Difficulty Meditating

Meditation Success: 10 Easy Guidelines You Can Use Today

Meditation success and mindfulness techniques have been growing in popularity. Even mainstream medicine is touting the virtues of meditation. Meditation is a skill that can be learned by anyone. However, learning a new skill is challenging.

Try these helpful tips for greater meditation success in your practice.

1) Set and keep a daily schedule. Becoming skillful at anything requires regular practice. Meditating once a
week is about as effective as brushing your teeth once a week. Make your meditation success a priority by reserving time each day for your meditation practice.

2) Start small. Think of meditation as an exercise for your mind, focus, and patience. Controlling your thoughts is challenging. You have to walk before you can run. Start by meditating for only five minutes and build from there.

How To Meditate Properly In 3 Minutes Or Less…

3) Meditate in a comfortable position. It’s important to find a position that you can hold comfortably for at least as long as your meditation session. Discomfort is distracting and makes meditation success more challenging.

4) It all starts with the breath. Making your breath the focus of your meditation has many advantages. You
take your breath with you wherever you go. Also, you can control your breathing.

5 Minute Guided Breath Meditation For Beginners

5) Use a timer. Worrying about the time can also be a distraction. You can avoid this distraction by using a timer. You’ll have less desire to check the time and you don’t have to worry about being late for another activity

These meditation timers are great for silent meditation practice.

Many people, when starting out learning meditation, are concerned about how they are going to time their practice.

No matter what meditation technique you use, you’ll find these free timers to be of great assistance if you like to meditate in silence without having to worry about keeping track of time.

Each of these files is designed for a 5, 10 20, or 30-minute meditation session.

These fine bells have a very clear, bright sound with a very sweet, pure tone.

Each timer starts and finishes with bell strikes with nothing but silence in between. The bells mark the start of the meditation and the end.

Be sure to play these timers quietly!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TO YOUR DESKTOP (994.3 KB File) Opens in a new window.

6) Meditate for one minute each waking hour. Meditating for a minute each hour will quickly cement your meditation success habit. It also helps to keep you focused and relaxed throughout the day. This time would be in addition to your longer meditation session.

7) Experiment. Try meditating while walking or standing. Meditate in a chair instead of sitting on the floor. Counting your breaths might be more effective than not counting. Perhaps the morning works better than in the evening. Experiment with different meditation techniques that appeal to your style of meditating to see what works best for you.

8) Read about meditation. Spend a few minutes reading about meditation each day. You’ll learn more, stay inspired, and make meditation success a bigger part of your life. There are many YouTube videos dedicated to meditation instruction.

Meditation For Beginners: 20 Practical Tips To Quiet the Mind

9) Practice patience. Meditation is simple, but it’s not easy. It takes time and effort to meditate effectively over longer periods. Take your time and focus on taking small steps

10) Meditate everywhere. Meditating under ideal conditions is the easiest way to learn. But the most important times to meditate are anything but ideal. Practice meditating when you’re stressed at work, the air conditioning is broken, and your boss is all over your back.

Build the habit of meditating daily. Meditation can enhance your life in many ways, both physically and mentally. It can take years to become an expert, but you’ll notice benefits after just a few days. Go slowly and enjoy the process.

Top 3 Worldwide Meditation Success Techniques You Can Try

“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.” – Buddha

Meditation dates back several hundreds of years. Often in the west, when someone mentions anything about meditation, an image of monks sitting for hours in silence may come to mind. While this is true in some parts of the world and in some religions, but this is not the case for tens of millions of people around the world. Meditation is now becoming more and more mainstream around the world and its benefits truly are for everyone!

Benefits of Meditation

Meditation can benefit your body, mind, and spirit. University tests and controlled studies that monitor the brain wave entrainment of study groups during their meditation sessions. These studies have shown remarkable achievements in deep relaxation and increased oxygen intake through proper breathing techniques during meditation. It’s even known to raise your pain tolerance from chronic conditions!

In addition, studies have shown that meditation can consistently lower blood pressure, improve your heart rate, and help to control cholesterol levels in the body.

Scientific studies from major research institutions have shown that when you consistently practice the art of meditation, you may experience much lower levels of cortisol and free radicals within your body, which significantly reduce your stress levels and can radically slow the aging process throughout your life.

Meditation Success Styles, Types, and Methods You Can Easily Learn

There are several primary and different ways you can learn how to meditate, and the process and understanding of meditation are different for each person. Meditation success is a truly personal experience.

Finding the right type of meditation technique that really works for you may take a bit of exploration, time, and practice, but the incredible and life-changing benefits are certainly worth the effort.

While there are various types, don’t let that overwhelm you. Start with something simple. Dedicate yourself to learning the technique to the best of your ability, with dedication and resolve you will see the benefits in your life.

If one type of meditation technique, in the beginning, isn’t right for you personally, don’t be afraid to try another interesting meditation process.

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Three of the most common meditation techniques used by most people around the world are Yoga, Reciting Mantras, and most scientifically studied is Mindfulness Meditation. Although each of these types is unique, there are also similarities.

Yoga Meditation

* Yoga is wildly popular because it relaxes both the body and mind. It’s a form of exercise that incorporates meditation. Meditation is one of the five primary principles of yoga, with the other four remaining principles being diet, exercise, relaxation, and breathing as a complete yoga practice.

* The primary and universal goal in yoga meditation is to practice and focus on just one aspect of yoga to eventually achieve complete self-realization of the soul’s journey.

Mantra Meditation

* Mantras are phrases or words that you repeat. When you think of Buddhist monks meditating in Asia, you can most likely see them in your mind saying, “Ommmm.” This is a universal power mantra that will work for you as well. Yours can be that simple or more complex. You can say it out loud or silently while you meditate.

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* Those who practice the art of a Mantra Meditation, will truly embody and believe in the power of their personal mantras.

Mindfulness Meditation

* Buddhists call this type of meditation “insightful or vipassana meditation.” It is insightful because you become acutely aware of all that is happening, both physically around you and inside your mind. You learn through conscious practice, you will become aware of all these things without passing judgment.

* You usually start by concentrating on your breathing and then progress to the thoughts and ideas bouncing around in your mind.

In order to truly receive the most important benefits for your mind, body, and spirit from your meditation, you should really commit to practicing it on a daily basis. The amount of time you spend meditating will be a personal choice. Some people realize benefits in 10 minutes, while it takes others at least 30 minutes.

When learning the basics of the type of meditation technique you’ve chosen for yourself, be prepared to spend more time in meditation as you begin to incorporate the new activities, concepts, and principles. It will be a process and will take some time to learn how to bring your mind and spirit to become totally relaxed.

If you’re unsure which type of meditation is right for you, seek the guidance of a qualified coach or instructor.

Once you practice the art of meditation, you’ll develop your own personal preferences, and over time you can customize your meditation for your own mind and body.

Find your own balance and explore meditation techniques and methods to create your own meditation success style to understand what works best for you.

Once you make a personal and conscious decision to learn meditation, you’ll find new peace each day, comfort in the silence, and improved health over time as a result. You can learn meditation and get started for meditation success today!

Simplify Your Meditation Practice For Success and Get Better Results

If you’re having difficulty meditating, you may be pushing yourself too hard. You’ll often get better results by learning to lighten up. These are some techniques for relaxing both your body and mind while meditating.

How To Relax Your Body

1. Sit where you feel comfortable. Meditating can take place on a chair as well as a cushion. Find a position that you can hold comfortably. Practice good posture by straightening your back and lowering your shoulders. If you use a chair, plant both of your feet firmly on the ground.

2. Walk around. If sitting for long periods causes you unease, you can start out with a walking meditation. You may also want to alternate between sitting and walking until sitting becomes more tolerable.

3. Change your position. Feel free to adjust any body part that starts to bother you. If your foot falls asleep, give it a good shake.

4. Dress comfortably. Select clothing that will let you move and breathe. That usually means loose-fitting garments with elastic waistbands. Dressing in layers is also smart so you can quickly adapt to chilly or hot rooms.

5. Eat light. Stick to foods that you can digest easily like yogurt drinks or green salads. Small frequent snacks will leave you feeling more alert than consuming heavy meals.

6. Practice yoga. Yoga is one of the best conditioning programs for seated meditation. You can study simple poses on your own or sign up for free classes in most communities.

7. Work up to a full lotus. There are some advantages to sitting in the full lotus position, but you can benefit from meditation whatever your capabilities. If you want to advance to the traditional posture, targeted stretches and sitting in a half-lotus are good intermediate steps.

How To Relax Your Mind

1. Let go of the outside world. Give your full attention to your meditation practice. Leave distracting thoughts behind until later.

2. Banish expectations. Look forward to whatever happens at each meditation session. Find meaning in the process instead of stewing over the outcomes.

3. Expect fluctuations. Your powers of concentration will be stronger on some days than others. Go with the ebb and flow.

4. Bring your attention back. Everyone experiences their mind wandering off sometimes. Accept it as natural. Devote your energies to spotting the issue and returning your attention to the present moment.

5. Observe without judging. Regard your passing thoughts with curiosity rather than labeling them as good or bad. Accept whatever situation you currently find yourself in and resolve to start from there.

6. Learn from every session. Take satisfaction in knowing that each session will teach you something about yourself and where you want to go. If you learn a single new thing, the time was well spent.

7. Switch to reading. Some days you may feel jet-lagged or keyed up about something, like your annual performance review, for example. It’s okay to read an inspirational passage during your usual meditation time when you’re going through a hectic period.

8. Plan ahead. While you want to give yourself an adequate degree of flexibility, it can also be helpful to provide some structure so you avoid feeling at loose ends. You may want to pick a topic in advance that you plan to meditate on or designate a certain time period for how long you plan to sit.

Meditation success is important, but it works best when you take a light-hearted approach. Free your body and mind from needless tensions. You’ll develop a more stable sense of peace that will carry over into all your daily activities.

by Don Weyant/Meditation Life Skills

Being Present In The Moment: Why You Avoid Being Mindful

There are many reasons that people resist being present in the moment. Once you learn and practice your mindfulness meditation method you will find yourself not living in the past or the future.

This is very important for your mental chatter to slow down and stop allowing the past or future to be your constant focus. This process will allow you to stop living and being stuck in the rut of the same thoughts over and over.

They constantly dwell on thoughts of the past or the future. The reason that they do that is that they’re not completely happy with the present. It’s not where they want to be and they’re not who they want to be.

The real benefit of mindfulness is that you can find total acceptance and peace by living in the present moment, who doesn’t want that for their lives. People resist being present in the moment because of fear about what they don’t know.

Being Present In The Moment: We’re afraid of losing control

When you’re faced with changes, not knowing what those changes are and how they’ll affect your life can foster resistance. One challenge we all have in our lives today is that change has become aligned as a negative experience instead of embracing change as a path for us to open up to all the new possibilities in our life.

5 Minute Guided Meditation For Stress and Anxiety Relief

When someone doesn’t fully understand what mindfulness is, that can cause them not to want to understand and learn how to be mindfully in the present moment and the value that it holds. They resist the change because they don’t know what it’s all about.

It is often that many people simply don’t understand that being present in each moment could help them in any way. It is strange that we find comfort in what we are familiar with, even if that comfort is something that makes us unhappy with our current life.

It’s easy to stay where they are instead of reaching out for a meditation method that could bring lifelong benefits and positive change in their lives.

Living with the fear of the unknown as staying only with what is comfortable in our lives, you have a structure that brings resistance to change in their lives, not just within mindfulness meditation. This time in someone’s life can also cause them to resist being present in the moment.

Mindfulness and Meditation – Discover Your Personal Power HERE…

If they’re going through a time where things are wonderful in their present, they can be reluctant to be mindful because they don’t want to rock the boat. This can also happen when they are having a bad experience within the present moment.

They get comfortable and fear changes in their lives because if they rock the boat, things could only end up in an even worse situation.

Often people will resist being mindful in the present moment because anything that could cause them to get outside of their normal routines even if there is much to gain from the experience. Because they don’t have a good grasp of mindfulness, they can’t understand the positives associated with it.

When someone is always looking back in their lives and only remembering how good things “used to be”, it’s very difficult to live in the present because we are resisting living mindfully each day.

If they have a mindset of how good things are going to be “in the future,” then they can resist being present in the moment. They have mentally created boundaries in their lives and their emotions won’t allow them to move beyond these self-imposed boundaries.

When we base our self-esteem and self-love on where we used to be or where we may be going, they incorrectly believe that to be mindful in the present that they may lose themselves. What they need to understand is that there is so much to gain in their lives just by doing this simple process called mindful living.

Being Present In The Moment Mindful Activities You Can Use Throughout Your Day

Going through life, we do so many things automatically. When you do something over and over, it can reach the point where it becomes a mindless task. We have the ability to perform and complete a task, then you realize that while your body completed the task, your mind was engaged in something else entirely.

Meditation For Beginners: 20 Practical Tips To Quiet the Mind HERE…

Mindfulness can help you learn how being present in the moment can truly change your life, to refocus your mind so that you are present and active in your experience of life and not just habitually moving through your life on autopilot. Often people think that with meditation it will be a time-consuming process where you have to hide away and sit for hours to learn mindfulness.

While you can enjoy sitting quietly, it doesn’t have to take a long time. In fact, if you don’t want to or don’t have time to just be still and practice mindfulness, then you don’t have to.

You will find many ways to be mindful during your daily activities without having to stop whatever you may be doing at that time. Once you understand this, you will find that like very busy people who have been able to easily get into the habit of performing mindful activities on a daily basis.

One simple way to practice being present in the moment is by brushing your teeth. You have brushed your teeth for so long that you don’t even need to think about that action. Instead of brushing your teeth on autopilot, take the time to focus on the steps involved in this routine.

Feel the bristles of the brush as they cross your teeth and tongue. Pay attention to the thickness of the toothpaste of the flavor of it. While you’re brushing your teeth, pay attention to the process, and don’t let your mind think about worries or negative thoughts.

An additional way to be mindful throughout your day is to simply do mindful listening. Often throughout the day, there are many sounds of life that you wouldn’t even notice these sounds because you are not listening with focus and mindfulness.

Powerful 5 Minute Guided Gratitude Meditation With Script HERE…

Wherever you are, you can take a few seconds to listen to the sounds. You may what seems like the first time in hearing the beautiful sound of a bird singing, or maybe the curious sound of distant thunder or just a gentle breeze on your cheek.

You can practice mindful listening to popular music or with instrumentals. Take some time to sit quietly and experience each note and instrument while you tune all other sounds except the music.

Being present in the moment can be practiced by focusing on breathing. It doesn’t take long and can be done at any time of day and in any place.

As you are focused on your breath and inhaling very mindfully and deeply, then focus on the breath that you’re exhaling. Always keeping your mind focused on the movement of your lungs and abdomen and bring in the air and then when you release the breath.

Really focus and feel the air in and out of your lungs and feel all the sensations as you perform this simple but immensely gratifying experience.

I want you to also realize that mindfulness can be practiced with almost any activity such as eating a meal, walking mindfully on a lunch break, cooking, cleaning, or even taking a bath or shower. You will soon discover how rich life really is on a daily basis.

Trusting Your Intuition By Being Mindful About Circumstances

You’ll face a variety of circumstances in your life. You know that how you view those circumstances will either help you live a better life or can create a situation that you don’t really want to happen.

When you practice mindfulness and being present in the moment, you’ll learn how to cut through the inner dialogue in your brain to find the ability to trust your intuition. When you trust your intuition, you’ll discover that you’re making better decisions about all of the areas of your life.

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You’ll want to begin by focusing on where you are in the present. Take some deep breaths and concentrate on breathing. Unfortunately, circumstances are often the deciding factor that we use to make our decisions.

We look at the circumstances and think that we can see the whole picture, but we don’t. Your circumstances never tell you the whole story. So what happens is you can make choices based on what’s not even a reality.

These circumstances can cause you to react to using your emotions. You’ll end up second-guessing yourself when you don’t practice being present in the moment. When you do practice mindfulness, you’ll be fully present, which means that you won’t be looking at the circumstances to be the deciding factor in your choices.

What mindfulness does to help you is it teaches you to not get caught up in whatever is going on around you. It shows you how to take a step back and stop, refocusing your thoughts on where they should be.

You’ll learn how to respond by using your intuition. Your intuition is something that you simply know instinctively. Many people use their intuition to determine whether the action they want to take is a right or wrong decision.

When you second guess your intuition, you’ll get knots in your stomach because you’re not one hundred percent convinced that you’re doing what’s right for your life. Mindfulness allows you to tune in to your intuition.

Using your intuition correctly and tuning into those feelings, you don’t have to spend time thinking and trying to second guess your decisions. When you spend a lot of time thinking over the choices that you make, it can cause you to become overwhelmed with choices and ideas.

This can make you begin to experience self-doubt in your abilities to make decisions. Trusting your intuition can prevent you from overthinking your decisions. When you overthink something, you can go over and over it in your mind.

It can cause you to not make any decisions because you’re so afraid you’re going to mess up. It can also cause you to become frustrated and make a choice just to get it over with.

Being present in the moment and practicing mindfulness can help you with any circumstance. Over time and with the practice of being mindful you will feel a greater sense of peacefulness in your life and a newfound trust in yourself to allow your intuition to guide you through life. It’s a great way to live.

by Don Weyant/Meditation Life Skills

12 Common Meditation Problems and How To Easily Fix Them…

Meditation problems you could encounter as a beginner, the feeling of starting off with tons of excitement and exhilaration and then falling to the other end of the spectrum is common. When you begin your endeavor of meditation, it is important to remember that there will be times of frustration.

Meditation is not a magic pill that, once swallowed, will come easily and effortlessly. It takes practice and it takes patience.

Here are some common mediation problems in the early stages of meditation

It is hard to focus – In the beginning, you may have high expectations that some secret or special meditation techniques will magically transform your life and it will do so immediately. This is not the case. Meditation takes focus. When you find your mind constantly shifting gears and you are unable to sit quietly and focus on breathing, you need to regain control of that focus.

Sometimes picking a focal point in the center of the room or even a focal point that you have created will alleviate the problem of focus. Concentrating on your breathing will also help you gain control of your meditation experience.

Thinking too much – If you are thinking too much about trying not to think too much, you will sabotage yourself. Try not to focus too much on getting clear and quiet. If you find you are straining the muscles in your forehead, trying to clear your mind, then you are trying too hard. Start with a slow progression of deep breaths and by tensing and releasing various parts of your body and your muscles. When it comes to meditation, too much effort can strain your results.

Meditation For Beginners: 20 Practical Tips To Quiet the Mind HERE…

Too many distractions – If you have not designated a quiet space for your mediation, chances are that you will not have a successful beginning. It is very important to have a set-aside room or space for your meditation practice. If you have chosen a place with too many distractions and too much traffic, you have set yourself up for failure. In addition, it is imperative to tell your family members that you have a schedule and you intend to stick to it.

Disregarding your commitment – In the beginning, when you are not quite seeing the immediate results you may have anticipated, it is easy to disregard your commitment. However, make it a point to stick to your commitment even if that means being accountable to a friend or family member. If you give up too soon, you will never reap the amazing benefits of mind, health, and body.

Difficulty with the breathing rhythm – Sometimes individuals may breathe in too deeply and out too rapidly. The point is not to hyperventilate yourself, but to find that rhythm that works for you. Long, slow, deep inhalations with long, slow exhalations will work better than short breaths in and short breaths out. Once you get the feel for the rhythm, you will have mediation down in no time flat.

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Real Meditation Problems and Unpleasant Experiences During Meditation

Meditation can be calming, but it can also be disturbing. A recent study confirmed what many practitioners already knew. Bring meditation into your life, creates a wide range of experiences. Most are very good experiences, but you can learn how to deal with any meditation problems through online research.

More than 25% of adults who meditate regularly reported having an unpleasant experience related to their practice, according to research led by the University College London. Fearfulness and distorted emotions and thoughts were more common meditation problems among men and participants who used a deconstructive approach.

Before you give up your cushion, it may help to compare meditation problems to therapy. You often feel worse before you make a breakthrough, but the process is still worthwhile. To put it another way, you have to tear apart your kitchen to renovate it. In the same way, your mind might seem messier temporarily, but you’re still making progress.

Be prepared for the challenges and meditation problems on the path to self-improvement. Take a look at these common mental and physical obstacles to meditation and what to do about them.

Meditation Problems: Mental Obstacles to Meditation:

1. Adjust your expectations. You may feel disappointed if you heard that meditation makes you blissful, but you’re more agitated than when you started. Remember that meditation problems and challenges are part of the process to shine more light on anything that’s going on in your life. This is good!

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2. Pace yourself. This is one of the meditation problems that are easy to fix. Many beginners are uncomfortable meditating for more than a few minutes at a time. Brief sessions can be productive, and you’ll probably be more successful if you increase your time gradually.

3. Sample different styles. If contemplating emptiness makes you uneasy, try another meditation method. Focus on your breath or think about loving-kindness.

4. Suspend judgments. Some participants in the London study were also troubled by common meditation problems, negative repetitive thoughts. Practice looking at your thoughts without assigning blame. Try to reframe situations from a more positive perspective.

Powerful 5 Minute Guided Gratitude Meditation With Script HERE…

5. Examine your values. If meditation is part of your religion, your faith may help you deal with unpleasant experiences. Whatever your beliefs, turn to your personal sources of strength and support.

6. Empathize with yourself. Be gentle with yourself while you’re struggling with these meditation problems. Accept your feelings and remember that you deserve to be happy.

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Meditation Problems: Physical Obstacles to Meditation:

7. Sit up straight. Meditation is easier if you practice good posture. Distribute your weight evenly over your sit bones and elongate your spine. Draw your shoulders down and back.

8. Strengthen your core. A firm core will keep you comfortable during meditation and other daily activities. Do exercises like planks and leg raises to tone each muscle. Use your breath to expand and soften your abdomen on each inhalation and contract slightly on each exhalation.

9. Stretch regularly. Training for flexibility will make you more limber. Focus on movements that open up your hips.

10. Move around. Walking meditation is a constructive alternative for anyone who has trouble sitting for too long. Pick a quiet and safe place where you can pace slowly in a circle. If you like walking in a group, invite a friend or check the schedule at a local yoga or meditation studio.

11. Dress in layers. Another easy fix for your meditation problems. You may feel too hot or cold as your body temperature fluctuates during meditation. Wear a sweater or shawl over a t-shirt or any outfit that will let you make quick adjustments as needed.

12. Eat light. Digesting a heavy meal or listening to your stomach rumble can be a distracting but fixable meditation problem. You may want to stop eating a few hours before each meditation session or have a light snack like tea and yogurt.

You may not like what’s lurking in the back of the office refrigerator, but it will smell sweeter when those leftovers are gone. Trust that meditation can bring you peace, you can overcome any meditation problems, even when it stirs up unpleasant thoughts and feelings that you need to address. Believe it or not, this is a good thing, you can do this!

Why Meditation Is Good for You

Keeping your mind in a constant state of flux is like keeping the motor on your car running all night long. You and the car will eventually run out of gas. Quieting your mind needs a top-five placement on your “to-do” list.

Since we are so well aware of the needs of others, from our employers to our families, it is easy to overlook ourselves. Therefore, keep the notion that it is necessary to quiet your mind in the forefront of your mind. In this way, you will be able to go forth and do more.

Block aside a time and place for yourself that enables you to think of nothing, do nothing, and clear your mind. If you have to leave the house, then do so. Let everyone know that you are unreachable.

Sit quietly in your car if you have to, take some cleansing breaths, and think of absolutely nothing. You will see how even recharging for a few minutes during lunch each day will make a difference. Imagine then how productive the art and practice of meditation can be, in many ways.

Health Benefits

Studies are beginning to show through trials how meditation is having a positive impact on an individual’s health. It seems as though training your mind could have a direct impact on improving the health of your body.

A Healthy heart – Studies are beginning to show that meditation could possibly be one of many contributing ways to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Of course, any way to lower cholesterol and blood pressure is a way to a healthier and happier heart.

Arthritis and other joint diseases – Meditation seems to have a direct impact on the ability to cope better with pain and stiffness associated with disorders involving chronic pain.

Fatigue and sleep disorders – Individuals who practice meditation may get a bonus that transcends further into every category of health. Without a good night’s sleep, fatigue sets the stage for disease and stress. Getting a good night’s sleep will aid in the fighting off and recovery of illness. Those who meditate may find it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Warding off stress – It not only gives physical health benefits; meditation is also a wonderful way to ward off stress. Anyone who has ever practiced meditation may very well say that it has helped him or her in dealing with stress.

Of course, meditation does not eliminate stress; however, it helps an individual cope better with it. This has a dual benefit – one of a healthy body and the other of a healthy mind. These are just a few of the many reasons why meditation is good for you.

Learn About Meditation and Stress Research: Yes, Stress Can Shorten Your Lifespan HERE…

Learning to Relax With Meditation

Have you ever encountered a friend or family member who tells you to just relax? Don’t you just love that? Telling someone to just relax is like telling someone who is allergic to just stop being allergic.

Some of us are more nervous than others and it is just a part of our genetic makeup. However, we certainly do not have to be stuck in that way of being; we can change our focus and perception and truly learn how to relax.

For some of us, being relaxed is easy, and for others, it is a learned behavior. That is the beauty of relaxing – if you do not know how you can learn. It may take some trial and effort, but it certainly is a learnable characteristic. With time and practice you, too, can just relax.

Incorporate the Tools You Need to Learn to Relax

Once you have decided to incorporate relaxation into your life, the next step is to take action. A great way to learn how to relax is to practice meditation. Books, DVDs, and Mp3’s are available for you to begin your meditation journey.

If yoga is your choice of relaxation, then purchase the mat and DVD, or buy the DVD for your gaming system. Even go all out and buy yourself a yoga outfit.

One of the most important tools to gather, however, is the tool of time. Schedule your relaxation session and let everyone know that you are not to be disturbed. If your family wants a happy you, then they need to respect that space. If staying home and trying to relax proves to be fruitless, join a yoga or meditation class.

Discover 7 Tips To Get the Most Out of Your Daily Meditation Practice HERE…

Grab a Friend and Go

One of the most successful tips for learning to relax is applicable to any situation. When you grab a friend and incorporate them into the equation, you give yourself a partner to whom you must answer.

Having someone to answer to is a golden nugget. When you only have yourself to answer to, it is too easy to make excuses. A good friend, however, will not let you get away with that.

Pick a Time, Space, and a Place

It is very important to create a time, a space, and a place for your relaxation technique. Choose a designated spot, perhaps in your bedroom where you can close the rest of the world out.

Make a small corner of that room available for your yoga mat, something serene to look at on the wall, and maybe even some candles. This action will speak volumes to you, as it will allow you to commit to the art and act of relaxation.

Learning to relax is something that is very doable if you just put in a little time and effort.

Creating a Meditation Room

Once you have made a conscious choice to meditate, then the next step is to take action. If you have chosen to meditate at home, then you will need a space where the magic will happen.

We all try to sabotage ourselves and talk ourselves out of things by making excuses as to why we should not do something. However, once you commit to making meditation part of your life, there will be no more excuses.

Pick a room in the house and declare that space to be your new meditation space. Speak with your family members if you have family living with you. Explain to them that by sacrificing this space once or twice a week, they are helping you to achieve the goal of calmness and peace.

If your family knows that you will benefit and that they will benefit from the transformation in you as well, they should be more than happy to accommodate you.

Creating a Meditation Space

If the option of having a room all to yourself does not work, do not let that deter you. Choose a space in a room that is designated for your meditation work. Your own bedroom would work wonders.

Find Out How To Create Your Own Private Meditation Room In Your Home HERE…

Things You Will Need

Regardless of whether or not your space is an entire room or a small space in the corner of your bedroom, you can create the space you need for perfect meditation. For this, you will need:

* A space that is void of distraction
* A space that defines you
* A place where you can be comfortable
* A comfortable floor mat or cushion
* Amenities that are conducive to relaxation

Choose a space that has minimal distractions, preferably where no phone exists. Decorate your space so that it defines you in a positive light. If your favorite color is blue, then a blue yoga mat or comfy blue pillow will be great additions. If you love to travel for leisure, put up some pictures of favorite places that you have been to.

Make sure you are at your most comfortable in your space. A thick, cushy floor cushion and a fluffy pillow behind your back are ideal ways to start your meditation practice. If your floor mat is not comfortable, you will not be either.

If you wish to meditate to some serene music, buy and download an Mp3 that wafts this type of music into the background just low enough to get the impact. Burn some incense or some candles, and you will be all set to go.

Once you have designed the space or room based on the theory of relaxation, you will notice how you run there to practice the art of meditation. It will be so inviting, you will not be able to wait.

How A Grain Of Sand Created The Feeling Of Intense Bliss…

There are no special tricks to meditating; no special posture or breathing rhythm is required. Once you have gotten the knack of it you can meditate anywhere during any activity.

Guided Meditation: Transform Your Life With A Blissful Experience HERE…

Some readers have succeeded in reaching this altered state of consciousness while reading about my sand meditation, perhaps you too may realize this transformational state of consciousness as you read on…

Sometimes meditation opens a door into the mysteries of creation. If we allow ourselves to pass through this door there is no telling what we may encounter on the other side. Do not become discouraged if you have tried to meditate in the past and not gotten any remarkable results. Meditation is a mystical process and it may take a while to learn how to quiet your mind and open yourself to all the present moment has to offer you.

My meditation began while sitting on a beach. My hands were sandy. I rubbed my thumb and forefinger together feeling the grains of sand between them slipping away until only a single grain of sand remained.
I could feel the shape of the grain of sand distinctly as I rolled it back and forth between my thumb and forefinger.

The longer I rolled the grain of sand about the more defined my awareness of the grain of sand became. The more detailed my experience of the grain of sand became the larger it appeared to be.

While I could clearly feel the tiny grain of sand trapped between my thumb and finger roll about across the grooves and ridges of my fingerprints the grain of sand appeared to be growing larger and larger as I contemplated it.

The grain of sand continued to grow, encompassing the beach and then the world. Before long the grain of sand had grown to infinite size and it now encompassed all of creation; yet I still held the tiny grain of sand between my thumb and forefinger, rolling it about across the grooves and ridges of my fingerprints.

The tiny grain of sand was intimately connected to every part of creation and all of creation existed within it, even as it existed within my grasp. I communed with the grain of sand, aware of its infinite connectedness to everything else; through the medium of the grain of sand, I became aware of my own infinite connectedness with all of creation.

The sand spoke to me of eternity. It told me tales about creation and the infinite nature of our existence in creation. From the grain of sand, I learned that every tiniest part of creation is a living being experiencing creation and sharing in the process whereby creation makes everything manifest.

My meditation with a grain of sand always produced a feeling of intense bliss. It was an eternal meditation that transcended the time and place where it began to continue throughout all of creation. From time to time I would return to this meditation, engrossed by the wisdom and experience of a single tiny grain of sand.

Most people that learn to meditate, create their own meditation problems just because they don’t put enough effort into their practice.

Many people often do put too much effort in when they start meditating. You have to remain consistent in your meditation practice and find the “sweet spot” that works for you, then build a practice that is yours and only yours.

This is all about knowing how to focus and when to relax. You will learn what really works for you, meditation problems can help you find the place and method that will work for your lifestyle.

You will find that your meditation practice will always change and grow to become more effective over time, most of these meditation problems will solve themselves as you continue to meditate over the years.

If you find yourself with any of these meditation problems or have difficulty meditating, reach out to a meditation teacher, join a local class or meditation group and watch all these issues just fall away as you create an entirely new you and your new life of peace and joy and less stress.

If you’re someone who finds yourself becoming sleepy or even falling asleep, or you find that the mind is very cloudy, then hopefully this little guide will be helpful.

by Don Weyant/Meditation Life Skills

10 Reasons Why Your Meditation Practice Isn’t Effective…

Your daily meditation practice is simple, cheap, and highly effective, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. And to be honest, meditation techniques for beginners is pretty easy, it’s just not quite the experience you may expect it to be. But that’s ok, let me explain.

Beginners have all sorts of challenges when first learning how to meditate, but most of these challenges aren’t really problems. The complaints beginners have are simply part of learning the meditation process and understanding how to meditate effectively with a daily meditation practice.

How To Meditate: Understanding the Purpose of Meditation

Many religions and philosophies advocate meditation. Meditation is also used for self-help and personal development purposes. While all of these things might have slightly different methods, many of these meditation techniques are similar in practice and application.

Most of us feel we have a reasonable understanding of the meditation process, but many of us can’t really describe the importance of meditation and the actual purpose that it may serve in our personal lives.

Meditation Podcast: 3 Easy Steps To Start Your Daily Meditation Practice At Home

Meditation Facts: A daily meditation practice brings many benefits:

* It’s the one time your mind really gets a rest. Your mind is constantly active. It’s thinking about ten different things every 15 seconds. It’s telling you that you need a drink of water. It’s worrying about your date next Saturday and reminding you that you don’t have enough money in your bank account to pay your cable bill and the list goes on.

* Sleep isn’t any better. In your dreams, you’re largely acting and behaving the same way you do while awake. You’re still worrying about the same stuff during your dreams. Sleep is great for resting your body, but it’s not as useful for resting your mind.

In meditation, you create a space where your mind is essentially in a relaxed focus state of being. In many forms of meditation, you focus on one thing and concentrate all your thoughts on that single item or idea. It’s incredibly relaxing for your mind and body once you take the time to learn how to meditate each day.

Meditation For Beginners: 20 Practical Tips To Quiet the Mind HERE…

* You must learn how to focus. Learning how to focus using meditation is one of the main meditation techniques for beginners that will take you down the road to successful meditation practice. When you think of meditation, do you imagine someone sitting alone in a quiet room with subdued lighting?

This is the easiest way to meditate, with no distractions. It’s like meditation with training wheels. But you could actually learn to be meditating most of your day as well.

* It’s easiest to learn to start your meditation practice under ideal conditions. Then, try expanding your meditation skills to other activities. You know you can really meditate when you can stay calm, happy, and focused on a loud, hot, busy, smelly subway. Don’t live near the subway? Try a long day with the in-laws.

* Most of us focus very poorly. Imagine how much better you would feel and how much more you would accomplish if you could stay focused on the activity at hand. Plus, it’s hard to worry about every other aspect of your life when you’re controlling the content of your thoughts.

* You can find answers to almost any problem in life. When your mind is running a hundred miles an hour, it’s difficult to find elegant solutions to your challenges. Your brain needs a little space and relaxation to find effective solutions to tough challenges. Your meditation practice can provide that needed space for your mind to develop an effective solution.

Meditation Podcast: Beautiful Guided Meditation and Script For Relaxation and Healing Your Mind and Body

Have you ever noticed that many of your best ideas have come while doing something that occupies your mind in a rather mindless way? Activities like mowing the grass, taking a shower, or driving down the highway with little traffic are great for solving problems. Your mind is occupied but free to wander a little. Meditation is similar to this activity, but with meditation, you control the process of problem-solving.

* A daily meditation practice is healthy for the mind, body, and spirit. Stress is incredibly hard on the body both mentally and physically. Meditation reduces stress, lowers your pulse rate and blood pressure, and improves sleep on many levels.

Powerful 5 Minute Guided Gratitude Meditation With Script HERE…

* Meditation can be done quickly. You’d be surprised how much more you can accomplish and how much more enjoyable your day is when you meditate for a few minutes several times a day. Five minutes twice a day is a great place to start. Set a timer or find a five minute meditative mp3 to get started.

* Meditation isn’t just for a yogi in India sitting on top of a mountain in solitude. Anyone can use meditation to bring rest and peace into their life. It can also improve your performance in almost all areas of your life. Learn to meditate and enjoy a greater quality of life.

A daily meditation practice can work for anyone that puts in the time and effort. You just need to learn a few basic meditation techniques that appeal to you and your lifestyle. Then, you can expand your practice into a process that you can call your own.

Your Inner Self: 4 Easy Steps To Awaken With Meditation HERE…

Remember, you can’t do meditation wrong, any process that allows you to work meditation into your personal lifestyle is what you are striving for. Learn the basics and build on your success.

The Top 10 Reasons Why Your Meditation Practice Might Not Be Working For You

Are any of these challenges holding you back?

1. Your mind is too active. Of course, it’s active. It takes practice before the mind quiets down, and it’s rarely silent even after years of practice. It takes about 20 minutes for experienced meditators to notice a complete slowing down of the mind.

This isn’t really a problem. Part of the purpose of meditating is to learn how your mind operates. Daily practice is the key to learning how to relax your mind and create an effective meditation practice.

Learn About Mindfulness Activities For Better Productivity HERE…

Key meditation concept: Always return your focus on your breath. This will calm your mind, if your thoughts drift off your breath, just return to your breathing. You may have to do this a lot at the beginning, that’s ok. Some days will be better than others, that’s ok too. Keep it simple and keep meditating each day.

Meditation Podcast: Guided Breathing Meditation for Anxiety, Worry, Stress

2. Your mind wanders off like a kitten in a yarn factory. It’s not uncommon to suddenly realize that you’ve been daydreaming for the last five minutes. The solution is the same as the previous issue. Just return your attention to your breath and continue meditating for as long as you can.

3. A lack of consistency. Meditation needs to be done daily to see the greatest benefits. It also needs to be done every day to gain a high level of proficiency. You can’t become skilled at what you don’t practice. Get as much practice as you can, if you miss a day, just get back to meditating the next day. Look at meditation as a gift to yourself each day. You deserve the best life possible!

4. You fall asleep while trying to meditate. This is a very common problem! It’s not easy to fall asleep if you have the proper meditation position. It should be impossible to stay asleep if you have the proper posture, as you’re sure to lose your balance and fall over.

The best position for meditating is to sit up with your spine as straight as possible. If you lie down, you may struggle to stay awake. You will find that over time you may be able to lie down and still meditate effectively. If you have physical problems sitting, by all means, lay down or try a walking meditation method. Any meditation teacher can assist you in learning different meditation methods to help you along.

5. Body aches and pains. Your body will need to get used to this new activity. Holding one position for a long time can be painful, especially when you’re just starting out with meditation. Start with five to ten minutes a day and work up to twenty minutes if possible. Over time, your aches and pains will largely go away during your meditation session.

Meditation, or what some doctors call mindfulness meditation, is a practice that involves focusing on breathing while blocking out the surrounding environment. A study from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health asked patients to engage in meditation while also getting a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Then, the researchers gave participants the medication naloxone (Narcan). This medicine blocks opioid receptors in the brain. Participants then engaged in meditation while they underwent another MRI.

At the end of the study, researchers found that people reported pain relief from meditation, even when they had taken naloxone to block opioid receptors. The researchers concluded that there are many other pathways in the body, other than opioid receptors, that could help relieve pain. This is promising for those who want to relieve pain using other approaches besides opioid pain relievers.

Click on this link from Asana Recovery to find out more information about how you can use Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Meditation to Treat Pain Without Opioids and Why You Should Consider an Alternative to Opioids.

It’s best to try to remain as still as possible, completely relaxing into your preferred position. Shifting your position will only give temporary relief, and the process starts all over again. No matter how much it hurts, you’ll find the pain fades away if you stay still.

This, like learning to focus is part of the meditation learning curve. Tens of millions of people all over the world have learned how to meditate, you can too if you just keep practicing each day, it gets easier each time you meditate.

Itches fall into the same category. Just leave them alone and observe them. It’s interesting and amusing how the itching just disappears just by observing the itching. Meditation is about the exploration of your mind, body, and spirit, It’s an amazing learning life process, and you will never be the same.

You can learn how to use these distractions as your meditation object, just like you use your breath as a meditation object. The meditation object can be a word, or a physical object such as a candle, any consistent external noise or body sensation (including pain) that you focus on can become your meditation object.

It could be a mental picture that you can hold in your mind while your eyes are closed. It could also be a meditation mantra that holds special meaning to you. This is a great area of exploration to determine what works for you.

6. Boredom is part of the learning process as well. Yes, meditation can be boring, especially if you’re used to significantly more stimulation. Learn to sit still with your boredom and just observe it. Boredom can be more fascinating than you might think. I know that sounds crazy, I get it, give it a try and find out for yourself. This is your personal meditation process that you will develop over time. I consider meditation to be the ultimate personal development program!

7. Rationalizing that quitting is a bad idea. You have much more to lose than you can possibly know at this time. You are reading about meditation right now for a reason. Listen to your inner self and trust yourself completely. Common thoughts include things like, “This is a waste of time.” “Why am I doing this?” “Is this all there is?” Again, just sit with your thoughts and notice them. Every thought is as meaningless as the next.

Just realize that it’s your discomfort with the stillness that’s bothering you. You’ll come to understand that many of the things you do in your life are to avoid this feeling. This includes things like staring at the TV and overeating. Change can be a good thing here, listen to your inner spirit.

8. Finding time to meditate. This excuse is hardly a valid excuse. Go to bed 20 minutes early and sit in a chair and meditate. Or get up 20 minutes early and do the same. The truth is, after a little practice, you can meditate at your desk or on a bus. Either way, you win!

Meditation Podcast: Simple Ways You Can Start Meditating Today!

If you have time to watch TV, surf the internet, or play games on your phone, you had time to meditate. Put yourself first in line for your daily activities, the payoff is a much better, happier and more productive life.

9. Desiring perfection in your meditation practice. Perfection in meditation isn’t achievable, but you don’t need to be perfect. Put in the time with your best effort. That’s all that’s required. This is a process that will expand over time with accruing benefits for the rest of your life. It’s hard to explain with words but isn’t a few minutes each day worth a truly balanced, awakened, and productive life worth it to you?

10. Expecting more from your daily meditation practice. A daily meditation practice rarely involves earth-shattering insights. It’s a gradual process that brings understanding over time. Your enlightenment is a process like anything worth doing in life, this is a lifestyle that will serve you in ways you can’t even imagine in your wildest dreams. Like all truly good things in life, it takes desire and dedication to produce the desired results.

Look at it this way, the days, weeks, months and years of your life will pass no matter how you choose to live them. Why not add the gift of meditation to your life so that in the future you can look back over your life and say, wow that was a great way to live, I’m so grateful I learned to meditate and achieved the life I truly desired.

These problems above aren’t really problems per se. They’re simply misunderstandings of what normally occurs during a meditation session. Just keep at it and have faith that everything is as it should be.

Start simple, learn and explore the different methods of meditation, listen and trust your inner self to develop a meditation practice that works for you and you alone. That, my friend, is truly living the life you desire.