Meditation is known for its health and spiritual benefits. Traditionally it has been used for spiritual growth. As we meditate, we become more conscious; able to unfold our inner Light, Love & Wisdom and become more aware of the guiding Presence in our lives, thus accelerating our journey home to our True Self…our Spirit.

Meditation focuses on maintaining quietness of our busy mind. The effect is to direct our concentration to one healing element – one sound, one word, one image, or one’s breath. When our mind is “filled” with the feeling of calm and peace, it cannot take off on its own and worry, stress out or get depressed.

The meditative state allows our nerves and tired muscles to relax, calm heart rates and ease blood pressure. The effect is so restful and peaceful that you will look forward to do it daily.

How Does Meditation Work?

Studies have shown that meditation can bring about a healthy state of relaxation by causing a generalized reduction in multiple physiological and biochemical markers, such as deceased heart rate, decreased respiration rate, decreased plasma cortisol, decreased pulse rate and increased EEG alpha, a brain wave associated with relaxation. Our body gains a state of profound rest.

During meditation, our blood pressure stays at “low level” but falls significantly for persons on medication with abnormally high levels of blood pressure.

Meditation reduces activity in the nervous system. Through meditation we can learn to access the relaxation response and to be aware of the mind and the way our attitudes produce stress. In calming the mind, meditation can also put one in touch with the inner physician, allowing our body’s own inner wisdom to be heard.

Meditation is part of my yoga practice. When I meditate, I feel my life changes for the better. it calms me down and I manage my life better. I have the insights I want to solve problems and a clearer viewpoint even when I feel stressful. Through all these years of practicing meditation, I have been able to reap the positive influence on my life.

How To Meditate Effectively?

Ideally you should meditate in a quiet place, or a room with no distraction. Wear simple and comfortable clothes and remove your shoes when meditate. Try meditating in the same place every time because that will build up a calm meditative energy, making it easier each time to go within.

Guide to Meditation:-

1. Sit upright on your meditation mat with legs folded. Although you may feel rather uneasy initially, after a few sessions, you will feel at ease.

2. Straighten up your spine and close your eyes.

3. Using both your thumb and forefinger touching each other, place your hands on your knees, one on top of the other.

4. Take three full breaths through your nose, filling up your lower diaphragm and slowly letting it out, again through the nose.

5. Repeat your breath, always through the nose, feeling your breath go in and go out.

6. Feel your breath enter your body and where it goes inside, then feel it go out of your body again.

7. If your are distracted by a thought, gently bring back your mind to your breathing and start once more to feel the breathing, then the exhaling.

I personally feel that the best time for meditation is the quiet early morning hours – between 6 A.M. to 6.30 A.M. However some people may prefer to meditate in the evening before they go to bed. The choice is yours, as long as you find it comfortable and effective.

It takes an experienced person to explain the wonderful, positive effects of meditation. Through the years of experience I had with meditation, I must say that it has uplifted me and changed my life positively. If you think of meditating, ten or fifteen minutes a day for a start can have a powerful effect on you. You will realize how smoothly your day flows and how it transforms you over a period of time.

To improve your meditation atmosphere, you may light incense or a candle. Incense creates a sensory memory that helps draw you inside. You may also sit on a small woolen mat that is only used for meditation and this helps to hold energy.

If you love to have some light incense for your meditation, I have some details; some scents encourage calm, while others promote vitality and energy. Sandalwood and frankincense soothe us and pull us inward. Tibetan monks are fond of using these for meditating and for religious events too. Rosewood, geranium, and lavender calm our fears and ease our anxieties.

The goodness of citrus scents like orange, lemon and lime is its great stimulation after meditation session. For a quick effect, place a few drops of orange blossom oil on a cotton ball and inhale. Peppermint and spearmint can be stimulating too.

Take the first step to meditate today for better health and younger you!

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Janice H. is an accountant, nutrition expert cum author. She shares with people around the world oon HOW to live fully to achieve: Health and Beauty. Her mission: ” Leading People To Ageless Living”. Visit Janice’s Blog at: www.stayyoungsecret.com/blog for FREE e-Report to immediately stay and feel younger.

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Hot Yoga

Hot Yoga is a series of yoga poses done in a heated room. Hot Yoga’s mission is to touch as many lives as possible with the power and wisdom of Yoga. Hot Yoga is not advised for pregnant women, since it can raise the core body temperature. It is essential to have your own yoga mat and towel when doing Hot Yoga since you will be sweating so much. People come to Hot Yoga to look beautiful on the outside, but they stay because they are inspired to be the best version of themselves.

Yoga

Yoga is intimately connected to the religious beliefs and practices of the Indian religions. Yoga philosophy is one of the six systems of Hindu philosophy. Yoga is not a religion, but an aid to the practice of the basic spiritual truths in all religions. Yoga can be practiced by a Christian or a Buddhist, a Parsee, a Muslim, a Sufi or an atheist.

Karma Yoga

Karma Yoga emphasizes spiritual practice to help the individual unify body, mind, and heart through certain practices in one’s daily life and work. Karma Yoga is selfless service unto humanity. There is a hidden power in Karma or action termed ‘Adrishta’ which brings in fruits of Karmas for the individual. The practice of Karma Yoga prepares the aspirant for the reception of knowledge of the Self.

Tantra Yoga

Tantra Yoga is a holistic approach to the study of the universal from the point of view of the individual: the study of the macrocosm through the study of the microcosm. Tantra Yoga believes that as long as the phenomenal world exists, it is the Universal Mother who is the creator, preserver and destroyer. By refining our thoughts and feelings by means of these Tantra Yoga practices, we learn to create peace, harmony, and order within ourselves.

Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti Yoga is pure spiritual devotion, of love for God which is Love. Bhakti Yoga is the most direct method, the shortest way to experience the divine. Bhakti Yoga lets one see the absolute manifested in all experience. There is nothing higher than love and Bhakti Yoga is the religion of love.

Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga is a particular system of Yoga described by Yogi Swatmarama, a yogic sage of the 15th century in India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Hot Hatha Yoga is the physical form of yoga designed to bring balance and well-being into your life. Iyengar’s method, a form of hatha yoga, is based on giving primacy to the physical alignment of the body in the poses. Later, with the rise of Hatha yoga, asana came to refer to all the “postures” Pranayama (“Lengthening Prāna”): Prāna, life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, “āyāma”, to lengthen or extend Pratyahara (“Abstraction”): Withdrawal of the sense organs from external objects.

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yogainhealth.com is a website for Yoga and Yoga Courses. Hot Yoga, is one type of yoga taught by a Hot Yoga Yoga Teacher

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Meditation is a magnificent power. With meditation, you gain the desire to serve and the ability to achieve spiritual and worldly goals; you develop compassion, fearlessness, devine wisdom, renunciation, love, and freedom from the cycle of birth and death. Meditation allows us to meet with our spirit.

To mediate is to become deply silent, to keep listening to God. To listen is to become lost in God, perceiving Him in all of creation. Then one is merged with the Great Reality. No worldly pleasure can compare with the sweetness of this communion.

There are many yogic postures and methods of meditation but even by practising them you cannot attain God unless you feel the longing of love. God is Love, and God is too great for any method. It is God who pulls us to mediate, and it is God who teaches us how to love Him.

The only method of meditation that works is to offer God constant love. At first continually focus all your scattered attention on whatever form of God you worship, such as Jesus, Krishna, Shiva, Durga, or the Gurus. We can concentrate on God by repeating God’s Name. The energy which has been scattered among all our weakness will become focused on the positive negative thoughts will disappear and truth will be revealed.

The more we meditate, bringing our attention back again and again, the sooner it will return to its Home. Once it comes back Home, it will listen and it will rest. Then there will be only peace Start this way, and then God will show you the path. Make no demands, except for One. Oh God make me as you want me to be. On waking up in the morning thank God and do a bitof meditation. Go deep inside concentrating all your awareness on God. Then the whole day your mind will be focused on God nothing will bother you. The more you love God and practise meditation, your seaknesses and bad habits will be driven out and love and truth will be revealed as if dust were being cleaned from a mirror.

In deep meditation awareness of yourself ceases. You are unaware of the passing time and you do not become tired. Your breathing becomes fainter. People may beat drums or shout around you but you will not hear anything. Your soul maintains just enough connection to keep you alive.

Over time, very gradually the inner light will awaken in you. Your Isht will enter your heart and start loving and talking to you. As the Sikh Gurus say sometimes you laugh sometimes you cry and sometimes you become silent but you car for no one except God.
You will become detached from wordly things for you are always connected with the Truth. You will not care if people are looking at you or laughing at you for you are looking only at God, absorbed in the bliss of God’s Love.

Then you will not need to sit in meditation with your eyes closed in order to be aware of God. You will be joined with God at all times. Whether you are walking eating or talking to someone.

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For more information about Yoga Basics www.basicsofyoga.net

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The History of Meditation

Tibetan Buddhist meditation has a long history, but not as long as the history of meditation itself. Buddhism was a branch of Hinduism and so meditation was practiced in Hinduism before it was practiced in Buddhism. Buddhist thought is that there are three things one must accomplish before enlightenment. Virtue, Wisdom, and Meditation. Meditation is practiced in many of the eastern religions, and even in western religions. But I will focus this article on Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism meditation practices.

Hinduism is the oldest living religion that practiced meditation. Meditation in Hinduism is thought to have developed out of man’s need to find Brahman (God’s) true nature. Hindu practitioners would sit and think about who God really was, and by sitting for hours like this they began to have moments of clarity. These moments of clarity are what many practitioners even today are trying to achieve through meditation.

The difference in meditation in Buddhism and in Hinduism is that Buddhist practitioners did not believe that meditation is a means by which to be closer with God, but that it is instead a way for those meditating to become closer with everything on earth. It is said that Buddha (Siddhartha) found enlightenment by meditation underneath a Bodhi tree.

Meditation in yoga

In yoga, meditation is practiced after breathing exercises, or pranayama. The original philosphy of yoga was that is was important to meditate after practicing asanas, or the physical aspect of yoga, because the body would be prepared to relax and loose enough that sitting on the floor would be comfortable. Breathing before any type of meditation is a good practice, because slow breathing slows down your heart rate and calms the mind so that the body is able to move into a tranquil place.

Meditation in Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism was formed out of the principles of yoga and of Buddhism, which arrived in Tibet from India beginning in the eighth century. Meditation in Tibetan Buddhism is focused on tantric principles, and another name for Tibetan Buddhism is Tantrayana Buddhism. One purpose of tantra is to help turn the base human desires such as greed and envy into something good, like love and compassion. There are many steps in tantric Buddhism, these include lamrim (things that should be reflected on and meditative activities), preliminary practices, contemplation, Dzogchen (an advanced step which is the last step on the Tantrayana Buddhist practitioner’s path).

Ways to Meditate

In Tibetan Buddhism many forms of meditation are comprised of thinking about certain things in order to clear your mind and help make the path to enlightenment open. Some topics to meditate on include being charitable to others, seeing yourself and those around you as equal, and developing compassion.

In yoga and Hinduism, meditation is the path and the goal. There are many different forms that yogic meditation can take. Because meditation in yoga often starts with pranayama, or breathing exercises, meditation can also start with the breath. There are also forms of meditation where you meditate on a mantra, or prayer. There is meditation through kirtan, singing. There is also meditation on sound that can occur with music or in a kirtan session. And in both Hinduism and in Tibetan Buddhism there is meditation on an object, such as a Buddhist statue or a Buddhist thangka or a dorje or other symbol.

There are many different forms of meditation in both Hindusim (yoga) and Tibetan Buddhism. Whichever path one chooses in meditation, it is important to first find a spiritual guide. A spiritual guide can help you understand how to meditate and help guide your meditation path in ways that we cannot do on our own. Remember, even your spiritual guide started with a spiritual guide of their own at some point.

The History of Meditation

Tibetan Buddhist meditation has a long history, but not as long as the history of meditation itself. Buddhism was a branch of Hinduism and so meditation was practiced in Hinduism before it was practiced in Buddhism. Buddhist thought is that there are three things one must accomplish before enlightenment. Virtue, Wisdom, and Meditation. Meditation is practiced in many of the eastern religions, and even in western religions. But I will focus this article on Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism meditation practices.

Hinduism is the oldest living religion that practiced meditation. Meditation in Hinduism is thought to have developed out of man’s need to find Brahman (God’s) true nature. Hindu practitioners would sit and think about who God really was, and by sitting for hours like this they began to have moments of clarity. These moments of clarity are what many practitioners even today are trying to achieve through meditation.

The difference in meditation in Buddhism and in Hinduism is that Buddhist practitioners did not believe that meditation is a means by which to be closer with God, but that it is instead a way for those meditating to become closer with everything on earth. It is said that Buddha (Siddhartha) found enlightenment by meditation underneath a Bodhi tree.

Meditation in yoga

In yoga, meditation is practiced after breathing exercises, or pranayama. The original philosphy of yoga was that is was important to meditate after practicing asanas, or the physical aspect of yoga, because the body would be prepared to relax and loose enough that sitting on the floor would be comfortable. Breathing before any type of meditation is a good practice, because slow breathing slows down your heart rate and calms the mind so that the body is able to move into a tranquil place.

Meditation in Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism was formed out of the principles of yoga and of Buddhism, which arrived in Tibet from India beginning in the eighth century. Meditation in Tibetan Buddhism is focused on tantric principles, and another name for Tibetan Buddhism is Tantrayana Buddhism. One purpose of tantra is to help turn the base human desires such as greed and envy into something good, like love and compassion. There are many steps in tantric Buddhism, these include lamrim (things that should be reflected on and meditative activities), preliminary practices, contemplation, Dzogchen (an advanced step which is the last step on the Tantrayana Buddhist practitioner’s path).

Ways to Meditate

In Tibetan Buddhism many forms of meditation are comprised of thinking about certain things in order to clear your mind and help make the path to enlightenment open. Some topics to meditate on include being charitable to others, seeing yourself and those around you as equal, and developing compassion.

In yoga and Hinduism, meditation is the path and the goal. There are many different forms that yogic meditation can take. Because meditation in yoga often starts with pranayama, or breathing exercises, meditation can also start with the breath. There are also forms of meditation where you meditate on a mantra, or prayer. There is meditation through kirtan, singing. There is also meditation on sound that can occur with music or in a kirtan session. And in both Hinduism and in Tibetan Buddhism there is meditation on an object, such as a Buddhist statue or a Buddhist thangka or a dorje or other symbol.

There are many different forms of meditation in both Hindusim (yoga) and Tibetan Buddhism. Whichever path one chooses in meditation, it is important to first find a spiritual guide. A spiritual guide can help you understand how to meditate and help guide your meditation path in ways that we cannot do on our own. Remember, even your spiritual guide started with a spiritual guide of their own at some point.

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Sylvia Smelcer is the owner of Hinky Imports, The Singing Bowl Shop, Om Tibetan Jewelry, and Bodhi Seed Prayer Beads.

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The art of yoga is a rather tough subject to discuss today. Globalization seems to have vanquished the real meaning and purpose of this miraculous ancient art. To make it easy for the common man to understand, the whole philosophy has been reduced to a simple concept. In essence, the contents of yoga, in its entirety may be a little complicated for westerners to understand.

Westerners may find the contents to be complex and not easily understood. In order to be viewed as a person of wisdom, some people who have been exposed to this ancient art have invested their time to learn a little more, only to gain a superficial understanding of the real essence of yoga and then proceed to talk about it as though they are the recognized experts. Unfortunately, the western world seems to place the physical aspects of yoga as the main focus. There is more to yoga than the mere attainment of inner balance and serenity.

It is one of the six schools of Hindu thoughts has roots deep within the pages of the Hindu Holy Scriptures. Indians understand that is not a mere physical activity, but yoga is part of a spiritual development that is realized through a systematic and disciplined physical approach. It is unfortunate that the western world would approach yoga as a mere physical activity. Yoga with its strange looking symbols may seem mystical to the average Joe, is often enough to perk up a considerable level of interest in the hidden aspects of this ancient practice, but sadly, they are often misunderstood.

Operating from the wrong paradigm, yoga became a form of sports in the western world. Nevertheless many have been attracted to yoga as a form of practice to achieve inner peace and balance. The allure of yoga as an effective way to gain inner peace and balance has beckoned many to embrace this activity as well.

The so called experts in this industry have been quick to use these promises and people have been fascinated. There is plenty of evidence to show that yoga has been wrongly implemented in the West. Different groups practicing yoga have its own cultural structure and these influences are responsible for those fatal errors detected in the practice of this ancient art.

The busy western lifestyles certainly do not provide much space to contemplate on this philosophy. While meditation is an integral part of the practice, the westerners with their ever busy lifestyles certainly do not posses time for such luxuries. The Hindus have a different set of value system that is very different from the west, and places low importance in the mere accumulation of physical wealth. Unless these values are changed, it is impossible for westerners to achieve the true wisdom and enlightenment as defined by the parameters of the Hindu religion.

It takes patience and time to experience a successful meditative session. This is what the westerners lack. The west seems cursed with the obsession to pursue the goal of building better lives in the form of lavish lifestyles and not in the philosophical way.

Here, yoga as been practiced by those who desire to look good and stay in style. There is a lot of information going out promoting yoga as a form of sports. In fact you can grab any of those and start practicing yoga anywhere you want to. During the early years of yoga practice in the US, a lot of yoga “gurus” have emerged, claiming to be experts of this discipline. Yet they gradually dwindled into what they actually are, merely fake gurus and yet they still have real support from their disciples. Obedient disciples of this distorted form of yoga have become agents of growth of this unhealthy philosophy.

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Yoga is becoming a popular therapy for conditions like anxiety attacks. It’s use in treating signs of anxiety attacks is gaining approval by many well known anxiety support groups.

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Spiritual meditation is a process where an individual is successful in uniting oneself to the almighty. It is simple. You pray, god listens to you. You talk to god, he listens to you. Now, when it comes to you, heaving the words of the almighty or talking to you, you need to make some efforts.

These efforts exactly explain spiritual meditation. One requires to relax, sit in a quite environment and focus on the spirit. This is the best way to achieve spiritual meditation.

Spiritual meditation emphasizes on allowing an individual to get acknowledged with your inner self. One is also able to discover the wisdom and peace that exists deep within.

If you are keen on achieving beneficial results while practicing spiritual meditation, here are some crucial steps to help you in this regard:

a) Proper posture

Experts have always preached that meditation can be practiced in any position one desires. However, there are certain things that might happen while you go deep into meditation. These are supposed to be enhanced via proper posture. Since, you are now going to get into a state of deep relaxation, you would be sleeping.

However, with spiritual meditation, you may allow the energy or ‘chi’ to flow through your body. The energy is supposed to follow some specific paths. Hence, if you choose to sit in an upright position, you will be benefited a lot.

b) Proper breathing

There is another reason that you should focus on proper posture. It is that almost all methods of meditation consist of a breathing component. Here, you need to exercise total breath control in conjunction with visualization. One of the most common visualization techniques include inhaling via the nose in order to see the breath come inside via the nose and then travel up towards the head.

Thereafter it goes down the back and up towards the front of the body towards the stomach area. When exhaling, you require to observe the breath going up from the stomach and up to the chest and finally out of the nose.

c) Proper attitude

Spiritual meditation is a process where you focus on refinement. This cannot be done in a short period of time. You need to cultivate an attitude of calm expectation that’s required progress. In case, you get angry, it will affect the speed of your progress. One of the main goals of spiritual meditation is to be calm. If you get angry you will be unable to reach the desired goal.

d) Ways to concentrate

The best way to concentrate is to imagine that you are sitting on the edge of a lake late at night. Visualize that a full moon is reflected in the lake. You need to keep your thoughts focused on the reflection until you are able to hold the image without any ripples inside the water.

Spiritual meditation is something that you need to practice in order to obtain maximum results.

Follow all the steps mentioned above and you will feel that you have achieved the best of spiritual meditation

Go ahead and follow the path of uniting yourself with your spiritual self.

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