Relaxation, and Meditation. MEDITATION: 1) Sit comfortably in a quiet room, which is neither cold, nor too warm, with your spine reasonably straight. 2) Allow your eyes to rest comfortably downward, gazing softly, but not focused on anything. 3) Without closing your eyes completely, let your eyelids drop to a level that feels most comfortable. 4) Continue gazing downward... the act of gazing is your primary focus (rather than the area at which you are gazing). You may notice your breathing becoming more rhythmic. 5) It's ok to let your attention drift a bit. If your eyes become very heavy, it's ok to let them close. If you notice you've come out of your relaxed space, simply bring your attention back gently to your relaxed downward gaze. 6) This should be done for at least 10, and preferably 20 minutes. Maximum results come from practising 3 times daily, some hours apart. There is an audio meditation instruction at: http://www.secretsofmeditation.com/demo.htm Also see http://www.meditainment.com/free_guided_meditation/ TRY THEM ALL, AND USE WHICHEVER WORKS BEST FOR YOU. I AM INFORMED THAT THE ONE YOU PREFER THE LEAST, HOWEVER, IS THE ONE FROM WHICH YOU WILL BENEFIT MOST, IF SEEKING ENLIGHTENMENT, OR FOR SPIRITUAL PURPOSES. AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD:
Take a deep breath. As you exhale, concentrate on your head. Relax your head. Take another deep breath. As you exhale, concentrate on your shoulders, arms, and hands. Relax your shoulders, arms, and hands. Take another deep breath. As you exhale, concentrate on your chest and back. Relax your chest and back. Take another deep breath. As you exhale, concentrate on your stomach and the small of your back. Relax your stomach and the small of your back Take another deep breath. As you exhale, concentrate on your hips and feet. Relax your hips and feet. Create a mental image of the sun rising on the horizon.
Take a deep breath. As you breath out, say the word, aum. Say it so that it takes your entire outbreath to say. Auoouuuummmm. Repeat the word Aum every time you breath out. This is your personal mantra. Aum is the most used mantra on Earth. To speak it while concentrating on the word is to bring in highly charged spiritual energies. Feel your entire body being filled with love and a relaxed carefree attitude as you repeat it again and again.
Repeat the word mentally, (actually speak it if you are in a position to do so.) Repeat the word aum fourteen times. Thereafter, whenever you feel stress building in you, mentally hum the mantra Aum. Do it with every exhalation. At the same time think about the sun rising on the horizon.
YOGA NIDRA: (actually a meditative practice; no bodily flexibility is needed) The mind can be like a naughty child: what we tell it to do; it won't! So sit, or lie down comfortably in a room, which is neither cold nor too warm, in dim light, but not in pitch darkness, with fingertips pointed upwards, not touching anything. Take plenty of time with each section: to hurry in this exercise is to completely miss the point. If others are involved, take even longer (ask later whether they felt hurried, and adjust, next time).
Focus all your awareness on your right big toe................... then the other toes of the right foot.............. then that foot............. the ankle............. the calf.............. the knee............... the thigh.............. Then left big toe...........then other left toes..........then that foot...........the ankle.............the calf.............the knee............the thigh........... Then the right thumb...........then other fingers of the right hand............then the right wrist............the forearm...........the elbow............the upper arm............the right shoulder. Then the left thumb..............then the other fingers of the left hand............then the wrist..............the forearm..............the elbow..............the upper arm................then the left shoulder................then the head................then the chest.................then the abdomen................... Then, focus your attention on any sounds you can hear; aeroplanes, traffic noise, children, or dogs barking in the distance................. Then refocus your awareness on your right big toe....................the other toes, and repeat that sequence exactly as before. Next, focus your awareness on the thoughts which come into your mind. Now is not the time to follow those thoughts; just be aware of, and note them. Then refocus your attention on your right big toe, and go through that sequence again..................... Next, refocus on anything you can hear.................. Then, once again, on your right big toe, and repeat that sequence. Then refocus on the thoughts coming into your mind..................... Keep repeating this process for around 20 minutes, at least. Eventually, the mind will tire of this, and reach a state of calm. If you are tired, or physically fatigued, you may find yourself falling asleep. You may then go through the process again. If it occurs regularly, however, ensure you are getting adequate sleep (see pages 1. and O, about insomnia), and not running a "sleep deficit", like so many people in modern Western society, who are materially rich, but time poor. Try practising it earlier in the day, when you are alert, and rested. Otherwise, it should be regarded as an attempt by the negative part of your mind to resist change*, which it regards as moving into unknown territory: a frightening prospect, for some people. Exercise determination, and persevere with the process. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WALKING MEDITATION: Focus your attention on the feeling your feet make on hitting the ground as you walk for 15 - 20 mns. Note any thoughts which may enter your mind, without pursuing them. Gently return your attention to the task at hand. Your eyes should be directed at the ground several yards/metres in front of you, so your peripheral vision will detect anything that you need to respond to. A park, or sports field is ideal for this.
The advantage of this form of meditation is that you can receive the benefits of exercise, meditation, and possibly be generating vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) if your bare skin is exposed to sunlight (view http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/12/16/my-one-hour-vitamin-d-lecture-to-clear-up-all-your-confusion-on-this-vital-nutrient.aspx ). I find that it helps reduce distractions to repeat the mantra: "THE TASK AT HAND" with every 4 steps; 1 word for each step, at least for a while, and then focus entirely on the feeling my feet make on hitting the ground, and, if internal chatter occurs, return to repeating it, but you may find this unnecessary. You can select any other word, or short phrase you like for this, such as: "Things are getting better". ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Letting Go of the Familiar: We all have security blankets that we hang on to with fists of iron. Fearful of letting go of the familiar, we accept the continuing routine of things that someone outside might see as unacceptable.
Most of us attribute to outside agencies the forces that direct us to failure or success. When we feel that we have no control over these forces, then change becomes a throw of the dice. Not wanting to gamble on change and perhaps lose the security of the familiar, we remain in the comforting place known as the status quo - the existing state of affairs.
Actually, there is no sense in worrying about or concentrating on past mistakes. For given the same information and the same you of that time, you would find that if you could relive the event you would do the same thing all over again.
The reason that you are seeing it as an error is that you have grown and are no longer the same person that you were then. Look at past events not as mistakes, but as guideposts showing you the way to a better place.
You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.
- Jan Glidewell
See all past events as experience. Your mistakes are only things that did not work. The only way for you to know what works is to do. If something does not work, it's up to you not to use it again. Keep at it until you discover what does work - Persistence is the key
What is it? There are many types of meditation, but all involve focusing attention on something, such as a word, a phrase, an image, an idea or the act of breathing. Meditation would typically be practiced sitting in a quiet environment for around 20 minutes a day. For some people, meditation is a spiritual or religious activity and they use meaningful thoughts as the focus of their meditation. However, meditation can also be used as a relaxation method without any spiritual or religious goal.
How does it work? Meditation has been used as a relaxation method to relieve stress and anxiety. Because anxiety and depression often occur together, meditation may help with depression as well. Is it effective?
One study has been carried out comparing meditation with physical exercise and with group therapy. (Group therapy involves depressed people meeting to discuss their experiences with other depressed people and with a therapist.) This study found little difference between these treatments in effectiveness. Unfortunately, the study did not compare meditation either with no treatment or placebo (dummy) treatment.
Are there any disadvantages? Some health professionals do not recommend meditation for people with severe depression or for people who might be at risk of schizophrenia.
Where do you get it? Popular books on how to meditate are available in many bookshops. Various organisations, generally with spiritual goals, also offer training in meditation. Here is a simple technique of meditation that is similar to those taught in these books and courses:
Sit in a quiet room in a comfortable position with eyes closed.
Choose a word which is relaxing for you (for example, 'One' or 'Calm') and repeat it silently over and over in your mind. Do not force yourself to concentrate on the word.
If your mind wanders, turn your attention back to the word.
Do this for around 20 minutes each day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION: View http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html This is basically the same technique as for Yoga Nidra, above, but involves only tensing, then relaxing, the individual muscles, one by one, until all the voluntary muscles in the body have been done.
Breathing Meditations
Generally, the purpose of breathing meditation is to calm the mind and develop inner peace. We can use breathing meditations alone or as a preliminary practice to reduce our distractions before engaging in a Lamrim meditation.
A Simple Breathing Meditation The first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and more lucid. This can be accomplished by practising a simple breathing meditation. We choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a comfortable position. We can sit in the traditional cross-legged posture or in any other position that is comfortable. If we wish, we can sit in a chair. The most important thing is to keep our back straight to prevent our mind from becoming sluggish or sleepy.
The first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and more lucid.
We sit with our eyes partially closed and turn our attention to our breathing. We breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils, without attempting to control our breath, and we try to become aware of the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. This sensation is our object of meditation. We should try to concentrate on it to the exclusion of everything else.
At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath. If we discover that our mind has wandered and is following our thoughts, we should immediately return it to the breath. We should repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath.
Benefits of Meditation If we practise patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will subside and we will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Our mind will feel lucid and spacious and we will feel refreshed. When the sea is rough, sediment is churned up and the water becomes murky, but when the wind dies down the mud gradually settles and the water becomes clear. In a similar way, when the otherwise incessant flow of our distracting thoughts is calmed through concentrating on the breath, our mind becomes unusually lucid and clear. We should stay with this state of mental calm for a while. Even though breathing meditation is only a preliminary stage of meditation, it can be quite powerful. We can see from this practice that it is possible to experience inner peace and contentment just by controlling the mind, without having to depend at all upon external conditions.
So much of the stress and tension we normally experience comes from our mind
When the turbulence of distracting thoughts subsides and our mind becomes still, a deep happiness and contentment naturally arises from within. This feeling of contentment and well-being helps us to cope with the busyness and difficulties of daily life. So much of the stress and tension we normally experience comes from our mind, and many of the problems we experience, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by this stress. Just by doing breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. We will experience a calm, spacious feeling in the mind, and many of our usual problems will fall away. Difficult situations will become easier to deal with, we will naturally feel warm and well disposed towards other people, and our relationships with others will gradually improve.
ALSO VIEW: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm & http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EMDR VARIANT: The following EMDR variant came from a book on treating insomnia for the depressed; I use it every night, and it is well worth trying. It seems to reduce distractions during the mindfulness relaxation methods, so I use it first; you may not need it at all, but many people could benefit from it, which is why I include it here:
Keeping your head still, move your eyes first to the far left, then far right, and repeat this another 19 times. Each full sweep should take around a second. If you like, you can either subvocalise, or repeat: "one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand ... up to twenty. After this, allow your body to go limp, and relax for a short time. Then repeat the whole exercise, limpness, and relaxation twice. This may well be all you need. Others may require another round of the above. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Passive Meditation for all
This meditation is meant for people who want to know the separation from the ego and the body. This is a self-realization journey is useful for the sick as none of the active part is needed. This technique can be used for chronic pain patients as well. As usual, first find a quiet place, your own bedroom is preferred, then play a soothing music cd (you can find this anywhere in the cd shop or on the web), lie down on your back. Now, let’s begin.
Step 1: Separate body and yourself No matter you are in your 50s, 40s, 30s or 20s, your body has been with you, being a slave to your mind and your goal all these while. It is the time for your body to relax. Talk to each part of the body, starting from the toe “Are you tired? I am so sorry that I didn’t take better care of you. Relax, my friend, I have come to realized that you are taking care of me all this time.” Then move to your thigh, to your stomach, to your arms, to your hand and to your head. Repeat the same statement to every part of your body, you will eventually feels that each of your body parts will be in a relaxed condition.
Step 2: Separate mind and yourself You can only come to this stage after completing of the first step. This is very important because to find your real self it has to be layer by layer, it is like a gift, a present, when you are opening a present you have to un-wrap it layer by layer. Once the body is relaxed, the mind will follow. The body is more trustful, once the body trust totally, the mind will listen to you. Talk to your mind (which is your ego), “You must have been tired, thinking, strategizing, struggling night and day, trying to achieve another goal, relax my friend just for one moment. You have done so much for me.”
Step 3: Your heart and you (the being) If you had achieved both steps, you will feel guilty and sorry for your own body and your own mind, somehow, the whole of the emotions overwhelm inside you, you will be feeling very subtle (you may be crying or shivering or even both) and you are in the centre of the whole (you may feel the vibration inside you). Be assured you are alright.
It is suggested that you are to practice this method at least once a week, you will notice that you are getting more and more relax and you are on the journey to the inner core. But remember, just do this meditation when you feel like it, do not, I repeat there is no need to have a forced schedule, do not destroy the gift that the universe has prepared for you. __________________________________________________________________________________ What is Mindfulness Meditation? Mindfulness is a type of meditation that essentially involves focusing your mind on the present moment. To be mindful is to be aware of your thoughts and actions in the present moment-without judging yourself. Research provided by Dr. Jon Kabit-Zinn has proven that mindfulness meditation improves mood, decreases stress/anxiety, boosts immune function, helps one see life as it really is and helps one to cultivate mindfulness, wisdom, compassion, patience, and loving-kindness. Jon Kabat-Zinn has some excellent books/cd's on cultivating mindfulness such as "Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and The World Through Mindfulness" and "Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life":
How to practice 'basic' Mindfulness Meditation: Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your head, neck and back straight but not stiff. Put aside all thoughts of the past and the future and stay in the present moment. Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Pay attention to the way each breath changes and is different. Watch every thought come and go, whether it be a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. When thoughts come up in your mind, don't ignore or suppress them but simply note them, remain calm and use your breathing as an anchor. When you find yourself getting carried away in your thoughts, observe where your mind went off to, without judging, and simply return to your breathing. Remember not to be hard on yourself when this happens. Practicing for ten to fifteen minutes-twice a day-for starters is sufficient. Daily, consistent practice of Mindfulness Meditation is what's most important.
*Beginning Mindfulness: Learing the Way of Awareness." By: Andrew Weiss - teaches Mindfulness of Breathing, Mindfulness Meditation, Walking Meditation, Lovingkindness Meditation, Tonglin: the Art of Compassion and Mindfulness in Everyday Life. What is Mindfulness Meditation? Mindfulness is a type of meditation that essentially involves focusing your mind on the present moment. To be mindful is to be aware of your thoughts and actions in the present moment-without judging yourself. Research provided by Dr. Jon Kabit-Zinn has proven that mindfulness meditation improves mood, decreases stress/anxiety, boosts immune function, helps one see life as it really is and helps one to cultivate mindfulness, wisdom, compassion, patience, and loving-kindness. Jon Kabat-Zinn has some excellent books/cd's on cultivating mindfulness such as "Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and The World Through Mindfulness" and "Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life":
How to practice 'basic' Mindfulness Meditation: Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your head, neck and back straight but not stiff. Put aside all thoughts of the past and the future and stay in the present moment. Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Pay attention to the way each breath changes and is different. Watch every thought come and go, whether it be a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. When thoughts come up in your mind, don't ignore or suppress them but simply note them, remain calm and use your breathing as an anchor. When you find yourself getting carried away in your thoughts, observe where your mind went off to, without judging, and simply return to your breathing. Remember not to be hard on yourself when this happens. Practicing for ten to fifteen minutes-twice a day-for starters is sufficient. Daily, consistent practice of Mindfulness Meditation is what's most important.
*Beginning Mindfulness: Learing the Way of Awareness." By: Andrew Weiss - teaches Mindfulness of Breathing, Mindfulness Meditation, Walking Meditation, Lovingkindness Meditation, Tonglin: the Art of Compassion and Mindfulness in Everyday Life. ~~~
Practice one of the relaxation methods in http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm & http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate You will know, from the ease, and effect, which one suits you best, but try them some hours apart, preferably early, and definitely not late at night, at least, not at first. Prior to using either of the methods in the above paragraph, first sit comfortably, and take a deep breath. Then, without moving your head, move your eyes from the left, to the right, and back again, taking around a second to do so (say: "a thousand and one": this takes approximately a second). Repeat this procedure (without the words, although you can count, subvocally, if you like) 20 times: "A thousand and one; a thousand and two... " and so on, to a thousand and twenty. Then close your eyes and relax. Become aware of any tension or discomfort you feel.
Then open your eyes, and take another deep breath, and repeat step one, closing your eyes, and relaxing afterwards, in the same manner. Then, repeat the procedure one last time. Some people may find that this is all they need do. With experience, you may find that you can practise this in public, with your eyes closed, which greatly widens the window of opportunity for its use, and avoids attracting unwanted attention. I have found that the 2 - 3 minutes spent using the EMDR markedly reduces distractions to the meditative process, and is well worthwhile, especially for novices. I also use it prior to my chosen meditation technique, after lights out, at night. You may not need it, later, or even now, but it is good to know. For more about Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing therapy, see the above. I now use it on a daily basis. The progressive muscle relaxation, at http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html is probably is a good first choice, for many people.
"The following exercise is an improvement on the more well-known Empty Your Mind Exercise: WARNING: The empty your mind exercise is often used in various New Age groups but I don't recommend it. Any exercise where we are told to empty our minds is not good because the point of these kinds of exercises is to get us to see we are not our mind by observing our mind long enough so that we can begin to identify with the observer of the mind rather than mind itself. The Empty Your Mind exercise, instead of getting us to identify with the observer of the mind, mistakenly gets us to identify with emptiness. Now if we are suffering from a lot of garbage in our mind which is torturing us, maybe emptiness provides temporary release, but it does not lead to any kind of transcendental understanding. Release from suffering is not the same thing as release of suffering. If we must do this exercise, let's do it this way. When told to empty our mind, we should empty ourselves of our mind. That works! Sit quietly and imagine your mind as a huge garbage can full of debris-thoughts, images, sounds, colors. Have a garbage truck come by to pick up the can.
Throw out the thoughts and images into the truck one by one and when it is almost empty, toss in the can. Now where can your thoughts reside with no mind? When one comes along, just hang it over the clothesline
far away, and then let the wind come and blow it further over the hill." Regular daily practice of one of the relaxation techniques will enable you to become a calmer, more self controlled person, who is less influenced by situations, and the behaviour of others. The following is for people who have problems using meditation, or want to go deeper. Most people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either seek professional hypnotherapy, or, quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently: http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com Meditation Hypnosis and/or Perfect Partners: Yoga Nidra* + Guided Meditation (* actually a meditative practice) OR http://www.instant-hypnosis.com Become a Meditation Guru, Deep Relaxation, Go Even Deeper with Meditation, Relax in Seconds, & Stay Awake During Meditation. http://www.freemeditation.ca/ ___________________________________________________________________________________ (from WISDOMOLOGY) "Why it is so hard to let go? To go with the flow and not be in control of everything?" I think most of us can relate. How many of us find ourselves endlessly wrestling for control of our lives? From the clutter in our homes to the clatter in our heads, we often find ourselves desperately clambering to "stay on top of things." Like the mythical Sisyphus, doomed for eternity to roll a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down just as he reaches the top, we vainly struggle for control and more often than not, create more and more suffering in the process. Our egos are the likely culprit. They loudly insist that if we do not persistently intervene -- if we are not pushing or pulling or pandering or persuading -- that the world as we know it will come to a screeching halt. And I'm not talking about stepping away for a month or a week or even a day: Most of us feel that if we were to stop for even five minutes and just allow everything to be as it is, the world would meet with certain disaster. Letting go is (ironically) no easy task. It takes practice. This is the beauty of a meditative practice. In meditation, we simply sit and allow our inner world and our outer environment just to be as it is. And we observe: what happens if I simply allow it? When we first begin such a practice we will find our inner voice screaming at us: "Get up! Get moving! This is lunacy! Everything is about to careen out of control . . . Are you just going to sit idly by and let it?" At which point we give compassion to that panicked voice. We soothe it with a gentle breath like we would smooth the hair away from the face of a frightened child. And for one breath . . . or two . . . or three . . . we experience the world without controlling it. And we learn that we CAN exist in the flow. We can let go, if even for a few breaths. And we learn that we can trust our experience, that we can abide in it gently, just as an infant trusts the gentle, abiding touch of a loving parent. And with practice, we can learn to extend our experience of flow -- and we can release the struggle for control that causes us to suffer so greatly. The gentle flow is within us. It is us. When and how will we begin to trust it? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~