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Meditation Course
Let me start by saying, "nothing is better than joining a meditation class".
In case you are looking for meditation groups or classes, please click > Meditation
However, maybe you rather would like to learn about meditiation in general or specifc meditation techniques to try out by yourself in the comfort of your own home.
Meditation
Meditation has become an excepted practice but it hasn't been always like that..
I think it helped when the Beatles went to India to study Transcendental Meditation. Meditation became an instant hit.
Most forms of Meditation are easy to learn, and like everything, practice will make you better. It takes up only a little bit of time and offers infinitely more than watching television :-)
Meditators come from all walks of life, yet their claims for meditation are all similar:
general better health, enhanced self-esteem, improved personal relationships, greater job satisfaction, more creativity and clearer thought processes and above all, and virtually unanimously — much less stress in their daily lives.
To an observer, a person in meditation may appear to be asleep. In meditation the body goes almost immediately into a deep state of rest, in which basic metabolism drops very rapidly yet the mind is, in some ways, more alert than in a normal waking state.
Twenty minute periods of meditation, is all it takes and good times are early in the morning and again some time before the evening meal. It requires a relatively quiet place, although experienced meditators can meditate almost anywhere, with a comfortable chair and freedom from interruption.
There are many different meditation techniques available, I think using a mantra, or a concentration technique or some visualisation is more suitable for the beginner than immersing yourself in total thoughlessness. The mind is concentrated on "a technique" and when thoughts intrude, gently brought back to it.
The first result is often experienced within the first few days, stress and former annoyances seem to bother you less and you find yourself more relaxed.
How can meditation bring about such a change? The body is basically a self correcting organism.
Given the right conditions, it will tend to cure ( regenerate) itself.
As we all know, too much stress is harmful and cumulative. We store it in biochemical changes in the body.
Meditation provides a period of rest and the appropriate brain wave for regeneration.
Meditation has become more important then ever.
The speed with which we live our life, in our computer generated times is too much for our systems, we haven't really adapted to all those new technologies we are using. The continual stimulation, the impact of even an ordinary day-to-day life in today's frantic world gradually escalates our optimum arousal level and results in constant stress just by living. One of the effects of meditation is to lower the arousal level.
Other internal stress is caused by the imbalance between the two hemispheres of the brain..
We relay too much on the left hemisphere — on the logical, rational and analytical, whereas we need the balance of the right hemisphere, the intuitive and creative side.
Meditation shows a remarkable synchronization effect of the brain waves from both hemispheres of the brain.
Artist know this process well, by pursuing creative activities like painting the right side of the brain is used and automatically balances out the left side. One could say, true creativity ( without logical thought) is a light meditative state.
To meditate you are asked to sit in a comfortable, quiet place and close your eyes. When you feel settled and relaxed, begin to think "your specific technique). Inevitably, thoughts will intrude but quietly put them aside and return to the mantra.
Don't meditate in you bed-room, and as the metabolic and therefore digestive processes are slowed down it is not advisable to meditate after a large meal.
Meditators show an improvement in physical and psychological health with an improved self-image, and it can produce significant reduction in blood pressure in sufferers from hypertension.
How to start with Meditation.
I generally advice to go to a meditation group, direct instruction work always best. However here are a few pointers to start you meditating and get yourself use to it:
By deciding to meditate, the process of meditation will begin, your subconscious mind will be on your side.
Sitting down for meditation, is the first step of being with yourself, you take time out just to be with yourself.
We seem compelled to be active at all times, now, maybe for the first time, you allow yourself to be inactive.
Before you do anything else, become a passive observer to your mind.
If thoughts arise, let them come, do not resist them ( what you resist persist ). Let them come and go, be passive,
watch your own mind, don't interfere, and don't start picking a thought up and think about it.
Become fully aware of your thoughts but with complete detachment and the need to get involved will vanish.
Be patient with your self, don't force anything. Just concentrate on your specific technique and if other thoughts arise just let them come and go and gently come back to your special technique.
Focus On Breathing Technique
Focus on your left nostril and feel the breath entering your left nostril as you inhale and feel it leaving from the left nostril
as you exhale. - Stay with this for a while.
Now, start counting.
Count "one", while breathing in, and again count "one", while breathing out.
Count "two" on the next breath, and so on, up to "ten".
Use above pattern, and focus now on the right nostril up to the count of ten.
Next, become aware of the breath not only in one of the nostrils, but start following the breath down the windpipe into the tips of your lung. Again, always counting up to 10.
Having managed that, extend your awareness more and actually feel the breath going even further, down into your abdomen, into your legs ending in your feet.
Again, always counting up to 10.
Now you are in deep meditation ....
... start to explore more about meditation and techniques...
More Meditation Articles - Techniques and Resources:
Disclaimer - Any general advice given in any article should not be relied upon and should not be taken as a substitute for visiting a qualified medical Doctor.
