Archive for the ‘Meditation’ Category
Meditation Music Helps Promote Successful Meditation
September 12th, 2010 | 
Author: Browse through any music store’s New Age section and you’re likely to see a wide selection of meditation music. Depending on the artist, the quality of meditation music varies. Despite the varied quality of the music, though, their purpose is the same: as an aid for people who practice meditation.
Promoting a Calm Mind
On the surface, meditation seems so easy to do, but it isn’t. After all, what’s so hard about sitting in the lotus position (cross-legged) and silently meditating? Anyone who sees a person meditating may immediately assume there is nothing difficult at all to the practice. Sure, you can see a person quietly sitting and thinking, and you may assume how the other person is thinking.
It may be appear that a meditating person is having a great time sitting still and quiet. However, have you ever tried to sit still and quiet and empty your mind? How long can you sit and remain quiet? For some people, meditating is a big challenge. The fact of the matter is that meditation calls for having the ability to ignore distractions; otherwise, the meditation session is useless. This is where meditation music is found useful by many yoga practitioners, as it helps calm the mind and lead to successful meditation.
Meditation Music Promotes Calm
It isn’t easy to enter into a meditative state, to clear the mind and empty it of all thoughts so that nothing is left but to let the mind and body relax. Meditation music is typically soothing; when it’s used as a training aid during yoga sessions, it can promote calmness. It needs to be noted, however, that everyone who decides to practice yoga, particularly the beginners, will have a hard time meditating successfully in the beginning. For most, it will be a struggle, and this is understandable, and exactly why aids like music for meditation exists. It’s for those who struggle meditating.
None of us can expect all of our days to be perfect. In the same manner, we all can’t — and shouldn’t — expect to do something, including meditation, perfectly all the time. This is the reason training aids and other tools are available. They are designed to help us and improve our skills and performance. In the case of meditation, we have meditation music available. So if you’re a novice at meditating, it’s a good idea to invest in a few meditation music CDs.
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Mindfulness Meditation and Self Hypnosis Benefits
Mindfulness Meditation is a relaxation discipline that is particularly appropriate for modern day living. In a world where the demands are greater than they were before, where speed and efficiency seems to be demanded, mental stress can accumulate and lead to physical illness. There are so many illnesses that stress can contribute to such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBD (Inflamed Bowel Disorder), Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcers, Hypertension and Panic Attacks to name but a few.
Everybody in this age of the internet expects quicker service and wants more immediate results. Time is becoming such a precious commodity that many people wake up one to realise that dreams and aspirations haven’t been started never mind accomplished. Time has rushed by and they can feel like they are in a rut. As is the case with many enlightened practices, mindfulness meditation has been around for thousands of years and has been a eastern practice. The western world is now catching up with the eastern worlds lead in healthy and balanced living.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) now includes mindfulness meditation as a way of helping change a person’s negative thinking or cognitive processing.
Mental Relaxation is Important too
We all know that regular physical exercise is important to help maintain muscles and to release the feel-good hormones known as endorphins. Exercise helps release stress and promotes good sleep patterns. However physical exercise alone is only a part of a healthy lifestyle.
Mental relaxation that encourages balanced and healthy cognitions (thinking and perceiving) is a vital part of our coping skills. Whilst any form of mental relaxation is to be encouraged, mindfulness meditation is proving to be both fast and effective at making lasting positive changes.
Self Hypnosis and Meditation
Steven Harold, the London Hypnotherapist has been practising meditation for over 30 years. As a trained hypnotherapist he also used self hypnosis. Through years of practice and training his clients he has formed a unique blend of the most effective elements of mindfulness meditation and self hypnosis.
At his London hypnotherapy practice, Steven provides a course that teaches his clients mindfulness meditation and self hypnosis that can be learnt in only one hypnotherapy session. This unique blend of east meets west, or mindfulness meditation and self hypnosis takes just 5 minutes of daily practice to gain immediate benefits. In essence it’s a real life changer and can benefit anyone no matter how busy their professional and personal commitments are.
Meditation For Better Health
Meditation is a centuries old practice that is experiencing a renewed interest. In our chaotic lives, people are finding that meditation can help them relax and let go of the stress they feel. But in addition to helping to relieve stress, meditation can heal. That is right. You can actually help heal your body through meditation.
Meditation is the act of total body relaxation. It calms the mind and body and allows you to step back from the outside world and release the stress. It is wonderfully refreshing and is a good thing to practice after a long day at work. Just spend about 15 minutes in quiet meditation and you will feel like a new person!
The health benefits of meditation are numerous. In addition to relieving stress, it can help lower your heart rate and blood pressure. This makes it a perfect thing to do after a particularly stressful day. However, this practice can go even deeper and open up your mind so you can heal and recharge. Here is a list of a few of the benefits you can receive from meditation.
Increased Mental Awareness – Because this practice relaxes your mind, you actually become more aware. You will find a renewed creativity and clearness of thought. It is good for creative people such as writers and designers to take a meditation break during the day. They will emerge with renewed creativity.
Freedom from Addictions – Many addiction treatment centers teach their patients to use meditation to help them overcome cravings. By using this practice addicts and alcoholics can find an inner peace that can help them break free from the powerful pull of addiction.
Increases the Power of Positive Thinking – when you focus on peace and total relaxation, you are more receptive to positive affirmations. In turn, these affirmations can help you become more self confident and sure of yourself.
Increases Spirituality – Many religions encourage meditation to increase spirituality. When you clear your mind you are more receptive to spiritual promptings. In addition, you become in touch with your own spirit and learn to have self respect.
Increases Mental Health – In addition to calming the body and spirit, meditation can help us conquer many health issues such as headaches and panic attacks. Many times these ailments are the result of stress in our lives and meditation is a great stress reducer.
If you still aren’t convinced that it is for you, try it and you will see. Use this basic meditation exercise. Sit or lie down in a quiet, dim room. Empty your mind of all thoughts and just concentrate on deep breathing. Become focused on your breathing – don’t let thoughts of work interfere. You will find yourself entering a deep state of relaxation. In fact, don’t be surprised if you fall asleep! That is okay – your body probably needs the rest.
The power of meditation isn’t mysterious or strange. It is very real and beneficial in so many ways. There are many different ways to meditate and you don’t have to follow a set program. The basic concept is to relax your mind and body, reconnect with your spirit and find peace.
The Top Benefits of Meditation – How You Physically Benefit From Meditation
We get plenty from the benefits of meditation when we practice it often. It is important that we take a few minutes for ourselves and practice that moment of silence. You can get many physical benefits of meditation. Just being relaxed is already something. When we practice meditation, we are brought to a higher level of relaxation and calmness. There are already many medical reports about the benefits of meditation.
Here are some common things that happen to our body when we practice meditation:
• During a fight or flight situation, blood flow to the digestive system is slowed down. Meditation can get the blood flowing back to the major organs.
• The tensions in the muscles are relaxed. This is one of the benefits of meditation which is very helpful in relieving pain and letting your body relax. With this, your body is able to work smoothly.
• Since you are now relaxed when you meditate, your body is more flexible now. Because of this, your heart does not have to work extra to pump blood. Blood thins out when we are relaxed. This will lower high blood pressure.
• Stress lowers the immune system so when are more relaxed, our immune system is boosted. Healing is best when the body is in its relaxed state.
• Meditation has been used by doctors already because they found out that the speed of recovery after a surgery is faster. For those who have asthma, meditation is highly advised because it opens up the air passages that become constricted during an asthma attack.
These are just some physical benefits of meditation that you may feel when you are practicing meditation often. To achieve the effects, one must do it constantly. If you are new to meditation, then practice makes perfect. The more you do it, the easier meditation becomes.
Using Colored Candles For Meditation
Candles are often used during meditation. They are very soothing and help bring about a calm atmosphere to get your mind and body in a peaceful state. The candles alone help enhance the meditation, but using colored candles provides a deeper meditation experience. These candles are often referred to as Chakra candles and they are composed of colors and fragrances which will enhance particular Chakras, and are used during meditation for this reason.
Each colored candle has a different meaning and by focusing on that color and it’s meaning, you can harness the power of the candle. I’ve listed a few of the colors and their meanings below:
Red – Red represents passion, power, and energy whether creative or physical. If you want to bring a boost of energy into your life, focus on this candle during meditation.
Black – Black candles represent protection from harm. They are considered to stop negative thoughts and are often used during times of loss such as the end to a relationship or when a friend or family members passes on.
Dark Pink – A dark pink candle focuses on love and spiritual healing. If you are looking for pure unconditional love and desire to truly connect with someone then this is the candle to focus your energy on.
White – White is a very popular candle. It is used to bring a higher awareness. If your goal is to attain peace within yourself and to focus your energy on spirituality, then this is the candle to use.
Benefits of Learning to Meditate
Learning to meditate can help someone if they feel like they are going to get out of control. Some research has indicated that it could be easy to find a way to relax yourself, if you just center yourself and look out the window, as distracting yourself from the situation may help you relax. So, by taking your eyes towards a landscape can reduce you heart rate in a stressful situation. However there are also some other techniques for meditation.
The first one is to sit up straight. Sit up straight away from you chair to get a nice straight line in your back. Put your fit, firmly on the floor, (if you can) and put the arms and palms turned facing upward towards you, and place them at the joint of your thighs, close to your stomach.
Then relax your body, by inhaling through the nose, with one long inhalation and one short one, so a double breath. It is probably best to do a short breath first. Hold the breath and the tension in your body for about five seconds, then exhale via the mouth with a double breath, as you do this it will then throw the tension out of your body, and repeat this about seven times.
Following this, breath in slowly and count to eight. Then hold it for another 8 seconds, then exhale with the same count. Continue without pausing, by inhaling, holding and exhaling by the count of eight. This is known as the measure breathing exercise. You repeat this exercise from at least three to six times.
Another form of meditation is meditation proper. This is concerned with concentrating. You do this by concentrating to the point that is in the middle of your eyebrows. By keeping the mind and energy focused and internalized. You should continue to do this for about five minutes, and finish with a prayer. Practicing this kind of tense and relax exercise can release the tension that you have build up in your body, together with the breathing exercises. It can be helpful to include a pray in your meditation, this will make you remember why you are meditating in the first place.
Practicing a form of meditation requires you to stay still as you want to keep the energy centered. To stop your self from moving, think of the body as a solid rock. Your eye position should always be steady and closed, with your eyes looking ahead. You should let your breath flow naturally after the breathing exercises, as you may notice that the pauses between them will be longer.
It is up to you how long you want to meditate for. However it is best to meditate where there are no distractions. So, a small room or some where in your bedroom. Keep it simple, you only need a chair and a cushion to sit on.
Meditation – A World Beyond Mind
It has been stated, “The typical person has as many as 60,000 thoughts in a single day.” The interesting part is most of them are recurring from the previous day and therefore unnecessary.
Here are two simple questions to ask yourself and supplementary comments from a meditative viewpoint:
Can you rationalize why you continue to think about the same things day after day?
Most people simply attempt to accomplish too much in a single day. Therefore, they move on to the next day without putting closure to the previous day. They make their to-do-lists and expect the world to evolve around that list to suit their needs for the day.
However, no matter how structured and focused a to-do-list is, unexpected challenges have a tendency to arise. When that happens the list simply goes out the window and nothing on it is accomplished. Most people then focus on all the things they won’t get done on their lists and carry them over to the next days list. This of course causes self imposed stress, frustration and adds to cluttered thinking.
Try ending your day with closure – by simply accepting what is – then you will see miraculous transitions. Each day is a new beginning. When acceptance becomes the normal flow in the day, the minds stories are cut off before they develop into full blown screen plays. If you can learn to accept that each occurrence in a day is happening exactly as it is meant to happen, challenges will have less impact on you and you will spend less time thinking about them as problems.
At the end of each day attempt to sit still and meditate for a few moments. Then make a small list (six items max), based upon what is really important for the next day. Then start each morning by meditating before your typical life-situation begins. A short meditation in the morning provides an energy increase that goes a long way throughout the day. By starting out feeling refreshed and conscious of the present moment it allows the experiences of life to evolve at a natural pace throughout the day.
What would happen if you could actual purge those recurring thoughts from you sub-conscious mind?
Some would say it’s impossible to eliminate thought and consider meditation a waste of time. If that’s your opinion – wonderful – have a great day. Just know the ego will come up with many excuses to hold you prisoner in thought, especially recurring thoughts. Therefore, if you are determined to continue your days with thoughts from previous days enjoy the typical daily cycle.
However, if you would like to purge recurring thoughts from your mind and start the day out feeling refreshed, consider at least attempting to sit still for a few moments. Close your eyes take a couple deep breaths and focus on the one thing you love to do more than anything else. Feel the experience of being consumed by that one activity. Did it bring a smile to your face and “just for a moment,” were you free of other recurring thoughts? Thoughts can be wonderful, but when it’s the same ones day in and day out, then they build into egoic dramatic stories.
Meditation is about awareness in each present moment and reconnecting with your higher self. Through the practice of daily meditation, you can quickly learn to simply dismiss stories and return to a natural state of peace. Consider taking a chance on meditation today, you really have nothing to loose – that is, other than unnecessary recurring thought patterns.