Friday, June 18, 2010

Learn ALL about Meditation - What it is, How To Do It

Meditation, hypnosis and biofeedback-induced relaxation are a few of the techniques used with relaxation training. Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. Meditation has been one of the core spiritual practices undertaken by the Jains since the era of first Tirthankar Lord Rishabha. Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and improve certain medical conditions.

Meditation

Meditation is a simple technique that if practiced for as few as 10 minutes per day can help you control stress, decrease anxiety, improve cardiovascular health, and achieve a greater capacity for relaxation. Meditation is a holistic discipline by which the practitioner attempts to get beyond the reflexive, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Meditation is sometimes described as "listening to the silence between thoughts". Meditation has been defined as: "self regulation of attention, in the service of self-inquiry, in the here and now. Meditation can be practiced while walking or doing simple repetitive tasks. Meditation means 'To be free of measurement' " and ". Meditation has also been studied specifically for its effects on stress. Meditation can also help us to understand our own mind. Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress. Meditation and illness Many healthy people use meditation as a way to relax the body and reduce stress. Meditation is a safe and simple way to balance a person's physical, emotional, and mental states. Meditation using mindfulness is the most practical way to meditate. Meditation is usually practiced in a quiet place with as few distractions as possible. Meditation is a three step process that leads to a state of consciousness that brings serenity, clarity, and bliss. Meditation is a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.


Breath

We sit with our eyes partially closed and turn our attention to our breathing. We breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils, without attempting to control our breath, and we try to become aware of the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. There will be a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath. If we discover that our mind has wandered and is following our thoughts, we should immediately return it to the breath. We should repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath. Even though breathing meditation is only a preliminary stage of meditation, it can be quite powerful. Just by doing breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. This study found that many experiences of Pure Consciousness were associated with periods of natural respiratory suspension, and that during these respiratory suspension periods individuals displayed higher mean EEG coherence over all frequencies and brain areas, in contrast to control periods where subjects voluntarily held their breath.


Meditation Tools

There are many ways that you can get the help you need to get you started especially if you are a beginner. Some people can do this strictly by listening to nice soothing music (without words) and you can train your mind, and body to just “drift”.

I highly suggest guided meditation music where the listener is guided into the steps of meditation by voice and music together and helps to get you started. This is how I started out when I first learned how to meditate.

Some can simply focus on one object and let their minds go adrift . There is no right way or wrong way. It just depends on how comfortable you are.

If you choose the guided meditation method; there are many available CD, or MP3, Ipod players that you can download and so I highly recommend that you do a search on this subject.


**Although meditation is an aid to help you feel better it is by no means is a replacement for traditional medical treatment. It’s meant to be added to your treatment.**

1 comment:

  1. Hi,

    You have an incredibly great weblog. Many people will not recognize what mind power can do to one's achievement.

    ReplyDelete