Most of us who have never meditated or who have always practiced it in a very prescribed manner can learn a great deal by moving beyond our rigid precepts. Beyond the spiritual, there is mounting documentation that regular meditation can reduce stress and support longevity. It's no longer uncommon for health care professionals like physicians, psychologists, and massage therapists to recommend various types of meditation to their patients and clients.
Courses are available at seminars, retreats, colleges and on-line suggesting that we all need to find a way to expand our inner connection while moving outward into the unknown. We live in a stress-producing society and are often much less physically active than our ancestors. Most of us need to find a way to unwind.
One group, Vipassana, offers free retreats that last ten days and require ten hours a day of meditation. If you know anyone who does that type of inner work you have probably noticed that they look very different "after: than they did "before"...and keep going back. That says something for such a rigorous ritual.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) can be researched on the web and studied to great advantage according to its proponents. Many have been at it for decades and wouldn't want to have a day go by without "connecting" in a deep and powerful way.
HeartMath has carefully documented statistics about what can be done to regulate heart rate, blood pressure and even body temperature through their method of meditation. Their system is more data oriented than metaphysical and consistently delivers to those who follow its guidelines.
Some groups are deeply religious in their presentation of meditation. The Catholic Church offers the age-old, Centering Prayer, Buddhists have many differing applications and the Self Realization Fellowship offers a unique mix of Christianity and Hinduism in their Lessons that lead to Kriya Yoga meditation.
The web offers a new student a large selection of options to consider. Many include free instruction and also have local groups for continued support. An overwhelming number of books on the subject are available, also, that can help the neophyte compare meditation methods before establishing affiliation.
To eclectic students, there is the possibility of learning several different methods of meditation and even combining them as they see fit. It can be a very personal process.
Not only can meditation be directed toward individual growth and expansion, there are methods, like the Buddhist Tonglen practice, that take on the job of working toward the healing and well-being of others. Monasteries and convents, both Christian and non-Christian, have meditated for world peace and individualized emancipation for centuries.
The opportunity for all of us to take a closer look at mediation and how it might enhance our lives and improve our health is definitely out there. Start small, shop around, and talk it up. What you come up with could radically change your life.
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Many Varieties of Meditation are Available for Stress, Disease, and Depression Through Relaxation
Relieve Stress With Meditation
By meditating,You will enhance your daily living and help you manage your stress. You will find that you will feel better and be able to get your body in a state of greatness. You will appreciate life more and be able to enjoy the little things a little better. You will have better understanding of what you have to do in order to be happy and you will not be afraid to go after it.
When you do meditation, you will find that you are going to feel better about yourself. You will have the energy to do things that you want to, and you will also have the will to do it. You will have a great sense of clarity in your brain that will allow you to do the things that you want to a lot easier. This is going to help you gain control and get your thought process in order. There are usually many different classes in most areas that offer meditation for you. You can look up these different classes and get all the informatiYon that you can about it.
Think about what it can do for you and then sign up for a class. This is a great way to get started. Once you learn all the techniques, you can then begin working on your meditation at home. You can do meditation alone or with someone else. It is best to practice this alone so that you can get the total experience from it.
If you want to recruit a partner or friend into this great thought process, you can. This is a great idea for anyone that is desperate to change their attitude and their way of thinking. You can gain self-esteem through meditation. This is a way for your body and mind to gain control over the way that you feel about yourself. You will find that during the process of meditation, you are going to get your self-confidence back and be able to tackle the world ahead of you.
Meditation will allow you to think clearly and to gain the respect that you want and need from not only others, but yourself as well. You need to sit up completely straight when you are in meditation. You will have to have your neck and your head in a straight line when you are sitting on the floor. You should also face north or east for good meditation practices. If you have the proper body posture, you will have a better chance at a good meditation process.
Meditation is something that anyone can learn to do for him or herself. It is a great way to help your body feel better and to get your mind under control. You do not want to keep stress and bad feelings bottled up in your mind any more than you have to. You need a way of releasing these things and getting your state of mind back to a relaxed and better state of mind.
Meditation will let yourself connect with your inner being. You will find out a lot about yourself,what is causing you stress and how to deal with it,and what you are looking for in life. You have to be in control and be able to take on anything. With the right meditation, you can accomplish this and get your physical and mental state in great condition.
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Color--The Pathway To The Soul
You are what you eat, and you are what you think, but do you know that you are also the color that you choose? The fact that colors have psychological significance and that meditating on them can heal old, emotional wounds is the basis of Dr. John Diamond's breakthrough in Meditative therapy--the Diamond Color Meditation. Working with Dr. Max Luscher and the Luscher Color Schematics, Dr. Diamond has produced a meditation that allows us to access the healing energies we need at the unconscious l
Dr. Diamond is a pioneering figure in alternative and holistic medicine. He began his career in psychiatry, but expanded into holistic medicine. His body of work, which embraces a wide range of disciplines from psychiatry to applied kinesiology to music, is as long as his credentials. He now practices as a Holistic Consultant in New York. Dr. Diamond is also associated with Life Energy Foundation.
According to Dr. Diamond and Dr. Luscher, colors have deep psychological significance that go back to our primitive, unconscious roots. "I love the unconscious and have worked there, lived there for many years and I have not only a great belief in it but a great respect for it," says Dr. Diamond. The color palette presented in the Diamond Color Meditation allows us to access the unconscious energies we need to heal our wounds. These energies are part of the great healing force--The Life Energy--that we can all activate within us.
Most of us evade the pain of our wounds by escaping into unhealthy addictions for work, food, toxic substances, toxic relationships or toxic beliefs. Living on the surface in this manner denies us the power to confront our wounds in a genuine manner and transform them into healing energies. However, meditating on the colors and symbols of the Diamond Color Meditation allows us to shift out of stress and anxiety into a state of being loved or "Belovedness." It is this state of total surrender to a sense of being loved that allows for the power of deep healing. All colors have a spiritual dimension, according to Dr. Diamond, but the color fuschia in particular has this quality that transports us to our mother--the One.
Anguish and pain prevent us from seeing and living in the One. When we are in this state, according to Dr, Diamond, "we are in the dark. No amount of material objects, money or cars will actually fulfill our deepest pain, longing and suffering. Sometimes these roadblocks are conscious, but more often than not they are unconscious."
"I believe that you have to approach [the unconscious] with awe, respect, admiringly, and lovingly because to me, it is the very heart, or essence, of the person. It is not something to be trampled on or approached without deep respect." The Diamond Color Meditation is a perfect way allowing us access to our unconscious in a respectful, loving manner. Re-establishing the state of being "beloved" at an unconscious level means that we are treating our anxieties and pain at their primal source--the site of primal wounding. Engaging the unconscious in this manner releases tremendous healing power.
While drugs can bring about symptomatic relief, true lealing always involves a change in a person's attitude towards himself, his situation and life. color meditation allows us to tap into the great healing force within us--Life Energy.
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About the Author
Mary Desaulniers Ph.D will be interviewing Sharlene Mclearon on her Internet Radio show "Reclaiming The Body's Wisdom." Details at GreatBodyat50
How Meditation Can Transform Your Life
Anything New Age has started to really take hold in our busy driven western society. We are starting to appreciate what some of these new age concepts can do to really add value to our lives. People have started to embrace meditation as a way to create inner peace and reduce stress in their lives. Everyone from all works of lives are seen touting the benefits of meditation that they have experienced in their lives. So how can meditation really transform your life?
The benefit of meditation is that it quiets the mind and redirects your mind to focus on something else. Its amazing that we can have up tens of thousands of thoughts a day but many of which are just the same thoughts we had yesterday. What meditation can do is quite the mind enough so that your mind can then focus on the important things to think and listen to. If you think this is easy try sitting on a comfortable seat and try not to think about anything. You will be surprised as to how difficult this actually is and how quickly random useless thoughts seep into your mind.
The great thing about meditation is that it can seamlessly mesh into your existing lifestyle. You don't need to some yoga master in a lotus pose sitting by a river to do meditation.
A wise man once said "Tell me what that is upon which you most frequently and intensely think, that to which, in your silent hours, your soul most naturally turns, and I will tell you to what place of pain or peace you are traveling, and whether you are growing into the likeness of the divine or the bestial."
By using meditation you can begin to focus intensely in your life that which you want for your life. You can in effect through the power of meditation design the very life that you want without any limitations. After all the only limitations we have in our lives are those that we have placed there ourselves.
Meditation can therefore through the power of thought and focus can actually promote health in your life, abundance, serenity and peace. You will be able to live with a new found gratitude and see things differently.
To start embarking onto the habit of meditation all you need to do is start a routine that you can follow. You don't need to spend hours sitting still to do meditation. You can set aside 15 minutes or so each day. Find a comfortable place away from distractions. You will want to remove your mobile phone and any other electronic devices. Its only going to be for 15 mins so I'm sure you can live without them for that long.
Once you have gotten yourself in a comfortable position whether sitting down, lying flat on the ground or whatever you choose, then close your eyes and start to concentrate on your breathing. Take deep long breaths slowly through your nose and then exhale through your mouth. You want to take in your breath to a count of 6 in and then exhale counting to 6. When breathing focus on your abdomen. Focus on it expanding and contracting. After a while your breathing will start to slow and you will be in a meditative state. You can at this time either choose to focus on whatever comes to you, focus on nothing or even ponder on a question that may have been on your mind through the day.
You will be surprised at the clarity to which you will be able to deal with questions and problems once you are in a meditative state. Why not give it a go yourself and write down afterwards how you felt and what you thought about. Keep to a regular routine and make sure you keep a journal account of your sessions then go back and read them after several weeks. You might surprise yourself with the revelations you get.
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