Meditation Basics: Counting Breaths is Not Like Counting Sheep

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How simple can it be? “Don’t think about anything else though. Just concentrate on your breathing.” Well, anyone who has tried this “simple” meditation knows that it just isn’t that easy.

There are many obstacles to this seemingly effortless task. Our minds tend to wander naturally. If we try to completely focus on anything for more than a few seconds, random thoughts take over. And breathing is boring; let’s face it. How can you concentrate on something so mundane when there are much more interesting things racing around in your head?

A typical session might go like this: I close my eyes, sit comfortably, and begin counting. Inhale one, inhale two, inhale… “Am I doing this right? I guess so, I’m already on… oh three.” Inhale four… “Now, am I supposed to start over at one or just keep going?” Inhale one, inhale two, inhale three, inhale four. “Wow, I’m really getting the hang of this. Oops.” Inhale one, inhale two… “Did I remember to pay the phone bill? I’m sure I did. I’m really good at staying on top of my bills. Not like Susan, she’s always… Darn, I did it again.” Inhale one, inhale two…

The good news is it does get better with practice. The bad news is it can still be a struggle for experienced meditators, especially during busy or turbulent periods in one’s life. Luckily, there is more good news. There are some specific things you can do to help you focus and reduce the frustration in your meditation practice. In this article, I would like to offer three tips to help you with your practice. They are: Observe don’t control, be compassionate, and enjoy yourself.

First, don’t force or try to control your breathing. This is a mistake that a lot of beginners make.

Many inexperienced meditators consciously or unconsciously alter their breathing in an effort to focus on it. What results is an exaggerated and often irregular breathing pattern. This can actually inhibit your meditation rather than help it.

What you want to do is just “watch” your breathing. You don’t have to exert any additional effort at all. If you just wait and observe, you will breathe. Then, you can count. Of course, we all know this but many people still find themselves forcing it. If you catch yourself controlling your breaths, just gently remind yourself that it’s not necessary and then wait for the next breath to come naturally.

This brings me to the next tip, compassion. In this case I mean for yourself in your meditation practice. As we’ve been discussing, it’s not an easy thing to do to concentrate on one’s breath. It’s very important not to scold yourself when your mind wanders or you catch yourself controlling your breathing.

 

Maternity Yoga

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You may have never thought of the possibility of maternity yoga so let me tell you a little about it.  Many people mistakenly believe that pregnant women shouldn’t do any form of exercise.  Exercising while pregnant is very good for you and should be done.  You should not start a new hardcore workout program when you become pregnant.  You should continue with your workout routine through your pregnancy though.

Yoga is a perfect workout for pregnancy because it will allow you to keep your pregnancy throughout the pregnancy.  You should take caution the last 3 months of the pregnancy with your workouts because of the size your belly will become.  But know that the first 6 months are a great time to keep fit and healthy.  The healthier you are, the healthier your baby will be. 

Another great point to make on yoga is that it is a perfect workout for anyone.  Feel free to take you husbands because men can actually benefit more than women from yoga.  Men are naturally less flexible than women and will greatly increase their flexibility from yoga.  Don’t worry you don’t have to know how to do yoga at all before your first class.  Their are yoga instructors that get paid to teach you all you need to know about it so that you can just show up and participate.  Everyone has had their own first class where they didn’t know what to expect so you will fit in just fine.  One point to be aware of is that you do yoga in bare feet so make sure your feet don’t stink.

More here on yoga pants and maternity t shirts

Sleep Meditation can be really effective for insomniacs

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Are you craving for a good night’s sleep? Does it feel that you will fall asleep as soon as you lie on the bed but keeping on turning and tossing without catching up on sleep till late night? These are some of the very common problems that many people are suffering from. With fast and hectic life and changed living patterns, many things have undergone a sea change and sleep is also one of them. However, there is nothing to worry in that. Various kinds of sleep meditation techniques have been found out and more and more techniques are being implemented each day to induce sleep in people. If you are facing the problem of sleep deprivation lately, you can try out various sleep meditation techniques for beginners and are surely going to be benefitted by that.

Lack of sleep can lead to various other kinds of problems in a person, beginning from abdominal issues to depression and irritation. Your entire life seems to get hampered. On not getting proper sleep you tend to be sleepy and irritated all throughout the day, you lack energy and enthusiasm to do any kind of work. If this continues, on the long run, your well-being and your health gets severely affected due to lack of sleep. The various sleep meditation techniques can easily fight with these problems as you can relax well and enjoy a sound sleep. Meditating is actually quite a difficult thing to do than said. In the various meditation techniques for beginners, it is taught how to meditate slowly and once the base level is set, one can meditate well in any place. Meditation helps in removing stress and tension to a great extent and not only relaxes the mind but also the body as a whole.

Counting down is one of the oldest and very effective sleep meditation techniques that are practiced by people over the years.

This is also one of the popular sleep meditation techniques for beginners that help them in getting some deep sleep. If by counting down once does not help, repeat the process again and you are sure to benefit from this sleep meditation process. Apart from this, there are also various breathing exercises that can help you to relax your mind and body and you can get good sleep thereafter. Many meditation techniques for beginners also use soft music or binaural beats or use hemi-sync meditation music so that it becomes easy for the beginners to concentrate and meditate during the breathing exercises. The most important thing about the breathing exercises is that you have to focus hard on the entire breathing pattern and rhythm.

Mindful meditation and guided imagery are also very effective sleep meditation processes that are opted by many people. However, these are not very suitable meditation techniques for beginners as these meditation techniques require lot of concentration and focus, which only grow with time. It is always good to meditate in an open place, which is quiet and serene and away from the din and bustle of normal life. Once you are done with the meditation, you can feel the change in your mind and body.

Jonson Mak is a professor of medical science having interest on writing articles on medical science. For more information on meditation techniques for beginners or sleep meditation he recommend to visit site http://themeditationmind.com/

Buddhist Monks in Thailand

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Here in Thailand it’s a tradition for men to ordain as monks for 3 months before getting married, however some are busy with their careers and only ordain for a week or two.

Buddhist Culture

Most peoples round southeast Asia have a lot of respect for their parents and elderly which is something that is dying out in Western culture.

In addition, Thai people really respect Buddhist monks because they lead simple lives and practice the Buddha’s teachings. Another reason the monks are so revered is because their meditation practice can lead to enlightenment which is considered the highest achievement of all.

Karma

Buddhists believe in the concept of karma, which in short means that every good action will reap good fruit sometime in the future while every bad action will reap bad fruit.

So, one of the most beautiful things you can do in Buddhist culture is to sponsor a monk which means offering him a robe, alms bowl and other necessities – this is usually done by the parents. The good karma of such a sponsorship is believed to be immense.

Men become monks for various reasons, however only a minority of the monks in Thailand have a genuine interest in the Buddha’s teachings. Most of them ordain to honor their parents.

Buddhist Monasticism

The monks set out on alms round just after sunrise. This is not viewed as begging in Buddhist countries but rather as a opportunity for the community to offer food to the honorable monks.

Offering foods to the monks is believed to make for very good karma.

The monks generally chant Buddhist scriptures 3-4 times a day, spend time studying and meditating.

Life in a monastery is really monotonous with the same schedule and foods almost everyday. A few times a month they may chant at funerals and other religious ceremonies.

When I was a junior monk in Thailand, we swept leaves in the temple grounds every afternoon which is a meditation in itself. If you’re interested in meditation, monasteries offer plenty of inspiration and support.

All the best!

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Buy the Mindfulness Meditation Mp3 and learn Guided Mindfulness Meditation

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Buy the Mindfulness Meditation Mp3 and learn Guided Mindfulness Meditation

If you want to give a boost to your health and to your mind then mindfulness meditation is what you need. It is not difficult to practice this type of meditation you just need to arrange for certain things and then can start with your practice. First of all you just need some time say ten to twenty minutes and a quite tranquil place where you can meditate without any hassles. Fresh air is also another requirement for this practice and if you thought that you needed someone who can teach you or instruct you to do the meditation properly then your problem is solved. As you can find the Mindfulness Meditation Mp3 easily in the stores or if you are unable to find them in the stores then the option of downloading the Mindfulness Meditation Mp3 is always present. The Mindfulness Meditation Mp3 comprises of all that you need to carry on the meditation practice by yourself. It not only describes the methods and ways to do the exercises but also sometime contains music that is especially designed for you. This music will not disturb you but will rather help you in achieving peace.

Ion the same way if you want to learn a meditation technique that is not difficult at all then Guided Mindfulness Meditation is your best bet. Here also you just need a serene place to sit and practice the techniques. Then you need to find an object that can be your centre of concentration in Guided Mindfulness Meditation. It is suggested that if you can concentrate on your breathing then you can achieve complete concentration. This can be called your “anchor”. Though you need to concentrate on the present but you need to avoid the thoughts that are coming to your mind, just let them come and move away. But try to keep your concentration on the anchor only. If you want to gain the control over your life once more then Guided Mindfulness Meditation will help you a lot. You can release yours elf from useless fear and uncertainty so that you can live your life to the fullest and get rid of all the negative thoughts.

Simon Lee writes informative and unique articles about Guided Meditation and Mindfulness Meditation. One thing that separates Simon Lee from others is the passion he puts into it, knowing full well and respecting the time viewers spend on reading his work.

David Nichtern presents a brief introduction to the practice of Mindfulness Meditation. David Nichtern is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Know the Benefits of Yoga

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Yoga is one of the most fundamental needs to keep body hit and fit. This is also ultimate and effective therapy to various incurable diseases. Performing yoga on regular basis is said to rejuvenate overall beauty of physique. Many of yoga performers experience salient health improvement especially in terms of removal of several diseases which don’t have difficult medical solution. There are many diseases which don’t have permanent treatment in medical solution, but through yoga, they can be cured effectively.

Yoga is such an imperative source of treatment that helps unite mind, body and the spirit together. Some yoga experts say that the right yoga treatment to mind and body will have effective result to them. it will improve their connection to each other. Some fatal diseases like cancers which still don’t have medical solution is said to be curable through practicing yoga. Further, this is the yoga that helps you remain focused on your body’s attitude, alignment and pattern of movement. Yoga helps body become flexible and relaxed out of stress-stricken environment. Practicing yoga, in all its essence makes body fitted, energetic, pleased and tranquil.

Yoga is a science which is medically acknowledged as an imperative therapeutic that has practical healing solution to various diseases. The science of yoga is based on thesis, principles and observation which collectively focus on mind and body and their connection with each other. It is medically proven that yoga has many health benefits and different poses of yoga has its salient importance to giving health benefits to body. Yoga ensures perfect equilibrium between mind and body. Different yoga poses has several health benefits on psychological, psychological and biochemical fronts.

Yoga brings forth extreme flexibility to joints of body including those which are never calmed even though doing many exercises. It gives utmost lubrication to joints, ligaments and tendons of the body. To bring forth flexibility to entire parts of the body is one of the most commendable virtues of yoga. It has been observed that by performing yoga, parts of body experience greatest flexibility including those parts which have not been acted upon. Further, yoga is the ultimate source that massages whole body including internal glands and organs. Yoga stimulates better functionality of organs and glands which consequently improves their immune system.

The aftereffect of performing yoga has corresponding effect on health as to ample blood supply to entire part of the body. The ample blood circulation consequently results flushing out toxic materials out of body thereby providing it complete nourishment. This subsequently benefits body in terms of delayed ageing, fresh blood, stamina and revitalized energy in all parts of body. Further, this is the yoga that helps toning up the muscles. Muscles that have become feeble and flaccid can effectively be improved by constant practice of yoga.

As said before, if yoga is done through meditation, it would bring forth harmony that will help mind establish connection with body. Subsequently, the body experiences stress free and rejuvenated zeal for life. Lastly, there are also some tangible benefits by yoga which are blessing in disguise.

 

 

 

Yoga can cure almost everything and when you talk about yoga you can can’t forget Baba Ramdev Yoga and Bikram Yoga. There are most popular yoga.

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What is Meditation?

Zen Meditation

Meditation is not a technique, but a way of life. Meditation means “a cessation of the thought process”. It describes a state of consciousness, when the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns. The observer (one who is doing meditation) realizes that all the activity of the mind is reduced to one.

In the West, the word meditation means a concentrated state of mind in serious reflection. The Latin root of the word meditation, mederi, means “to heal.” It is an effort to heal afflictions of the mind, the hurt ego, by trying to understand the cause of the problem and finding a way to solve it, that is, by knowing what counter-measures to take. To meditate thus, is to deepen a state of understanding.

In the East, however, meditation does not mean thinking at all but fixing the mind in a spiritual ideal, to be one with it, or the thought-process dissolving in the consciousness of it. According to Zen, meditation does not involve any concept but is an awareness of inner silence. As per the Yoga of Patanjali, meditation is a combination of three steps: pratyahara or abstraction, or withdrawal of the mind from the sense-objects or attention to their memory; dharana or concentration; and dhyana or contemplation which, however, is not a thought-process but an absorption of the feeling of oneness with the ideal.

In Bhakti Yoga, meditation is visualization of the image of a chosen deity, together with mental repetition of a relevant mantra.

For the Vedantin it is to contemplate on the meaning of selected verses from the Upanishads or similar scriptures.

Whatever you do with awareness is meditation. “Watching your breath” is meditation; listening to the birds is meditation. As long as these activities are free from any other distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation.

Health benefits of Meditation:

It lowers oxygen consumption.
It decreases respiratory rate.
It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
Increases exercise tolerance in heart patients.
Leads to a deeper level of relaxation.
Good for people with high blood pressure as it brings the B.P. to normal.
Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches.
Builds self-confidence.
It increases serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.
Helps in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis etc.
Reduces Pre- menstrual Syndrome.
Helps in post-operative healing.
Enhances the immune system. Research has revealed that meditation increases activity of ‘natural-killer cells’, which kill bacteria and cancer cells.
Also reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress.

What Meditation is NOT

Meditation is NOT concentration
Meditation is NOT relaxation
Meditation is NOT a serious religious practice 
Meditation is NOT a state of mind
Meditation is NOT self-hypnosis

What is required to meditate?

A state of comfortable body. No desire for food or water or excretion.
A suitable time. 15-20 minutes of time, without any sense of urgency or pressing needs.
A quiet location. Meditation is usually practiced in a quiet place with as few distractions as possible. This can be particularly helpful for beginners.
A specific, comfortable posture. Depending on the type being practiced, meditation can be done while sitting, lying down, standing, walking, or in other positions.
A focus of attention. Focusing one’s attention is usually a part of meditation. For example, the meditator may focus on a mantra (a specially chosen word or set of words), an object, or the sensations of the breath.
An open attitude. Having an open attitude during meditation means letting distractions come and go naturally without judging them.

Meditation – Do Not:

Do not meditate immediately after eating food. Give a 30 minutes to 2 hours gap depending on the size of meal
Do not meditate immediately before or after a heavy cardiovascular exercise. Rest for 30 minutes before meditating.

Spiritual healing portal is a non-profit venture from SHP Resources Inc., an US based Women and Minority owned firm. The objective of this portal is to provide a wealth of information and problem solving techniques through several spiritual healing vehicles like Astrology, Aromatherapy, Acupressure, Meditation, Crystals, FengShui, Reiki, and Yoga.

Discover the History of Reiki : Reiki meditation

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The history of Reiki reveals the story of magical healing energies which were rediscovered by a man named Dr Mikao Usui, a Buddhist monk in the early nineteenth century. Dr Usui found the “key” for healing using only energy and the palm of your hand. His amazing quest to find the missing “keys” of healing has now been widely spread all over the world, and used daily by millions of people..

A senior student asked Dr Usui, “Do you believe everything written in the bible?” Dr Usui answered “yes”. The boy then proceeded to ask “Why does it say in the bible that we can walk on water and heal sick people, when we can’t”.

This was the seed that started the quest for answers and Dr Usui resigned from his position. He moved to the United States of America and received a Doctorate Degree in Scriptures.

Dr Usui knew Buddha had the power to heal, so he returned to Japan to study Buddhism.

Whilst studying Buddhism he discovered the Original Buddhist Scriptures, but unfortunately they were written in Sanskrit (an ancient language). Which he had to study before he was able to understand the teachings.

Finally, he found the formula of how Buddha miraculously healed people. He knew he was close but could still not heal people. Dr Usui went to the mountains in Japan to fast and meditate on the technique required to heal people for 21 days. His friend the Abbot warned him it could be very dangerous, and he may even loose his life.

As Dr Usui climbed the scared mountain he collected twenty one stones, that he used as a calendar. He spent his days on the mountains studying the sutras, meditating and singing. As the days passed Dr Usui became tired, stiff, hungry, thirsty and exhausted and disappointed as he was no closer to discovering how to heal the sick.

On the twenty first day as Dr Usui began to head home, then suddenly he became aware of a beautiful beam of white light shooting from the heavens directly towards him.

He was stuck by this light which eventually knocked him over, he could also see bubbles of white light before his eyes.

These bubbles of light contained the energies of Reiki. He realized the missing key’s of Reiki had been given to him, and the missing energies or the now known symbols of Reiki healing, had been rediscovered.

Following this experience Dr Usui was no longer feeling the tiredness, stiffness, exhaustion and hunger he previously felt. On the way down the mountain he stubbed his toe which he placed his hands over and the pain and bleeding subsided. He healed himself.

When he arrived down from the mountain he stopped at an inn and ordered a Japanese breakfast. The inn keeper could see he had been through an ordeal by his clothes and appearance.

Whilst waiting for breakfast he healed the inn keeper’s daughter of tooth ache. He also healed himself of aches and pains plus his friend at the Monastery the Abbot, of severe arthritic pain using only energy and his hands.

He continued to heal the poor and the beggars for many years. Eventually left the beggars and returned home to the Monastery, where he began healing and teaching students throughout Japan.

Dr Usui now realized there were two primary aspects of healing which were vital- the healing of the spirit and the responsibility of the receiver.

Dr Usui passed the “Keys”, the lineage and the history of Reiki onto 16 students including Chujiro Hyashi, Hakayo Tagata and Phyllis Furimoto who in return passed the Reiki lineage on to thousands of students, so his teachings were never lost again.

For the full story of the History of Reiki and Dr Usui and his quest to discover the keys to  healing  visit http://www.universalhealingcentre.com/reikihistory.php

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