MeditationWe seem to be hearing more and more these days about the power of meditation. It seems meditation is now embraced by modern science, tested and proven to help heal the body and mind of illnesses and disorders. Meditation is no longer viewed as just a spiritual or religious tradition.

Admittedly, I can’t personally attest to all the claims of the benefits of meditation as I am a relative newcomer to the process, but I am practicing and learning.

Meditation is one of the easiest and most inexpensive forms of self-therapy: all you need is yourself and a quiet room. It is simple, cheap and effective.

While there are many methods of meditation, the primary object is to clear your mind of conscious thought and concentrate on simply existing in the moment.

Wikipedia - Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned, “thinking” mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. It often involves turning attention to a single point of reference. Meditation is recognized as a component of almost all religions, and has been practiced for over 5,000 years. It is also practiced outside religious traditions. Different meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual and/or psychophysical practices which may emphasize different goals — from achievement of a higher state of consciousness, to greater focus, creativity or self-awareness, or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.

Meditation is a time-honored relaxation technique that has been used successfully in Eastern cultures for centuries to alleviate stress and focus the mind. Meditation has recently gained popularity in the United States as millions of people are discovering both the physical and mental health benefits, while realizing that it’s not as difficult as it sounds.

Meditation is also gaining recognition worldwide. More and more doctors are recommending meditation. It is claimed to help depression, control pain, increase longevity, slow down cancers, invigorate the immune system, and significantly reduce blood pressure.

Time MagazineTime Magazine even devoted an entire issue to meditation on and credited it as a solution to range of illnesses from skin conditions, stress, and chronic heart disease to AIDs and infertility. It even reported that meditation can sometimes be used to replace Viagra.

Imagine that stress, headaches, tensions, anger and insomnia could truly being a thing of the past just by meditating.

It is said; with meditation, you can tap into your intuition to understand your purpose in life. Imagine having intuition that can always help you make the right decision and point you towards your mission in life. Imagine having intuition that knows what lies ahead, and has the ability to lead you to success, happiness and fulfillment.

Did I say meditation is not as difficult as it sounds? Yes. At least, not after a while. At first, you’ll find that meditation isn’t all that easy. Your mind will fill with thoughts the moment you attempt to keep it still. It’s rare for a beginner to be able to focus attention for more than a few seconds. I think the trick to becoming a successful meditator is to be consistent while not getting discouraged.

In as little as five to ten minutes a day, you can train your mind to be still and quiet. This stillness can be incorporated into your daily life making you less reactive and irritable. What you may find is that your days begin more peacefully and you will carry that calm throughout the day.

Meditation can be done any time and anywhere. You don’t need to sit cross-legged on a mountaintop chanting a mantra. Just start by meditating each morning for five minutes and increase the time or frequency as you get more comfortable with it.

The easiest way to begin is to find a comfortable, quiet location where you won’t be disturbed. Then close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply focusing only on your breath. Let any thoughts that arise float away on a cloud or a river. It’s okay to notice the thoughts, just don’t spend any time with them. Try to focus only on your breath as you relax.

After your meditation period, read your goals list (you do have a list of written goals, don’t you?) and focus on your goals with a clear quiet mind, tapping into the power of your subconscious mind and becoming more creative in attracting your goals and dreams.

Do you meditate? Have you experienced improvement in any areas of your physical or mental health from meditation? Please leave a comment and share your experience.

Gina

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