlife.Theseturnscanleadustosuccessorcanleadustofallingflatonourface.

Thebestpartisthatwedon’thavetowaitforthingstocometousinlife,wecanstarttodayandcreatealifethatwefeelisworthliving.

ThreeSimpleStepstoEnhanceYourTherapy

1.

Didyouknowthatmeditatingforatleast10-20

minuteseverydayonaregularbasis,willhelpyougreatlytoimproveyourcondition?Butyoustillmightneedthehelpofaprofessionaltherapistordoctorbutpracticingmeditationeverydayyourselfisstillavaluablething.

Ontheoffchancethatyouhaveyoungstersorotherrelativesthatneedyourconsiderationyouneedtodothisactivitywhenthingsarepeacefulwiththegoalthatyoucanreallybestillandrelaxed.Createsometimeformediationfromabusyandstressfulday.

2.

Atthepointwhenthinkingyoucandothemeditationsession:Closeyoureyesandimagineyourselfsittinginahugefootballstadiumallbyyourselfintotaldarkness.Holdthismentalpictureforaround20seconds.Afterthe20secondsareoverenvisionyourselfsittinginthesamestadiumwithbrightandwarmlightssparklingonyou,afterthatdoareversalinyourmindtothesamestadiumwitheachoneofthelightsout.Thisexerciseisgoingtoenhancetheunderstandingofyourinnerself.Toknowyourinnerpersonmeditationwillhelpyoutounderstandyourself.Itwilllikewisehelpyoutohearyourselfoutandturnouttobemorenatural.TheLawofAttractionhashelpedendlessindividualstohelpwiththeirtensionsandanxiety.Itmightbetroublesomeatfirstforyoutohaveameditationsessionparticularlyontheoffchancethatyoudidn'tdomeditationevenbefore.Youstillwanttomakeitpartofyourdailyroutine.Meditationisreallyhelpfulforgoodmentalandphysicalhealth.

3.

Tohelpwithyourstressyoucanlikewiseconsidersomeawesomeaffirmationstoassistyouthoselinesofrecovery.Hereareafewsentencesofwhatyoucouldsaywhiledoingaffirmations:“IamlivinginheavenandIhavepeaceallaroundme.IamfeelingextraordinaryandIcherishmylife”.Youwillhavetosaytheseaffirmationsinthepresenttense.Thismaysoundlikealietoyouatfirst,whenyouarefeelingquiettothecontrary.

TheLawofAttractionhelpsustounderstandthattheuniversehoweverwillonlyrespondtoyourfeelingsnottothespokenlanguage.Affirmationsaretotallygoingtohelpyoutotrainyoursubconsciousmindtobeinharmonywiththewayofexactlyhowyouwantittobe.WhenusingtheLawofAttractiontobecomewellandtogetridofstressbothmeditationandaffirmationsareimportant.Thiswillbeanamazingsteppingstoneintoyourfuturefreefromstressandanxieties.

With the informationabout theLawofAttractionandbyapplying it in therightwaywecanprogramourselvestobewhatwetrulyneedtobe.Wereallydon'tneedtothinkthatourconditionsinlifearemeanttobeorthatwehavingtodepend on external forces and theirmercy! It is your right to have peace andgoodhealthwhenapplyingtheLawofAttractionandwhenmakingitallworkforyou.

Self-ImprovementwithAffirmations

Didyouknowthataffirmationsareverypowerfulastoolsthatcouldbethekeyinbringingawholenewchangeinyourlife?

Affirmations could bring you a change in your life or it could bring you newsituationsintoyourlife.

Self-affirmationsarehealing,optimisticmessagesthatyoucangivetoyourselftogetridofyournegativemessages.Affirmationsareanexampleofvisualizationwithmentalimagesbutinaffirmationsweusewordsinstead.Wordsyousaysoeveryonecanhear,readorcomposeeverydaythatwillhelpyoudescribe

wordsinstead.Wordsyousaysoeveryonecanhear,readorcomposeeverydaythatwillhelpyoudescribewhatyouneedtobeandwhatyouplantoaccomplish.

Affirmations are self-improvement predictions that when imagined and hadconfidenceinwillworkoutasexpected.

Justsayingthewordsoverandoveragainisnotreallyenough.Affirmationsarenotsometypeofmagicsentencesthataresaidonlyacoupleoftimesandafterthatmakesmiracles. Ifyouwantaffirmations toproduceresults, theyought toberepeatedfrequentlywithfeelingandconviction,inorderforittowork.

Inordertostartsuccessfulaffirmationsyouhavetostartbysayingthesewords:“Iam”,“Ican”,and“Iwill”.An"Iam"affirmationisanannouncementofwhoyouare,forexample,IamsmartorIamcreative.An"Ican"

affirmationisanannouncementofyourpotentialandpowerofchanging,forexample,IcanbepowerfulorIcanbeawinner.An"Iwill"

affirmationisanannouncementofpositivechangethatyouneedtofulfill,forexample,IwillremaincalmorIwillhandlemoneyrelatedissuescarefullytoday.Affirmationsoughttodependablybeexpressedinapositiveway.Anincredibleapproachtouseaffirmationsistodirectlywritedown30ofthem,eachonadifferentcar.Everydayofthemonthconcentrateononeaffirmation.

Keepthecardwithyoushowedinyoursightandreaditoutloudamidtheday.

Affirmationsareaveryeasywayforyoutoimproveyourselfbecausebynaturehumansarecompelledtofollowwhattheybelievein.Whatkeepsyoumovingisyourbeliefinthefinalresult.Ifyoukeeptellingyourselfsomething,yourinnerself will make it become true. Affirmations are capable of strengthen yourambition, create new solutions and activate the subconsciousmind in order tomake your affirmation come true. The affirmations that you keep repeatingeveryday will become a positive habit that will result in self-improvement ofyourmind,bodyandsoul.

PositiveAffirmationsfortheSakeofMeditation

There

arepositiveaffirmationsthathavebeenspeciallywrittentobuildupyourmeditationattitudeandhelpyoumastertheskillsrequiredtonavigatethistrickydiscipline.

Oneofthebasicsof

meditationistobeinacasual,cool,andeventranquilconditionofbeing.

Andtheperfectwaytoachievethisistoletgoofallyourworries,releasestress,andletyourinternalthoughtsbecomequietmode.Ouraffirmationsthatwerementionedabovearegoingtohelpyouwithallofthisandalotmore,includingfocus,concentration,andevendedicationtoyourpracticeofmeditation.

Youareabletouse

affirmationsrightbeforeameditationsessiontohelpsettleyourmindandprepareforyoursessiontobegin,oryoucanevenchooseoneortwoaffirmationstofocuson(oranchor)asapointduringthemeditationitself.

Whicheveryouchoose,wethinkyou’llbeamazedbytheresultsitendsupwith.

Wehopethatourbookwillhelpyoutomeditatedeeplyandgiveyouthepeaceyouneedandlookfor.

Meditationjust

acknowledgesthepastandinthatwaydischargesitselffromitstalons.

Whateverhashappenedtheyarejustthoughtsandtheydon'tcontrolus.Theyarebasicallydischargediftheyaredestructiveandcelebratedifpositive.Itdoesnotusuallyattempttoreprogramthepastthoughtpatternsorbehaviorsratherthroughtheinfusionofloveinthemediator,itisfeltthatnew,higherthoughtpatternsnaturallydevelopandoldhabitsarereleasedortransformed.

Affirmationscanbea

typeofself-hypnosiswhereawordoranexpressionisrepeatedagainandagainasamethodforreprogrammingour

subconscious.Theyarethemostpowerfulaffirmationswhenoneisfocusedandconcentratedbutareeffectiveevenamidstthehustleandbustleofstressandtensions.

Ihaveseensamples

whereindividualshaveperceivedimpulsivedietarypatternsasamethodforhidingoneselforsubconsciouslytakingoneselfoutofthedatingdiversioninordertobefreefrombeingharmedseeingsomeone,Ontheotherhandofsmokingormedicationaddictionsasamethodofoneselfoversomeformofguiltorself-hate.Therearealotofscenarioswhere,unlessweexploreoursubconscious,wekeepfollowingandstressingourselveswiththeseextremelynegativebehaviors.

Inmyperspective,

meditationistheleastcomplexandbeststrategyforspiritualdevelopment.

Unlikewhenwearedoingprayers,wherewelayoutwhatwebelieveweneedanddoallthetalking,meditationhandsovertheprocesstoourheartandsoul,orinsomecasestoGod,andtellsyoudirectlydothetalkingandIwilllisten.

Positiveaffirmations

aresomethingthatyouusetotelltheuniversewhatWILLbe,notwhatyouwant.Youwillbesuccessful,youwillbepositive,youwillbeexactlywhatyouwanttobeinlifeandnothingcanstandinyourway.

Inmeditationthe

attentionisontheheartandthespiritandthepresentminute.Weleavethepastandfutureandputthegreaterpartofourconsiderationon'now'.Inthe"now"inmeditationwefeelveryextendedandconnectedwitheachotherandeverythingaroundus,inaverycalmpeace.Wheretheloveflowswithgivingandreceiving,thisisexactlywheretheheartofmeditationlies.

CONCLUSION

ThankyouonceagainforpurchasingthisbookandIhopeyouhadagoodread

andthatithelpedyourunderstandingofmeditation.

Withthe

effortsputintowritingthisbook,Ihopetohave,atleast,influencedyoutoasmallextentintryingoutthemeditationpracticesthatareoutlinedwithinthebook.Someofthesewillbelesspracticalforyoutotrythanothersandyouwilldecidewhichwaytogowhenchoosingasystemofmeditationthatworksforyou.

Inchapter1,welookedat thevariousquestionsinregardtomeditationandansweredeachofthesetogiveyouafairideaofwhattheconceptisallabout.Thesewerecommonquestionsaskedbypeoplewhowanttoknowmoreaboutmeditationbutareborderlineaboutwhether this isgoing tobesuited to them.Thequestionsareanswered inaclearandstraightforwardmanner, togiveyouthemostinformationpossible.This, inturn,canhelpyouonyourjourneyintodecidingwhethertoincorporatemeditationintoyourlifestyle.Youwillbeverygladyoudid,ifyoudecidetotakeupmeditationsincethereareclearlysomanybenefitstoregularpractice.

Inchapter2wefocusedonwhatmeditationcandoforyourbodyandgavean

overallgeneralperspectiveofwhat toexpectfromyourmeditationexperience.Weintroducetheconceptsthatwewilltouchoninthebookincludingthebasicconceptsofmeditation.Essentially,weintroducethebenefitsofmeditationandwhythisbookshouldlandnumberoneonyourlist!

Chapter3

focusedonthevariousbenefitsofmeditationandhowitcanhelpbringaboutachangeinbothyourmentalandphysicalwellbeing.Inthischapter,youfounddetailedinformationonwhymeditationmaybetherightchoiceandwhatitcandotohelpyoufrommentalhealthperspective.Wedescribedboththementalandhealthbenefitsofmeditationsothatyoucanseetheirrelevancetoyourlifeandalsoseethatyoumayactuallyfindyourselffeelingyoungerwithregularpracticeofmeditation.

Inchapter4,wesawhowthereareat least10different typesofmeditationpractices that you canmake use of to beat your stress and lead a happy life.Theseweredescribed indetail,givingyouthebasicmethodusedforeachandalsoadetaileddescriptionofwhateachtypeofmeditationhelpsyouwith.

Inchapter5,welookedatthemandatoryprecautionsthatyoumustundertakewhenyoudecidetotakeupmeditationandalsohadabrieflookatthevariousconditionsinwhichyoumustperformit.Thischapteralsodealtwithstumblingblocks that youmay encounter duringyour first attempts atmeditation.Thesearewellknownandshouldneverputyouofftheexperiencebecauseintheearlydays, it'shard to find that frameofmind that isperfect formeditation though,withpractice,youwill.

Finally,wesawhowyoumusthavereasonableexpectationsinordertofulfilleachandnotfeeldisappointed.Meditationisatherapyandatreatmentandnotacuresoyouhavetoperformitonadailybasis.

Ihopethebookallowsyoutotakeallthenecessarystepsforwardinyourlife,whichwill help you to relieve your life of stresses and also help you lead tomaximize your enjoyment of life and all that it has to offer you, within andoutside of your immediate understanding. Meditation opens up thatunderstanding and helps you to see clearly the full picture ofwhat life has toofferyou.

GoodLuckandNamaste.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/meditation-modern-life/201208/more-doctors-are-prescribing-meditation

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-meditation-overrated/

http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/5/6/750.abstract

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