Relaxation How-To: Meditation

Recently, I’ve been embarking on a spiritual journey. While aspects of this journey have improved many areas of my life, one of the most beneficial has been meditation. Meditation was introduced to me because of my spirituality, but it can always be used and functional in your everyday life regardless of ethnicity, belief, or lifestyle.

Please keep in mind that I am no expert in meditation, but merely want to share my experiences with it. Meditation provides stress relief, awareness, and relaxation, which is why I enjoy it so much. If you want to learn about mediation on a deeper level, you should contact a teacher, try taking yoga, or read online resources.

1. The Why – Meditation provides a release from everyday life. The common perception of it is that you sit on a mat, hold your fingers in the “Okay!” sign, and hum to yourself. That just isn’t true. This isn’t an activity only for monks, teachers, or spiritual leaders: you can derive benefits from it every single day. Taking a few minutes every day to center yourself, look deeply at the events in your life, and remind yourself of what’s important is a wonderful stress release. You learn to remain calm, stay centered, and you feel proud of yourself for accomplishing a wonderful activity.
2. The How – Sitting down once a day isn’t hard, and it doesn’t take long. Meditation isn’t an activity that requires a lot of skill, gear, experience, or preliminary knowledge. The point is to learn and grow yourself. Grab a mat, a couple of pillows, or find a soft grassy area outside and prepare to sit. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and fit a posture that feels easy and relaxing. Keep your back straight and your legs crossed. You can sit “full lotus,” with both feet propped up on your legs, “half lotus,” with one foot propped up on a leg, or just regular Indian style. You can close your eyes or keep them open. Begin by breathing consciously. A great beginner’s exercise is simply counting to ten. Inhale, one. Exhale, two. All the way to ten. If your mind begins to wander, gently pull it back to counting and begin again.

Guided meditations are also available. You can look for meditation mantras, or messages, online, in books, or ask a teacher. You can also take mediation courses that allow you to meditate in the presence of a teacher.

The benefits of meditation make it easy to integrate into our everyday routines. Starting your day off with a little relaxation and gentle thought processes keep you focused and mindful throughout tough work days, and is a great release at the end of such a day.

Here are some helpful links dealing with meditating:

1. edgarcayce.org
2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation
3. how-to-meditate.org
4. audiodharma.org
5. the-guided-meditation-site.com

I hope you all have a wonderful week.