Meditation – An Inexpensive Vacation : christian meditation

Picture this. You’re lying on a sandy beach with the sun warming you and your favorite beverage close at hand. For music, you have the gentle sound of the waves washing up on the beach and a light breeze blowing through the sea grass. You’re so relaxed that you can’t quite make yourself think about the crisis you left behind at work yesterday or what you’ll be dealing with on your return. Life for you is just you on this tranquil beach — right now at this present moment.

Only a lucky few of us can escape to the beach when we want or need to. But all of us have access to an equally effective relaxation tool, meditation. Like the beach scene, meditation can produce the relaxed, serene state of mind where our thoughts are focused on the present moment.

Meditation – What Is It?

Meditation has been described as the creation of a relaxed mind-body state with focus on the present moment. The state can be entered by concentrating mental focus on the breath, a sound, a visual scene, or an object. As the practitioner improves in the ability to focus, mental chatter diminishes, worldly thoughts can be shut out and a serene state of mind is achieved.

Meditation Through the Ages

Meditation is central to many of the world’s spiritual traditions. In India, the Hindus meditated to determine the true nature of God. The Buddhists meditated as a way to understand the interconnectedness of all things in the world. And in China, meditation was recommended as a way to balance the opposites of yin and yang and to achieve unity of these elements in life. Prayer is widely recognized as a form of meditation and many of the world’s religions have their own prayer traditions.

Christianity emphasizes prayer and the study of scripture. And Islam prayer is offered several times daily as a means to focus on the true nature of Allah. Throughout thousands of years of history, meditative practices in religious traditions have commonality with the current spiritual and secular meditative techniques.

Why Meditate?

In addition to the spiritual benefits of a relaxed mind focusing on the present, meditation is also prescribed in alternative medicine, and increasingly in traditional medicine, to alleviate many health conditions. A few of these are allergies, asthma, migraines, PMS and high blood pressure. And these aren’t just folk remedies; there’s a considerable body of research to support the health benefits. There are also many reported psychological benefits such as better ability to control thoughts, improved relationships, and increased will power. So all of you smokers and dieters out there can try meditation to help you build your will power to achieve your goals.

These are just a few of the reported benefits of establishing a regular meditative practice. In as little as 10 or 15 minutes a day, meditation can help you find your own ‘inner beach’ without leaving home whenever you need to take a mental break.

© 2009 Infinite Indulgence. All rights reserved.

Ann Karcich, owner of Infinite Indulgence Bath and Body Products, publishes a FREE monthly newsletter with tips on how to take good care of yourself. Sign up for the newsletter and get a free report on how to create an at-home spa at https://secrets2meditation.com/goto/?url=http://www.infiniteindulgence.com

Related Christian Meditation Articles

Benefits of Taking a Vacation at Meditation Centers in India

Article by Lily Candice

Meditation centers are a feature which have become very popular in the country of India, having mushroomed all over the country in recent years. These meditation centers are usually developed, coordinated and run by experienced teachers – individuals who have a thorough knowledge of the practice of meditation. There are several types or schools of meditation as practiced at these meditation centers which are spread around India, taking their roots mostly from the age old Buddhist practices which have endured for centuries.

Meditation centers are basically a place set out for learning about the art and practice of meditation, meditation being the way and manner in which the individual seeks to attain a calmness of the mind, leading to freedom to live in love, peace and happiness with and within her surroundings.

The benefits of attending any of several meditation centers are quite numerous. For one, leaving your normal environment to another area of cultural differences has its natural benefits. But this is only the most basic of the benefits. The student who prepares himself and learns the processes involved in the practice of meditation, such as the processes of Deep Deconditioning Inquiry and Radiant mantras taught at the Z Meditation Center, will acquire a proper understanding of himself after successfully freeing himself from decades of preconceived ideas and notions that have been clouding his thinking, resulting in poor judgment calls and tainted information for decision making. As the mind is freed, so is the soul, which becomes more attuned to the nature of God and can thus relate to the concepts of good and evil more easily. Last but not the least, the body, a source of pain and discomfort to many, will begin to heal itself as the mind is elevated. The cause of most of our bodily ailments can be traced to an unsteady, disturbed mind.

Thus meditation centers approach the human being in a holistic manner, treating the mind to take care of our souls and bodies as well.

Apart from these most wholesome benefits, meditation centers may be seen as an alternative form of vacation. And meditation centers in India have become a major vacation destination. Most, if not all, of these meditation centers are located in peaceful, quiet and relaxed areas. The Z Meditation Centers are actually located in a small town in the popular Himalayas with an unadulterated peace and breathtaking views. As a vacation destination, meditation centers also have the advantage of being pocket friendly, costing a fraction of what most traditional vacations would require.

There is however a single caveat. The vacationer or student to meditation centers needs to be a sincere seeker of the true knowledge. Without this sincerity and focus of purpose, it would be difficult for him to develop the discipline and concentration needed to learn and ultimately reap the benefits of taking a vacation at meditation centers in India. With the conviction by the individual that she is ready and willing to do away with wrong teachings, usually gathered unconsciously, she may then be able to properly benefit from the teachings at meditation centers of the true knowledge, to rise to heights hitherto not experienced.

About the Author

Lily Candice is regular article writer for Meditation in India at Z Meditation in India