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Basic Relaxation Techniques. Healthy Treadmills Losing Weight

Basic Meditation Techniques Build a Strong Foundation

In this technique, you will focus on your breath to develop an unconscious connection so the positive feelings of relaxation, peace and well-being will be established within you and you'll be capable of retrieving these feeling whenever you wish. Do not rush this process or hold unrealistic expectations of fast results. It takes time to train your mind to exercise basic control of your thoughts before you can direct the mind toward specific intentions.

"Mind precedes its objects. They are mind-governed and mind-made."

The first stage of meditation is actually a technique in concentration. Once relaxed, focus on your breath for a few minutes. After you find yourself completely relaxed and at ease, focus on the sounds around you. Try not to form thoughts about the sounds but rather just listen and let your mind flow around and through the sounds without clarification or judgment. Do this exercise for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, releasing your attention to the sounds and focusing on your breath as you begin to be more aware of your body.

Repeat this exercise until you can easily follow known sounds, expected sounds and unexpected sounds with the same calm, focused attention. You might start with a favorite, calming or soothing piece of music. Next, once you have mastered the known sound concentration technique, you might focus on a classical piece of music you are not too familiar with. When you feel comfortable with being able to follow this piece of music without trailing off into uncontrolled thought, you are ready to move to the final sound exercise.

The final sound focus will be on unusual sounds, such Whale Songs, or Songs of the Wolves or digital sounds. When you are able to follow sounds without your mind wandering regardless of the source, you are ready for Level 2. Level 2 may take you several weeks of practice before you are able to stay focused for 15 to 20 minutes without your mind wandering. Give yourself the time. Remember, learning to control your thoughts through this concentration exercise is like building up a new muscle.

The second level in this technique for improving your meditation skills focuses on your imagination and visualization abilities. After going through the relaxation process and placing yourself in a comfortable position, focus on your breath for a few minutes until you are completely relaxed and centered. You are now going to create a scene in your mind of your favorite place. This favorite place may exist in reality or only in your mind. Take the time to carefully build a detailed image of this place where you can feel the air, hear the sounds, and be aware of the smells surrounding you as you place yourself in the center of this favorite place. Spend time in this place over and over in meditation until you can quickly and clearly call upon this imagery whenever you want. Along with the image will come all the feelings of well-being, joy, peace and happiness that associate to your favorite place.

The third level of meditation skill development focuses on a structured thought such as a favorite saying or aphorism. There are many to choose from. Use one that generates exploratory thought processes for you. Unlike previous exercises, you are now going to let your thoughts flow. Follow these thoughts through imagery, feelings and awareness until you know that you have absorbed the meaning of this aphorism thoroughly. What will surprise you is the depth and breadth of understanding an even simple saying can produce.

Using these techniques will open you to a world of thought management, directional focus and a deeper understanding of self and acceptance of others. By focusing on the breath as you develop your meditation and concentration skills, you will begin to unconsciously associate these peaceful and relaxed feelings with the control of your breath. Then when you are faced with a stressful situation, you can call up these feelings by simply slowing your breath and consciously relaxing your muscles. Using this technique, relaxation and feelings of well-being will always be available when you need it.

Chesa Keane has taught meditation and self-help for more than 30 years. To receive your free starter Basic Meditation and Basic Relaxation Techniques and an introduction to a unique meditation tool, the TAO Totem, visit: http://www.taotote.com

"To speak or act with a defiled mind is to draw pain after oneself, like a wheel behind the feet of the animal drawing it."

Basic Relaxation Techniques Create Better Health

When you first try this exercise, you may want to begin by lying on the floor or on your bed. However, if you are tired, you may find that you cannot stay awake and you won't be able to develop the skill of conscious relaxation. This is a great exercise to help you sleep better at night, but for purposes of developing an awakened sense of relaxation, consider whether lying down works for you or not. If you too easily drift off to sleep, begin by sitting in a chair where you are comfortable and your back is straight and your feet touch the floor.

Loosen any tight clothing, such as your shoes, collar, or belt. Whether you begin by lying on the floor or not, you will eventually graduate to sitting either in a chair or on the floor. The purpose of this technique is to be able to mentally call relaxation to your body anytime, anywhere regardless of where you are or what physical position you find yourself. You are going to scan your entire body, locating tension pockets and relax each area, one area at a time, releasing tension completely. Here's how:

Focus your attention on your breath until your breathing begins to slow and deepen. Keep your mind focused on your breath. You might also conjure some peaceful image as you do this exercise. As you do so, you have already begun to relax.

You attention will first focus on your feet, beginning at the toes. Starting with the toes, wiggle your toes, squeezing and flexing, and then relax and release any tension. Next, rotate the ankles, followed by flexing and pointing the feet. Then relax and release. Move up to the calves and the long muscles of the thighs with your attention, tensing and relaxing until you can let the tension go; your feet will fall outward comfortably.

The good news is that now you know you have the ability to create stress, you can also find pleasant memories within you to help you create relaxation.

Next, move your attention to your abdomen, midriff and lower back. This is another part of your body that can easily carry excess tension. Tighten your abdominals; hold the tension for a count of five, and then release. Do this two more times, releasing tension each time you relax. You may find yourself adjusting the angle of your lower back as you encounter and release tension.

Shoulders and arms are next. Shrug your shoulders, tense and release your arms, clench and release your hands. Do this three times and finally, release all tension and let your arms and shoulders relax. Even as you are relaxing and feeling your tension drain away, remember to continue focusing on your breath. Between each area of focus, draw your attention back to the breath and let all tension leave your body with the out-breath and draw in a sense of relaxation with the in-breath.

Are there any other tense muscles in your head or face or neck? Probably, since this is a major focal point for tension. Focus directly on your facial muscles, opening the mouth and eyes wide three times and then consciously release tension and let your face relax. If you feel tension in your neck, turn your head slowly to the right and then the left a few times and finally, settle the neck to relax. Finally, shift your attention to the very top of your head. Consciously tighten the scalp by lifting your eyebrows and then scrunching them. Do this a few times and when you release and relax the tension, your scalp will relax.

At first you may have to retrace these steps until all regions of your body are relaxed at the same time. Keep at it until you are able to relax completely. By focusing attention and deliberate movement on various areas of the body, you are able to let those muscles to relax.

When you have mastered this method of relaxation, you will have gained control of the tension you are prone to carrying in your body and you will be able to relax at will for the rest of your life. Focusing on your breath, you can maintain this sense of control by simple association. As a result, you can relax even if you are in a room full of people. This is also a great beginning point to begin your meditation.

In time, being able to relax will not take you 15 to 20 minutes, but rather moments. By simply scanning the body with the mind, and focusing on the breath, you will be able to achieve quickly any level of relaxation you desire.

What Is Meditation And Which Benefits Does It Have?

Meditation can be defined as the science of paying attention to an object that will help us further unfold the finer aspects of our own self. The art of meditating was brought into our western world in the sixties by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi when he taught The Beatles to meditate trancendentaly. The essential skill of this meditating technique is learning to concentrate, condense and compress your awareness to be totally focused on the very subtle object you are meditating on. As your entire being becomes absorbed in your meditating activity, every stress and strain of daily life will fall from your shoulders. In a few short minutes you will become mentally and physically rested and refreshed.

This is the immediate benefit after you have meditated. Using the meditating method, you don't see the deeper mental changes immediately. But if you execute a little patience and meditate every day, you'll soon see a positive change in your mental health as well as improvement in other areas.

There has to be a reason why thousands of modern people all over the world are meditating every day. If meditating wasn't a powerful shortcut to feeling good, we wouldn't have so many meditating people. Many who start to meditate for the first time are amazed at the mental insights they gain that seemed to have been completely lost to them in all the mental stress they had allowed themselves to build up in their mind.

If you start to meditate you will come into a position where you can remove the restrictions that stress places on your mind and personal growth. You'll gradually expand your mental and spiritual horizons and move towards reaching your full potential as a human being.

When you exercise your daily meditations, this should be done in a quiet, restful and clean place. It is important to create a serene atmosphere with no sense of hurriedness or interruptions.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website 1st-Self_Improvement.net Terje is a Sociologist who enjoys contributing to the personal growth and happiness of others. He tries to accomplish this by writing about self improvement issues from his own experience and knowledge. For example, mental health and self esteem and reaching your full potential in your career

The 7 Myths Of Relaxation

I voluntarily teach relaxation by the bed side for heart, stroke, and cancer patients in the hospital. I thought it might be interesting to address the 7 Myths of relaxation through the eyes of the patients.

Having a major health challenge allows you to appreciate the joys of slowing down.

The patients in the hospital learn the relaxation process faster than all my other clients.I guess their mind is not cluttered with all the stresses of the world.

A young stoke patient (40 years old) discovered that being busy stopped her from getting in touch with her true feelings.It took the experience of a stroke to convince her that there is no need or benefit for always being busy.

A young man 40 years old was stressing out about having a stroke.In the relaxation process I was able to take him to a garden.This garden brought back memories that he had not experience for the last 35 years.He now understood that with these memories there is no need to be stressed.

One older gentleman who had a stroke told me that his relaxation was to please his dad. This desire caused him to forsake his family because he was always attempting to change the world. Changing the world meant that he got his dad's approval.

When his dad acknowledged him he felt relaxed.Now after having a stroke at age 67 he has decided it is time to spend some time with his family.

Most patients agree,as a result of their experience, that to be healthy you need to slow down and smell the roses. Slowing down is a process and not a quick fix. Relaxation is not part of life; relaxation is a process of living in each moment.

Sometimes you need a life altering experience (like a stroke or a heart attack) to appreciate the fact that you create stress. That is the bad news.

1. Relaxation helps you slow down so that you can notice the feeling of peace and tranquility and listen to your thoughts which will make you become more relaxed, productive and healthy.

2. Relaxation if practiced regularly give you a feeling of more energy as you notice you're becoming more focused.

3.Now you can notice the feelings, that it is not healthy to avoid a situation by being busy.

4.Relaxation makes you more aware, as you listen to that part of you that you now call 'relax' and notice the feeling.

5. You do not need other people's approval to make you feel relaxed. Also, you may begin to notice the feeling of the health benefits of being relaxed.

6.You need to practice relaxation regularly because you will begin to acknowledge and notice the experience of the sounds of the simple things in life.

7.When you discover your experiences of the ways you create stress, then within the next 30 days you can look foward with excitement as you tell yourself how many ways you are going to create relaxation.

Cecil McIntosh provides Relaxation Resources, that will turbo charge your health, business and wealth. To receive your free 7 day Relaxation course. visit this site now: Relaxation tools and Tips

Mind is All A Commentary on the Dhammapada

The Dhammapada is not a transcription of a single talk by Gautama the Buddha. Rather, it is a collection of his words on the most important subjects for those seeking Nirvana. It was compiled only three months after his passing away by his enlightened disciples (arhats), who gave it the name Dhammapada, which means "Portions of the Dharma" or "The Way of Dharma." The Dhammapada consists of four hundred twenty-three Pali verses that were gleaned from about three hundred discourses of the Buddha. It is a distillation of forty-five years of teaching.

"Mind precedes its objects. They are mind-governed and mind-made." (Dhammapada 1)

What is the mind? The language of Buddha, as well as Pali, in which his complete teachings are set down, was based on Sanskrit, so we can get some understanding by looking at the Sanskrit terms from which the Pali was derived. (In fact, we may get a better understanding than if we rely on the Pali commentaries and their explanations, considering that they were begun exactly five hundred years after the death of Buddha, who had stated that in five hundred years the dharma he was preaching would begin to be lost.) Sanskrit and Pali have the same word for mind: mana. Mana comes from the root verb man, which means "to think." However, mind takes in more territory than the intellect; it includes the senses and the emotions, because it is in response to feelings and sensory impressions that thoughts arise in the attempt to label and understand them. Evolved minds have the capacity to think abstractly and to determine what shall be experienced by the senses or the feelings. That is, in lesser evolved minds these impressions precede thought, but in higher evolved minds thought becomes dominant and not only precedes those impressions but also determines them. Undoubtedly this is progress, but like everything in relative existence it has a down side, and that is the capacity of the mind to "create reality" rather than simply respond to it or classify it. Perception is not a matter of exact and undistorted experience. Perception itself is learned and is therefore extremely subjective. People born blind who have gained their sight in later childhood or even in adulthood have said that it took them weeks to tell the difference between circles, squares, triangles, and other geometric shapes-as well as the difference between many other kinds of visual impressions. This tells us that we do not just perceive spontaneously through the senses. We learn perception-it is not just a faculty. In other words, the senses do not perceive; it is the mind alone that perceives even though it uses the impressions of the senses as its "raw material" for those perceptions. Objectivity in human beings is virtually impossible. We might even hazard the speculation that objectivity is impossible outside of enlightenment.

All of the foregoing might worry us greatly-indeed, the insight into this truth about the nature of the mind may well be the seed of paranoia, for it is well-known that the Eastern description of the enlightened mind and personality is closely akin to what modern psychiatry calls paranoid schizophrenia. Some might say they are identical, but they would be wrong, for the enlightened respond to their vision with positive behavior, peacefulness of mind, and lovingkindness towards others. The mentally ill, on the other hand, respond with anxiety, fear, hostility, and mistrust of others. The sage has profound self-understanding, whereas the paranoid schizophrenic has almost no self-realization at all. (More than one psychiatric nurse has told me that they often took their problems to the paranoic schizophrenics in their charge, who gave them remarkably insightful and wise advice. But regarding themselves, those same patients were just plain crazy and without a clue. This is a terrible and cruel dichotomy.)

The understanding to be gained from all this is that our life experiences are a training film, an exercise in the development of consciousness with the mind as its main instrument. We are to look and learn. The question of "Is it real?" is almost irrelevant, "Is it comprehensible?" being more vital. There is a sense in which the individual alone exists and all that he experiences is but the shifting patterns of the movies of the mind-but for a purpose: insight that leads to freedom from the need of any more movies. Then the liberated can rest in the truth of his own self.

The problem is that those who have only an intellectual idea about the relation of experience to reality-ourselves-will come to erroneous conclusions that may result in very self-destructive thought and behavior. And those observing them will rightly consider them either fools or lunatics. Only right experience garnered from right meditation and right thought (which is based on meditation) can clear away the clouds of non-perception and misperception and free us.

The demarcation between "out there" and "in here" must become clear to us in a practical sense. We must also come to understand that "real" and "unreal" have both correct and mistaken definitions, that all our perceptions are interpretations of the mind and never the objects themselves. Our perceptions may be more or less correct as to the nature of the outside object, but how can we know? The enlightened of all ages have told us that a stage of evolution can be reached in which the mind is no longer necessary, a state in which we can go beyond the mind and enter into direct contact and communication with "out there" and then perceive objects as they truly are-or at least as they momentarily "are." The knowledge of temporality or eternality is inseparable from that state, so confusion cannot arise regarding them.

In our childish way we always think of perfection as consisting of all our good traits greatly increased and our bad traits eradicated. (If we are "good" enough children to admit we have bad traits, that is.) We think of God as being just like us, but with His goodness expanded to boundless dimension, and badness impossible to Him. In the same way we think of eternity as time without end rather than a state that transcends time. Our ideas of eternal life are pathetic since we have no idea what life is, much less eternity. It only follows, then, that our ideas of enlightenment and liberation are equally puerile and valueless. This is why the wise center their attention on spiritual practice rather than theology and philosophy. Experience- Right Experience-will make all things clear or else enable us to see that they do not exist.

At the moment we can say that we do not know just what the mind is, but we are working on knowing it. So let us again set forth the opening words of the Dhammapada.

First there is the mind. Let us go deeper than we have so far. It is possible to view "mind" as both the perception machinery we have been talking about and the consciousness which perceives the perception, the consciousness that is unconditioned and permanent-in other words, the spirit, the eternal self. ("The Self is ear of the ear, mind of the mind, speech of speech. He is also breath of the breath, and eye of the eye"-Kena Upanishad 2.) From this higher aspect of Mind all things proceed-in both the macrocosmic and the microcosmic sense. From the Mind of God all things are projected that are found in the cosmos; and from the mind of the individual are projected all that are distinctive to his life. We are all co-creators with God, even though we have long ago forgotten that and attributed everything that goes on in our life as acts of God. From this delusion erroneous religion has arisen-religion that thinks it necessary to pray to and propitiate God in order for the "good" to come to us and the "bad" to be eliminated from our life. It is this religion and its false God that Buddha adamantly rejected and from which we must be freed if we are to gain any true understanding of what is really happening to us from life to life. On the other hand, we need true religion-the conviction and aspiration for the uniting of the finite consciousness with the Infinite Consciousness in eternal Being.

The call of the self to the Self is the essence of true religion, and in that sense those who would turn from death to life must be thoroughly religious. Any god that is separate from us is a false god; the true God is the very Self of our self. Though distinct from us, He is not separate. We are eternally one with Him. But we have to realize that-not intellectually only, but through direct experience. And that experience is only possible in meditation.

All right: mind precedes its objects, which are themselves governed and made by the mind. This has profound implications.

1) Karma is the creation of the mind-is simply the mind in extension. Karma need not be worked out or fulfilled; the mind need only be changed, or better yet brought into complete abeyance. Then karma is no more and its attendant compulsions- including birth and death-no longer exist.

2) Our entire life experience is but a mirroring of the mind. If something is not already within our mind it cannot be projected outward as a (seemingly) external factor or experience of our life. So our life is our mind in motion! By observing it we can come to know what is in our mind. If we do not like what is happening in our life, the solution is to alter our mind. People who like to tell of how cruel, selfish, dishonest, and disloyal others habitually are to them are merely telling us how cruel, selfish, dishonest, and disloyal they are. "Victims" are only victimizers in a down cycle. The moment the upswing comes in their life rhythms they will go back to victimizing others. Action and reaction are purely psychological matters, the film in the projector-the light and sound on the screen being only its projection. Change the film and you change the experience. Since objects come from the mind they can only be compatible with the mind and therefore express and reveal its character.

3) All the factors of "life" are really only thought, attitude, and outlook in manifestation.

5) You are always in control, even though that control may be on an unconscious level.

6) Change your mind and you change your life. (Do not forget that "mind" includes consciousness.)

(Dhammapada 1) Suffering is inevitable for the person with a defiled mind, for it is impossible not to act or think (speak inwardly, even if not outwardly). "Good" or meritorious acts done by a person with a defiled mind will bring suffering-perhaps not as much as evil acts, but still the suffering will not be avoided. This is imperative for us to comprehend: Action is not the determining factor in our life-Mind is! And mind alone. This why in the Bhagavad Gita Krishna describes how bad people do good in a bad way and thus accrue more misery to themselves.

It is so important to understand this fact, since we tend to mistakenly assume that "good" acts produce "good" karma, etc., when in reality the actions mean nothing-it is the condition of the mind that determines their character and therefore their consequences. (Buddha was very insistent on this.) Selfish people do "unselfish" deeds to either cover up their selfishness or to get merit for themselves so they can enjoy this or a future life. Their intentions defile the actions and no good accrues to them whatsoever. Instead their selfishness and pettiness is compounded! This is the plain truth. False religion gets rich on such persons with false promises of merit and remission of sins. And even after death the deception goes on as their relatives and friends offer prayers and almsdeeds that supposedly will mitigate their negative karmas and alleviate-or even eliminate-the after-death consequences of their defiled thoughts and deeds. It is common to hear patently evil people excused on the grounds of "all the good" they do along with their evil actions. The truth is plain: evil minds can only produce evil actions that produce evil results.

How then can a negative person break the pattern of negativity and escape it? By thinking and acting with the intention to change from negative to positive. The admission of negativity and the resolution to turn from it can produce positive thoughts and deeds when the intention is to change the consciousness, not just the consequences. Without the desire for real change nothing worthwhile can take place in the life.

Buddha then repeats his statement about the nature of objects and then continues: "To speak or act with a pure mind, is to draw happiness after oneself, like an inseparable shadow." (Dhammapada 2)

What is defiled and what is pure? Buddha is speaking of something much more than good and bad thoughts and deeds in the ordinary sense. Instead, he is speaking of defiled and pure minds. What is a defiled mind? One that is smudged and clogged with egotism and its demon attendants: selfishness, greed, jealousy, spite, hatred, and materiality. A pure mind is free from all these things, including the root of egotism. Further, a defiled mind is outward-turned and a pure mind is inward- turned. One roves through the jungle of illusion and delusion that is the world of man's making, and the other rests in the truth and perfection of its immortal self. A person who is spirit-oriented cannot but produce peace and happiness for himself. It is as inevitable as the suffering of the matter-oriented person. It is a matter of polarity of consciousness.

Swami Nirmalananda Giri is the abbot of Atma Jyoti Ashram, a traditional Hindu monastery in the small desert town of Borrego Springs in southern California. He has written extensively on spiritual subjects, especially about meditation and about the inner, practical side of the world's religions. More of his writings may be found at the Ashram's website, http://www.atmajyoti.org

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