How To Meditate: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Art and Science of Meditation [ILLUSTRATED]
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
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| Yoga And Meditation |
| Your Guide to Yoga and Meditation Online |
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Walking Meditation involves learning to walk whilst meditating. You may be wondering “how are you going to close your eyes whilst walking”. Well, whether you realise it or not, many monastic communities have often used walking meditation interspersed with traditional seated meditation to help break up the long periods of meditation.
The walking meditation technique works by getting you to first control your breathing using the Deep-Breath Meditation Technique and then to use the White-Light Meditation Technique to help learn to control your mind. In regards to this technique, if you mind starts to wander whilst walking due to mind chatter, you simply stop the counting process and simply start again.
One of the other aspects you need to consider with this technique is to focus on your body and the connection your body has with its path. For each and every step during the walking mediation technique, you need to feel the path and each step that you are taking. For instance, you need to be focusing on the feeling in your feet, your ankles, your legs, your arms and so forth.
The Walking Meditation technique is one of those effective meditation techniques that you can practice anywhere and you will probably find that it will take you some period of time to conquer this technique without your mind wandering. Make sure that you do not punish yourself if your mind does wander or start to chatter. Simply acknowledge the wandering and bring the mind gently back into the meditated awareness and continue on your way.
Most people when they first think about self meditation simply see it as a way to relax however your mind is an incredibly powerful tool and you can utilise meditation to change many aspects of your behaviour, the way you speak and present yourself and the vast professional meditation practitioners will help you to develop these techniques to improve yourself. Find out more about the various types of meditation techniques and unlock the beautiful power of your calm mind!
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When you start learning how to meditate, your body and mind must first be mentally prepared. Essentially it is now time for you to start “thinking carefully about something…”.
This unfortunately is where most learners falter, and the primary reason for this is simply that the question always comes up. “WHAT DO I HAVE HERE TO MEDITATE ABOUT?…”. “WHAT DO I DO NOW”.
What most teachers will omit to teach, or tell you, is that objectively, to get the best benefits of meditation, you have to figure out first what you consider worth the effort, and then meditate on that.
That of course does not mean that you cannot go for the clearing of your mind meditation where you think about nothing. This you will find is rather on the difficult side however, and most seasoned meditators battle with this.
So, to begin meditating you would rather want to find a subject or topic to meditate on “think about”. These could include things like:
• Relaxing & destressing
• Just for fun
• Your health
• In preparation for a difficult task such as interview for a new job, first date…
• Some problem in your life
• Some problem at work
• Some spiritual pursuit
• Things like astral projection
This probably still has you a little baffled. “HOW DO I MEDITATE TO RELAX AND DESTRESS”. Well I can assure you that sitting there and thinking “I have to relax and destress” over and over again will not do the trick. Rather than focusing on trying to relax, think about the place that you feel safe and calm in and go there in your mind. Going there will also keep you going for a little while, making it possible for you to stay in this meditative state for a time. Now if you want to stay in this place a little longer, start focusing on details of this place in your mind.
Following this will likely make it possible for you to stay in meditation longer, and by the time you awaken from your meditation, you will probably feel very relaxed. Get to know the various types of meditation and unlock the beautiful power of your calm mind today.
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For many individuals, possibly most individuals, the stress of life is increasing with every year that goes by. There are worries about the economy, jobs, money, the environment, politics, terrorism and war (among other issues.) People have various ways of dealing with the daily stress of living. Many of these coping mechanisms are self defeating, for instance, the abuse of alcohol or other drugs, but a growing portion of population is opting instead, for guided meditation.
Meditation is not necessarily a religious act, but it is a part of most religions. The practice goes back thousands of years. We usually feed our minds with outside stimuli or internal dialogue that seems to constantly occur. Meditation is a way to take a break from that. It is a quieting of mind and it helps the left half and the right half of the brain to work together.
The idea of traditional meditation is to relinquish all your thoughts and concentrate fully onto a single subject. For instance, a koan, which is a kind of unsolvable riddle, like, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”, or a mantra, which is a particular word, phrase or sound. It might simply be to focus on your breathing.
Do not be surprised by the number of stray thoughts that come up. Just accept that it happens, let them go and refocus each time. You might become amazed how often this happens and how undisciplined your mind is. Most people who don’t have a teacher just give up in frustration, rather than working through it.
Instead of giving up, they would be better served if they got a recorded audio track of guided meditation. These usually begin with instructions, step by step, explaining what to do to achieve a meditative mental state. These states are usually indicated by the brain producing primarily alpha waves. (That is the type of brainwaves produced when you first start to fall asleep.)
Then the guided meditation will usually involve you in a series of personal visualizations and story telling, where you will see yourself accomplishing specific goals you have set for yourself. It will usually evoke feelings and emotions, as if you have already accomplished them.
Guided meditation is a blend of hypnosis and meditation. It is not classic meditation because it relies on outside stimuli, but it is just a step away from it. It uses hypnotic induction, to guide you into an altered state which not only relieves stress, but can help you to program your mind to accomplish your goals. Many success stories emphasize the role of guided meditation as part of a daily agenda.
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For many individuals, possibly most individuals, the stress of life is increasing with every year that goes by. There are worries about the economy, jobs, money, the environment, politics, terrorism and war (among other issues.) People have various ways of dealing with the daily stress of living. Many of these coping mechanisms are self defeating, for instance, the abuse of alcohol or other drugs, but a growing portion of population is opting instead, for guided meditation.
Meditation is not necessarily a religious act, but it is a part of most religions. The practice goes back thousands of years. We usually feed our minds with outside stimuli or internal dialogue that seems to constantly occur. Meditation is a way to take a break from that. It is a quieting of mind and it helps the left half and the right half of the brain to work together.
The idea of traditional meditation is to relinquish all your thoughts and concentrate fully onto a single subject. For instance, a koan, which is a kind of unsolvable riddle, like, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”, or a mantra, which is a particular word, phrase or sound. It might simply be to focus on your breathing.
Do not be surprised by the number of stray thoughts that come up. Just accept that it happens, let them go and refocus each time. You might become amazed how often this happens and how undisciplined your mind is. Most people who don’t have a teacher just give up in frustration, rather than working through it.
Instead of giving up, they would be better served if they got a recorded audio track of guided meditation. These usually begin with instructions, step by step, explaining what to do to achieve a meditative mental state. These states are usually indicated by the brain producing primarily alpha waves. (That is the type of brainwaves produced when you first start to fall asleep.)
Then the guided meditation will usually involve you in a series of personal visualizations and story telling, where you will see yourself accomplishing specific goals you have set for yourself. It will usually evoke feelings and emotions, as if you have already accomplished them.
Guided meditation is a blend of hypnosis and meditation. It is not classic meditation because it relies on outside stimuli, but it is just a step away from it. It uses hypnotic induction, to guide you into an altered state which not only relieves stress, but can help you to program your mind to accomplish your goals. Many success stories emphasize the role of guided meditation as part of a daily agenda.
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How long you meditate each day depends on you. A good beginning is 10 to 15 minutes per day. You might find that you naturally prolong your meditation time by adding five minutes here and there. Another method to expand the time you meditate is to set a goal of adding five minutes each week until you adopt a natural rhythm of twenty to thirty minutes. One of the pitfalls of beginning meditators is to be too ambitious. Trust your intuition and start off with an amount of time that feels comfortable for you.
Advanced meditators normally spend an hour per day in meditation. If you can gradually work up to forty or sixty minutes the better your improvement will be. Consistency brings remarkable long-term benefits.
The key is to do it every day. The effects of self meditation are cumulative. Richard Davidson, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin says, “Modern neuroscience is showing that our minds are as plastic as our bodies. Meditation can help you train your mind in the same way exercise can train your body.” Therefore, each and every minute you meditate you’re enhancing the biochemistry of your brain, building muscles that increase your mental, emotional and spiritual potential.
Sit, Breathe and Relax When you meditate, and take long slow deep breaths. Send the breath deep into your abdomen and then breathe out. Each time you breathe in imagine cleansing energy infusing your body. When you breathe out, ask your body to let go of tension and stress.
Tips: To quiet a busy mind count each exhalation, starting with one going up until ten, then begin the cycle all over again. If you forget where you are, go back to one and begin again. Do this for ten minutes to slow down mental activity. From the beginning many thoughts will come and go. When you notice you are thinking, bring your attention back to your breath. Linger on the peaceful space that lies between your thoughts. In time the space will expand.
Get to know the various types of meditation and benefits of meditation. Unlock the beautiful power of your calm mind from now!
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