Archive for the ‘Meditation’ Category

Since ancient times, people have practiced meditation for the numerous benefits it offers. Incorporating meditation into your everyday life could make a huge difference in your mindset and attitude.

Most forms of meditation call for the spine to be straight and the posture to be erect. The explanation for this is that sitting upright encourages the movement of your spiritual energy. This is considered to be your life force.

A straight back is essential to most of the meditation traditions, and is a standard component of the various postures used in this practice. Let’s take a look at some of them.

1. Seated position. The individual sits upright while maintaining a straight back. The head and spine are in alignment and not tilted. The thighs are parallel to the floor. The hands are placed on the arms of the chair or on the knees.

2. Cross legged posture. This is a very common posture; the lotus position is included in this category.

3. Kneeling position. The individual is on the floor in a kneeling position. The buttocks rest on the heels and toes, which are placed side by side. The hands are placed on the thighs.

4. Lying down position. In yoga this is referred to as savasna; it’s also known as the corpse position. The person lies down on the floor keeping the legs unbent and at ease. This posture isn’t that common since it so closely resembles the sleeping position. A person might doze off at times. This is better as a means of reducing stress more so than for meditating.

In addition to these postures, there are several gestures and movements that can be incorporated into the practice of meditation. Among these are hand gestures called Mudras. A theological meaning is at the root of these gestures. Coming from the yogic philosophy, they can impact your consciousness. One illustration is the typical Buddhist hand placement. With the thumbs touching, the right hand is positioned on top of the left hand.

Integrating assorted repetitive actions like chanting, deep breathing or humming also assists in bringing on a state of meditation. Some people practice walking meditation. It’s common to keep the eyes closed or partially open while meditating. However, Soto Zen practitioners perform their meditation with their eyes wide open in front of a wall.

To achieve the advantages of meditation, stick to the advice and training of the kind of meditation you have chosen to practice. Be aware that persistence and acceptance are required to achieve success. This could be of help at times when you find difficulty in meditating, and it will also improve your concentration in daily life.

Meditation is one of the most popular ways to relax and unwind from all the different things that our modern lifestyle thinks we can cope with on a day to day basis.

There are a number of easy ways to meditate that can be performed whether you’re at work, in your house or even traveling by car.

These meditation methods are proven to quickly relax without forcing yourself to spend hours trying to relax.

In fact, they’re so simple that you don’t need to set aside a special room, or sanctuary to relax and meditate.

While some people choose to only use one room in their house, meditation really can be performed anywhere.

All you have to do is find a room that will be quiet, or place where there are no distractions. So you’ll need to keep your children occupied, turning off the television, and maybe darken the room. Don’t forget to put your cell phone on silent as well – these have an annoying habit of ringing just at the wrong moment!

Some meditation teachers will say that in order to meditate properly you must sit ramrod straight in a chair and keep your knees bent. If you’re comfortable sitting this way, no problem. But lots of people think that it’s simpler to carry out their meditation whilst they lie down on a bed, or sitting down in their favorite chair. The choice is yours and unless the instructions for your chosen meditation say otherwise, experiment to see which is best for you.

Then it is simply a matter of taking a few long, deep breaths and begin to concentrate on those breaths until your mind chatter fades away.

Remember that you shouldn’t try to force yourself to focus on just one thing, but rather let everything start to flow. After a few days or weeks of practicing it’s simple to begin to meditate in different places and at different times.

Meditation can help in focusing your mind, clear out your mind fog, and simply de-stress after a hectic, busy day.
Discover the best meditation method for you at Meditation Reviews

Using a breathing meditation technique is probably the easiest meditation technique that you can learn. You're breathing at this moment, so all you need to learn is how to notice and focus on your breathing.

Begin your breathing meditation by finding a quiet place. Do your best to make sure you won't be disturbed. If you're interrupted whilst you are learning a new technique it's possible you'll be a bit frustrated.

It could be an unused room in your house. There may be a park or enclosed garden close to your home or where you work. Anywhere you can find that's fairly quiet. Over time, when you start to get comfortable with using breathing meditation, you'll discover that the "requirement" for a quiet place isn't needed. With practice, you will find you can relax absolutely anywhere, whenever you want.

You can stand up or sit down whilst you practice breathing meditation. Unless the method you've chosen dictates otherwise, it's your choice.

Initially, just notice each breath in and each breath out. Are your breaths shallow, regular or really deep?

Next, start to focus on your breathing. Consciously breathe in and gradually fill your lungs. If you're comfortable doing so, hold the air in your lungs for a second or two. And then, breathe out again. Emptying your lungs of as much air as you feel OK doing.

Repeat the process five or more times. You'll likely find that your breathing gets deeper as you do this. There's a good chance you'll start to feel more relaxed.

One of the best things about using a breathing meditation is that a simple technique like the one above doesn't take very long. And if you choose it to be, those people around you don't need to know you are meditating. You can perform a breathing meditation almost anywhere.

Congratulations! You’ve just performed your first breathing meditation..

You can find out more about using breathing meditation here.