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Posts Tagged ‘Anxiety’

Trouble Sleeping? Meditation’s Free!

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

By now, most of us have the sense that meditation is a great tool for stress management, heart health, healing, boosting creativity, and more.

But meditation is also a great way to improve your sleep and enhance your dreams.

Did you know that anxiety, depression and pain stick with you while you sleep? You bet – they can be visible in the patterns of brainwaves, eye movements and muscle tone recorded in laboratories and sleep clinics. They disrupt our sleep architecture, or the cycles and rhythms of sleep.

Not surprisingly, when we carry extra stress, when we’re down in the dumps, or when we have aches and pains our sleep is far from optimal. Our REM (dream) density and deep sleep is lessened when we are anxious, sad or sedentary. We end up feeling unrested, and not quite right. We feed a negative cycle.

So how do we break it? How do we turn it around and feel truly rejuvenated physically, mentally and spiritually? Well, of course, one great way is through meditation!

During meditation you clear your mind. Essentially, you focus on “nothingness” and you simply “be”. This is easier said than done at first, but you get better and better at it the more you do it. Eventually the feeling of this becomes second nature. You get very good at recognizing when you need to take a minute to stop what you’re doing (physically or with your thoughts) and clear your head again to get back to that feeling.

With a clear mind you don’t have a bunch of mental congestion. Your body can “get through to you” better. You recognize when you need to calm it and lower your blood pressure, physically exercise or simply stop your thoughts and worries and just let go. You allow a state of rejuvenation where your body can glow naturally.

And our most potent, natural rejuvenator is sleep – without a doubt. Our deep “delta” sleep provides us with physical restoration while our REM sleep mentally restores us, and keeps us “sharp”. A meditator with a peaceful body and mind can let go of the day at will and drift into blissful sleep at the drop of a hat. And a peaceful body and mind enter naturally into optimal sleep rhythms so your body can do its thing cellularly and hormonally resulting in a balanced and radiating You!

Pretty great, huh? Well guess what? We can take it to even higher levels. Once your mind is cleared of chatter, worries and stressors, you then have an excellent opportunity to hold your focus on an intention, ideal, or something you DO want to fill your mind with. This may be something specific like new life patterns or behaviors, or something abstract like Love, Peace or Joy. You are only limited by your imagination.

Meditation is easy and effective. When you wake up in the morning, take a few minutes to clearly intend a perfect day, a perfect presentation, or a heart full of Lovingkindness. You’ll be surprised at how big of difference this makes in your life. As you are falling asleep, hold a clear intention of being restored fully and waking refreshed. Repeat your intention as many times as you like. Or repeat affirmations that tonight you will experience certain wonderful dreams, or even lucid dreams!

Lucid dreams are dreams in which you are aware you are dreaming while you are dreaming. This is easily a whole separate topic, but as it pertains to this one, fully lucid dreams can deliver absolute freedom, and a connection to something more. In lucid dreams, you can go anywhere with anyone anytime! About any person who has had this experience will report it as transcendent. Many report it as deeply spiritual, feeling wholly connected to higher aspects of themselves and the universe. Upon waking they cherish the experience and feel – yes – rejuvenated in every way!

I hope by reading this you get a sense of how powerful simple meditation can be. When applied to the realms of sleep and dreams, you obtain an amazing inner resource for rejuvenation. All you have to do is “tap in”!

Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com

Daniel Topp, MA has spent over 15 years in clinical and research-based sleep medicine. For more information about meditation and sleep enhancement, visit his site: www.3PoundUniverse.com

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Chakra Meditation: 7 Chakra Meditation Techniques To Instantly Relieve Your Ailments

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Our body has seven different vital energy centers or meridians. When one of the meridians is out of balance, it results in anxiety and out-of-balance feeling. Sometimes, it also causes ailments like pain and emotional suffering.

One of the best ways to balance your meridians is to meditate. When you feel centered and grounded, you feel at ease with rest of the world and hence you feel a general sense of well being and happiness. An ungrounded human being feels exactly the opposite. He or she feel out of synch with rest of the world, and has a general sense of anxiety and stress. The feeling of out-of-sync causes health and relationship issues over long term.

You are about to discover how to resolve most of your life-problems simply by focusing on the chakra (meridian) that is out-of-balance. Following this simple and easy-to-implement will help you guide through your challenges and strengthen your spiritual muscles.

There are seven vital energy centers. Muladhara is the first and lowest chakra situated at the base of the spine. It is said to be the storage of kundalini. Muladhara energy is called “the electrical force of creation, the cohesive power of matter”. Meditation upon this center leads to the mastery of desire, jealousy, anger and passion.

Svadisthana is the second chakra situated at the root of the genitals. Meditation on this center gives ability to see and to communicate with entities that inhabit the astral world.

Manipura is the third chakra located near the navel. Meditation on this center heal illness, fulfill secret desires, and gives insight into the deepest consciousness of other mind.

Anahata is the fourth chakra situated in the chest, near the heart. Meditation upon this center strengthens the psychic faculties, generates the ability to hear and see at great distances, and ensures material fortune.

Vishuddha is the fifth chakra located at the base of the throat and is considered the doorway to the plane of eternal wisdom. “Whoever will concentrate upon this center,” an old saying goes, “Becomes a sage in the sacred knowledge, a prince among yogis”

Ajna is the sixth chakra situated between the eyebrows at the site of “the third eye.” It is the seat of our mental capacity, the abode of the individual consciousness and our meeting point with the divine. Meditating on this center brings us into contact with our spiritual guru, and initiates us into the secret knowledge of tantra.

Sashasrara is the final chakra lies just above the crown of the head. Here, the final goal of tantra meditation is achieved. The sashasrara controls the six centers below it.

Practice these meditation techniques on a regular basis to enhance your life and feel the connection with untapped source of universal energy.

Our body has seven different vital energy centers or meridians. When one of the meridians is out of balance, it results in anxiety and out-of-balance feeling. Sometimes, it also causes ailments like pain and emotional suffering.

One of the best ways to balance your meridians is to meditate. When you feel centered and grounded, you feel at ease with rest of the world and hence you feel a general sense of well being and happiness. An ungrounded human being feels exactly the opposite. He or she feel out of synch with rest of the world, and has a general sense of anxiety and stress. The feeling of out-of-sync causes health and relationship issues over long term.

You are about to discover how to resolve most of your life-problems simply by focusing on the chakra (meridian) that is out-of-balance. Following this simple and easy-to-implement will help you guide through your challenges and strengthen your spiritual muscles.

There are seven vital energy centers. Muladhara is the first and lowest chakra situated at the base of the spine. It is said to be the storage of kundalini. Muladhara energy is called “the electrical force of creation, the cohesive power of matter”. Meditation upon this center leads to the mastery of desire, jealousy, anger and passion.

Svadisthana is the second chakra situated at the root of the genitals. Meditation on this center gives ability to see and to communicate with entities that inhabit the astral world.

Manipura is the third chakra located near the navel. Meditation on this center heal illness, fulfill secret desires, and gives insight into the deepest consciousness of other mind.

Anahata is the fourth chakra situated in the chest, near the heart. Meditation upon this center strengthens the psychic faculties, generates the ability to hear and see at great distances, and ensures material fortune.

Vishuddha is the fifth chakra located at the base of the throat and is considered the doorway to the plane of eternal wisdom. “Whoever will concentrate upon this center,” an old saying goes, “Becomes a sage in the sacred knowledge, a prince among yogis”

Ajna is the sixth chakra situated between the eyebrows at the site of “the third eye.” It is the seat of our mental capacity, the abode of the individual consciousness and our meeting point with the divine. Meditating on this center brings us into contact with our spiritual guru, and initiates us into the secret knowledge of tantra.

Sashasrara is the final chakra lies just above the crown of the head. Here, the final goal of tantra meditation is achieved. The sashasrara controls the six centers below it.

Practice these meditation techniques on a regular basis to enhance your life and feel the connection with untapped source of universal energy.

Article Source: http://www.articlewarehouse.com

Amy invites you to enhance serenity and calmness in your life through the use of meditative water fountains. Browse beautiful collection of indoor fountains for home and bamboo water fountain collection for your garden.

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Indigo Dreams: Adult Relaxation-Guided Meditation/Relaxation Techniques decrease anxiety, stress, anger

Sunday, March 7th, 2010
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Experience four research-based,stress management techniques that are accepted and used by both the traditional medical and holistic communities. You will not find any philosophies, theories or fluff presented here because frankly, we do not have time for that and chances are neither do you. Enjoy and learn four stress-management techniques; diaphra[Read More]
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Meditation: An Introduction To History Of Meditation & Types Of Meditation

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Meditation is simply making a choice to focus your mind on something and opening to each moment of life with calm awareness. Mediation is inspired by a variety of spiritual traditions, both Eastern and Western, helping people to experience the sacred.

Meditation is a very powerful tool for healing body, mind, and spirit through reducing tension, anxiety and stress; lowering blood pressure and cholesterol; creating stronger focus and concentration; and increasing self-understanding and self-acceptance. “Meditate” comes from the Latin word meditari, which means “to engage in contemplation or reflection.” It also means “to focus one’s thoughts” on something, or “to reflect on or ponder” over something Meditation helps one create a serenity filled experience, melting away day to day stress and worries.

Meditation is both an ancient spiritual practice and a contemporary mind-body technique for relaxing the body and calming the mind. Although meditation has a short recorded history, its roots travel back to ancient times.

Researchers think that primitive hunter societies may have discovered meditation and its altered states of consciousness while staring at the flames of their fires. Over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a structured practice. Indian scriptures “tantras” mentioned meditation techniques 5000 years ago. Buddha, “one of history’s major proponents of meditation,” and a major meditation icon, first made his mark around 500 B.C. His teachings were spread far and wide across the Asian continent.

Separate countries or cultures adopted different forms of the word “meditation,” and they each found their own unique way of practicing it. Buddhist and Hindu based Eastern style meditation practices are still the most popular today.

Meditation was spread to Western society thousands of years after it was adopted in the Eastern society. It finally started to gain popularity in Western society in the mid-20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, many professors and researchers began testing the effects of meditation and learned about its multitude of benefits.

There are as many types of meditation in the world as there are religious. Mainly, meditation traditions are divided in two types: Eastern and Western. In Eastern meditation traditions there are two types – Hinduism and Buddhism.

In Hinduism, there are many different types of meditation, and Buddhism consists of Zen, Insight, and Tibetan. On the other side, Western traditions have Meditative Prayer, Gnostic Meditation, Jewish Meditation, Christian Meditation, and Islamic Meditation. Christian meditation is made up of The Prayer of Jesus, Walking Mediation, Gregorian Chant, and Canonical Hours.

Meditation is simply making a choice to focus your mind on something and opening to each moment of life with calm awareness. Mediation is inspired by a variety of spiritual traditions, both Eastern and Western, helping people to experience the sacred.

Meditation is a very powerful tool for healing body, mind, and spirit through reducing tension, anxiety and stress; lowering blood pressure and cholesterol; creating stronger focus and concentration; and increasing self-understanding and self-acceptance. “Meditate” comes from the Latin word meditari, which means “to engage in contemplation or reflection.” It also means “to focus one’s thoughts” on something, or “to reflect on or ponder” over something Meditation helps one create a serenity filled experience, melting away day to day stress and worries.

Meditation is both an ancient spiritual practice and a contemporary mind-body technique for relaxing the body and calming the mind. Although meditation has a short recorded history, its roots travel back to ancient times.

Researchers think that primitive hunter societies may have discovered meditation and its altered states of consciousness while staring at the flames of their fires. Over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a structured practice. Indian scriptures “tantras” mentioned meditation techniques 5000 years ago. Buddha, “one of history’s major proponents of meditation,” and a major meditation icon, first made his mark around 500 B.C. His teachings were spread far and wide across the Asian continent.

Separate countries or cultures adopted different forms of the word “meditation,” and they each found their own unique way of practicing it. Buddhist and Hindu based Eastern style meditation practices are still the most popular today.

Meditation was spread to Western society thousands of years after it was adopted in the Eastern society. It finally started to gain popularity in Western society in the mid-20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, many professors and researchers began testing the effects of meditation and learned about its multitude of benefits.

There are as many types of meditation in the world as there are religious. Mainly, meditation traditions are divided in two types: Eastern and Western. In Eastern meditation traditions there are two types – Hinduism and Buddhism.

In Hinduism, there are many different types of meditation, and Buddhism consists of Zen, Insight, and Tibetan. On the other side, Western traditions have Meditative Prayer, Gnostic Meditation, Jewish Meditation, Christian Meditation, and Islamic Meditation. Christian meditation is made up of The Prayer of Jesus, Walking Mediation, Gregorian Chant, and Canonical Hours.

Article Source: http://www.articlewarehouse.com

Amy invites you to browse relaxing and meditative tabletop fountain collection that is guaranteed to add serenity to your life. Her favorite meditation tool is a bamboo water fountain that makes a periodic rocking sound, also known as, shishi odoshi.

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