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Meditation

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15 Ways to Create a Meditation-Friendly Space

Meditation SpaceMediation is one of the best ways to clear your mind. This will give you the mental energy that you need to focus on the day ahead. Because of this, it’s increasingly becoming an important daily activity for millions of people.

While you’ll be able to meditate anywhere, it can help to have your own space. This can be filled with items that help you achieve a more relaxed state. Let’s look at some of the best ways to create a space that encourages meditation.

Meditation Success: 10 Easy Guidelines You Can Use Today

  1. Include a Soundtrack

One of the best ways to improve your meditation experience is by adding a soundtrack. This can be anything that will help you relax. For some people, it can be sounds from nature, like whales or birds chirping. For others, they might require a white noise machine. In some cases, people like to meditate to operatic music. The key is finding out what works best for you. Try multiple sounds, to see which one gives you the best results.

Spiritual Awakening Meditation Music – 963 Hz Solfeggio Frequency

An increasingly popular option is a guided meditation. This is where someone talks you through the experience, giving you things to focus on. This might be something worth giving a go. You’ll be able to find plenty of guided meditations online.

Guided Morning Meditation: Visualize An Amazing Day Today

  1. Pictures and Artwork

The next thing that you need to do is add some pictures and artwork. There are a few reasons why you want to use these elements. First, they can be a good way to get more relaxed. Often, seeing these images will make you feel more comfortable. They can also provide something for you to focus on during your meditation. Some of the most popular options for pictures and artwork include images of your family or artwork that triggers a strong emotional reaction.

  1. Add Some Greenery

One of the best ways to create a more pleasant mediation area is by adding some plants. This has a few impacts. First, they will be able to help you feel more relaxed and at ease in the space. Also, they will be able to produce oxygen, giving you a source of fresh air. There are many plants to choose from, depending on the type of area that you have. For example, if you don’t use the room often, it’s best to get a hardy plant. If you have a small room, you might want to consider something that will be able to stay in a planter box on the windowsill.

  1. Essential Oils

You might also want to make sure that the room is filled with a pleasant scent. One of the best ways of doing this is by using essential oils. Often, these come in portable bottles, making them a great choice when you are traveling. Another option that you might want to consider is lighting some candles. When burnt, they will release a pleasant fragrance. They can help create a relaxing atmosphere.

  1. Use an Air Filter

The environment that you use when meditating is very important. You should be confident that you will be healthy. One of the best ways of doing this is by using an air filter. This will allow you to remove any impurities from the air. This includes things like bacteria and mold spores. This presents several benefits. First, it will be able to help you breathe, as some air particles can trigger an allergic reaction. Also, when you are using an air filter, you’ll be able to neutralize any unpleasant odors that you might be detecting.

This one of the most important parts of the meditation room. When you are using an air filter, you know that you will be in a healthy environment. However, there are many options available for you to explore. To help you find the right one for you, check out this HEPA room purifier comparison.

  1. Comfortable Chair

The next thing that you’ll need to include in a meditation-friendly space is a comfortable chair. This is where you’ll be sitting during your meditation. It’s best to try the chair in store before you purchase it. This will ensure that you like the way that it feels when you are sitting in it. In some cases, people prefer to sit on the floor when they are meditating. In this case, you might want to consider getting a pillow or a yoga mat.

  1. Add Natural Light

One of the most important aspects of any meditation space is natural light. This will ensure that you feel comfortable in the space. Studies have also shown that natural light can help you improve your mood. If you can’t put natural light into the room, you can add some lamps that replicate natural light.

  1. Change the Paint Color

If you have a bigger budget and want to create a dedicated meditation/relaxing space, you might want to consider changing the paint color. The best color will often be a lighter shade. Things like yellow or white tend to help people relax. This color scheme can spread to the rest of the room. For example, you might want to pick a pastel-colored chair. If you want to add some pops of color, you can pick vibrant artworks.

  1. Consider a Water Feature

Some people might want to add a water feature. This will be beautiful to look at. It will also produce the relaxing sound of rushing water. There will be plenty of water features to choose from, depending on the type of area you are trying to create. For example, if you are creating an outdoor area, you’ll be able to choose a larger one. You can get it plumbed in, turning it into a garden feature. However, many smaller water features are designed to go inside the home. You just need to plug them in, add some water, and turn them on.

  1. Notebook and Pen

There are many activities that you can perform in your meditation space. However, one of the most popular is journaling. When you have a notebook and pen, you’ll be able to write some of the things that you are grateful for. You can also keep a diary, writing about the important moments in your life and how these events are affecting you emotionally. Many people find that having a diary can provide a great emotional release.

  1. Add a Rug

It’s often a good idea to consider adding in a rug, especially if you have wood or concrete flooring. There are a few reasons for this. First, it will help your feet, helping you get something soft underfoot. It can also provide a lot more structure to the room, accentuating the space. Another benefit is that it can add a new color or texture to the room.

  1. Consider Adding an Altar

One of the most common parts of a meditation room is an altar. This is a place where you will put an important item. Often, it’s right in front of you. Then, during the meditation session, you’ll be able to focus on this item, letting it guide you. Because of this, the altar will be one of the centerpieces of the room.

  1. Use Fire for Warmth

During the winter months, you’ll want to find a way of heating your meditation space. In most cases, you’ll need to use an air conditioner. However, if you are outside, you might want to consider getting an outdoor fire pit. The flickering of the flames will be able to help you relax. If you have the budget, you might want to install a fire in your home. You will be able to get one that burns natural gas, instead of wood, if you want to minimize the amount that you need to spend maintaining the area.

  1. Don’t Forget About Storage

When picking furniture, you’ll need to make sure that you’re choosing items that will be functional. One of the most important considerations is how you’ll be able to store your things when you’re not using them. Because of this, you might want to look for tables that have plenty of drawers. You might also want to consider getting some shelving units.

  1. Avoid Clutter and Distractions

There are plenty of things that you might want to consider adding to your meditation space. However, you’ll need to make sure that you avoid creating a cluttered space. This will make it harder for you to relax and focus on meditation. It’s also important to avoid items that are likely to distract you. One of the most common examples is a television set. Another distraction is your phone.

Conclusion

As we’ve seen, making a mediation space at home doesn’t need to be difficult. There are many ways that you’ll be able to create a zone that will help you feel relaxed. The most important thing to remember is that you want to create an area that suits your personality. So, use these tips to design the ultimate meditation-friendly space in your home.

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Mindfulness and Meditation: Discover Your Best Personal Power

Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation are a powerful combination of resources for living a productive and complete life. Our busy, complicated lives sometimes bring a wave of negative emotions: sadness, jealousy, depression, grief, anger, confusion, anxiety, and stress.

Unfortunately, it’s all too easy sometimes to succumb to the naturally powerful nature of these emotions and allow ourselves to be troubled for hours, days, or weeks on end.

On the other end of the spectrum, happiness, gratefulness, joy, relief, comfort, and contentment are also emotional pieces we feel at times as we go throughout our lives. True happiness and emotional freedom are what all mankind strives for!

Although self-care is an important concept, many of us fall short in taking care of ourselves. Just as we take care of other aspects of our lives, our physical and emotional health must also take a front-seat priority. The consequences of failing to care for ourselves include a diminished immune system and other health issues.

Self-Love Meditation: How To Truly Love Yourself HERE…

Mindfulness and meditation, in general, can help you handle your emotions, achieve lower stress levels, feel happier, and enjoy peace and satisfaction with your life.

Psychologists, counselors, and therapists the world over have recognized the power that mindfulness and meditation can bring to our lives if we choose it. Luckily, anyone can harness the benefits of mindfulness with regular practice.

Find Out More About Meditation From A Licensed Therapists Perspective: Benefits, How It Works, & Exercises to Try Here…

“You have considerable power to construct self-helping thoughts, feelings, and actions as well as to construct self-defeating behaviors. You have the ability, if you use it, to choose healthy instead of unhealthy thinking, feeling and acting.” – Albert Ellis

What is Mindfulness Meditation?

It may surprise you to learn that the origins of mindfulness and meditation reach back thousands of years. Meditation was developed by Buddhist monks who turned meditation into a spiritual element of their “enlightenment.”

What do you think of when someone mentions meditation? Do images of religious monks sitting in circles and chanting “oh hmm” form in your head? Perhaps you’re a little skeptical of meditation and feel that it would take you hours each day in trying to get the technique right. Well, think again!

Mindfulness and Meditation – What It Is Not:

  • Spending time thinking about the world and all the wonders in it
  • Contemplating the great, deep mysteries of life
  • Some magical practice thought to bring good luck to your life
  • A spiritual practice reserved only for those in highest connection to their Creator
  • Daydreaming or fantasizing about what your perfect life looks like

Yes, mindfulness and meditation in the modern world may have some of these mythical connotations, but mindfulness is actually much simpler.

In simple terms, mindfulness and meditation are ways to achieve a calmer state of mind. Mindfulness is essentially a subform of meditation.

Although mindfulness and meditation originated with non-western practitioners ages ago, it’s cultivated and studied by scientists, psychologists, and doctors all over the world today.

How Do We Define Mindfulness?

In order to achieve the inner peace that mindfulness can bring us, it’s important to consider what the practice of mindfulness actually is.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, who is largely credited with bringing the popularity of mindfulness to the United States and refining it through his renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, defines mindfulness like this:

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”

Chinese calligraphy for mindfulness

The Chinese calligraphy for mindfulness is made up of two different characters.

The top character means “presence” and the bottom one means “heart.”

Therefore, mindfulness literally means “the presence of heart.”

The ideogram (also known as an ideograph) opposite is a beautiful piece of calligraphy created by the esteemed Japanese-born calligrapher and writer Kazuaki Tanahashi (to whom acknowledgment is made and gratitude expressed).

Mindfulness is experiencing and focusing on the present moment.

Whether we’re conscious of it or not, we’re always focused on things and events of the future.

For example, we’re constantly looking forward to the last day of the workweek while we’re at work, and what our weekend plans will bring. We look forward to our summer vacations. We look forward to the holidays. We look forward to our birthdays. We look forward to the end of the day when we get to crawl into bed.

Mindfulness Activities For Better ProductivityHERE…

In this sense, we’re never truly focused on the present moment, which is the purpose that mindfulness and meditation teach us. Mindfulness is a way to focus on the present moment, to create awareness, an acute, keen and specific consciousness of ourselves and to center ourselves right now in the present, not sometime in the future.

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention to. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

The Case for Mindfulness

Doctors and other experts are always coming out and telling us the next best thing since sliced bread that is supposed to benefit us in some way. Examples include dark chocolate being good for overall heart health, small amounts of wine reducing risks for heart disease and diabetes, and coconut oil boosting the immune system.

The same is true for the practice of mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness has been studied and shown to have huge benefits for your overall health.

The difference is that you’re not putting anything into your body with meditation. Coconut oil, dark chocolate, and wine are substances that you ingest to strengthen your physical health.

On the other hand, mindfulness meditation is a behavior shift that uses nothing more than the sole power of your focus and attention.

Empirical, measurable data has come forth showing that mindfulness and meditation can help to lower stress and physically help the body than many other things put together.

Understanding the Term Meditation and Its Many Benefits

For example, Carnegie Mellon University researchers worked with two groups of individuals. The researchers subjected the first group to just three 25-minute mindfulness training sessions, while the second group was a control and were trained in critical thinking skills.

During this study at Carnegie Mellon, both groups were then subjected to a public speaking test and a math test. Stress levels were measured in each group. The group which was trained in mindfulness experienced lower perceived levels of stress than did the other group.

Consider, too, these other research-backed benefits of practicing mindfulness and meditation:

  1. Lowers depression. Several research studies, including one published in the Archives of General Psychiatry in 2010, show that mindfulness meditation is just as effective as someone taking antidepressant medication.
  2. It helps our focus. Research has shown that the regular practice of mindfulness, or even receiving training in mindfulness, can help strengthen our attention, memory, and can also help us tune out distractions.
  3. Increases compassion and empathy for others. Researchers at Northeastern University conducted a study where participants who had been exposed to mindfulness training and meditation sessions were significantly more likely to help someone in need over those who received no such exposure to meditation.
  4. It creates positive changes in brain structure. Researchers imaged the brains of 16 different people before and after they received training in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress-Reduction program. Findings revealed that the portion of gray matter in the brain involved with the regulation of positive emotions was greatly enhanced.
  5. More benefits. Numerous other studies have been performed that show that mindfulness meditation also enhances our physical health, lowers stress levels, eases anxiety, enhances relationships, and provides a powerful boost to our overall mood.

As you see, research shows that mindfulness and meditation packs a powerhouse of physical, mental, and emotional benefits. And they’re all available to you, for free! Let’s see how you can harness these benefits for yourself…

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” – Amit Ray

Step-by-Step Guide to Mindfulness Meditation Script

Practicing mindfulness meditation does take time, effort, and patience. However, the advantages that you receive from this practice are certainly worth it.

You don’t need to practice mindfulness on an Olympic-level.

You can achieve results with as little as 20 to 30 minutes per day.

Follow these easy steps to practice mindfulness meditation:

  1. Start out in a quiet place. For mindfulness or any form of meditation, you can practice anywhere at any time. However, the easiest place is a quiet one, free from any distractions.
    • Some places that you may be able to practice include in your car, at home, or even at work if you have a private office atmosphere.
  1. Get comfortable. Many people sit in a lotus-style type of position, in which you sit cross-legged with the feet resting on the opposing thighs. This is not necessary, however.
    • You can sit cross-legged with your feet resting underneath your knees. Feel free to sit in a desk chair, on the floor, or any seat where you can get comfortable for a few minutes.
  1. Breathe. Close your eyes and take several slow breaths, focusing on inhaling and exhaling deeply. Do this several times.
    • You’ll become more relaxed as your muscles and cells receive more oxygen and your mind slows down.
    • Continue paying attention to the air that’s coming in and going out.
  1. Notice physical sensations. As you focus on the air you take in and let out, also notice the sensations throughout your body.
    • Pay attention to the weight of your body in your seat, noticing whether you’re perhaps leaning further to the right or to the left. Pay attention to your body’s temperature — so you feel warm, cool, or in the middle?
  1. Pay attention to the noises around you. Just let the noises be and notice their presence.
    • Whether it’s the whistling of the fan, the hum of the air conditioner or heater, or the chatter of people’s voices outside, just notice that these sounds are also present during your meditation.
  1. Notice when your mind wanders. It’s perfectly normal — especially for beginners — to wander off in thought, thinking about this, that, or another thing that pops into your mind.
    • When your mind wanders, just quietly bring your attention and awareness back to your breath, noticing the air slowly going in and going out.
  1. End your mindfulness session when you’re ready. Slowly open your eyes. Stretch. What do you feel at this moment in time? Are you more relaxed, calmer, or more focused?

When you first start mindfulness meditation, you’ll most likely find it difficult, if not impossible, to keep your mind from wandering. However, as you get more practice, it becomes easier to clear your mind and focus on your breath.

5-Minute Mindfulness Body Scan Meditation Mp3 & Download

The key is to practice it consistently.

Benefits of a Mindfulness Meditation Script

When we use a mindfulness meditation script for ourselves, there are countless benefits to this type of practice. Unlike silent meditation, using mindfulness meditation script actively prompts us to continually refocus our attention on the present moment and on our direct experience of mindfulness and meditation practice. This continual refocusing enhances the inner journey, which helps us to heighten the benefits of our daily mindfulness meditation practice.

If you are reading a mindfulness meditation script for your own personal practice, this type of mindfulness exploration can help you to quietly and calmly tune into the world within at your own pace. We typically turn to audio recordings for our mindfulness practice.

While such recordings are incredibly beneficial at facilitating our sense of personal awareness, reading scripts provide an added challenge of concentration, commitment, and focus. Reading a mindfulness meditation script and then moving through the exercises provided allows us to move at our own pace.

This allows us to sit for as long or as little as suits our needs at any given moment. We enhance our ability to sit with silence and with the vast openness of our awareness when we practice this way.

Mindfulness Meditation Script

Three Mindful Breaths Meditation

A Short Mindfulness Meditation Script

Let’s begin by taking a moment to settle your body into a comfortable position. You can close your eyes or keep them slightly open with a soft-focus looking downward a few feet in front of you.

Allow your spine to lift and your shoulders to soften.

Today we will practice three mindful breaths.

Begin by taking a slow gentle inhale breath, resting your attention on the sensation of the air passing over your nostrils and filling your chest and abdomen.

Notice as the inhale ends and shifts back through a slow gentle exhale. Notice the sensations in the body as the air passes back out.

Rest for a moment and begin again. Take a long, slow inhale directing your attention to the sensation of air as you breathe in and long slow exhale noticing sensations. Once again resting at the end of the exhale and continuing through one more breathe, in and out.

End Of Mindfulness Meditation Script

Daily Integrated Mindfulness and Meditation Practice: Before eating your next meal today, complete another ‘Three Mindful Breaths’ practice.

Mindfulness and Meditation Practice Reflection Question: What impact do you notice when you stop and take three mindful breaths?

A daily mindfulness and meditation practice will help us to quiet the mind, naturally encouraging us to relate to the world through our intuition and through our direct senses. It empowers us to enhance our lives in healthy ways, so the benefits of such practices are infinite.

A mindfulness meditation script provides a framework for this honest inner exploration, setting the stage for personal and powerful insights to arise authentically and with impact within our personal world.

“Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.” – Sylvia Boorstein

Making Mindfulness a Habit

As a science, researchers study mindfulness and meditation in order to discover answers to the questions they have about the benefits of mindfulness. As a way of living, mindfulness is just that: being mindful and living in the present.

As a practice, cultivating mindfulness requires training. Any type of training requires dedication and practice. Practicing requires that you devote your time and attention to the matter.

If one is to make mindfulness a habit, therefore, it requires time, attention, and training.

Avoid making excuses for your failure to cultivate mindfulness; it is easy to fall into this trap.

There are many who give meditation or mindfulness a one-off try and then decide that the amount of time they attempted to practice mindfulness was simply not worth it because they didn’t see any immediate benefits to it.

There are others who sincerely want to make a change in their life and decide to practice mindfulness, only to give up a few days later because “it’s too hard” or they “don’t have enough time.” That is, they make excuses for why mindfulness doesn’t work for them.

There are still others who want to change the story they have in their heads about who they are, what they can accomplish, and how they’re going to achieve the goals they have laid out in front of them.

These people realize that mindfulness and meditation can completely change their lives in exchange for only a few minutes each day. They can become healthier, less stressed, happier, more at peace with themselves and their situations and much less distracted as they accomplish what they set out to do.

Mindfulness Techniques

Prioritize Your Mindfulness Meditation & Take Action

A great psychologist and researcher, Albert Ellis, constructed a theory of cognitive thinking that said that individuals have power over their lives to choose healthy behaviors instead of negative, unhealthy ways of living.

To make mindfulness meditation a habit, consciously choose when you’re going to practice it and then do it:

  • Mornings. You might want to use early mornings as a way to refresh. Wake up and immediately use this time to practice mindfulness to recharge and get ready for the new day.
  • Evenings. Or perhaps you would prefer to set aside time before you go to sleep as a way to let go of all the negative thoughts and events throughout the day.
  • Lunchtime. You could even use your lunch hour as a way to not only catch a short break from work, but also to calm your nerves should you find that anything in the first half of the day has caused you to feel stressed, distracted, or depressed.

Regardless of the time of day you choose to practice mindfulness, it’s critical that you carve out time daily to devote your energy to creating a healthier you!

“Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.” – Sharon Salzberg

Other Meditation Styles

While mindfulness and meditation have been empirically studied as well as promoted throughout the United States and other countries, there are certainly other styles and forms of meditation that you can practice.

Regardless of which type of meditation you choose, the number one issue of importance is its priority in your life and whether you make time to practice it.

Your Inner Self: 4 Easy Steps To Awaken With MeditationHERE…

Other types of meditation include:

    1. Mantra-based Meditation. This is a form of meditation that uses a specific phrase or sound, otherwise known as a “mantra.” While mindfulness focuses primarily on one’s breathing and bodily sensations, mantra meditation focuses on a repeated sound, chant, or phrase.
    2. Visualization Meditation. This type of meditation relies on specific imagery for a goal or accomplishment that you hope to achieve.
    • Visualization meditation is often used in sports and has been shown to enhance an athlete’s performance.
    • With visualization, your focus is on your desired outcome. You imagine a detailed picture of what the outcome looks like, feels like, and smells, sounds, or tastes like.
    1. Moving Meditation. Some people prefer this type of meditation because it requires exercise, such as walking. Moving meditation is actually a yoga practice combined with mindfulness.
    • Sometimes called “Breathwalk,” this technique encourages you to synchronize your breath with your footsteps, while still focusing on bodily awareness and sensations like breathing.
    1. Body Scanning Meditation. This meditation involves bringing awareness first to one specific part of the body and then moving on to others.
    • For example, you focus on the physical sensations, stress, or tension in your left arm and then intentionally release all tension in that area. Repeat with your right arm, and then with other areas of the body until fully relaxed.
  1. Several other types of Mindfulness Meditation. There are also a few other different kinds of mindfulness which you can practice when you focus on your breathing. These include mindfulness listening, mindful immersion, mindful observation, and mindful awareness.
    • These other forms of mindfulness meditation involve setting your attention to a specific thing or task and paying attention to the details.
    • For example, mindful immersion is a form of mindfulness where you immerse yourself fully into the task at hand, thereby creating an entirely new, unique, and fresh experience.

As you set out to create a routine for practicing mindfulness and meditation, choosing to mix up the style of meditation can be beneficial if you feel monotonous or bored at times. For example, perhaps in your first week, you can practice mindful listening while choosing to practice moving meditation in the second week.

“Meditation is to be aware of what is going on: in your body, in your feelings, in your mind, and in the world.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Take The Mindful 20/30 Challenge

As we go throughout our lives, there are literally thousands of decisions that we face each day. We’re challenged with decisions from the moment our alarm clock startles us awake until the time our minds drift off to sleep at the end of the day.

It is estimated that the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions in a single 24-hour period:

  • To hit snooze on the alarm clock or get up and start the morning
  • What to eat for breakfast and how many servings
  • What to wear: green or the blue shirt? What shoes match the outfit?
  • The decision to take the dog out for a short walk before leaving for work
  • Should you go into work or call in sick?
  • Whether we let a traffic or road rage incident dictate our mood for the day

On and on the decision wheel constantly spins. Yes, we’re faced with problems, tasks, drama, stress, workloads, good news, bad news, indifferent news, world news, and mass amounts of information. We’re bombarded with this data on a daily basis and we’re expected to know what to do with it.

Our senses, physical bodies, emotional health, and spirit routinely experience an information overload!

Living in the present, being mindful, and deliberately practicing mindfulness is one way in which we can tell our bodies and our whole selves to slow down.

Brainwave Entrainment: Achieve Deep Relaxation and Emotional Balance

With a warring of our inner selves telling us that we’re literally so busy that we don’t have time to slow down, each one of us must make the decision to challenge ourselves to stay true to ourselves and live in the present.

Practicing mindfulness is a purposeful way in which we can literally be free of distractions. However, making the decision to practice mindfulness is only the first step.

Making the commitment to mindfulness and meditation while resolving to incorporate mindfulness as a habit and daily routine takes effort. With a commitment and then a strong resolve to make it happen, you’ve almost won the battle to create a healthier self!

Taking The Challenge – The last step is to take action…

If you’re up for the task, challenge yourself to put mindfulness into practice for 20 minutes each day for 30 consecutive days.

Follow these steps:

  1. Set aside at least 20 minutes.
  2. Find a quiet space in which to meditate and experience the power of being mindful.
  3. Choose to practice mindfulness at the same time each day for these 30 days or choose different times of the day, but ensure you take the time for mindfulness each day.
  4. After the 30 days is over, reflect on how mindfulness has impacted, affected, or changed you.

Did you complete the challenge? If not, it’s okay – just try it again!

“Now is the future that you promised yourself last year, last month, last week. Now is the only moment you’ll ever really have. Mindfulness is about waking up to this.” – Mark Williams

Mindfulness Meditation Benefits

Researchers and scientists who have studied the effects of practicing mindfulness and meditation often deliberately choose people who haven’t had any exposure to mindfulness or meditation training.

This shows that, even with no prior training, a novice can reap the benefits of beginning mindfulness.

Some of these proven benefits include:

  • Lowering stress hormones in the body
  • Increase in energy
  • Increase in mental focus and stamina
  • Enhanced memory and attention
  • Boost to the immune system
  • A decrease in blood pressure and heart rate
  • Lower fatigue
  • Stronger brain functioning
  • More effective processing of emotions and pain
  • Increase in self-awareness
  • Increase in compassion and empathy towards others
  • Better sleep quality
  • Lower rates of depression

Even though it may be difficult to understand how sitting in a quiet space for a few minutes each day can impact our lives, mindfulness and meditation can completely change our perspective, outlook, physical, emotional, and behavioral health.

Unfortunately, some people mistakenly think that mindfulness is something “new-age” or something deeply spiritual that’s out of reach for the typical person. Fortunately, neither of these things is true.

Indeed, mindfulness is a practice just like many other things that we do to attempt to regain control of ourselves and create a healthier life.

With mounds of research at the helm, combined with a deliberate, purposeful action of making mindfulness a daily routine, you can transform the quality of your life.

You can practice mindful breathing, mindful listening, mindful observation or choose one of the many other forms of mindfulness and meditation. Channeling your focus and attention for just 10 to 30 minutes each day is enough to set you on the path to a healthier life.

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The Quiet Mind – Why Is Meditation Universally Appealing?

Meditation - How To Meditate For Beginners

Meditation has been utilized for centuries because it is something that works. By utilizing mediation as a form of achieving balance, we are literally wiring our brains to view every situation with a balanced approach that can improve our functioning in the world and create a better life!

When we take the time out of the day for meditation and quiet our minds, it actually helps us to focus better throughout the entire day. Not only that, but it can make us more adaptable and able to thrive in stressful situations.

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

Why have psychologists and psychiatrists become extremely busy these days? The answer is pretty simple. Research has shown that a huge number of people find it extremely difficult to cope with the stress and strain of this highly demanding world.

When they cannot find a solution to various issues, they inevitably go to qualified professionals for help and that is exactly why they have become inundated with work.

Various studies have shown that seeking professional assistance makes a positive impact in the lives of a good number of people but it has not yet succeeded fully in improving the mental health of the people up to the desired levels. That is exactly where meditation steps in.

The Universal Appeal Of Meditation

Various people process things differently. For example; eating habits of different people vary and other aspects like the way they understand information. Healing and restoring the power of the people also differ with individuals. Because of this aspect, medical practitioners and other related professionals working in the field of mental health cannot advocate the same method of treatment for all people.

In such a situation, the significance of meditation for beginners becomes all the more relevant and it can be said without any doubt that you can advocate meditation for each and every individual who suffers from stress.

Discover 20 Ways The Brain Is Rewired By The Power Of Meditation HERE…

It can be practiced by anybody irrespective of age or gender and the recent trends indicate that the popularity of meditation has increased exponentially, especially in the last 10 years or so.

What Makes Meditation Universally Appealing?

Meditation makes you mentally, as well as physically healthy. It influences your mind in a positive manner and when you persevere with practicing meditation, you will be blessed with clarity of thought.

Your preconceived notions and apprehensions that affect your mental health in an adverse manner will be removed. A great amount of stress and strain can always be associated with this fast-paced world and you need to learn how to manage stress if you want to progress well.

A moderate amount of stress is always good because you need those valuable, powerful fight-or-flight hormones that your body produces and it can be described as a sudden burst of energy.

You should not allow the stress to go beyond a certain level and the best method of approach is to learn how to manage it. Meditation techniques will influence your bodily functions in a positive manner to keep the unwanted stress under control and with effective breath control; your muscle tension will be lowered to a great extent.

Your blood flow will get increased and a deeper level of physical relaxation will become a reality. Your immune system will get strengthened and meditation will teach you how to relax your nervous system as well.

These aspects form only a part of the huge benefits involved with meditation and the subtle way in which it works needs to be understood more deeply. As we dig deeper into this introductory guide, you will realize that meditation is the best option available to get rid of the unwanted worry and stress, normally associated with this fast-paced world.

WHAT IS MEDITATION AND WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

What Is MeditationWhat is meditation? When you ask this question to different people, you will get different answers. More often than not people get confused with these answers and these types of contradictory opinions often mislead people as well.

You should understand that meditation does not belong to the monks only and everyday people can also enjoy the huge benefits involved with meditation if they are prepared to practice it properly.

Meditation techniques can be described as an approach that anyone can utilize to find solutions to various issues like medical problems, stress, anxiety, and other related mental problems and, it is being achieved by way of thought, contemplation, and reflection.

What Is Meditation?

Defining meditation in a few words can always be described as an uphill task. Still, the most realistic definition that can be given is that meditation is a state of mind and it will take you to a state where only consciousness and awareness will remain.

When you remove all thoughts and imagination from your consciousness, consciousness alone will remain and this pure state of consciousness can be described as meditation.

It is not an easy task and you need to be extremely committed and disciplined to achieve the desired results. Meditation encompasses different practices and all these various practices adopt different methods of approach.

The basic principles will always remain the same and all good practices will always aim at achieving a state of rumination through consideration and quiet thought.

Different Types Of Meditation

You will come across a wide variety of different types of practices these days and they include Zen meditation, Buddhist meditation, prayer, transcendental meditation, Taoist meditation, and mindfulness meditation.

What is Mindfulness? Exploring Mindfulness And Meditation HERE…

Some methods will advise you to keep your body still or move with controlled deliberation and in the case of some other methods; you can have a free movement of the body.

You can select the most suitable method that you are comfortable with and the bottom line is that you should follow all the instructions with absolute commitment and dedication. In such a situation, managing your mental as well physical problems will become a hassle-free process and it will result in improved productivity as well.

Where Does Meditation Come From?

Meditation originated from the unrelenting thirst of man to answer the questions about his existence. Its origin can be traced long before mankind became civilized and Indian ‘Vedas’ clearly suggests that meditation was established as a spiritual practice during those times.

By 500 years BC, meditative traditions came into existence in China and it paved the way for the development of Zen tradition. With the evolution of time, both Hindu and Buddhist meditative traditions started spreading to all parts of the world and it can be said without an iota of doubt that meditation is hugely popular in all parts of the world these days.

The History Of Meditation: The Most Ancient Meditation Practice On Earth…

Meditation techniques have undergone a tremendous transformation during all these years and these days; they have been designed to improve the mental as well as physical health of the people in the best possible manner.

ANXIETY SOLUTIONS – THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION TO THE MIND

Benefits Of MeditationWhen you have a physical ailment to be addressed, you will take medicine or seek other types of medical help. What will you do when you have a mental problem like stress or anxiety to confront?

You cannot cure your mental problems with medicine alone and that is exactly where the importance of a comprehensive and scientific method of meditation comes in.

If you seek peace of mind, calmness, joy, greater energy and fulfillment in life, tablets or pills will not provide you all these benefits. Meditation is the best option available to enjoy all these benefits and it can be described as a medicine for the mind.

Powerful 5 Minute Guided Gratitude Meditation With Script HERE…

The most important thing is that you should make meditation a daily practice and you will have to adopt a systematic method of approach as well.

How Does Meditation Control Your Mind?

There is no doubt our minds are notorious at wandering and switching from one thought to another. Focused attention has become an exceedingly difficult task in these days. Various research studies by neuroscientists have shown that meditation reinforces the connections between brain cells and will result in the strengthening of the brain.

People, who meditate, show higher levels of gyrification (The process of folding of the cerebral cortex as a result of growth) and it will help the brain to process information at a faster rate. As a resulting factor, your brain will become better at improving attention, forming memories and making decisions.

Recent studies have shown that long-term meditation will improve the gray matter density in the brain stem and it will make some structural differences to cause improved emotional, immune, and cognitive responses. Meditation also has a positive effect on breathing and heart rate as well.

Physical Benefits Of Meditation That You May Not Know About…

So the mental benefits associated with meditation cannot be termed as unscientific and the expression of brain metabolites (linked to depression and anxiety) of people, who meditate, is completely different in comparison with other people.

The latest findings also convey the fact that meditation can always be associated with dramatic changes in electrical brain activity especially improved Theta and Alpha EEG activity and these two aspects can always be linked to wakeful and relaxed attention as well.

What benefits does practicing meditation offer to your mind?

The most important benefit is improved attention, and stress reduction will also become a reality. It will improve your working memory and stressful multitasking activities will become less complicated as well. Your idea generation capacity will reach a new level altogether and meditation also plays an important role in increasing the levels of empathy.

Other major benefits of meditation include decreased anxiety, emotional stability, improved creativity, clarity of thought, fully developed intuition, greater focus, perfect balance of sharp mind and expanded consciousness, reduced tension, optimistic attitude towards life, and improved peace of mind.

All these benefits that meditation offers to your mind are scientifically proven and your productivity will be improved manifold without a shadow of a doubt. What do all these facts indicate? These facts clearly indicate that when you practice meditation with utmost discipline and dedication, quality of life will get improved in a significant manner.

HOW TO RELAX THE MIND FROM STRESS: THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION TO THE BODY

How To Meditate EffectivelyEverybody knows that meditation offers a lot of spiritual and emotional benefits. At the same time, it offers a lot of benefits for your body as well.

You cannot categorize the mind and body into two watertight compartments because of both these components should work in harmony and keep your health at an optimal level.

A healthy mind can only be found in a healthy body and meditation always adopts a comprehensive method of approach to improve the quality of your life.

Various studies have clearly shown that long term practitioners of meditation possess more active disease-fighting genes in comparison with other people and the relaxation effect of meditation plays the most important role in providing all these health benefits.

How does meditation affect your body?

It is a scientifically proven fact that meditation offers tremendous physical benefits and the most popular benefits include reduced stress and decreased muscle tension.

Meditation will also help you to solve various health problems like binge eating, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, fatigue, high blood pressure, pain, sleep problems, heart disease, allergies, and asthma and, meditation is also used as a supplemental treatment in combination with other medical interventions in these days.

When you practice meditation, your physiology will undergo a change and, each and every cell in your body will get filled with more energy.

Benefits to lungs and heart

Your rest-and-digest functions are controlled by a parasympathetic nervous system and meditation will cause increased activity in this system. As a resultant factor, your lungs will start drawing deeper breaths and your heartbeat will come back to optimal limits.

It will result in the relaxation of your blood vessels and it is a proven fact that regular meditation will drop your blood pressure significantly. All these benefits will always lower the risk of heart disease in the best possible manner.

Right, now that we have covered the what is and history of meditation and the benefits that go with it, it’s time to get into the actual meditation.

GETTING INTO THE MEDITATION FRAME OF MIND

Quiet Mind Quotes To Center Yourself With These Mindful Insights10 Quiet Mind Quotes To Center Yourself With These Mindful Insights

“In shallow men, the fish of little thoughts cause much commotion. In oceanic minds, the whales of inspiration hardly make a ruffle.” – Autobiography of a Yogi

“Seeds are sown in mind that blossom into life.”

“Every artist was first an amateur.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Every tomorrow is only determined by what you do today.” – James Letcher

“You can outdistance that which is running after you, but not what is running inside you.” – Rwandan Proverb

“No idle person is ever safe, whether he be rich or poor, white or black, educated or illiterate.” – Booker T. Washington

“Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” – Rumi

“Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. The future will take care of itself..” – Yogananda

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” – Thich Nhat Hahn

“Oneness is inner silence, which remains undisturbed by external factors. The silence is not the opposite of noise. That is inner oneness.” Khaki Bhagavan

How to control your breathing while removing all thoughts from your mind? Meditation will teach you how to perform this task and it offers a lot of health benefits including decreased levels of stress and increased level of concentration as well.

People, who practice meditation, often say that meditation provides them a feeling of inner peace and satisfaction. A huge number of people try it at a certain point in their life and only a few people will go on practicing meditation on a consistent basis.

Self-Love Guided Meditation: How To Truly Love Yourself HERE…

A good number of people often stop their efforts when they think that they cannot meditate in an effective manner or they feel that they are not achieving the desired results.

All these stumbling blocks will have to be removed when you start practicing meditation and getting into the meditation mood is the key to remove these stumbling blocks.

Make meditation an integral component of the daily schedule

How To Meditate Daily: The Secret to Getting Yourself to Meditate HERE…

A lot of people meditate only when they have some free time. When they get engaged in some other activities, most people tend to forget about meditation.

In such a situation, meditation will take a back seat and such a method of approach will not help you to get into the meditative frame of mind. A fixed time period should always be allocated each day for practicing meditation and such an approach will make meditation an integral component of your schedule.

Seek out a suitable place

A convenient and suitable place will assist you to get into the meditation frame of mind and it is always advisable to select an area in your home where you will be able to meditate without any distractions. You can place some aromatic candles in the place where you practice meditation. It will provide much-needed help for getting into the mood in an easy manner.

Try to bring more purpose

You should actively engage your mind to get rid of all distractions although it is rather easier said than done. You should always wear loose-fitting clothes and full focus should be given to breathing. You should never try to control your breathing and your body should be allowed to breathe naturally. You can also try out practicing meditation with your partner and it will be the most enlightening experience for some people.

Make sure that you do not get disturbed with other thoughts

If you want to get the maximum benefit out of meditation you will have to meditate twice a day and you should always meditate during the early hours in the morning as well. Since you have just come back up from a night’s rest, your mind will be in a relaxed state and you will be able to focus more deeply. You should not get disturbed with thoughts related to your professional as well personal life and deliberate efforts should be done to bring back your focus towards breathing.

Recognize the moments of frustration

Getting impatient and frustrated is a natural process when you start practicing meditation. The most important thing is that you should recognize that you are getting frustrated and it is the first and most important step for overcoming frustration.

All these suggestions will provide the much-needed help to get into the meditation frame of mind quite easily and with practice, you will be able to remove all self-doubts, distractions, and frustration as well.

MEDITATION TECHNIQUES FOR BEGINNERS

MEDITATION TECHNIQUES FOR BEGINNERSWhen you start practicing meditation, you may find it difficult to sit for an extended period of time with an empty mind. Distractions are bound to happen and you need to overcome this phase with great determination and discipline.

The easiest way to get over the initial problems is to start meditation by focusing on the breath and you will have to learn this technique by trial and error method.

Sometimes, you may find it hard to concentrate but you should recognize that you are not concentrating. Then your focus can be brought back to the breathing process and slowly but gradually, you will learn to focus for an extended period of time.

Concentrative Meditation

This meditation technique will teach you how to focus on a single point. It can be practiced with the help of various activities like repeating a mantra or a single word, listening to a repetitive gong, looking at a candle flame, counting beads on a rosary, watching the breath, and listening to a repetitive gong.

Focusing for an extended period of time can be a daunting task for a beginner and beginners should meditate for only a short period of time in the initial stages. Focusing for a prolonged period of time should be attempted in a gradual manner.

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

What happens with this technique is that whenever your mind gets distracted with other thoughts, you will refocus your awareness on the chosen object of attention. This simple technique will teach you how to avoid pursuing random thoughts and your ability to concentrate will get improved considerably.

Mindfulness Meditation

This technique will motivate a beginner to observe the wandering thoughts as they pass through your mind. The aim of this method is not to judge wandering thoughts or getting involved with them, but to be aware of each mental note as it arises.

What Is The Goal Of Mindfulness Meditation Technique?

When a beginner practices mindfulness meditation, you will be able to see how your feelings and thoughts tend to move in certain patterns and gradually, you will become aware of the human tendency to judge experience as pleasant or unpleasant. As a beginner, when you practice this technique regularly, you will be able to develop inner balance.

Other Important Techniques of Meditation

The best body posture for practicing meditation is to sit cross-legged on the floor, keeping the spine straight and relaxed. As a beginner, you may find this body posture quite demanding and you may find it extremely uncomfortable as well.

In such a situation, you can select a posture that you are most comfortable with like sitting straight on a chair. When you sit for meditation, your mind may get distracted with other thoughts 100 times and you should bring it back to your focus at hand 100 times. You should be prepared to bring it back for 101 times as well and such a method of approach will help you get over all the difficulties during the initial stages of meditation.

The bottom line is that you should choose a simple and effective meditation technique as a beginner. More than 99% of the people, who practice meditation, put an end to their efforts during the initial phase itself. When you become successful in managing the initial problems, meditation will become an integral aspect of your life and as a resultant factor, quality of life will undergo a tremendous amount of transformation.

AVOID THESE COMMON MISTAKES WHEN STARTING MEDITATION

How To Meditate ProperlyWhat are the most common mistakes that people often commit while learning to meditate? We will find out shortly.

Learning how to control our mind can always be described as a difficult task and you should have the discipline and patience to learn from mistakes that you commit.

Many people give up meditation after a few days and in order to avert this possibility, you should avoid committing some of the common mistakes while practicing meditation.

Here are the 5 common mistakes that people often commit:

1) Expecting faster and unrealistic results

You cannot expect dramatic results within a few days. It is a well-known fact that meditation offers great benefits for your mind and body and you should adopt a systematic method of approach to make all these aspects a reality.

You should not get overly excited and regular practice is absolutely essential. The prospect of experiencing great benefits for yourself should not dominate your course of action and you should admit the fact that getting frustrated or impatient is quite natural for all beginners.  The best solution is to keep on practicing in a daily manner.

2) Selecting an improper environment

An improper environment will always make your meditation session short-lived and you will come across a lot of distractions. You should always select a suitable environment to practice meditation and the place that you select should be free from all types of distractions as well.

3 Easy Steps To Start Your Own Meditation Practice At Home…

If you are practicing at home your family members should provide all the required cooperation to make you comfortable. It is always advisable to select a soft and supportive place that is ideal for various activities like sitting or lying down and the place should be extremely serene as well. Your clothing also deserves great attention and you should wear comfortable clothing. All these aspects will make your meditation truly enjoyable.

3) Getting too experimental with various meditation techniques

After having chosen a meditation technique, you should stick with that method without getting worried about other methods. Some people try out a method for a few days and they will switch over to another method immediately after that. This habit should always be discouraged because it will not deliver the desired results. Anyhow, if you find that a particular method does not deliver results after having made determined efforts, there is nothing wrong with selecting a more suitable method. The bottom line is that you should not get too experimental.

4) Practicing irregularly

If you practice irregularly, achieving the desired results will become a distant reality. In order to get maximum benefits out of meditation, you should meditate in a daily manner, and practicing meditation should be made an integral part of your daily routine.

Those people, who are really serious towards meditation, will always consider it as a mental hygiene practice. Quitters will never win and winners will never quit. You should not quit practicing after a few days and it can be said without an iota of doubt that regular practice is absolutely essential to reap the real rewards associated with meditation.

5) Selecting an unsuitable meditation technique

The tastes and attitudes of different people vary and you should choose the most suitable method that will keep you relaxed and comfortable. Some people make it extremely difficult for them by selecting an unsuitable technique that will take a long time to learn and master.

Committing all these mistakes will affect your progress in an adverse manner. It is always advisable to avoid these five common mistakes to make your meditation session extremely enjoyable and rewarding as well.

ADVANCED MEDITATION TECHNIQUES

MEDITATION TECHNIQUESWhen you manage to overcome the stumbling blocks involved with the early stages of meditation, you can progress towards advanced meditation.

People, who have been regularly practicing meditation, should try advanced meditation techniques to intensify their experience and deeper meditation will always have a more meaningful purpose than eliminating stress.

You need to perform advanced techniques with proper guidance and these techniques will help you to go beyond the physical relaxation and subconscious mind as well.

A beginner will not be able to perform advanced techniques and advanced meditation can be described as a lengthy and complex process. People with superior meditation skills achieve total oneness with the universal energy and divine love will start flowing freely from them and through them to all people.

Meditation practices for beginners will teach you how to empty your thoughts and you will get relieved from everyday stress and worries as well. When you progress towards advanced meditation stages, you need to make use of your practice to solve issues and mental obstacles more actively and advanced techniques will teach you how to set aside your conscious mind.

Deep meditation will pave the way for the interior parts of your unconscious mind to come forward and your brainwaves will be kept below the normal sleeping limits. This journey through your mind can be described as a complex task and you should decide whether you are ready to practice advanced techniques.

Learn The Secrets Of Deep Meditation For Spiritual and Personal Growth HERE…

The ability to stay focused and conscious for a lengthy session is an integral component of advanced meditation and you cannot fall asleep throughout this lengthy session.

In order to have a better understanding of advanced meditation, you can compare your brain with the onion and each layer gets formed throughout your life starting from your birth.

The onion consists of different layers and exactly like that, your brain also consists of different layers. The core of the onion can be compared to the instinctual, primal parts of your brain and they hold things like your need for water, sleep, food, blinking, and swallowing. These parts also hold purity and innocence.

The next layer is your childhood brain and it holds the learned as well as personality traits and experiences. In the case of most people, this area contains a lot of issues and blocks that prevent them from looking at life in the right perspective and they will not be aware of all these aspects as well.

It is the area that demands most work and advanced meditation will focus on this area with the utmost efficiency. The outer layers of the onion can be compared to the adult brain and the outer skin represents your conscious mind in the form of thoughts and worries. All these layers need to be healed with the proper attention and advanced meditation techniques are the best option available to make a complete cure a reality for you.

When you become successful in evolving through all other levels of meditation, you can start practicing advanced meditation techniques, and if you want to be a proud owner of a highly developed mind and soul you should practice advanced techniques.

SCHOOLS OF MEDITATION – THEIR BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

History Of MeditationPeople from all walks of life have been practicing different types of meditation techniques for hundreds if not
thousands of years. Different schools of meditation make use of different techniques but the fundamental principle of reflection and quiet thought to achieve a state of rumination will always remain the same.

Different schools of thought include Taoist meditation, Zen meditation, Buddhist meditation, Vipassana meditation, Transcendental meditation, and Mindfulness meditation.

Some of these methods always advocate the importance of keeping the body still while practicing and in certain methods, stimulation of the body with controlled deliberation is allowed. Some other methods will allow you to have a free movement of the body as well.

Taoist meditation

Taoist meditation bears great resemblance to the Buddhist system and this school of thought can be described as extremely practical in comparison with contemplative traditions that originated in India.

The underlying theory of this meditation is regeneration, transformation, and circulation of inner energy. When a person becomes successful in achieving this stream of energy known as ‘Deh-Chee’, it can be utilized to promote longevity and better health according to the discretion of the person involved.

Beginners will be taught breath and navel meditation during the initial stages and it can be described as one of the oldest methods. The natural flow of breath in the nostrils and, expansion and contraction of the abdomen can always be associated with this method and your focused attention and one-pointed awareness will get improved significantly as well.

Zen Meditation

Zen meditation will advocate the importance of sitting in various positions and you will come to learn how to close
your mind to thought and images as well.

Your heart rate will become slower and the intensity of your breathing will come down as well. As a resultant factor, you will get into a meditative state and your thought will become isolated.

You will be aware of the present moment only and thoughts about the past and future will not haunt you. In a nutshell, Zen meditation will guard you against the constant chatter of the subconscious mind.

Buddhist meditation

This meditation will provide you complete control over your mind and a natural balance between your mind, body, and soul will become a reality. Buddhist meditation will make you completely aware of your physical body and every movement your body makes. It can be described as an extremely disciplined practice and you should practice it in a daily manner to bring maximum benefit to your mind, soul, and body. Fear will not find a place in your mind and you can always expect better concentration and focus with this method as well.

Vipassana meditation

Though Buddha was the chief architect of Vipassana meditation, this meditation is not confined to individuals with a Buddhist background. This method will teach you the best way of healing the body and mind and it is being achieved by removing toxins and other forms of impurities through the process of cleansing. You need to seek professional assistance to achieve the utmost level of purification and rumination through this method.

Transcendental meditation

It can be described as a simple and easy method to learn and practice. At the same time, transcendental meditation will bring tremendous practical benefits to all areas of life. You will come to know how to rest your mind and body and also alleviate tiredness and stress in a natural manner.

Transcendental Meditation – A Great Starting Point For You…

With the help of transcendental meditation, you can reach a state of rumination in an uncomplicated manner and it will be extremely suitable for all types of people. You do not have to allocate specific time and place for practicing this meditation and it can be practiced in your home, bus, or in any place according to your own preference.

Mindfulness meditation

This school of thought will teach you how to remain alert and mindful towards whatever you do and you will always have better awareness about your surroundings and diverse situations. As a resultant factor, you will enjoy a relaxed body and nervous system. This method can be applied to every aspect of your life including eating and exercising and, it will train your mind to be aware of the surrounding in the best possible manner.

INCORPORATING MEDITATION INTO YOUR DAILY ROUTINE

How To Meditate Daily For BeginnersAs we covered earlier, Life in this fast-paced world has become extremely demanding. A huge number of people face a lot of stress in their professional as well as personal lives and most of them are of the fact that meditation is the best tool available to alleviate stress.

Still, most people find it extremely difficult to practice meditation on a day to day basis.

How to incorporate meditation into your daily routine?

Finding a convincing answer to this question assumes an importance of paramount these days. People make lots of excuses at the time of thinking about practicing meditation and they abandon this important activity from their daily routine. This attitude needs to be changed and you should find time to practice meditation in a daily manner. Here are some tips to help.

Start immediately

Most people complain that they do not have time for meditation because they have an overloaded work schedule at hand. The immediate solution to this problem is to allocate at least five minutes a day for meditation and by doing so; you will get the impression that it will not take away too much time from your hectic schedule.

The decision to start practicing meditation should be taken at this moment itself. When you make such a decision, a new practice is born.

Practice meditation immediately after you wake up in the morning

Most people do not like to sit still for a long time because their mind and body may not be tuned that way. It will instill a sense of aversion towards meditation and people will start making a lot of excuses.

This problem can be solved by practicing meditation immediately after waking up in the morning. After a good night’s sleep, you will be in a relaxed condition, and sitting still for some time will not be that much difficult. You will not be prepared to make a lot of excuses as well. Training your mind and body will be extremely effective during this time and gradually, it will be converted as a habit.

Set a strong intention

First of all, you should analyze why you want to practice meditation. Figuring out the exact reason will keep you better prepared and you should visualize yourself after one year or six months. If you remain committed to practicing meditation, how will your life look after 6 months? You will have to visualize this situation and setting such a strong intention will make you committed to practicing meditation.

In a nutshell, the process of incorporating meditation into your daily routine will become less complicated for you.

Set a fixed time and space

You should identify a serene place and fixed time for practicing meditation. When you continue to meditate on the same spot at the same time in a daily manner, you are making things easy for medication to take root. The repetition and familiarity will eventually lead to the formation of a new habit and you can also set an alarm to have a better awareness about the duration.

All these steps will help you to incorporate meditation into your daily routine and you will be able to say goodbye to the lame excuses as well.

CONCLUSION – TIPS TO BEGIN YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY TODAY

MEDITATION JOURNEYWhen you realize that practicing meditation is an inevitable aspect to meet the challenges that lie ahead, you should never refrain from it. Procrastination will never allow you to march towards greater glory and you will always get stuck with the mediocrity.

Most people have not realized the true power of their minds and you should not be counted as one among them anymore. The untapped powers of your mind will have to be utilized in the best possible manner and there is no choice except practicing meditation to become successful in this highly competitive world.

When you realize your true potential, you can recreate your own destiny and that is exactly how great leaders managed to recreate their own destiny. Practicing meditation in a daily manner with proper commitment and discipline will definitely unleash your hidden potential and you should make this all-important and life-changing decision today itself. To be precise and clear, you should decide that you are going to start practicing meditation today itself.

Here are some important tips to begin your meditation journey today:

Realize the true significance of meditation. You need to perform exercises to improve your physical health and a good physique will guard you against all types of diseases.

What about mental health?

You should also improve your mental health with regular practice of meditation and such a method of approach will take you into a different level altogether.

Health Benefits of Meditation – How Meditation Affects Your Brain…

Deteriorating mental health will cause all types of complications and your physical health will also get affected in an adverse manner. Stress is a silent killer and you need to defeat stress with the help of meditation techniques. You will have to realize all these important aspects before starting your meditation journey.

Re-read this guide and gain a better understanding of the benefits of meditation

You will be able to enjoy countless benefits when you practice meditation in a daily manner and they include increased concentration, improved memory, stress reduction, greater focus, decreased anxiety, peace of mind, clarity of thought, emotional stability, improved creativity, fully developed intuition, the perfect balance of sharp mind and expanded consciousness, reduced tension and optimistic attitude towards life.

What would happen if you are blessed with all these qualities? You may think that it is not at all possible but the fact of the matter is that you will be able to enjoy all these benefits when you practice meditation in a consistent manner.

Prepare Well Before Getting Started Meditating

5 Minute Guided Meditation Beginners

You need to identify a place where you will not get distracted and a time schedule needs to be fixed as well. You will have to practice meditation in the same place at the same time regularly if it will be formed into a habit.

You should set a strong intention so that putting forward lame excuses to postpone your decision will become a distant reality. It is always advisable to practice meditation in the morning because you will be in a relaxed state of mind after having a good night’s sleep.

When you follow all these tips, practicing meditation will be converted as a habit in a gradual manner. If you are really determined to start your meditation practice today, you are making your first step in your meditation journey of redefining your own destiny.

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Energy Meditation – Naturally Energize Your Body And Mind

Energy MeditationEnergy meditation is just one form of a deep spiritual meditation method that you can use daily. If you’re highly Spiritual or sensitive to the earth’s frequencies, or perhaps you’re attuned to subtle life energies around you, energy meditation might become your favorite form of daily meditation practice.

How To Meditate Properly Like An Expert In 3 Minutes Or Less

This form of meditation focuses on how everything is composed of energy. Whether you are meditating by yourself or are engaging in guided meditation lead by an instructor, this form of meditation is liberating to the mind and soul.

VIDEO: How To Get Energy From Meditation?

How to have strong steady-burning inspiration? Dada explains the energy meditation method of awakening divinity in a human being. With a little bit of patience and eagerness, anybody can perform this type of meditation method.

By using this form of meditation we will develop self-awareness, a higher level of understanding about people and objects around us, and a better appreciation for life in general.

Energy meditations open and align your energy centers like the body’s Chakra centers, and “activate and sync the body’s natural healing abilities,” so “the energy effortlessly flows through you on a journey of reawakening your Spiritual potential for wholeness.”

Moreover, there are physical rewards that are just as beneficial. Your stress level will lower. Your blood pressure will drop. Your heart rate will decrease. You will feel liberated and free!

Guided Energy Meditation to Boost Energy Levels & Feel Great

This short energizing guided meditation includes mindfulness practice and breathing techniques to manage stress and anxiety, increase self-worth, nurture self-compassion, promote well-being, and boost positive thinking. Suitable for all levels: meditation for beginners and advanced.

Mindfulness meditation for personal development has been proven to help depression, stress and anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. Begin your journey through meditation with Linda Hall, subscribe now to get the latest video in your inbox.

‘Feel More Energised’ from the album ‘Simple Meditations’ available from AudioMeditation.co.uk A simple guided meditation using mindfulness, breath awareness, and positive thinking to re-charge and energize your body and mind.

Mindfulness and Meditation: Discover Your Best Personal Power

Positive Energy Meditation For Increased Energy Might Seem Like A Paradox…

Many people become surprised to learn that meditation, the very best way to calm and focus the mind, is also a highly effective solution for increased energy.

Morning Meditation for Positive Energy 💕Beginner Meditation

My morning meditation for positive energy! This is a simple, beginner, morning, meditation that everyone can enjoy. Morning is the best time to meditate! Set a positive tone for your entire day with this morning practice.

This is a great go-to daily beginner meditation that’s 12 minutes long. Our focus is on cultivating clear, positive energy. The meditation class includes using the Nadi Shodhana pranayama (or Alternate Nostril Breathing) technique which has so many benefits.

It is a great way to calm the nervous system and relieve tension and anxiety. I invite you to do it day after day to get your positivity flowing. I hope you love this morning meditation as much as I do.

Online Yoga Teacher Training and Kundalini Yoga Certification; Brett Larkin Yoga

Before engaging in energy meditation, we need to allow ourselves to feel compassion and gratitude for everyone and everything around us. This includes both living beings and non-living objects.

Feeling gratitude and compassion will move you farther along your spiritual path than any other activity.

Taking the time for positive thoughts will put your mind at ease and help the meditation process flow smoothly and connect you to your higher self. Once you have your mind in the correct mental state of calm and connectedness to the universe, focus your attention on everything around you.

Think of everything as energy. People, objects, animals, and all physical structures on earth can be thought of as forms of energy. Picture these things turning into energy and creating an energy field around you.

Start from the outside in. Once your outer energy field is developed you can focus on your body. Picture your body as energy such as your skin, your organs, your entire being, physical and spiritual.

Once you have achieved the perfect balance between self and environment, stay in your meditative state for about twenty or thirty minutes. Before stopping energy meditation, let your mind transform yourself and ground your mind and spirit to your external environment and physical form.

When you practice this type of energy meditation method, pay attention to what you feel, and become aware of energetically. At first, you may not feel or sense much at all and that’s just fine, working with any type of energy takes time and effort to remove other energy blocks that could be in your way.

With time, you will become more attuned to the subtle, magnetic energy that moves through your physical body, this will get easier and stronger.

The more you engage and become aware of healing energy and cultivation, the greater potential it has to deepen your personal meditation practice.

Energy Meditation as a Health and Spiritual Exercise

Energy Meditation as a Health and Spiritual Exercise

According to Buddhism, a person can reach “Nirvana” or the highest state of enlightenment through continuous meditation, and by participating in the Buddha’s daily service, among other things.

Energy meditation, as practiced by Buddhist monks and practitioners, has become a spiritual tool and health enhancer in one. More than just the chants and meditative posture, meditation is about proper breathing and concentration of thoughts. As a health and spiritual practice, meditation came into prominence as in the East where lives and culture demanded a way to “escape” the realities of life and for self-enlightenment.

How do we know if we are already in a state of meditation or just wasting away time with our eyes closed? Meditation is a state of mental focus that you create that takes you into a world of inner peace, self-fulfillment with your life, self-improvement techniques, and personal development for a positive outlook in your life.

There are two types of meditation; the concentrative and the mindfulness type. Concentrative is more on an object for concentration, such as sitting quietly and calmly only focused on your breath.

Meditation For Beginners: 20 Practical Tips To Quiet the Mind

It is said that our mind is connected to our breath. The continuous rhythm of inhales and exhales of the breath will make you feel more calm and relaxed, focusing on a steady flow of air in and out of your body. This will result in the mind being more aware and tranquil at the same time.

Mindfulness, on the other hand, involves attention and awareness on passing waves of sensations, images, feelings, thoughts, sounds, smells, anything that your body can interact with. This, in turn, will give the person a more non-reactive mind state, much like looking at a television, without any feelings or thoughts that can bother you.

Meditation and relaxation often go hand in hand. In scientific studies, it has been proven that there are health benefits to practicing this kind of activity. By being in a relaxed state of mind, the person is also regarded as in the alpha state, which is a level of consciousness that promotes good healing.

Relaxation in a person is highly recommended since people always move and think, and being relaxed can also give relaxation to the body and mind that will eventually enhance our well-being as well.

Knowing all this, you can see the connection of both scientific and religious factors, all because of meditation. In practicing such kind of relaxation meditation process, the person sees the innermost self at its fullest. This helps anyone who is dealing with life difficulties, learning how to see past all this, you become humble and calm in dealing with many of the difficulties in life.

This relaxed state of meditating allows us to help ourselves health-wise since this can take away simple headaches, stress, or even mild anxiety. It began way before modern life, and it will never go away. This kind of activity brings out the real person in you. By learning energy meditation, will give you a sense of calmness in a positive state. There are no known facts that this can be harmful to you, so why don’t you give it a try?

Guided Energy Meditation

Guided Energy Meditation Script for “Peace, Tranquility, and Healing”

This brief guided energy meditation script will guide you through a very healing visualization process. You can use this meditation script to experience a deep feeling of peace, tranquility, and transcendence – Eternity Yoga

Sitting comfortably or lying down with eyes closed, let’s begin by becoming completely focused and aware of the breath…

Feel the breath as it enters your nose, with a cool feeling and then warming as it gently travels down into the lungs…

Fill your lungs with a deep and comfortable inhale, bringing in energy, vitality, and prana, the life force…

As you exhale, feel your body releasing toxins, stress, and any negativity…

Stay with your breath, focusing on the feeling of deep peace for 3-5 deep inhalations and exhalations…

Feel the increased energy that is in your body…

Become aware of the warmth and tingling of every cell within your mind and body…

Feel the energy that is in your environment, in every part of nature, and in every living thing…

Bring all those energies together and feel them as one complete source of energy…

Visualize all of that energy shining brightly into all the areas of your life…

Bring the shining glow of your bright energy over the crown chakra…

Feel your golden-white energy starting to travel down into your body from the top of your head, slowly going down into your face and neck, traveling down into the shoulders, all the way down into the arms, down to the fingers…

Feel your healing energy and light going down into your chest, all the way down to your hips…

Feel it continue traveling down your legs all the way down to your toes…

Your whole body is now filled with divine healing light and energy that you have created…

Allow that healing energy to completely fill any area in your mind, body, and spirit that needs healing…

Feel it warming, healing, and expanding through your mind and body…

Allow the healing light to bring calm and healing to any emotional issues or traumas…

Bring your awareness to any intentions or desires that you may have to improve your life…

Hold the thoughts of those intentions or desires in this energy of white-golden light as you allow the healing energy to bring your deepest desires and your intentions into reality…

Feel your mind, body, and spirit connected to divine energy and light, and know that all is ONE within the universe.

Stay and relax into this deep, relaxing, peaceful feeling of energic bliss.

For more free guided energy meditation scripts, or to contribute a meditation script of your own, please follow this link to free guided meditation scripts.

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3 FREE Guided Meditation Mp3s For Effective Meditation

Guided Meditation

What Is Guided Meditation For Beginners? Guided meditation is simply “meditation with the help of a guide”. It’s one of the easiest ways to enter into a state of deep relaxation and inner stillness, and it’s one of the most powerful ways to eliminate stress and bring about positive personal changes.

Meditation was once thought of as a practice that is generally done by New Age hippies. The Beatles were a big fan of it. The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation Movement, was their spiritual advisor. Many people used to think that meditation was a fad and that it was “cool” to meditate.

However, in recent years, nobody thinks of meditation as a weird practice limited to hippies, Buddhist monks, or yogis. Many average Joes and Janes meditate to reap the benefits that meditation has to offer. Scientists have examined meditation’s effects on the body and mind and hundreds of studies have proven its benefits on one’s overall health. Technology has made meditation even easier. Nowadays, you can purchase a guided meditation and easily download it to your iPod or any other mp3 player.

1. Beginner’s Floating Visualization Guided Meditation

Anyone approaching their golden years can tremendously benefit from the guided meditation for beginners. It can help you deal with the challenges and difficulties that most middle-aged and elderly people face. Not only will meditation improve your health, but it will also enable you to deal with your emotions in the healthiest possible way.

This meditation guide talks about the guided meditation for beginners in general and discusses what meditation is not. However, in the succeeding sections, it zeroes in on guided meditation, the easiest form of meditation. This article will help you understand what guided meditation is and how it differs from meditation and hypnosis.

The benefits of guided meditation are also discussed here. You will also see how it can improve your mental and physical health. This report mentions some studies that have verified the claims made by proponents of meditation on its positive effects on one’s body and mind. It also explains how guided meditation can help you with life’s challenges and how meditation can help you attain specific goals.

How To Meditate – FREE Guided Meditation For Beginners HERE…

This meditation guide will also teach you how to choose the guided meditation for beginners audio you. You may hire a meditation guide, but it would be a lot cheaper and more convenient for you to purchase a guided meditation recording. However, you must learn how to choose the right guided meditation recording for yourself so that you will get the most out of the audio and you will not suffer from buyer’s remorse.

Find Even More Free Guided Meditation Downloads From Meditation Life Skills HERE…

This meditation guide will also guide you through some things you need to consider before you start meditating. Making sure that your environment is conducive to meditation is crucial. This report offers some practical advice on things like choosing where and when to meditate.

The guided meditation is a journey to self-awareness that can change your life for the better. If you have not meditated before, you are going to wish you had started sooner. Meditation may seem to be intimidating to first-timers. However, it does not have to be difficult. Guided meditation will make the experience easier and more worthwhile for you. This report is meant to help you learn more about this wonderful journey.

Learn How To Meditate Effectively With Guided Meditations

Best Guided Meditation For BeginnersMeditation is narrowing your focus and concentrating your attention on an object such as a word or a phrase, an image, or your breathing. Because your nervous system reacts to fewer stimuli when you meditate, your brainwaves slow down. Your mind becomes calm and relaxed and the tension in every area of your body melts away.

There are many meditation techniques that have been practiced throughout the ages. These include repetition of a mantra (a meaningful word or phrase), directing your attention to your bodily sensations, focusing on a geometric shape or an image such as a mandala (a Buddhist or Hindu representation of the universe), visualizing a “spirit guide,” and simply being aware of the present moment.

Guided Meditation Infographic For Beginners

What Meditation is not

There are many misconceptions about meditation. In the Western world, the word meditation is used in different contexts. Understanding the context in which the word is used throughout this article, it helps to understand what meditation is not.

VIDEO: Alan Watts Meditation Hack (Awakening The Mind) HERE…

Meditation is not thinking about a particular subject. The word meditate is sometimes used interchangeably with think, contemplate, or reflect as in “You should meditate on what the future holds for you.” Thinking is a purposeful mental process and it usually involves your judgment. For instance, you may think about a problem to arrive at a possible solution.

The guided meditation, on the other hand, is simply directing your focus on something without making any judgment. Thinking can be mentally exhausting, but meditation refreshes the mind.

Meditation is not fantasizing. Although some meditation techniques use visualization, it is different from daydreaming. When you fantasize about something, you temporarily escape from the realities of life by simply entertaining pleasurable thoughts as they come. On the other hand, meditation is a focused mental activity that leads you to a state of “thoughtless awareness” where your mind becomes clear. Meditation may be a temporary respite from the pressures of life, but it equips you and strengthens you as you meet the challenges that life throws at you.

Meditation is not repeating affirmations. Most people swear by the effectiveness of repeating positive affirmations. You may use a positive affirmation as a mantra. However, if you simply repeat an affirmation mechanically a certain number of times without entering the meditative state, it will not work. If you are in a meditative state, the affirmation will make its way into your subconscious and will leave an indelible imprint in your mind.

Meditation is not praying. Prayer is generally taken to mean a conversation with God or a divine being. When you meditate, you do not converse with God. You simply focus on something. However, you can use the name of the God you worship as a mantra or focus your attention on your representation of God while you meditate.

Discover The Best Guided Meditation For You

Guided Meditation InstructionsThe guided meditation is a form of meditation where an expert verbally guides you into a deep state of relaxation and serenity.

This may be done with a live person or with a recording. It is usually combined with hypnotic suggestions to achieve a specific goal such as self-confidence, weight loss, overcoming anxiety, getting better sleep, achieving peak performance, and many more.

A guided meditation session usually begins with the meditation guide asking you to either sit comfortably or lie down. You may be led through a series of visualizations that will bring you to a meditative state or you may be made to listen to a series of positive suggestions. Sometimes, your guide may do both. You will feel peaceful and calm, and your mind becomes clearer. Before the meditation session ends, your guide will lead you back to a state of alert wakefulness.

Immediately after the session, when you open your eyes, you should feel refreshed. Your senses may be heightened. Colors may become crisp and vivid. Sounds may be clearer. You will feel a general sense of well-being.

Learn More About Guided Meditation Techniques For Beginners HERE…

What Makes Guided Meditation Different from Meditation?

Meditation is usually described as the deliberate direction of attention towards a point of focus such as a mantra and/or a mental picture. The meditator gently pushes away any intruding thoughts to attain a state of consciousness where she is aware of what is going on within her thoughts at the present moment.

There are many forms of meditation. Guided meditation is just one of them. You may meditate on your own by repeating and directing your focus on a mantra. However, this type of meditation requires more discipline and practice.

Sometimes, it is difficult to get into a meditative state because you have to keep distractions at bay and maintain your focus. Some people do get frustrated when they try to meditate. They give up altogether, wondering whether they were doing it right or wrong.

The guided meditation is sometimes called “the lazy man’s meditation” because it takes less effort than when you try to meditate on your own. All you need to do is get into a comfortable position, close your eyes, listen, and let the other person lead you into a meditative state. The voice of your meditation guide helps you to stay focused on the meditation session and is likely to keep you from nodding off and falling asleep.

Is Guided Meditation the Same as Hypnosis?

Strictly speaking, Guided meditation is the process of leading someone into a meditative state and nothing more. On the other hand, hypnosis is effecting a behavioral change while a person is in a meditative state. When you are in a meditative state, your subconscious becomes open to positive suggestions.

Some guided meditation recordings and sessions have elements of hypnotic suggestion. You will be guided to an inner journey that will help improve one or two areas of your life. Guided meditation usually has a two-fold benefit. You reap the benefits that meditation generally has to offer while attaining a specific goal.

What Can The Best Guided Meditation Do for You?

What Can Guided Meditation Do for You?As already mentioned, many researchers from various medical fields have found that meditation has a positive effect on a person’s overall health. A number of life-threatening medical conditions have been blamed on stress. Meditation can help you deal with stress in a positive way so that stress does not make you sick.

The meditation also protects you from cognitive decline. Studies show that meditation slows down the aging of the brain and preserves one’s cognitive abilities. The results of the tests conducted by researchers showed that long-term meditators in an old age group performed better in attention and memory tests.

Regular meditation promotes mental health. It can actually protect you against mental illness by making positive changes within the brain itself. Meditation has been found to increase axonal density. The higher the axonal density in your brain is, the stronger your neural connections are. This puts this old saying to rest: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” If you have the ability to build strong neural connections in your brain, it means that you are able to learn new skills regardless of your age.

2. Guided Meditation For Reducing Anxiety and Stress In 12 Minutes

Meditation also enhances the production of myelin, a white substance made of protein and phospholipids that protects nerve cells and is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system.

Research has shown that those who meditated for at least 30 minutes a day for two months had measurable changes in brain density especially in the locations of the brain associated with memory, empathy, stress, and self-awareness.

Studies have also shown that meditation helps improve performance at work and in school. Researchers at the University of California in Santa Barbara have found that meditation improves working memory, verbal reasoning, and focus.

Meditation actually enhances the synchronization of the left and right hemispheres of the brain, making you more creative and more analytical at the same time.

Discover Brainwave Entrainment: Achieve Deep Relaxation and Emotional Balance HERE…

A study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Researchers reports that you can still benefit from meditation even when you are not actively meditating. Meditation changes the amygdala’s response to emotional stimuli, and this effect continues even after meditation.

Facing Life’s Challenges With Guided Meditations

Facing Life's Challenges with Guided MeditationLife is stressful even for young people. However, as women age, they come face-to-face with emotional and health issues. They find themselves losing their self-confidence and self-esteem as their looks change and their physical and mental abilities decline. Hormonal changes intensify the negative feelings that postmenopausal women experience.

Some women cope with stress by overeating, drinking, and smoking. However, these are poor ways to deal with stress. Poorly managed stress and anxiety can lead to a host of physical and mental problems such as depression, difficulties in concentration, sleep disturbances, anxiety, loss of self-esteem, weight gain, headaches, and even cancer.

External events, as well as other people’s words and actions towards you, do not actually make you either happy or miserable. You create your own inner world with how you respond to external events. Guided meditation can help you respond positively to the challenges of life by helping you achieve clarity and by relieving negative emotions. It also helps you to be less emotionally reactive to unpleasant or upsetting experiences.

A study recognized by the American Psychological Association has found that people who have meditated anywhere from one month to 29 years are able to detach themselves from emotionally upsetting pictures and are able to focus better on cognitive tasks better than those who have not meditated at all.

Women who suffer from psychological trauma, such as the loss of a loved one, can benefit greatly from meditation. Sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) swear by its healing power. Some army veterans take meditation classes where they learn meditation techniques that help them deconstruct thoughts and emotions that trigger negative reactions associated with PTSD.

If you are prone to depression, regular meditation can help you feel centered and balance. Studies reveal that meditation allows you to use a part of your brain that is inactive or underactive when you are depressed. It can also help you overcome self-defeating thoughts and emotions which usually occur when you are depressed.

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

Meditation can also empower you to get rid of your bad habits and to improve yourself. It allows you to see yourself objectively and thus overcome your blind spots. When you see you see yourself as you are, you become aware of your shortcomings and you can then take specific actions to overcome them.

Meditation leads you to a greater acceptance of the way things are so you can better deal with emotionally challenging situations. It can help you to think objectively, detach yourself emotionally from your problems and channel your energies toward solving them. You will be better able to cope with stressful situations and respond positively to challenges and difficulties.

Using Guided Meditation For Relaxation

Guided Meditation For RelaxationStress is associated with a number of serious medical conditions. It weakens the immune system leaving the body defenseless against diseases including cancer. Stress is also linked with heart disease as well as premature cellular and cognitive aging.

However, stress is unavoidable. There is no such thing as a stress-free life no matter how well you plan for life’s eventualities. Some of the most stressful situations in life are unexpected.

The most important benefit of meditation is that it relieves stress and lowers the body’s cortisol level. Cortisol is a hormone released by the body in response to stress. When your cortisol levels are constantly elevated, it can lead to quite a number of disorders including thyroid and metabolic dysfunction, anxiety, depression, a compromised immune system, abnormal glucose levels, hypertension, and many others.

Stress can be managed so that you do not suffer from its harmful effects. Meditation is one of the best ways to manage and minimize the impact of stress in your life. Those who regularly practice meditation claim that it improves mood increases mental alertness, and raises self-awareness.

Regular meditation helps you maintain cardiovascular health. When you are meditating, your heart rate decreases, and your blood pressure goes down. Many health practitioners recommend meditation, in addition to a healthy diet and exercise, for the prevention of hypertension.

Dr. Dean Ornish, founder, and president of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute conducted a study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr. Ornish found that it is possible to reverse heart disease without surgery or drugs by simply implementing some lifestyle changes. This includes switching to a low-fat diet, exercising regularly, and meditating daily.

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) panel found meditation to be useful in treating patients with chronic pain and sleeping problems such as insomnia. It helps the brain to better process pain and emotions by controlling the cortical alpha rhythms. While there are is no scientific evidence that suggests that meditation can cure illnesses, it is useful in preventing diseases and improving the quality of life of those who are already sick.

For instance, researchers have found that breast cancer survivors who practiced meditation have fewer hot flashes and can sleep better than those who have not. An analysis of 10 studies has found that meditation promotes mental health among cancer patients. People with rheumatoid arthritis found that meditation reduces the psychological distress associated with their condition.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine states that meditation can minimize your need for health care services. It has also been found that regular meditation can reduce chronic pain, PMS, anxiety, cholesterol, and substance abuse.

According to a study published by Perspectives on Psychological Science, meditation has four components: regulation of attention, body awareness, self-awareness, and regulation of emotion. While meditating, you regulate your attention so you can be aware of your body.

Awareness of your body leads to awareness of your emotions, which makes it easy for you to regulate them. Also, when you are aware of your emotions and the things that you focus on, you attain self-awareness. When you are aware of your physical and emotional needs, you can take steps to improve your physical and mental health.

Choosing The Best Guided Meditation That’s Right for You

Best Guided Meditation For BeginnersWith all the high tech gadgets, software, and royalty-free music available today, anybody can record guided meditation audio. There are probably hundreds of free guided meditation recordings that you can download off the Internet.

However, it takes an expert to create the meditation audio. Some of the good audios are free, but many of them are available for sale.

Do not buy guided meditation audio without listening to a sample of the recording. A sample should be at least a minute long. Because Amazon and iTunes limit samples to 30-seconds, you should visit the website of the creator where there are no such restrictions. Every creator of guided meditation audio should have a website where longer audio samples are available for download or streaming.

Why is it important to listen to a sample? Not all guided meditation recordings are the same. Some guided meditation recordings may have poor sound quality. You may also find a recording disconcerting instead of relaxing and you may not get the benefit that you want from it. Worse, it may do more harm than good.

Here are some of the things that you must listen to when you play a sample:

Listen to the speaker’s voice. How does it make you feel? Does it feel soothing? Does the speaker drone on in a monotonous voice, making you bored and sleepy? Some creators of guided meditation audios claim that the recording influences your subconscious mind while you are asleep. However, you don’t want to sleep during a guided meditation session. What you want to attain is a state of relaxed wakefulness. You may also want to follow the visualization technique in the recording.

You also want the speaker to talk at the right speed. If the speaker talks too fast, you may have a hard time following his or her instructions. If the speaker talks too slowly, you might find yourself dozing off. You might also want to check the speaker’s tone of voice. You may find a high-pitched voice distracting and unpleasant. A low-pitched voice may sound scary and weird to some. You might also prefer a male speaker over a female one or vice versa. Watch out for accents that may either be distracting or difficult to understand.

Listen to the background music. The music should be calming and relaxing. It should be pleasing not only to the ears but also to the spirit. Avoid weird sounds that are usually produced by synthesizers. There should be no loud, startling sounds. Believe it or not, some guided meditation audios have background music that leaves you frazzled instead of relaxed.

Some meditation audios use pleasant nature sounds like the chirping of birds, the gurgling of a brook, or the crashing of sea waves. Some use flute, singing bowl, sitar, and tambourine. Remember, the music should be relaxing and should help you focus.

Listen to the script. First of all, the script should match your specific meditation goal. For instance, it makes no sense to listen to a guided meditation for losing weight if your goal is to overcome anxiety. Also, make sure that the script is written in a language you understand. There are guided meditation scripts written for members of specific organizations or religions with terms that you, as an outsider, may not understand. Also, make sure that the script does not contain anything that runs contrary to your own religious convictions.

Usually, the first part of the script tells you what the guided meditation session is for and should reassure you that you will be safe throughout the entire session. Then, the speaker guides you to a relaxed, peaceful state. You may be led to visualization or the speaker may feed your subconscious with positive suggestions while you are in a relaxed state. In the last part of the meditation session, the speaker should bring you back to alert wakefulness and you should feel refreshed and calm.

Best Way To Meditate – Some Basic, Practical Things You Need to Consider

how to meditate for beginnersBefore you start meditating, you should know that there are a few factors that can greatly affect the quality of your guided meditation session.

First is your physical environment. Is it conducive to meditation? You are going to need a place where you will not be distracted. You may need to turn your phone off or tone down the volume of the ringing tone so that you do not hear it if somebody calls while you are meditating.

If that is not possible, you may need to meditate in an area of your home where you will not hear the phone ring. You can also tell your family and friends to avoid calling you at the specific time of the day when you intend to meditate.

You also need to be in a comfortable place. Is the temperature of the room comfortable enough? Is it well-ventilated? Discomfort can be very distracting so make sure that you are as comfortable as possible.

3 Easy Steps To Start Your Own Meditation Practice At Home HERE…

Next, make sure that you are wearing the right clothes when you meditate. No, this does not mean that you need to go shopping for new clothes and be on the lookout for the latest “meditation fashion.” The right clothes for meditation are those that you are most comfortable wearing. You can even meditate in your pajamas. Just make sure that you are comfortable with the fabric and that it does not make you itch. Your clothes should not be too tight and should allow your skin to breathe.

The best time to meditate is in the morning, right after you wake up. Your mind and body have been refreshed by sleep, and the day’s worries and concerns are still far from your consciousness. Thus, it will be easy for you to stay focused and aware of the present moment. However, if you can’t meditate in the morning, any time of the day will do.

You may find it a bit of a challenge though to meditate at certain times of the day. For instance, you want to meditate at the end of the day, just before you sleep. However, you might often find yourself too tired or too sleepy to meditate.

When you meditate in the middle of the day, this is when you are likely to be interrupted or distracted. That said, if you get into the habit of meditating at a certain time of the day, you might be able to come up with good ways to deal with the difficulties that you encounter while meditating.

You also have to consider how often you should meditate and for how long. Meditation is most effective if done frequently and regularly. Fifteen minutes of meditation per day is definitely better than three hours of meditation once a week. If you are going to use guided meditation audio, the length of your guided meditation session must run the entire length of the recording especially if that audio is tailor-fitted for a specific goal or purpose.

You are least likely to get the results that you hope for if you do not finish the entire recording. You either have to look for a shorter recording that will produce the results you want or make the time for regular guided meditation sessions every day. Considering the positive effects of meditation on both the body and the mind, you will find that the time you spend on guided meditations is worth it.

How to Use a Guided Meditation Audio

3. Free Guided Meditation For Blissful Deep Inner Peace and Relaxation

Listening to guided meditation audio makes meditation a lot easier for you. However, you must do it properly. Here a few pointers that will help you get the most of a guided meditation session:

1. Find a quiet, comfortable place to meditate. This could be anywhere as long as you will not be distracted or interrupted.

2. Take some time to settle into that place (at least 5 to 10 minutes) before you meditate, especially if you are tired or just had a rough day.

3. Play the guided meditation audio. If you are going to use an mp3 player or an iPod, make sure that you will be comfortable with the earphones or the headphones you wear. Follow the directions of your guide. Close your eyes and be in a relaxed position, either sitting or lying down, depending on what your guide tells you.

4. As the voice guides you in your inner journey, allow your imagination to enter into the story. Make your visualizations and other imagined sensations as vivid as possible. Be aware of the emotions that you experience during the session. If you get distracted by noise, itch, or intruding thoughts, do not allow yourself to feel angry or annoyed. Simply acknowledge the distraction and gently return to the meditation.

5. At the end of the guided meditation session, do not be in a hurry to open your eyes. Let your body tell you when you are ready. When you open them, do it slowly.

Talking to Your Family About Meditation

Talking to Your Family About MeditationWhile meditation is becoming more and more popular these days, some people find that their loved ones do not support them in their meditation practice. Some are even antagonistic towards it.

A few religious groups still believe in the myth that meditation is evil and that it leaves people vulnerable to the devil’s tactics. Some of your family members might feel that your meditation practice is robbing them of your time and attention.

If you are one of those who have a hard time getting your family to support you, the best that you can do is to educate them about meditation. They might initially be against it, but once they see what medical researchers have to say about meditation, they are likely going to be interested in it. They may even want to try it.

Do not let the people close to you discourage you from meditating. If you persevere, you will soon see positive changes in your life. Your loved ones will see these changes, too. Once they see a happier and healthier you, they will have a hard time arguing against meditation and they may eventually have a change of heart.

If your family, especially your children, feels threatened by meditation because it takes some of your time and it is high in your list of daily priorities, let them know that you are meditating, not only for your own sake but for theirs as well. Explain to them that you need to be healthy and happy so you can better take care of them. You can invite them to try meditation. Again, if they see the positive changes that meditation brings to your life, they might be willing to try it.

If there are people in your life who are stubbornly against meditation, you will have to tell them to respect your decision to make meditation a part of your daily life. You also need to respect their beliefs and attitudes toward meditation. If they are against it, let them be and ask them to let you do as you please.

You may want to meditate on the sly, but this is not a good idea. The worry about getting caught will always stay at the back of your mind. Besides, you may be robbing your loved ones of the opportunity to learn more about meditation and what it can do for their lives if you just keep quiet about it.

Conclusion – How To Start Meditating

How To Start MeditatingMeditation can improve almost every aspect of your life. Scientific research has shown that it can make you physically and mentally healthy. It can help you perform well in the workplace.

It can relieve stress and helps you deal with challenges that come with aging. Meditation also helps you see yourself as you really are and overcome your shortcomings and bad habits.

However, to make guided meditation work and to get the most out of it, you must first understand what it is. You also need to carefully choose the guided meditation audio before you purchase one. Be sure to listen to a sample and find out if the music, the speaker’s voice, and the guided meditation script are all right for you.

Life is meant to be beautiful. The best-guided meditation gives you a whole new perspective on life. You are able to see things clearly and objectively without being blinded by your emotions. It also empowers you and helps you to be in charge of your thoughts and feelings so you can re-create your inner world.

Meditation Techniques For Beginners To Start Meditating Today HERE…

Certainly, you want to have less stress, less pain, and more happiness and peace of mind. You may want your life to change for the better. However, keep in mind that all change must start from within. Guided meditation may be just what you need to make life better for yourself.

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The Powerful Effects Of Meditation On The Brain

effects of meditation on the brain

The effects of meditation on the brain is a powerful tool when it comes to improving your mood and your health. However, did you know that its effects stem from actual changes to the brain?

Science has shown that meditation actually changes the brain, offering a wide array of benefits these changes bring.

Does meditation rewire your brain? The effects of meditation on the brain enhances the brain’s ability to reorganize brain function, especially in the prefrontal cortex, the seat of meta-awareness, which is the fundamental aspect of mindfulness and self-awareness that allows you to understand other people, how they perceive you, your attitude, and your responses to them at the moment.

Research in 2017 from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive & Brain Sciences indicates that, when it comes to the importance of meditation training, we can actually track concrete changes in the structure of the brain.

The study’s subjects were given three months of different kinds of mental “training,” and had their brains examined regularly. At the end of the 12-week period, the brains of the mindfulness-trained people showed changes in areas related to attention and “executive functioning.” or behaviors around self-control and organization.

Relaxation and Meditation Work in Favor of Your Brain

Relaxation and MeditationMany people search for sophisticated methods to make their brain function better. Yet, what they do not know is that they can increase their intelligence by simply reducing the amount of stress with which their brain has to cope day in and day out.

The amount of stress handled each and every day by the human brain, significantly affects the way this organ functions, thus leading to memory and focus problems.

This is why relaxation and meditation can work wonders for your brain. Not only the effects of meditation on the brain is capable of totally freeing your mind of current problems, but it can also improve your intelligence, by challenging your brain to destroy the previously imposed boundaries and reach new mental potential.

It may seem hard to believe, but the benefits of the effects of meditation on the brain is having a relaxed mind are numerous, and significantly increasing the IQ is only one of them. In addition, people who relax after a hard day of work have fewer chances of suffering from heart attacks and mental conditions, and the entire body benefits from the positive mood achieved once all the stress is removed.

Meditation is one of the techniques in which people can free themselves from their problems and explore states of mind that have been unknown to them. There are multiple ways in which one can reach the meditation state and each of the procedures is grounded in years of experience, research, and tradition.

Asian cultures have been practicing meditation for thousands of years. They use this procedure for freeing one’s mind, but also for treating diseases that have has stress as the main cause.

Thus, the road to becoming a genius must start with having your mind fully relaxed. Practice meditation for at least a few minutes every day and you will notice remarkable improvements in the effects of meditation on the brain and your memory for increased capacity for analyzing and solving problems.

How Meditation Changes The Brain To Elevate Your Wellbeing

how does meditation change the brain

Slows Loss Of Brain Mass In Aging

Meditation is kind of like a form of mental training for your brain, as the process of clearing your mind and focusing on a single concept activates and engages many different regions. People that meditate consistently for many years are effectively exercising the brain, just like the other muscles in the body.

Studies have found that this “exercise” over a period of several decades led the practitioners to the effects of meditation on the brain slow the loss of grey matter density, compared to people who did not meditate.

Decreases Worry And Can Boost Moods

A study by researchers at Yale University found that consistent meditation—which involves introspection and honestly evaluating yourself and your actions–decreased activity in the Default Mode Network of the brain, which is the area responsible for your mind wandering.

This area is also associated with worrying and focusing on your past and future, so by decreasing activity in this area meditation allows you to focus more on the present and achieve a greater level of overall happiness.

Thickens The Hippocampus

The effects of meditation on the brain can also thicken the cortical folds in the hippocampus, which is the area responsible for your ability to learn and remember things. The thickening that takes place allows the effects of meditation on the brain to better perform these actions, which leads to an increase in your memory and mental retention.

Decreased Volume In The Amygdala

The amygdala is the area that controls fear and anxiety, releasing a hormone called cortisol that affects the way your body acts during times of stress. Meditation helps you to let go of these negative feelings by addressing the current situations that trigger them, which leads to less activity in the area and thus a decrease in volume and size.

Reduces Stress Hormones

With a smaller and less active amygdala, the effects of meditation on the brain are less prone to releasing harmful hormones in response to stressful situations. One Harvard study tracked the size of the amygdala with participants practicing meditation for eight weeks and found that as the volume of the area decreased, so did reports of feeling stressed.

Lowers Anxiety Reaction

Similarly, the effects of meditation on the brain helps to weaken the part of the brain that leads to feeling anxiety. The focus on introspection and self-awareness through meditation helps you to overcome the initial inclination to feel uneasy about different areas of your life, which enables other areas of your brain to take over and trigger more confident actions and positive feelings.

Reduces Feelings Of Depression

One study from researchers at Johns Hopkins tracked the effects of meditation on patients suffering from depression, comparing it to the effectiveness of taking antidepressant medication. The results found that the effects of meditation on the brain were just as effective as medicine, likely due to the fact that meditation helps to break the links between the rational part of the brain and the amygdala. Meditation also trains the brain to stand up to negative thoughts and fears, rather than relent and indulge in worrying about the past or future.

Improves Concentration

The Default Mode Network of the brain is also responsible for the mind wandering to different thoughts and topics, such as daydreaming. It’s also tied into your ability to focus on a single subject, in that it can lead to you getting distracted while trying to think.

Meditation helps to decrease the activity in this area of the brain, and thus the effects of meditation on the brain trains you to concentrate on the tasks in front of you rather than letting your consciousness shift to something else.

Alters The Lateral Prefrontal Cortex

The lateral prefrontal cortex is one of the parts of the brain that regulates your emotions, and that deals with your emotional responses to different situations. Meditation engages this area of the brain and increases the thickness of its folds, which allows you to better separate your emotional responses and learning habits from the rational part of your brain so that you can better assess the correct action in emotional situations.

Better Handle Stressful Situations

Stress and MeditationA stronger lateral prefrontal cortex, as well as other changes to the brain as a result of the effects of meditation on the brain, helps you react more quickly and effectively during stressful situations.

Meditation causes you to think about more than just yourself, which trains your brain to engage the logical analysis areas more. The effects of meditation on the brain can help you see the world beyond yourself and your needs to a world that needs what you have to offer that is uniquely you.

This means that when something stressful happens, such as entering into a verbal conflict or witnessing something frightening, you can separate your emotions from logic and identify how you should react based on the situation as a whole.

Fights Social Anxiety

These changes can also help to decrease the effects of social anxiety, which is when the parts of the brain that controls logic and worrying become overactive during social interactions. Meditation creates a brain that is better suited to facing uncomfortable situations and more capable of fighting the fear that comes with activities such as public speaking or meeting large groups of people.

Trains The Ventromedial Medial Prefrontal Cortex

This part of the prefrontal cortex deals with your ability to draw connections between yourself and others, which can translate into a tendency to take things too personally. The effects of meditation on the brain changes the way this region functions, allowing you to separate your personal feelings from situations and remain more objective.

Better Reaction To Negativity

Another way the effects of meditation on the brain affects the ventromedial medial prefrontal cortex is by changing the way it processes negative information. Instead of logging this as an attack or unnecessary criticism, meditation allows you to focus on what you can learn from negative actions and let go of any lasting ill effects on your mood or mental wellbeing.

Fights Addiction

The effects of meditation on the brain also alters the way the brain deals with addiction by separating the craving for something—such as food or alcohol—from the act of indulging the craving. The brain no longer links the two tougher, thus reducing the instances of relapses.

Unique Guided Meditation For Alcoholism Recovery

Improves Attention

The effects of meditation on the brain also helps you pay attention and ignore distractions. This comes from weakening the parts of the brain that lead you to become distracted, as well as strengthening the parts of your brain that control your information retention. Consistently meditating does not mean you never get distracted, but research has found that it does help you to realize that you’ve lost focus and return your attention to the appropriate subject more quickly.

Increases Emotional Stability

When the brain is able to separate emotional reactions from rational reactions, it creates a more stable and consistent mental state. Meditation helps keep the parts of the brain that lead to sadness and worrying in check, while also training the parts of the brain that deal with happiness and letting go of negative feelings.

Trains The Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex

The effects of meditation on the brain increases grey matter in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex that deals with your ability to handle information in regards to people you perceive as being different from you. Taking in more details and literally thinking more about people that are different allows you to be more empathetic to them, relating to them despite your differences.

Decreases Connection To Fear Centers

Meditation also helps you control the areas of your brain that control fear. It teaches you to see through fear by weakening its connections to the part of the brain the leads to anxiety, which allows you to act despite feelings of fear.

Increases Grey Matter In The Anterior Cingulate Cortex

By improving the size and strength of the anterior cingulate cortex, your brain is better able to handle multiple cognitive functions at once. This allows you to think more quickly and handle situations that would otherwise be cognitively distracting, such as a red flashing warning sign while listening to a warning siren announcement.

Decreases Anger

There are several areas of the brain that control your anger, most notably the area that deals with your emotional responses. By decreasing the strength of that area, and severing its connections with the part that leads to feeling angry, you can better handle situations that would make you mad.

The effects of meditation on the brain also helps you analyze these situations more rationally, also reducing the occurrence of anger.

How Meditation Improves Your Emotional Health

Meditation Improves Your Emotional HealthMeditation is defined as ‘the action or practice of meditating.’ Synonyms for meditation include contemplation, thinking, pondering, consideration, reflection, deliberation, and concentration.

Most experts and regular meditators agree that meditation is not an act, but a way of life. According to the Chopra Center, the effects of meditation on the brain allows one to move beyond the mind’s stress-inducing thoughts and emotional upheaval into a place of clarity, peace, and complete awareness.

While meditation was considered a bit of a hippie practice for many years, health professionals as well as many type-A, career-driven professionals have learned to trust the vast benefits of meditation for emotional and physical health.

A study by Li-Chuan Chu in 2009 evaluated the benefits of the effects of meditation on the brain of mindfulness meditation on a group of graduate students. The control group received no mindfulness meditation training while the remaining group did. Upon post-treatment evaluation, it was determined that the students employing mindfulness meditation methods experienced less perceived stress and negative mental health than those not practicing meditation.

Why Meditation Improves Emotional Health

Research shows that the effects of meditation on the brain as part of the treatment regimen for anxiety, depression, and medical conditions that can be exacerbated by stress including ailments such as asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer has been successful.

Meditation is beneficial in filling participants with a sense of calm, peace, and balance due to the process of eliminating the overcrowded stream of thoughts in your mind and focusing attention on a specific event or detail.

With the influx of information technology filling our minds combined with daily tasks, job expectations, and personal obligations, we spend much of our lives in our own heads. We are constantly striving to stay a pace ahead in the rat race and, in doing so, miss the opportunity to be present in our environment.

The effects of meditation on the brain allows the opportunity to tame your thoughts, reorganize your focus, and become acutely aware of what is happening in your own body. People that use meditation regularly are more likely to feel satisfied with their lives and worry less about the future, success, and self-esteem.

Aside from experiencing self-satisfaction, meditation can also lead to deeper connections with others due to the ability to completely present in the moment.

With practice, the effects of meditation on the brain allows you to become centered regardless of the circumstances around you. While it cannot stop you from experiencing unpleasant circumstances or feeling pain it can equip you with the tools needed to accept your current state and focus on what needs to be done to get through it.

Mental And Emotional Benefits Of Meditation

While there are some neurological and anxiety disorders that can be hindered by meditation it is beneficial to many more.

The range of emotional benefits from the effects of meditation on the brain are extensive and include:

• Reduced Anxiety
• Better-controlled depression
• Improved critical thinking
• Break unhealthy habits by detaching emotions from the action
• Increased control over thoughts
• Ability to stay in the moment

How To Use Meditation To Improve Emotional Health

Meditation rarely comes naturally for a beginner. You may feel silly or even frustrated at your lack of concentration in the beginning. As you grasp the process of meditation, you may even be shocked to recognize the superfluous thoughts and activities that are competing for your attention on a regular basis. Distractions will not go away.

One of the first steps to creating a successful meditation regimen that will benefit your emotional well-being is recognizing that you will encounter distractions that will compete for your thoughts and have the ability to accept the distractions and release them.

Perhaps one of the greatest of the effects of meditation on the brain is that the calm does not leave immediately after the meditation practice has ended. Instead, the calm remains with you and helps you to maintain a focused and balanced outlook throughout your day, allowing you to respond to circumstances rather than react to them. People that meditate regularly experience less emotional distress when faced with stressful situations.

How Meditation Improves Memory

How Meditation Improves MemoryIt is becoming more and more common to hear people complain of a lack of concentration.

Being unable to focus on a book, or sit through a television show without our minds wandering is becoming more and more difficult.

Whether it’s caused by too much sensory input or because technology has us too connected to the world around us, our lack of concentration is having a negative impact on our memory.

Concentration And Memory: It is important to understand what both memory and concentration are.

• Memory is the act of being able to recall information that you were previously exposed to. This can be something you have seen, heard, read, or experienced.

• Concentration is defined as the ability to focus your attention on something while excluding the other things around you.

Here are a couple of examples of how concentration and memory work together:

• You are reading the newspaper while the radio plays. Being able to concentrate on just reading the newspaper means you are more likely to remember what you are reading and not what was being said on the radio. Whereas, if you were distracted by the radio you may remember the song that was playing, but not the details of the article you were reading. The distraction doesn’t need to be external. It can be an internal thought that is distracting you.

• You are in a staff meeting. While your boss is explaining what he needs everyone to do for a project, you are thinking about the list of groceries you need to pick up from the store after work. After the meeting when you begin to work on the project you don’t remember the details of what your boss covered earlier in the meeting and find yourself asking for clarification.

What Is Meditation and Its Benefits?

What Is Meditation and Its BenefitsMeditation is the art of focusing away from external stimuli and achieving a clear relaxed state of mind. It allows your mind to become clear and silent. It is considered to be the most powerful way to enhance your concentration.

When you first begin meditating, you are going to have lots of intruding thoughts. As you practice, these thoughts will be easier and easier to let go of. Eventually, you would need to use your conscious mind to send the distracting thoughts away; instead, your subconscious will dismiss them before you consciously acknowledge them.

Meditation And Concentration:

When you are trying to focus or concentrate on something, there is a tendency to be distracted by your wandering mind, similar to the process of learning to meditate. By learning how to let go of your thoughts to achieve a clear mind, you will be able to apply the same methods to focus your mind to concentrate on what you are doing.
Similar to the process with meditation, eventually your subconscious will dismiss the intrusive thoughts before you are aware of them.

If you are able to improve your concentration and focus, you will also improve your memory. A study published in the journal Psychological Science found that people who practiced meditation had a better short-term memory. This is because it is easier to keep things in your short-term memory when your mind is jumping around from thought to thought.

Practice Makes Perfect

Learning to meditate can be frustrating. Our brains have been trained to have control over our thoughts. If you stick with it, you will learn how to focus without being distracted by intrusive thoughts and stimuli.

As you are better able to concentrate and realize the effects of meditation on the brain, you will also be better able to remember the things that you want to remember and your memories will no longer be getting lost among stray thoughts.