Christian Meditation Promotes Peace of Mind and Reduces Stress and Worry

Do you find it hard to just stop thinking? If you don’t, you are an exception and truly blessed. In fact, if your mind isn’t constantly wandering, I would bet to say that you practice some technique on a regular basis that helps you to quiet your thoughts.

Unfortunately for the majority of the population and that includes Christians, have a difficult time turning off the flow of minutia in your brains. Even when we want to stop thinking and embrace the peace and quiet we can’t. I believe that our thoughts can literally drive us crazy sometimes, especially when they interfere with our sleep, create worry, and steal our peace of mind.

There is really only one way to quiet our minds and that is through meditation. But as Christians, we have been taught that meditation is something evil and to be avoided. Yet if you looked up meditation in the dictionary you would find that it means to ponder, to pray, to contemplate, and to muse over.

In addition, if you did an internet search on Christian meditation you would find that Christians have been meditating for centuries. In fact, Jesus is our greatest example of why we need to meditate. The scriptures tell us that it was Jesus’ daily custom to find a solitary place and spend time with the Father. Also, when Jesus was in the desert those 40 days and night, what do you think he was doing? He was communing with God.

It is in the stillness and quietness that we truly come to know God. Psalms 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Therefore, as believers, we don’t have to believe the lie that all meditation is bad. It’s just a matter of what you are meditating on. If your meditations are on loving God, proclaiming is goodness, and abiding in his presence, how can that be a bad thing? Joshua 1:8 admonishes us to meditate on God day and night if we want success in life.

Christians that have not learned to abide in God’s presence and be still with Him spend most of their time doing for God.

They go to church and attend many meetings and Bible studies but that is not where intimacy with God is created. You can get that from going to church. It comes only from spending time with the Father. Jesus said they that worship me must worship me in spirit and in truth for these are the types of worshipers the Father desires.

Through Christian meditation not only will our relationship with God grow, but our peace of mind and joy also increases as well. That is because practicing Biblical meditation we learn how to live for the moment and leave everything else in God’s hands. Through learning to quiet our minds and abide in God’s presence we also begin to lose our attachment to things or beings and God takes a more preeminent role in our life.

Meditating on God can be as simple as sitting in a quiet area just focusing on the Lord. It can encompass meditating on a sacred word (part of scripture) or your breathing to anchor your mind and keep it from wandering, or it can be simply listening to a guided Christian meditation that takes you through a progressive relaxation and scriptural narrative.

The truth is that once you spend time just abiding in God’s presence you won’t want to stop. Dwelling in the sweet presence of God will draw you like bees to honey. We can’t be in God’s presence and not be changed. We can’t meditate on God and not feel is love. We must learn to be still and quiet our thoughts so we can truly hear from God, embrace His Word and be transformed into his likeness.

Rhonda Jones is the author of a series of Christian meditation and relaxation CDs that encourages listeners to relax, spend more quality time with God, and learn to live more consciously and in the present. Please visit her website at https://secrets2meditation.com/goto/?url=http://www.thechristianmeditator.com for additional information.

Find More Christian Meditation Articles

Tips on Meditation – How to Meditate : How to Meditate

Do you need tips on meditation-how to meditate? If you are new to the practice of meditation, then this article is perfect for you. It was designed specifically with beginners to meditation in mind.

As editor of the website My Meditation Garden, I receive lots of questions from people who are curious as to meditation how to meditate, how to begin meditating and in regards to tips that I can give them to get started. To respond to all these questions, I’ve created this list. I hope you find it helpful.

Tips on meditation- How to meditate

Don’t change your breathing patterns. By this I mean that you should not breathe in and out too slowly to too quickly. You should maintain your breathing patterns as you would normally inhale and exhale.  If you breathe in and out too slowly, it will feel like a chore. If you breathe in and out too quickly, you will lose focus and will not meditate effectively.
Close your eyes. Do not meditate with your eyes open. By closing your eyes, you close your mind to distractions that you would otherwise be open and exposed to with your eyes open.
Sit on a meditation cushion or pillow. Meditating while sitting on a meditation cushion or pillow will help align your vertebra. This will help keep you from getting distracted because of pains and aches in your back caused from the bad posture during your meditation exercise.
Use a guided meditation CD.  You should try out different guided meditation CDs to have different experiences meditating. This will also help you to be able to meditate for a longer period of time. Try out different guided meditations until you find your favorite ones.
Don’t meditate on an empty stomach or after having just eaten. If you meditate when you are hungry, you will obviously be distracted by your hunger pangs. If you meditate right after eating, you will feel very sleepy while you meditate and will likely fall asleep.

If you are new to meditation and are interested in getting started, make sure to get your Free 5 Day Meditation Program today! You can also read more about the benefits of meditation before getting started.

Find More How To Meditate Articles

A Guide to Meditation : grounding meditation

Meditation is about learning to become present in the moment. Being present in your life and having a calm mind are essential to optimal health. A quiet mind however is not something all of us can make happen automatically. If you’ve never taken the time to meditate or perhaps you are struggling with meditation here are some ways to improve upon this in your life.

The very first and most important thing is to listen and tap into your breathing. Breathe however you feel most comfortable but make sure you are taking deep and full breaths. This will help you to stay in the moment and clear your mind of distractions. A lot of people believe that meditation is about leaving your body, but in actuality it’s about getting into your body and the space between your thoughts and your body. Everything is connected to everything else.

There’s a lot of question as to how much and how long to meditate for. It’s better to set yourself up in the habit to meditate rather than to overdo it some days and not enough on others. If you set yourself up to meditate when you wake up in the morning or whenever works best for you, try and set out to do it every day. When you set up a time to meditate choose a length of time that works for you such as 10 or 15 minutes and gradually work up to an hour or even an hour and a half. The more of a habit this becomes the easier your mind will be able to shut down.

Clear your mind. Take a few minutes before beginning your mediation to think about everything you have going on in your head. Write it down in a journal or electronically, but take five to ten minutes to let yourself work out everything that is distracting you. Let your stream of consciousness flow out. You’ll be much more effective when you let your mind deal with everything that is going on. When you have thoughts of the past and future crowding your mind, you lose the power of intention and your goal of awareness.

A final note, you do not need to bend like a pretzel or be a yoga master in order to position yourself for meditation. The best position is to sit in a chair comfortably. Place your feel on the ground and do not cross your arms or legs, just place your hands open on top of your legs. Sit upright and make sure that you have support for your back. Do not sit or lie down in a place where you may typically relax or sleep as you may drift off to sleep during this exercise.

With these steps you should find it fairly easy to glide into your daily meditation. There are so many good reasons to be meditating. Meditation can assist with blood flow and oxygen consumption, chronic diseases like allergies, reduce pre-menstrual syndrome, help to build your self-confidence and most of all lead to a deeper level of relaxation improving your overall condition. Take a moment, breathe and allow yourself the time to be conscious in your present self.

Joe trains 5 times a week at Bally’s Gym in Orange County. A long-time fitness enthusiast, he recommends that you buy ephedrineand buy ephedrafrom Astronutrition.

Find More Grounding Meditation Articles