Archive for the ‘Mental’ Category

Meditation is most often considered an inactive process of quieting your mind and engaging with stillness, but there are also several ways to use physical activity to enter a meditative state.  Both types of meditation can be incredibly effective in inspiring a sense of peace, harmony and well-being, but they differ greatly in their approach.

Mental meditation involves sitting quietly and focusing on your breathing or a soothing mantra, or emptying your mind by disengaging from your conscious thoughts.  Physical meditation at first glance seems to be the complete opposite because your body will be in motion the entire time, but the mental result of peace and stillness is very much the same.

If sitting quietly in silence has always been difficult for you, you may want to explore various forms of physical meditation instead.  In fact, you have probably engaged in physical meditation before and not even realized you were doing so!

Here are a few of the most common types of physical meditation activities:

1) Walking.

Walking is not only good for your body; it helps clear your mind too!  Repeatedly placing one foot in front of the other while you breathe deeply and observe your surroundings can be incredibly meditative.  Just a few minutes of this can melt away weeks’ worth of tension.  

Start by choosing a pleasant location, like a park or pretty tree-lined street; lace up your walking shoes, grab a bottle of water and you’re ready to go.  As you walk, try to avoid thinking too much.  Instead, do your best to set your conscious thoughts aside and focus instead on the sensation of your muscles flexing, and oxygen flowing in and out of your lungs.  Or tune into your surroundings more completely and focus on the beauty of the landscape, sky and wildlife.

2) Dance.

Dancing is more often considered a recreational pursuit, but it can also be quite relaxing and hypnotic in its ability to distance you from fear and worry.

For stress relief and strengthening your spiritual connection, choose slow, soothing music and move your body gently and smoothly too.  Set your conscious thoughts aside and focus only on moving your body along with the music.  In no time at all you should feel refreshed and renewed – just as you would from a mental audio meditation program.

3) Hobbies and menial work.

You may not consider hobbies and chores to be meditative, but they are powerful in their ability to move you from a state of thinking to a state of “being” – and that’s exactly what meditation does!  The next time you engage in any physical activity like cleaning, yard work, hobbies or organizing, make a point of focusing your attention fully on it.  Let go of worries and scattered thoughts and immerse yourself fully in the act of moving your hands and body.  As you do so, you are releasing stress, calming your thoughts and entering a stress-free state that will stay with you for hours.

Nearly any physical activity can be turned into a meditative experience, as long as it’s one you don’t have to focus intently on.  (Obviously, driving and skydiving wouldn’t be good candidates for physical meditation.)  With ordinary activities, however, simply get into the habit of stepping outside the flow of your conscious thoughts and allow yourself to settle into a state of calm, steady movement – and you’ll be meditating!  See, it was easier than you thought, wasn’t it?

I am aware that meditation is the practice of paying attention and increasing awareness; sometimes called mindfulness. How does it work?

When you meditate using Yoga what do you do to meditate? I am talking about relaxing Yoga like breathing Yoga.

And with the Zen meditation do you follow the something? Or you are counting your breathing etc?

Please give me example and breathing ratio.

Thank you.

Breathing is one of life’s most basic necessities. Adults take in an average of almost 25,000 breaths each day, and that’s just at rest. While it’s true that most of us don’t stop to think about the breathing we do each day, it’s important to recognize the health benefits of doing so. Take in a breath right now. It comes so naturally, doesn’t it? You may not realize that you can greatly improve the way you feel inside and out, just by consciously controlling how you breathe, for even as little as an hour each day.

When you breathe in the air around you, your lungs transfer the oxygen into your blood. This oxygen is necessary for life’s building block, our cells, to live and create within us. When you breathe out, carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes are removed from the blood and back out into the air. For those with impaired respiratory function, such as cardiac patients or asthma sufferers, the result of improper breathing is a catastrophic build-up of toxins and extremely low levels of oxygen in the blood. The good news is that even those of us with impaired respiration can benefit from intentionally controlling our breathing.

Through maximizing each of your breaths in and out, you can increase the oxygen and minimize the wastes in your blood. To do this, sit up straight and tall, allowing your lungs room to fully expand with each breath in. Relax, and breathe in deep and slow, to the count of four. Don’t just “nose breathe.” Look down and watch your chest rise up and out as you fill your lungs, and then hold it for the count of two. Slowly release the toxins back out to another count of four. Your goal is 6 breaths per minute. Practicing this “yoga-style” breathing just an hour a day will increase your blood oxygen levels, something some scientists believe leads to greater heart and overall health.

Even beyond the physical benefits, proper breathing can have a powerful effect on your spiritual and mental well-being. Shallow, rapid breathing often accompanies a state of stress and anxiety, even if we’re not consciously aware of feeling pressured. As a defense mechanism, stress and tension cause us to “constrict,” not only our breath but every part of our bodies.

Unfortunately, this constriction also greatly dampens our creativity, inspiration, mental clarity and more. If we stay in this repressed state for too long, we find ourselves feeling increasingly confused, spacey and disconnected from our center – which only makes us feel more stressed and constricted, and the vicious cycle continues indefinitely.

Proper breathing not only refreshes and energizes your body; it also connects you more deeply with your spiritual self. In fact, you may be surprised to know that the word “spirit” is derived from the Latin word, “spiritus” which means “breath”. Many cultures and spiritual traditions around the world revere controlled breathing as a crucial aspect of spiritual ascension and connection with universal forces.

You may not think that spiritual fullness has much to do with your day to day life, but consider the difference between feeling scattered and depleted, or enjoying abundant creative inspiration, joy and peace. Being connected and fulfilled spiritually makes everything in your life seem to flow more easily. When you breathe properly, mental confusion is cleared away, your intuition is awakened, and every moment is infused with a welcome sense of clarity and purpose.

So go ahead, take it all in. Breathe deeply, love deeply, live deeply.

Breath Affirmation:

I breathe in clarity and creativity. I breathe out fear and worry.

I breathe in joy and abundance. I breathe out scarcity and stress.

I embrace the flow of abundant wellness and peace within me.

Learn how to battle stress, visit http://holothink.com

Which vitamins and supplements are recommended to take to improve concentration, sharpness and focus?

I feel quite lethargic at work and find it difficult to sharpen my mind and concentrate. I know small amounts of caffeine help the brain stay alert, but are there any supplements that would aid this? I have heard omega 3 and cod liver oil are good, but I’m not sure if this is true or what doses. I’m about to start a new job and I want to be on the ball, not daydreaming.

I have a lot of anxieties and I've read about , but never tried, meditation. Can anyone help me out as to how to get started and to how to do it?

I have a small, rectangular room that I am turning into a meditation room. I've already thought of floor pillows and a low table but I'm curious if anyone has any unique or different ideas for this? Thanks!

I know they are not the same but if one is meditating is it possible that they could astral project if they are deep enough in meditation? I guess it would take years or a lifetime to be able to get to that point. The reason why I'm asking is that I want to learn to meditate but do not wish to astral project.
I read the answers posted so far and that is what I thought. The reason why I don't want to astral project is because it is possible to open yourself up to evil presences. I would be interested to know how the experience feels however to those who have tried it. Also do you think it is possible to open yourself to an evil presence while mediatating? I have never heard such a thing and they always say that mediation is good for you. Is it possible to go so deep that you could actually lose yourself?

I've already got the title Meditation Made Simple, which goes into different healing light visualizations and breathing exercises. I also have Lifescapes Guided Meditation, which is more of what I'm looking for right now. They have actual scenarios that they go through while you visualize them (one where it takes you through a rainforest, another where you lay out in the moonlight, and even one where you float in the ocean).

Does anyone know of any other similar types of CD's out there?

I intend to design and begin a meditation garden this spring. I want to border the garden with tall perennial flowers which are five feet tall or higher. A link address would also be appreciated. Thanks!