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Meditation for Oneness | Sound Awareness Meditation

Sound Meditation for Oneness

Meditation for Oneness uses Sound Awareness to shatter the boundaries between Inside and Outside.  The meditation breaks down this barrier and dissolves the sense of separate existence so Oneness can not just be realized, but also entered into.
Dualistic thinking is a very ingrained pattern of thought and breaking through this false perspective is not a simple endeavor.  Thankfully there are meditations such as Sound Awareness, which can help challenge this way of thinking and help one to penetrate and perceive the Oneness which lies beyond.
One of the dimensions of Sound Meditation, is how simple it is to do, but don’t be deceived by that simplicity.  The meditation is highly effective and if done regularly with full application can help to quickly break down psychological and mental barriers.
As all other meditation practices, this technique also bestows peace, calmness and joy, along with helping consciousness and awareness expand and evolve.
You can read more about Sound Awareness Meditation, its benefits and other details in the following article:  Sound Awareness Meditation Technique.
This is a Stage 1 meditation and will be part of the Meditation Training Program as well.
Please do share your experiences with this meditation in the comments section below. Also, I am happy to answer any questions you may have regarding it or meditation in general 🙂.
Below the video demonstration for this technique is the full transcript as well.
 

 Sound Awareness Meditation for Oneness

Namaste My Friends,
This lesson of the meditation training program will teach a very, very beautiful meditation. It is simple, but it is extremely effective in helping you realize that all is one.  And that all is you.  There is only Oneness.
It helps dissolve this illusion between the inside and the outside between this and that. Me and you. It helps you recognize that everything that is taking place is all taking place in you. And that there is nothing outside of that. So what is this wonderful meditation? It is sound awareness meditation.
So you’re going to, from the name, bring your attention to the sounds that are taking place in your ambient environment, and you’re going to do so in the following manner.  This meditation to going to assist you realize Tat Tvam Asi or Thou Art That or the Observer is the Observed.
So first thing you do come into a nice tall posture, sit up nice and straight elongate your spine, bring your chin back slightly. And for this meditation, you can use Gyan Mudra, or if you like use Cosmic Mudra, but you can also do this with simply utilizing Drona Mudra, which is what I find most comfortable.

And then you’re going to close your eyes and you’re going to bring your awareness to sounds taking place far in the distance. So whether these sounds are constant, like a hum or the sound of a passing truck or a car that rises and then dissolves, or the sound of a bird or a dog, what have you, you’re going to pay attention to sounds far in the distance.  This is why it is called Sound Meditation Technique.You’re going to spend a few minutes attending to those sounds and then slowly let your awareness find the sounds that are taking place closer and closer to you until you’re listening to sound in close proximity, to right where you are practicing your meditation, and then finally bringing your awareness to the sound of your breath or the sound of your heartbeat.

So sounds within you. That’s all there is to the technique starting from sounds and the distance, bringing your awareness closer and closer to the sounds that are absolutely within. And just let all divisions that you have about outside and inside. Start to fall, break away and dissolve so nice and tall.

Close your eyes. Relax your abdomen, relax your shoulders And let your awareness stretched to the distance and bring all your awareness to your listening, modality — to that capacity. Just pure listening, pure awareness.

Let your thoughts that come up simply dissolve. Simply let them go. Don’t get caught in the storyline. Just remain fully cognizant, fully aware of the sounds that are taking place again from a distance closer.

Practice Sound Awareness Meditation for about 20 minutes and especially practice this meditation when it’s raining, it will create a wonderful experience for you doing that time.

Thank you everybody,

God bless you all.

For those interested in the experience of Oneness, I describe one such personal enlightenment experience here I Am All.

2

Best Kids Meditation for Peace and Concentration

Teaching your kids to meditate is one of greatest gifts you can give to them.  The mountain of benefits that meditation bestows is only growing each day, but research is showing that not just adults, but children also benefit in many ways from meditation.  Below you will find a guided kids meditation video which will help your children learn and enjoy these benefits as well.

The breath awareness meditation technique is certainly one of the most popular and practiced meditations on the planet, and it is not just wonderful for adults but is equally beneficial for children as well.  The well known and proven benefits of this meditation are enumerated below.

For kids in particular, this meditation not only helps them improve concentration and mental focus, but also gives them a valuable tool to help calm their minds down whenever they need.  So along with helping them cope with the stress and strain of today’s high performance environment, they also learn how to go ahead and employ this technique whenever they feel the immediate need to de-stress.   For example before a major exam, or a big sporting event.

kids meditation

From the question answer segment at the end of the video, Shivum, who is 13 years old, also indicates that the meditation helped him sleep better and relax more easily.

This video will give step-by-step instructions how to practice this effective technique and children feel more comfortable trying something if they see it being done by one of their peers.  So towards that end, Shivum is the one who is going to demonstrate the meditation and hopefully inspire your children to try it too :-).

You will find more children’s yoga and meditation techniques in the 2 articles below:

Yoga for Kids – A Comprehensive Guide to Teaching Kids Yoga

Yoga Exercises for Kids

Benefits of Kids Breath Awareness Meditation:

  • Builds concentration and mental focus.
  • Helps reduce stress.
  • Helps bestow peace and calmness.
  • Develops compassion and self awareness.
  • Increases willpower and builds character.

Best Kids Meditation for Concentration and Peace

Direct YouTube Link for Kids Meditation

I hope your kids enjoy this meditation and video.  Please do provide your feedback in the comments section below.  Please also do share and forward to other parents so we can get more kids meditating !!

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5 Ways to Sneak Meditation into your Busy Day

Rhoda Jordan is a Pleasure Strategist. She uses empowering tools, such as Meditation, Breathwork, Movement, and Yoga, to help people connect with their happiest, healthiest, sexiest selves. You will find more information on Rhoda’s website Rhoda Jordan.

 

5 Ways to Sneak Meditation into your Busy Day

 

By Rhoda Jordan

Isn’t it crazy how the busier our lives become, the more and more we need Meditation to anchor us, yet the less and less time we actually have to do it?! 

That’s why I created the list below. So on those days where you really can’t find the time to meditate, you can use some of these tips to insert the act of Meditation during the things you normally do, like —

yoga at work

1. Conversations.

The art of Meditation is based on being fully present. That means, during conversations: No distractions. No iphone checks, no daydreaming, no thinking about the things you have to do after the conversation’s finished.

Just allow yourself to be there completely with the other person. Make eye contact. Stay connected to your breath. Let go of any tension in the body. 

As you hear the other person speak, listen to them through the heart chakra. Almost imagine as if you have a big ear on your heart chakra. Taking someone’s words in through your heart center can be very transformative and energizing.

Also, be sure to speak from your heart as well. Instead of directing the words out of the mouth, imagine you are sending them straight out of your heart chakra and toward the other person you’re communicating with.

I’m telling you, this will completely change the dynamic of every conversation you have; it’ll also make you feel vibrant and happy!

2. Walks.

Most of us walk with the intention of getting to where we want to go. And we do this to the exclusion of really enjoying every step of the journey.

 Next time you’re walking, really give yourself to the sensation of it. Feel the way the bottoms of your feet connect with the ground. Breathe deep into the belly. Be rooted in your body, as you take in the world around you. Look out at every person, every tree, every rock, and see them all as sacred. And most importantly, don’t rush!  

 3. Work.

This can be a tough one, because work tends to be a place that stresses a lot of us out! So that actually makes it even more necessary to use Meditation in the office. 

Throughout your work shift, you can do a very simple deep breathing exercise at your desk. Place one hand on your belly, and start off by inhaling deeply through the nose. As you inhale, feel the belly push out against your hand.

And then exhale by slightly opening your mouth and push the breath out through the lips. As you do so, feel the belly pull back toward the spine. And then repeat and repeat, for however long you need to.

This will give you a burst of centeredness and calmness. You can do this while on the phone, reading emails, sorting through files — whenever! That’s the beauty of it. And nobody has to know you’re doing it either. Meditation Incognito rocks!!

4. Sex.

Meditation and Sex are like two peas in a pod. Being in the moment during Sex is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself and your partner. (Ha! The word “partner” always sounds so overly formal to me when used in this context.) 

During lovemaking, take the opportunity to really connect. Be conscious of your breath, as it travels in and out of your body. Make eye contact. Infuse love and warmth into every touch.

Honor every inch of his or her body, in a way that feels authentic to you. If any thoughts should pop up in the mind, just take a deep breath and gently nudge them away. 

The big thing is to not bring any expectations to lovemaking! Let the moment take you where it may. Bringing expectations of what we want lovemaking to look like can totally kill any shot at spontaneity and deep pleasure. So let it all go, and honor your lover with your undivided attention and intention!

5. Sleep. 

Well, okay, I don’t exactly mean that you should meditate while you sleep. That would just be too easy!

 But what if, after you got comfy in bed, you guided yourself through a soothing Meditation?

I’ve got a great one for you:

As you’re lying down, with your eyes closed, imagine a blue light at the soles of each of your feet. And whenever you’re ready, inhale through the nose and guide that blue light up the body — through the legs, the pelvis, the back — all the way to the top of the head. 

And then as you exhale (also through the nose), let that blue light rain down the front of your body. Feel it like rain, pouring down from your head, all the way down your body, and back to the soles of your feet.

Really let that blue light relax you more and more, as you move it up and down your body.

Then keep repeating until you fall asleep! This is a great way to drift off to bed and sneak in a little bit of meditating while doing so!

The Real Meditation

 The act of bringing Meditation into everything we do is so exciting. It doesn’t have to be about sitting there in stillness for hours on end. 

In fact, I always tell my students that the real Meditation is taken out into your everyday life.

The real Meditation is in the breath and in your awareness of the present moment. It’s in the way you connect with others. The way you allow your intuition — and your brilliance — to saturate every little thing you do. 

For me, this is the only way to live.

True magic and transformation await you! So go and get ‘em.

About Rhoda:

Rhoda Jordan is a Pleasure Strategist. She uses empowering tools, such as Meditation, Breathwork, Movement, and Yoga, to help people connect with their happiest, healthiest, sexiest selves. She is also a filmmaker, writer, and performer. Residing in Los Angeles, CA, she co-manages a film production company (Wildlight Films) with her husband, Eric. Rhoda and Eric have a toddler named Benjamin, who is two years old. You can find Rhoda’s website here or connect to Rhoda on Twitter here.

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Best Mantra for Meditation – So Hum

So Hum Mantra Meditation

Previously, guest author, Richard wrote popular articles about Om Mantra ChantingThe Awakening of Kundalini and Energy Centers and Yoga Pranayama for Beginners.  Today he shares with us his favorite mantra meditation technique. This technique uses the profound mantra, So Hum, and below Richard teaches us how to practice this wonderful meditation and reap its many benefits.  Richard is a meditation teacher and author, and you will find more information on the courses he offers on his website Shaktipat-meditation.org.

So Hum Mantra for Meditation – So Energizing, So Relaxing

So Hum Mantra for Meditation 

So Hum is my favorite mantra for meditation.

I can practice it anywhere, anytime.

Nobody knows I’m recharging, refreshing and relaxing. And it’s all happening at the same time! Fast!

So Hum can do the same for you.

The core practice is very simple.

Simple Mantra Meditation Practice

  1. Silently chant “Soooo” as you slowly breathe in.
  2. Silently chant “Hummmm” as you slowly breathe out.

That’s it!

There are easily learned additional techniques that are like add-ons or apps. They expand the practice and bring you even more benefits. We’ll go through these in detail below after you understand what So Hum means and how this marvelous, ancient practice works inside you.

So Hum Meaning

Sooooo is the sound associated with inhaling. Say So silently in your mind as you inhale.

Hummmm is the sound associated with exhaling. Say Hum silently in your mind as you exhale.

So Hum translated into English is “I am that.”

 “That” refers to the Universal Consciousness. When chanting So Hum, you are chanting, “I am Universal Consciousness.”  “I am Universal Consciousness.” “I am Universal Consciousness.”

Try it right now! You’ll understand the meaning if you try it.

What So Hum Mantra Meditation Does

This mantra brings fresh, clean Prana into you on the in breath. You get energized. On the out breath you exhale stale, toxic energy. You get relaxed and peaceful.

As you fill yourself with clean Prana, you may notice your energetic field expanding outward all around you. Ultimately it merges with the Universe.

The final goal of chanting So Hum mantra is to merge with and actually become Universal Consciousness.

You can gain many additional benefits on your way to self realization, depending on which add-ons you chose to use.

Posture for Mantra Meditation

Sit in your usual meditation posture or lay down flat on your back in the Yoga Death Pose. Or simply take a quick break for a few slow repetitions wherever you are.

Mudras for Meditation (hand positions)

Gyan Mudra. Touch the tips of your thumb and index finger together forming a circle. Hold your other three fingers straight. Rest the backs of your hands on your knees if you’re sitting. Beside you if you’re laying on your back.

The Gyan mudra brings grounded, expanded wisdom and is a great aid in realizing Oneness.   

Relaxing mudra. Place your hands palms down on your knees with all fingers extended. If you’re laying down, place your hands palms down beside you.

This position discharges excess or negative energies down into the earth quickly, relieving stress, tension and pain.

Breath During Meditation

Your breath flows. So Hum flows in and out with your breath.

  1. Abdominal Breathing:  Breathe with your diaphragm, not your chest. When you breathe in, your tummy goes out. When you breathe out, your tummy goes in. This will calm your mind and emotions very quickly.
  2. Eliminate Pauses: Allow each breath to flow into the next without stopping between breaths. Your breath flows continuously.
  3. Quiet your breath. Focus on the sound of the mantra inside you.
  4. Smooth your breath so that there is no roughness or jerkiness. Your mind will follow your flowing breath into smooth calmness.

Mantra for Meditation Video

Watch Anmol Mehta’s excellent So Hum video for a demonstration of the above techniques.

Pranic Breath

Prana already infuses the air you’re breathing in. Your convoluted nasal passageways extract this prana and pass it directly into your brain. You can enhance this process by becoming aware of it and actually guiding the transfer of light/energy from the air you’re breathing into your brain.

  1. Breathe in while chanting Soooo silently. Visualize brilliant light coming in with the air.
  2. See the brilliant light infusing your brain, turning your brain into light.
  3. Breathe out while seeing all darkness and negativity going out.

After some practice, when you can see the light clearly, you can sweep the light through your brain and then on down through your whole body on the in breath. On the out breath, the light will settle into your physical body, raising your energy level.

With each breath, brilliant light glows brighter and brighter inside you until you become the light or prana.

As your body becomes full of light, the light expands out into your aura and merges with the same light that permeates the Universe. 

Meditation Practice Length

Any length of time you practice So Hum meditation, it is very beneficial. Just doing 9 slow breaths any time you need a quick pickup will refresh and relax you. Do 9 more if time permits. Or set your alarm for a length of time.

If you use beads, chant one mala (one round of the beads) in the beginning. You can increase this as you feel comfortable with it.

So hum mantra meditation has been practiced for thousands of years with many variations. Please have fun with it. Experiment with the prana exercise. Find your own best practice that suits you.

 How to Meditate - Book

 

Richard Crown teaches Healing and Meditation via Skype. You can find a free download for his Amazon book In the Beginning: How to Meditate & Heal With Love at Shaktipat-meditation.org.

5

Meditation Helps Children with ADD, Focus and Memory

Meditation is the answer to suffering and is the ultimate purpose of human birth, but besides these Highest “goals” of meditation, there are a great many other benefits and applications to meditation as well.  In today’s guest article, David, who is the founder of http://www.blisslotus.com/, reveals how meditation helps children who suffer from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), by helping them develop calmness, presence, focus and control over their reactions to external stimuli.

If you would like to be a guest author on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, please email me at anmol@anmolmehta.com.

positive impact of meditation on children

Meditation Helps Children with ADD

Frustrated parents and educators have long sought alternatives to medication when helping children deal with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Who knew that ancient Buddhists have long held a valuable tool in reaching that goal? Only recently are we realizing the tremendous benefits that Meditation can bring as a very viable course of action in aiding the over 5.2 million children diagnosed in America with ADD or ADHD, according to the Center for Disease Control. The art of Mindfulness, or focusing the thoughts, has been a practiced meditation technique for thousands of years. Scientists and medical professionals are now discovering that meditation can be a huge factor in teaching ADD/ADHD children to increase focus, improve overall memory, reduce anxiety levels and calm a hyperactive mind and body.

“One recent study found evidence that the daily practice of meditation thickened the parts of the brain’s cerebral cortex responsible for decision making, attention and memory”, claims a study from Mass General Hospital.  According to a study published in Time Magazine, scientists discovered that those who meditated just 40 few minutes a day reaped huge benefits for many aspects of the brain development. 

Teaching children how to meditate in school can increase student’s ability to successfully perform as it heightens awareness and increases attention sustainability. Additionally, schools specializing in educating learning disabled students are incorporating meditation into their school-wide curriculum and noticing a huge increase in the ability of ADHD students to perform.

Teaching a child to meditate at home, when ADD/ADHD children are now able to ‘let off the steam’ built up in trying to focus at school, gives kids an additional outlet to take a few moments of calm and center themselves to handle homework or retain calm for their other activities after school.  Parents have reported happier homes once they incorporated daily meditation into their routines.

Sara, a mother of 4, reported that her son Gabe has been dealing with ADHD since the age of 5.  His hyperactivity really reduced the amount of play dates he was offered as he was not able to understand boundaries and he often overwhelmed the other children in school.  When Sara first discovered Meditation for her herself, she realized the soothing affect it had on her entire day.  She decided to teach Gabe some of the techniques she had learned during her sessions.  Within days, she realized that Gabe was generally less anxious and overall easier to handle at home.  Three years later, daily meditations have taught Gabe to focus and calm the mind and better hyperactivity management.  Meditation has been a life-changer for their family and Gabe’s functioning both in school and at home.

Meditation practice teaches children how to learn to control their thoughts and in turn their reactions, to outside distractions. One of the main components that ADD/ADHD children struggle with is the inability to control themselves, their thoughts and their reaction to stimuli. Through practice of Meditation children can learn to calm the mind, focus on the purpose of restructuring the thoughts back to the deliberate and intentional spot or focal point. Meditation can also provide a much needed break in routine that allows children dealing with attention disorders to come back and refocus on the task refreshed and renewed.

Parents, educators and Medical Professionals have been looking to incorporate alternative methods for years. Meditation practice is a proven effective, healthy and holistic way to improve the overall anxiety levels, focus levels and functioning levels of the over 8.4 % of children dealing with ADD/ADHD all over the country.

For more information on Meditation Benefits and how to meditate please visit www.blisslotus.com.

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Yoga Helps With Meditation | Video

Yoga Helps Meditation

Yoga and Meditation

From the point of view of meditation, Hatha Yoga or any other physical yoga practice, is a supplemental science that facilitates the practice of meditation and moves you further along the road to Self Realization.  In fact, one of the primary reasons I took up yoga initially was to enhance my sitting during meditation and I am glad I did.  Yoga has helped me a great deal in sitting for long periods of time and in deepening my meditation practice.

One of the most common complaints during meditation is with the legs falling sleep or the back getting tired and sore, and the solution to these issues is often the flexibility that come with yoga.  Yoga poses and exercises bestow all kinds of benefits, which you are read about here – Benefits of Yoga, but with regard to meditation, one of the most important is the flexibility with allows you to sit for extended periods of time and the calmness that yoga breathing exercises promote.

Yoga Help to Meditation

To avoid the problems of the legs falling asleep or your back hurting, your meditation posture is very important.  In the following article I illustrate various postures for meditation, How to Meditate with Illustrations, and in all these postures you will notice I am sitting Burmese Style (see picture below).  This style is excellent for meditation and along with full lotus, it is the best posture to place your legs in for prolonged meditation.  This posture helps alleviate the blood flow issues to the legs and, when used with a good Zafu, it also alleviates back pain (see Tips and Tools for Meditation).  But, as you might have realized, it requires a bit of flexibility to come into this posture.  Thankfully there is a Yoga pose which really helps you with sitting Burmese Style and that is Yoga Butterfly Pose.

 

Meditation Posture with Gyan Mudra

Meditation Posture Burmese Style

As you might imagine, being a meditator at heart, I am an avid practitioner of Yoga Butterfly Pose and I can tell you from personal experience that it has helped me a great deal with sitting more comfortably.  

You will find full details of Butterfly Pose in the following article Best Yoga Asana for Meditation, and in this article you will find a video of the pose below.  In the video I also demonstrate how to do Root Lock with Butterfly Pose and that is a great way to end this pose and direct your energy upwards.

I also want to point you to other yoga set, poses and exercises which are very helpful to meditation and here is that list for you.  In a future post I will publish a complete list of how Yoga can assist you with your meditation practice, but the list below has some great techniques to get you started.

Yoga Techniques that Help with Meditation

Best Yoga Sets for Meditation:

Yoga for Meditation Set

Surya Namaskar – Best Morning Yoga Stretching Poses

Spinal Warm-up Yoga Exercises

Yoga Poses for Meditation:

Yoga Forward Bend for Healing and More

Neck Yoga Exercises

Yoga Breathing Exercises for Meditation:

Anuloma Viloma Pranayama

One Minute Yogic Breath for Meditation

For Yoga and Meditation Certification Students and Teachers:

Butterfly Yoga Pose is one of the best poses to begin your yoga or meditation classes with.  As you have to often sit in yoga classes, starting your classes with this pose will make the entire session easier for your students, so be sure to include this pose in your programs.  I also include Breath of Fire when doing this pose, and the combination is really excellent for getting everyone’s energy going.

This pose is a part of both the Yoga Teacher’s Training and Certification Program and Meditation Certification Program programs and you will find it in your e-manuals.

Butterfly Yoga Pose Video:

  • The video gives a full demonstration of Yoga Butterfly Pose.
  • It explains how this pose helps with meditation and how to do it using Breath of Fire.
  • It teaches various variations to the pose, including how to do Root Lock at the end of the pose.
  • It discusses the benefits of this pose, along with other details about the technique.
  • Please note if you have trouble viewing the video from here, I have provided the YouTube link as well which you can use.

Free Online Yoga for Meditation Butterfly Pose

DIRECT YOUTUBE LINK –> YOGA FOR MEDITATION POSE

7

5 Emotional Benefits of Meditation

Meditation Benefits

Benefits of Meditation

You were born to meditate.  I cannot impress enough upon you how important meditation is if you wish to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.  By meditation here I don’t mean just the formal time you spend devoted to this practice, but I mean the constant vigilance and witnessing of the mind and emotions, that a true meditation practice demands. 

This dedication to a meditative life will bring you riches far beyond any that the material world can offer.  This treasure is available to you if you are willing to embrace a lifelong meditation practice.  But along with such unworldly blessings, there are also many tangible benefits of meditation.  These benefits include health and other everyday benefit and are being constantly validated by scientists in the field today. 

Emotional Benefits

In this article, I am going to provide you with 5 emotional benefits of meditation.  The goal of all such articles is to inspire you to start or deepen your meditation practice.

5 Emotional Benefits of Meditation:

1. JOY:

Meditation unclenches your heart and in doing so it releases the blockages which prevent unbounded, spontaneous, non-causal joy to spring forth into your consciousness.  Tapping into the infinite aspect of your being is the only way to have joy which is not fleeting and not dependent.  Meditation makes this possible.

2. CALMNESS:

The simple difference between those who meditate and those who do not, is that for a meditative mind the thought occurs but is witnessed, while for an ordinary mind, the thought occurs and is the boss.  So in both minds, an upsetting thought can occur, but for those who meditate it is just another thought, which is seen as such and is allowed to blossom and die, while in the ordinary mind the thought instigates a storm which rages on and on.

Thus, by maintaining the Witnessing Mindful quality, one can remain calm in situations that would otherwise lead to emotional upheaval.

3. COMPASSION:

One of my most favorite articles on the website is The Secret to Compassion.  Meditation for many reasons makes you a kinder, gentler person.  It allows to see the Oneness of everything, which is the springboard for unity and love.  In addition, meditation reduces the ego centric focus of everyday thinking, thus ushering in thoughtfulness, forgiveness and other mindedness.

Without a doubt meditation which is a constant reminder of your silent, peaceful, holistic nature will transform you into a compassionate being.

4. EMOTIONAL STRENGTH:

Meditation, since it is based on the Truth and the reality of “what is”, gives you immense clarity and great inner strength.  As you move further into the moment and further away from psychological time, worries, anxieties and fears start to fade and you become steady, stable and firm emotionally.  You begin to depend on intelligence as the guiding force of your life, and begin to develop and enjoy the strength that comes from having trust in life and trust in yourself.

5. EMOTIONAL BALANCE:

Emotional balance, means to be free of all the neurotic behavior that results from the existence of a tortured and traumatized ego.  This is very hard to achieve fully, but meditation certainly is the way to cure such neurosis and unhealthy emotional states.  As one’s consciousness is cleansed of emotionally soaked memories, not only does great freedom abound, but also great balance.  As one’s responses then are not colored by the burdens one carries, but are instead true, direct and appropriate.

Such balance is a true sign of a great meditator, and is available to anyone who chooses this great path.

Emotional Benefits of Meditation Summary:

One of the best things about meditation is that once to learn it and get the knack of doing it, there is no limit or cost to how much you can do.  It is up to you how strong and deep you want your practice to be, so what are you waiting for?  As my wife, Trupti loves to say, Go Forth and Meditate.

For those who are new to meditation, here is a free online meditation class to get you on your way.

Beginner’s Meditation Class

And here is a great article, which details on How to Meditate as well…

How to Meditate

8

Research on the Many Health Benefits of Meditation

Research on Meditation and Health

Healing Meditations

The scientific support for the health benefits of meditation is growing on a daily basis, as more and more research is starting to validate what has already been known by the spiritual community for centuries now.  Today we will explore this topic further.  As we know there are many different meditation techniques and although, all these are helpful in some degree from a health perspective, in this series, I will compile for you those techniques that are the best for health and healing.  

This series will be in 2 parts.  In part 1, I will highlight the health benefits of meditation as demonstrated by recent scientific research, while in part 2 I will provide you with the healing meditations themselves.  Below are these benefits, knowing which I feel will be very inspiring to you for beginning a personal meditation practice.

Health Benefits

Scientific Research Indicating Health Benefits of Meditation:

1. Reduce Anxiety & Stress:

Research has shown that meditation activates the left pre-frontal cortex, while diminishing activity in the right pre-frontal cortex of the brain.  This shift is in line with reduced stress and anxiety, as the left frontal cortex is associated with calmness, peace, happiness and other positive feelings.  This shift in brain activity also indicates meditation as a solution for depression.

For more details on using meditation and yoga to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, read Best Treatments for Stress and Anxiety Disorder.

2. Reduce Blood Pressure:

Meditation has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure, while at the same time improving circulation and heart health.  Blood flow was shown to increase almost 200%, specially in the frontal cortex.  Meditation has also been shown to reduce cholesterol, but most significant to heart health is the stress reducing power of meditation, as undoubtedly stress is the number enemy of good heart health.

3. Immune Health:

Research has shown, meditators to be significantly more healthy than those who don’t.  50% fewer doctor’s visits, 55% fewer tumors and significantly reduced cases of infectious diseases as well.

4. Chronic Pain:

Meditation has been shown to be very effective in helping with pain management.  Research has shown a 50% reduction in perceived pain when tackled using meditation.

5. Insomnia:

One of the areas where meditation has been extremely effective is helping those suffering from insomnia.  When trained in meditation, there was a 75% improvement in those suffering from this condition.

6. Intelligence, Awareness, Concentration and Performance:

Thickening of the brain as well as improved performance, concentration and intelligence has been attributed to meditation practice.  These improvements were found to be valid with young adults as well (Amazing Benefits of Meditation for Young People).  Another article previously published detailing how good meditation is for the brain is Brain Benefits of Meditation.

7. Aging and Addictions:

Meditation has been shown time and again to slow down the aging process, with those who meditate registering much younger effective ages than their chronological age.

8. Treating Habits and Addictions:

Meditation has been shown as an effective treatment for addictions and detrimental habits.  There are also yoga and breathing techniques which are valuable for this, and you can find those in the article Yoga to Stop Smoking and Breaking Addictions.

Summary of Health Benefits of Meditation:

Of course, the benefits of meditations are much more far reaching than just good health, and you can read about all these benefits in the article, Top 10 Profound Benefits of Meditation. The above list though should certainly be more than enough to motivate you to start practicing meditation as a tool to maintain good health and heal yourself of diseases.  In part 2 of this series I will detail those meditation techniques which are highly reputed for their healing capabilities.

9

Study Finds Amazing Benefits of Meditation for Young People & Students

Benefits of Meditation for Young People

Benefits of Meditation for Students

Have kids in school?  Specially kids in high school?  Are you a student in school, high school or college and wondering if meditation will benefit you?  Well wonder no longer, meditation is absolutely fantastic for young people and in this article I want to discuss some very interesting research that was conducted on this very topic; benefits of meditation for young people and students.

The study originally was intended to determine the affect of meditation on blood pressure.  Students with high blood pressure were taught meditation and another group, with high blood pressure, were taught how to lower blood pressure, but not taught meditation.  The results were emphatic and clearly demonstrated that meditation significantly reduced blood pressure in all situations.

This study was then expanded to measure the affects of meditation on other aspects of student life, and young people from six different schools were included in the new study.  Here are the findings of this research.

Study Finds Amazing

10 Amazing Benefits of Meditation for Students:

  1. Improved Concentration: Students were able to concentrate better and had more mental focus.
  2. Reduced Blood Pressure:  This reduction in blood pressure was regardless of whether the students were facing a stressful situation, like an examination, or not.
  3. Decreased Absenteeism & Tardiness:  In addition, meditation also reduced behavior problems. 
  4. Better Grades: Students felt they were doing better with their homework and school work as well.
  5. Improved Interpersonal Relationships:  This included relationships at home, such as with siblings and parents.
  6. More Confidence:  One of the most important qualities to develop for children, students and young adults.
  7. Better Sleep:  The importance of proper sleep in being understood more and more in today’s hectic sleep deprived world.
  8. Headache Relief:  Always a good thing .
  9. Calmness:  Same as blood pressure above, it helped the students who learned meditation remain calm even during stressful times.  This is important in all aspects of life I feel.  In sports, interviews, tests and the other challenging situations life inevitably brings forth, remaining calm is the key to success, health and happy living.
  10. Sharper Brains:  I have often alluded to meditation helping the brain function better.  This and other research that looks at brain imaging, etc, is now validating this point as well.

How Much Meditation is Needed:

The next logical question is how much meditation is needed in order to obtain these benefits.  The answer is as little as 10-15 minutes, 2 times per day was the amount of meditation practiced by the students during the study.  Certainly worth the time, given the enormous benefits one gets.

What Kind of Meditation is Needed:

Simple meditation to quiet the mind was all that was used during this study.  So I would suggest using Zen Meditation Technique for that.  Another suggestion would be using the structure and meditations given in the Beginner’s Meditation Class | Learn How to Meditate.

Final Thoughts:

Here is the link to the original article with the details of the study: Meditation Benefits Abound for Schoolchildren, Study Finds.

Finally, it is most important to remember that mediation ultimately leads you to Self-realization.  Awakens you to your divine, infinite nature.  What can possibly be more important than getting a head start on that journey during your younger days? 

10

Understanding Zen Meditation – Effortless Effort in Zen Teachings

Effort in Zen Meditation Practice

Zen Teachings of Effortless Effort

Zen Meditation is without a doubt one of the greatest tools for enlightenment and Self-realization.  This meditation technique is simple in it’s design, watch your breath being it’s core requirement, but fully appreciating Zen Meditation and Zen teachings requires a vast and open mind.

One aspect of Zen meditation or Zen teachings that often lead to confusion is the idea of effortless effort, or the role of effort in one’s spiritual practice and meditation practice.  In the Zen bible , Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, master Shunryu Suzuki explains how one should approach effort within the context of Zen Meditation.  Here is that excerpt…

Understanding Zen Meditation

Zen Master Suzuki on Effort in Zen Meditation

Book:     Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Author:   Shunryu Suzuki

Chapter: Mind Weeks (Pg 37)

Strictly speaking, any effort we make is not good for our practice because it creates waves in our mind.  It is impossible, however, to attain absolute calmness of our mind without any effort.  We must make some effort, but we must forget ourselves in the effort we make.  In this realm there is no subjectivity or objectivity.  Our mind is just calm, without even any awareness.  In this unawareness, every effort and every idea and thought will vanish.  So it is necessary for us to encourage ourselves and to make an effort up to the last moment, when all effort disappears.  You should keep your mind on your breathing until you are not aware of your breathing.

We should try to continue our effort forever, but we should not expect to reach some stage when we will forget all about it.  We should just try to keep our mind on our breathing.  That is our actual practice.  That effort will be refined more and more while you are sitting.  At first the effort you make is quite rough and impure, but by the power of practice the effort will become purer and purer.  When your effort becomes pure, your body and mind become pure.  This is the way we practice Zen.  Once you understand our innate power to purify ourselves and our surroundings, you can act properly, and you will learn from those around you, and you will become friendly with others.  This is the merit of Zen practice.  But the way of practice is just to be concentrated on your breathing with the right posture and with great, pure effort.  This is how we practice Zen.

Analysis of Effort in Zen Meditation & Zen Teachings:

There are some very nice points that master Suzuki makes above and I would just like to highlight those for you.

1. Zen Meditation Technique:

Zen meditation requires you to simply remain concentrated on your breathing with right posture and right attitude.  Simple to do, with life transforming results.  For more details on this technique, you can refer to my article Zen Meditation Technique.

2. Zen Meditation Works Over Time:

One important aspect of Zen meditation, which is also a challenge for the impatient, is that this technique works on you slowly over time.  In fact the changes are almost imperceptible, although if you stick to it long enough, they are absolutely profound.  The end result of Zen meditation is that it transforms you into a purified, joyous, compassionate and wise being.

3. Effort to End all Efforts:

This is how I like to view effort in the context of meditation and spiritual growth.  Collect all your energies, all your desires and put them together to make one big, great, pure effort.  With this effort then immerse yourself passionately into meditation and spiritual practice.  This one great effort will then lead you to the place of effortless living.  Call this place nirvana, enlightenment, tao, heaven, moksha, satori, whatever. 

The bottom line is just find a way to meditate, then let meditation take care of the rest.

If you are new to meditation you may wish to sign up the the Free Online Beginner’s Meditation Class, which incorporates Zen Meditation in it.