New Mastery Of Meditation

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Easy Breathing Practices

While a part of meditation is getting in touch with your awareness, another part has to do with relaxing and clearing your mind. Breathing is an important tool to get to both those places. Breathing may seem as simple as breathing in and out; however, this is not entirely the case.

For mediation to be successful, you will need to read up a little, listen to some CDs, and most of all practice a bit of breathing properly. Here are a few easy breathing practices to make your beginning mediation experience an enlightened one.

Proper Sitting for Proper Breathing
First and foremost, make sure that you are comfortable. Sitting upright with a straight spine will help the energy flow and prepare you for proper breathing exercises. Do not sit too rigidly, or you will be uncomfortable and unresponsive to the proper breathing format.

Relaxation of the Body
Once you have gotten into a comfortable seated position, it is important to relax your body to prepare it for breathing techniques and meditation. No matter how well you practice your breathing, if your body is tense, you will not have success. Begin by relaxing the muscles in your toes, moving to your ankles, and work your way all the way up to the top of your head. Once your body is in its relaxed position, then it will be time to begin your proper breathing techniques.

Pay Attention to Your Breaths
In the beginning, simply pay attention to your breaths. Be attuned to the rhythm of the breaths, focusing on the in and out of those breaths. Do not try to control those breaths; just be aware of them. It is very important to be aware of how you are breathing in the beginning before trying to learn any new technique on how to breathe. Being aware is an important part of the process.

Pay Attention to Your Body
Once you are acutely aware of how you breathe, it is important to pay attention to your body. If you are not experiencing your stomach rising and falling with each breath, you may be tense in the moment. It is important to have your breath enter into the nostrils and leave through mouth naturally.

Establish a Rhythm
It is very important to establish a breathing rhythm. Once you become aware of your breathing, you will notice that it is easier to establish a rhythm. Once that rhythm is established, you will find your meditation to flow easily and you will get the most benefit out of that meditation.

Creating a Meditation Room

Once you have made a conscious choice to meditate, then the next step is to take action. If you have chosen to meditate at home, then you will need a space where the magic will happen.

We all try to sabotage ourselves and talk ourselves out of things by making excuses as to why we should not do something. However, once you commit to making meditation part of your life, there will be no more excuses.

Creating a Meditation Room

Pick a room in the house and declare that space to be your new meditation space. Speak with your family members if you have family living with you. Explain to them that by sacrificing this space once or twice a week, they are helping you to achieve the goal of calmness and peace.

If your family knows that you will benefit and that they will benefit by the transformation in you as well, they should be more than happy to accommodate you.

Creating a Meditation Space
If the option of having a room all to yourself does not work, do not let that deter you. Choose a space in a room that is designated for your meditation work. Your own bedroom would work wonders.

Things You Will Need
Regardless of whether or not your space is an entire room or a small space in the corner of your bedroom, you can create the space you need for perfect meditation. For this, you will need:
* A space that is void of distraction
* A space that defines you
* A place where you can be comfortable
* A comfortable floor mat or cushion
* Amenities that are conducive to relaxation

Choose a space that has minimal distraction, preferably where no phone exists. Decorate your space so that it defines you in a positive light. If your favorite color is blue, then a blue yoga mat or comfy blue pillow will be great additions. If you love to travel for leisure, put up some pictures of favorite places that you have been.

Make sure you are at your most comfortable in your space. A thick, cushy floor cushion and a fluffy pillow behind your back are ideal ways to start your meditation practice. If your floor mat is not comfortable, you will not be either.

If you wish to meditate to some serene music, buy a CD that wafts this type of music into the background just low enough to get the impact. Burn some incense or some candles, and you will be all set to go.

Once you have designed the space or room based on the theory of relaxation, you will notice how you run there to practice the art of meditation. It will be so inviting, you will not be able to wait.

Beginner Meditation Techniques

It is very important to note that with any new undertaking, there will be questions and adjustments, and your mind will probably want to talk you out of it as well. If you persist and experiment, you will get to where you need to be with your meditation practice.

Understand that meditation is not something that will happen overnight or something that will be automatic from the onset. It takes time and it takes practice.

Take the time to read through some books or get some audio/visual tapes to acclimate yourself with the art and practice of meditation. In this way, you will know what to expect.

Start to focus on your breathing throughout the day. When you are hurried and rushed, do you notice that your breath is shorter and more labored? If so, begin by focusing on each breath, taking deep breaths in through the nostrils and releasing through the mouth. You should also notice the rise and fall of your stomach as you focus on your breathing.

Be intentional about your meditation. Meditation is a practice and a learned skill. It needs to be practiced intentionally in order for it to work. It does not just happen to you.

Dress appropriately for meditation. If you are trying to sneak in ten minutes of meditation in your lunch hour, dressed in your business skirt and heels, chances are you will be rushed and harried. Set aside a time that is appropriate where you can wear loose fitting clothing and where you can concentrate.

Begin with the practice of releasing tension in all your body parts. Focus on the feet first and release tension in that area; move up to your ankles, etc. Do this until you have reached the top of your head. For some practitioners, tightening and releasing muscles as they go along makes for a greater awareness of the release.

Practice your breathing techniques together with the release of tension in your body parts. At first, this will seem difficult; however, it will become easier as time goes on. You will be able to tighten and release your muscles and breathe in and out to release that tension.

Stretching your muscles a bit before sitting to meditate is a great way to get blood circulating and get in the moment.

Choose a focal point, if you wish. For some, meditation is only done with their eyes closed, while others need a focal point. Yours could be a picture on the wall of a serene setting.

Let others in on your new-found desire to learn meditation. If those around you know you need quiet time, they will respect your solitude - especially if it will give them a happier and healthier you.
Be consistent with your mediation practices. Do not let circumstances take over control of your mediation practice. Before you know it, you will become a pro - just stay consistent.

Common Meditation Problems

As with any new adventure, the feeling of starting off with tons of excitement and exhilaration and then falling to the other end of the spectrum is common. When you begin your endeavor of meditation, it is important to remember that there will be times of frustration. Meditation is not a magic pill that, once swallowed, will come easily and effortlessly. It takes practice and it takes patience.

There are some common problems with mediation in the early stages.

* It is hard to focus - In the beginning, you may have high expectations that meditation will magically transform your life and it will do so immediately. This is not the case. Meditation takes focus. When you find your mind constantly shifting gears and you are unable to sit quietly and focus on breathing, you need to regain control of that focus.

Sometimes picking a focal point in the center of the room or even a focal point that you have created will alleviate the problem of focus. Concentrating on your breathing will also help you gain control of your meditation experience.

* Thinking too much – If you are thinking too much about trying not to think too much, you will sabotage yourself. Try not to focus too much on getting clear and quiet. If you find you are straining the muscles in your forehead, trying to clear your mind, then you are trying too hard. Start with a slow progression of deep breaths and by tensing and releasing various parts of your body and your muscles. When it comes to meditation, too much effort can strain your results.

* Too many distractions – If you have not designated a quiet space for your mediation, chances are that you will not have a successful beginning. It is very important to have a set-aside room or space for your meditation practice. If you have chosen a place with too many distractions and too much traffic, you have set yourself up for failure. In addition, it is imperative to tell your family members that you have a schedule and you intend to stick to it.

* Disregarding your commitment – In the beginning, when you are not quite seeing the immediate results you may have anticipated, it is easy to disregard your commitment. However, make it a point to stick to your commitment even if that means being accountable to a friend or family member. If you give up too soon, you will never reap the amazing benefits of mind, health, and body.

* Difficulty with the breathing rhythm – Sometimes individuals may breathe in too deeply and out too rapidly. The point is not to hyperventilate yourself, but to find that rhythm that works for you. Long, slow, deep inhalations with long, slow exhalations will work better than short breaths in and short breaths out. Once you get the feel for the rhythm, you will have mediation down in no time flat.

Meditation Techniques That Anybody Can Use

Sometimes those of us regular people get intimidated about the idea of learning meditation techniques even if they will do us a lot of good. For a lot of us, when we think of meditation techniques, we get an image of a white haired guru sitting on top of a mountain, not of an ordinary run of the mill person like you and I.

But we know that meditation techniques can do even everyday people like us some good. That is because people that you know who use meditation techniques tend to be calmer, more at ease, relaxed and able to handle stress better than those that d'ont. So it makes you think, maybe there is something to meditation techniques worth looking into.

The good news is that most of those meditation techniques that those gurus use are based on some very practical and easy things that we can do, without special equipment and even without a huge amount of special training to get the simple results that a lot of people work hard to achieve. So what we all need is meditation techniques that anybody can use.

Meditation Technique #1 Its all in the breathing.
It may seem ridiculously easy but much of the fuss about meditation technique is all about breathing. You may have already noticed that as you get more upset or excited or agitated, your breathing becomes shorter and you breathe faster. When that happens, you get less oxygen to your blood, your heart beats faster and your mind, with less blood, gets upset more easily.

So by slowing down your breathing, you can reverse the effect. You take the outcome and make it the cause. Instead of letting your breathing react to how you feel, you control your breathing to change how you feel. It is as simple as taking a few moments and closing your eyes and concentrating on breathing ten or so deep breaths in and out.

As you do so, think about those breaths and nothing else for a moment. Think about the air going in and then going out again. It is as though you are breathing on purpose. The outcome of this meditation technique will be your heart will slow down, your blood will get more oxygen and before long, you are calmer and able to react to things much more serenely. You have taken control over the situation.

Meditation Technique #2 A moment of peace and quiet.
Life has a way of taking over and running us instead of us running it. Work gets hectic, family life full of joys and challenges and you have days where everything seems to go crazy all at once. There is another simple meditation technique you can use to return control of the day to you.

The gurus who use the advanced meditation techniques know that they should have a place where they can retreat to enter into a more contemplative state of mind. So too, you can start to look around your various environments and select a place where you can get a moment of peace and quiet to do your breathing and gather yourself to get control over the chaos that sometimes your day turns into.

While in that quiet place, don't just reflect on how bad things are, slow your breathing, use your ability to reflect and calm yourself and slowly get back to that inner tranquility that will give you control. One meditation technique that people use is to imagine a quiet lake inside their soul. You want that lake to be still, the surface quiet, the air pure and cool, the environment serene and at rest. Then when the world around you is going mad, your tranquil lake is never disturbed.

Meditation Technique #3 Self Talk
You are what you think. And how you talk to yourself when you are using your meditation techniques can bring you up and calm you if you know what to say. Now dont panic at the idea of talking to yourself. Self-talk is a long established meditation technique that you too can use to get your composure in the midst of your busy world.

Again, as we mentioned above, you have to let that self-talk be positive and reassuring. Remember the good of your life and your feelings when you were in control. There are other key meditation techniques that you can use that fall under the category of self-talk that can calm you and put you in a serene state of mind fairly quickly. Remember a time when you had perfect control and try to become that person. Have a common location that is always serene for you and go to that place in your mind for a moment and gather your thoughts there. Reflect on the things in your life that give you power and self worth. Let those things talk to you. Slowly this positive self-talk can do its magic and lift you back to a stable place and give you peace.

Now this is not to say that formal meditation techniques are not of value. They certainly are. As you take advantage of these down to earth meditation techniques we have talked about here today, you will start to feel the benefits in how you sleep, how you react to stress and even in your health.

If you enjoy those benefits, then you are on your way to a lifetime of meditation. Then you can start to look into some more formalized meditation techniques that will take the simple steps and take you to the next level. Who knows, maybe one of these days you will be that white haired guru on the mountaintop. I bet the view is great from up there.

Hypnosis-The Relationship between Yoga, Meditation, and Self-Hypnosis

Though no one knows the exact origin of yoga, meditation and self-hypnosis, one thing is certain, that they are more than thousands of years old. Eminent scholars are of the opinion that the origins and practice of yoga and meditation can be traced to the Indus Valley civilization. In spite of the fact that these practices give the practitioner a sense of well being and peace it was not in vogue until recently.

Though yoga and meditation are often linked together they are also different. Meditation is thought to have been practiced all over the world for a very long time. Self-hypnosis is also thought to have existed in the world for a long time.

These alternate methods of healing and self-healing have existed for hundreds of year’s in spite of efforts to discourage them by various vested interests for example fundamentalists and dogmatists.

Doesn’t it make you wonder why some people would want to discourage something as wonderful as self-hypnosis, meditation and yoga? Well the answer is simple. Most people who against these methods were people in control- control of other people. And they were under no circumstances willing to relinquish the control they had over the masses, because these methodologies thought one how to have control over one’s well being( physical, mental & spiritual).

In many societies of the world these practices were forbidden. People in countries under dictatorship, communism were forbidden to practice yoga meditation, and self-hypnosis. Why? Because communism didn’t allow people to question and receive answers about any thing other than what they wanted the people to know. They wanted people who were not in touch with their spirituality, whose consciousness was not awakened. They wanted their masses to be like robots and just obey commands. And we all know that yoga takes us to a higher plane and a higher level of consciousness. So people who practice yoga cannot be manipulated according to the whims and fancies of certain people. Because of this kind of oppression many people in the former Soviet union practiced Yoga in secret.

As a person who has lived in a free country all his life I find this difficult to comprehend, as will all of you who live in a free society. All we can conclude is that if people were willing to risk their lives for the well being offered by yoga there must be something to it. Think of all the sages who realized self and more through yoga.

In the present day of gadgets, where we have some gadget or other to do almost any thing we want, we still have no time for ourselves-no time to take real good care of our well being, our spirituality, of self awakening. Who is holding you back from yoga? No one But you yourself. Take a few moments to yourself, put your feet up and relax. Think of all the benefits that you will gain by practicing yoga or meditation or self-hypnosis. Think of the well being that is the fruits of practicing these self- improvement methods. Don’t you want to feel good about your self, be relaxed and calm and be able to deal with the vagaries of life confidently and calmly.

Love and good wishes,

Power Yoga: Physical Activity and Meditation for a Overall Health

Health is the real wealth of an individual. Good health does not mean the absence of physical illness but also the lack of mental and social illness. A healthy person can properly survive and easily cope with the difficulties and stress of daily living. Incorporating regular physical activities, nutritious diet, and refraining from alcohol and cigarettes are necessary in maintaining a fit and healthy body. Yoga is a physical activity that has been used in the ancient times to alleviate health problems associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, shallow breathing, backaches, chronic illness, and many other forms of discomfort. Nowadays, Yoga has gone from a spiritual discipline practiced by many in the Far East, into a mainstream exercise routine that has been taught in many gyms around the world. Other researches suggest that yoga may promote relaxation and reduce distress.

A new form of yoga that focuses on a more fitness-based approached has been developed. It is called Power Yoga, a method closely modeled after the Ashtanga style of practice. The term Power Yoga became widely used in the mid-’90s when many yoga teachers tried new ways to make Ashtanga Yoga more accessible to the western audience. Both Power and Ashtanga Yoga focuses on strength and flexibility. The only difference between the traditional method and Power Yoga is that the latter does not require the performance of a series of poses. It took the basics of yoga and and gave it a dose of aerobics to tone the muscles, sharpen focus, and strengthen the heart.

Other known benefits of practicing Power Yoga include:

Improved strength, endurance, and stamina
Tighter abs, legs, and arms
Helps release physical tension
Helps maintain good and proper posture
Serves as a good warm up for athletes
Improves an athlete’s overall performance

Power Yoga is a very accessible exercise. To practice this new yoga method, all that is needed is a flat floor surface, a mat or towel, and enough overhead space to extend the arms. It can be performed by individuals of different ages and level of physical condition. However, not all poses should be attempted by everyone. Proper posture and alignment should always be maintained during stretch or posture to avoid injuries. These activities should be stopped when there is fatigue, pain, or dizziness.

In addition, the mental component of yoga is as important as its physical activities. Concentration and meditation should not be taken for granted. Yoga should be done with an open and gentle mind when one performs yoga positions and posture. Impatience, self-criticism, and comparing oneself with others may hamper the improvement of one’s physical and mental health.

Individuals who want to engage in physical activities like yoga should consult doctors and other health professionals before taking yoga classes. Certain injuries to the wrist, back, and ankles may prevent some individuals from practicing yoga postures and positions. Furthermore, yoga should be practiced with care and precaution. Some people have reported injuries that were acquired by executing yoga postures without focus, or by attempting difficult positions without working them gradually or by not having proper supervision. Oftentimes, beginners complain of muscle soreness and fatigue after engaging in yoga. These effects may disappear with continuous practice. Yoga is a great way to strengthen the and body and improve overall health.