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We are happy to present articles about Deep Meditation!
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The first thing any meditation text will tell you is to find a quiet place with little or no distractions. In a perfect world, these silent places would exist for everyone. But, in many people’s lives, distractions are the rule rather than the exception.
Let’s face it; life is hectic these days. If you share your home with children, parents, or roommates, you have built-in distractions at every turn. Whether it’s the television, earsplitting music, or just loud conversation, you may not be able to get a moment’s peace in your home no matter how hard you try.
You may ask, “How can I possibly meditate under these conditions?”
Unfortunately, many people just give up. They feel the noise and distractions in their lives make it impossible for them to enjoy the advantages of a daily meditation practice, which include stress-relief, mental relaxation, and physical rejuvenation. Ironically, these are exactly what we all need in these stressful, hectic times.
Well, the good news is, you can! The method I’ll describe has been effective for me and many of my friends and associates. It takes practice though; along with acceptance, patience, and perseverance. Here’s how it works:
The key to meditating in a noisy environment is to change the way you think about noise. Rather than letting the external sounds distract you from your meditation, use them in your meditation.
Try this: Sit calmly and just listen to the noise around you. Let the sounds fill your head. Focus on the tones and vibrations of the sound rather than their origin.
All sound—whether distracting like a television, a baby crying, a dog barking—or calming like ocean waves or a running stream—are just vibrations. If you break the noise down to its components, you can focus on the deep underlying vibrations and actually enhance your meditative state. If a sound is a sound is a sound, then this sound could easily be comforting rather than annoying.
Acceptance – You can’t make the noise go away. You could try ignoring it but this is usually futile. You could try blocking it out with music but you will find that lulls in the music will allow the outside noises back in. The intermittent nature of this can prove to be even more distracting. You may even find yourself dreading the soft parts of the music or the silence between songs.
In order to meditate in this kind of environment, you have to acknowledge the unwanted sounds in your space and understand that you must coexist. If you can accept them and are determined to meditate “with” them, not in spite of them, they lose the power to control your life.
Patience – Give yourself a break. Don’t expect to be able to do this right away or 100% of the time. Be patient with yourself and realize that ALL meditation is about catching the mind wandering and bringing it back to your “object of meditation.” If you feel you’re getting frustrated with yourself because the sounds are still annoying you, pat yourself on the back instead and accept that you are only human. Just smile and focus back on your meditative mind, you will eventually succeed and—believe me—it will be worth the effort.
Perseverance – Don’t give up. There will be times, especially at first, when you just can’t help being annoyed by the unwanted sounds. You’re non-meditative mind will “know” that these sounds are distracting and it will naturally want to be distracted.
Just focus as best you can for your meditation session and come back tomorrow and try again. You’ll find that the meditative mind will start to learn that these sounds are part of the process and it will become easier and easier to reach your meditative state.
So, if your life is full of noise and distraction, you don’t have to give up on a healthy meditation practice. Try the method above and see if it works for you. I sincerely hope this information helps because I strongly believe everyone should include meditation in their daily lives regardless of their living situation.
Mike Suzuki is freelance writer and software developer who is dedicated to promoting calm, relaxation, and peace. To support this cause, he has developed the ImCalmer(tm) Personal Mediation Timer (for Palm OS devices) and the ImCalmer.com website (http://www.imcalmer.com). You can reach Mike for questions or comments at MikeS@ImCalmer.com.
Meditation is gaining mainstream acceptance as a beneficial preventive health program. Once thought of as only for eastern monks practicing in remote caves in the mountains of India, today everyone from busy executives to students are enjoying the practical results of daily meditation.
Meditation is one of the better-studied alternative therapies, and it has been shown to provide a wide range of health benefits. More and more doctors and hospitals are recommending meditation as an effective stress buster and useful support for patients of heart disease and many other chronic and acute conditions.
Meditation can help you "Take a 20 Minute Vacation" without physically going anywhere. Plus it is proven to provide a range of excellent health benefits such as preventing premature aging and lowering cholesterol... and with today's "meditation technologies" that you will read about below, meditating is much easier than you may think!
The effectiveness of meditation comes from the fact that one can achieve a state of deep relaxation in just a few minutes. When we settle down into a state of deep relaxation, the body and mind are refreshed and revitalized. This gives us many good effects that are both immediate and long lasting.
Health Benefits of Regular Meditation Include:
Meditation, Stress and a Healthy Heart
The results above have been demonstrated in many rigorous scientific studies, a few of which are mentioned below. Researchers have found that meditation lowers levels of stress hormones. In fact, by decreasing the level of one such hormone – epinephrine -- meditation has been shown to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood and therefore help arteries to remain clear. Reduction of stress hormones also supports the healthy functioning of the immune system.
This reduction in stress hormones may be explained by the relaxed state that comes about through meditation. Electroencephalograph (EEG) studies of the brain in those who are meditating show that meditation boosts the intensity of alpha waves – associated with quiet, receptive states -- to levels not seen even during sleep. This relaxed state combats anxiety, and this is confirmed by research which has found lowered levels of lactic acid in the blood. (High levels of lactic acid are associated with anxiety.) Another effect of meditation is that breathing slows, so the body uses less oxygen.
Meditation has been found to be particularly helpful for the heart. Meditators have been found to have improved blood circulation, as well as a lowered heart rate, which places less demands on the heart.
A 1998 study published in Psychosomatic Medicine showed that people who practiced transcendental meditation (TM) had lower levels of lipid peroxide than those who didn't. Lipid peroxide can contribute to atherosclerosis and other chronic diseases associated with aging. A 1999 study published in the same journal showed that people who practiced TM had lower blood pressure immediately after meditating than did the control group.
Help for Fibromyalgia, Psoriasis, IBS, and More
A 1998 study in Alternative Therapies showed that meditation helped decrease symptoms such as pain and sleeplessness in patients with fibromyalgia, a disease characterized by muscle pain, fatigue, and mild-to-moderate depression.
In a 1998 study at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, psoriasis patients who listened to a mindfulness meditation audiotape during their ultraviolet light therapy experienced faster healing than those who had the light therapy alone.
Meditation has also been associated with a longer life span, better quality of life, fewer hospitalizations, and reduced health-care costs. It has also shown promise as an adjunct therapy in relieving mild depression, insomnia, tension headache, irritable bowel syndrome, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), as well as in controlling substance abuse.
Meditation is Easier Than You Think!
With such overwhelming evidence of the benefits of meditation, why isn't everyone meditating?
Often the obstacle is that meditation is thought to be difficult and requiring years of practice to become "good at it." The reality is that there are many different styles of meditation and many are very easy to learn and bring benefits from the start. Some people even find ways to meditate on their own, setting aside a quiet time to sit and "simply be." Usually, however, some instruction is needed.
There are books, CDs, classes, and websites which offer instruction in meditation. There are many different styles of meditation, and finding the right meditation for you may take some trial and error. It's important to find a method which feels natural, easy and relaxing.
We designed our Pure Relaxation CD [B1] to offer an easy way for anyone to experience the "meditative state" in which the mind "lets go" and the body relaxes. Tested and recommended by members of the National Health & Wellness Club, this highly acclaimed CD has given many people an easy way to relax.
The essence of successful meditation is relaxation. The health benefits can easily be seen to result from a state of relaxation in mind and body. Anything that you can do which relaxes you deeply can be thought of as meditation. Whatever way you choose, we encourage you to start and wish you peace of mind and the very best of health!
This article was provided by the world's #1 most popular and trusted holistic living e-newsletter -- FREE to you right now at http://www.SixWise.com! The old way of thinking: "holistic living" pertains only to personal health. The new way of thinking: "holistic living" means prevention of the negative and adherence to the positive in all SIX practical areas of life: relationships, finances, career, home environment, safety and health. With the SixWise.com e-newsletter, you will get holistic wisdom from the world's top experts in all six of these areas -- completely FREE with a simple sign-up (and a guaranteed no-spam policy!) at http://www.SixWise.com.
Meditation is one of the most important gifts that you can give to yourself in starting each and every day. There are many ways to meditate, but they all lead to the same wonderful experience - a peaceful way to start your day - reduction in stress - answers to questions that we may have been pondering - a wonderful connection to yourself and Spirit.
Throughout this article I will attempt to give you some ways to help you focus on meditation if you are a beginner, and if you have meditated before this will just be a gentle reminder to stay on your practice.
When beginning to meditate, find a quiet place or area that you are committed to using when you wish to meditate or go inward. Start by either being on a meditation cushion or being in a comfortable chair that allows you to sit upright, so that your breath can flow easily in and out. Close your eyes, and you may wish to have some gentle music in the background (wordless unless it is some type of a chant). Begin by breathing in thru the nose and consciously focus on your belly being allowed to go out - babies do this automatically, but as we get older we are told to "suck in our gut" and get out of practice of breathing this way. On the outbreath, a gentle release of the breath through the mouth and you may wish to go to different parts of your body and release the stress that is there - consciously. I know for myself, I store my stress in my shoulder and neck area and spend more time going there. Your feet should be flat on the floor if you are sitting, and all you are doing is focusing on the breath - your breath - your life sustaining force, and honoring it by being One with it. Periodically, because you are not use to this silence, your "ego-self" will try to get your attention by letting thoughts fly into your head - like your agenda for the day - just notice it and take another concious breath and refocus on your breathing. Sometimes I will consciously get myself back in my meditation when this happens, by breathing and mentally saying "I am One with Spirit". I usually sit with my hands palm up, welcoming any insights and my connection with my breath. All of a sudden, you will realize that 15 or 20 minutes have gone by and you did not even realize it. It is truly a peaceful, connecting, and calming experience.
I just went to a wonderful workshop in the mountains with my spiritual support group, and we stayed focused on meditating on the 4 aspects of the Heart Center. If one aspect was calling us more than another then we focused on that particular aspect. The 4 aspects of the Heart Center that we focused on are:
1. Compassion - Sometimes it is easier to have more compassion with others than we do with ourselves. Pracice must always begin at home by finding compassion with ourselves. Compassion allows you to develop another state of consciousness and awareness. Compassion gives you clarity.
2. Inate Harmony - Accepting all the parts of yourself just as they are, without judgement - this means owning your shadow material, and trying to observe it as a pattern that we have developed, without judgement. I know it is hard to believe and there is a part of us that only wants to accept what we have determined and judged as "good" without ever owning our disowned parts(i.e.greed, jealousy,judgement). We must accept all our parts, and not deny or judge them - just observe them when they appear, and begin to become conscious of the why.
3. Healing Presence - When you can be open to all the parts of yourself without judging them, a wonderful healing and shift takes place. Try to come from a place of assessment rather than than critical judgement - an example might be "today, I made an unkind statement rather than, I am always unkind!!!"
4. Unconditional Love - Just PURE LOVE - the glue that holds all of us and the Universe together - each person playing their part in the greater unfolding process. Shedding light on even the destrucive parts of ourselves, allows for Divine healing to take place. It is all part of the cycle that makes us - us. Once we can love ourselves and all our parts unconditionally, we are different, and the way we look at things is less emotional. Since we are Pure love, we attract pure love into our lives - when you can hold and be in this space, it is a great way to live.
We lit a candle each day and placed our hands on our hearts and meditated on each of the these aspects of the heart center, and some wonderful healings took place - I was truly blessed for the insights that I received and honored to be in nature with like-mined people. Try meditating on the 4 aspects of the heart and see the difference it makes in your life.
Fran Buckless has been a coach and educator for over 30 years. She has just started a newsletter, "All About Caring", on her website http://www.myallaboutcaring.com. Her goal is to remind people that there is someone out there that cares about them and their needs. Fran comes from a spiritual background, and believes in helping others through a variety of ways. If you need a "pick me up" or something that will make you "think", read one of her articles. She is just like you, and will try to relate some of her experiences knowing that there are others who are going through the same thing. She is also committed to helping you find other people who come from integrity in a variety of fields - people that you don't have to search for but can trust. If you like honesty, you will like what she has to write about. She is truly inspirational, and has a bigger heart than anyone I know.
The Great Saint Arya Bodhidarma is the greatest teacher of meditation of the past. He meditated for nine years in a cave in China before he found his successor to carry on the Lineage of Tao according to Tao of Heaven. The questions were asked by serious meditators and below the answers explained by him:
Q1: How can a person know whether he has made progress in his meditation and can meditation be practised anywhere and anytime?
Ans: Meditation is the practice of stillness of the mind and one may try at any place. If one finds that the mind is less and less clouded like a cup of water, then one has made progress on stillness. Do not be over-anxious or too excited at seeing certain things, but let a calm mind progress with practice. As one moves on, one will see different stages. If in doubt, seek the necessary clarification. If illusion is too great, evil may get the better of you. Therefore stillness must first be achieved before practising in any other way.
Q2: Why are there so many types of meditation and how effective are they?
Ans: Why are there so many roads? All lead to a centralized place. The distance and the lighting are different, but all will still lead to the same destination that one wishes to go. But one should not try too many roads at one go or one will lose time.
Concentrate on one and be familiar with this very road. Then you will know all its corners and pits.
Q3: What is the prayer for one to meditate?
Ans: Prayers to most people are merely to steady the heart and to feel the protection of the above. If the heart is pure, where will evil come from? One is his own protector and must not always be too dependant. Just like a man who is dying, if he begins to pray, does that mean he will not die?
Q4: When I sit down, close my eyes and stay calm, I tend to see a purple light. May I know whether it is an illusion or a true light. If it is a true light, what is the significance?
Ans: The brilliant light with its beauty can be seen by all. All beings see the light but it depends on whether one knows how to make good use of this light. In a room brightly lit up, upon closing the eyes, one may think that he sees light, but actually it is merely the light seen through the eyelids. Just as one closes the eyes when looking at the Sun, a bright red light seems to fall into sight. As all humans have an inborn nature, all will be able to see this guiding light. If one wishes to seek further into this, try to concentrate on the light that you see with every effort and try to centralize this light together and one day you will feel its presence.
Q5: During meditation, sometimes I feel some movement of heat inside my body. May I know why it is so and whether it is good or bad?
Ans: Meditation does not only aim at controlling the mind to a stillness stage. The breathing that takes place during meditation may control the vitality (Chi). As it moves along the meridian point one may feel certain jerking of the flesh, but when the concentration is not on the breathing, one may not easily feel the movement of the vitality.
Q6: Why are there many images distracting one's mind when one starts to meditate?
Ans: Human, human, even without meditation, your mind is already obstructed by many objects. If a person can really be free from greed, hatred and delusion then man will be free. Objects do not obstruct you but your own illusion is doing the work.
Q7: When a person is in deep meditation, will his body be attacked by evil spirit?
Ans: Whether a person is in deep meditation or not, the evils are always working around him. Given the chance, he will be pulled back. A person who can enter into a deep meditation, has attained stillness to a certain degree. The Heavenly Being dwells in a pure heart and anything can dwell instead in an unsteady heart.
In the teachings of Tao of Heaven, all men are Buddhas and they have the seed, but the seed has not taken root and that is why men are not Buddhas. If one wishes the seed to take root, work hard at it. Cultivate the right seed and plant it in the right soil. Look after it well and let it bloom and it is called the Attainment of Tao.
Author: T.A Chew
T.A Chew, during his practice of Buddhism in 1993 to 1995, spent at least five hours a day on meditation. Upon initiation of Tao and at the end of 1995, Master JiGong joked with him that if there is 36 hours a day, he will meditate 36 hours a day, but he cannot even save one person back to Heaven. Be like Goddess of Mercy, start saving people by propagating Tao. Website: http://www.white-sun.com
How do you connect chakras, the energy centres of the body in Eastern tradition, and flowers, pretty, ephemeral, bright, cheerful manifestations of nature?
There are seven main chakras (as well as several others) in a line from the base of the spine to the crown of the head and one more newly recognised chakra just above the head which I believe is important. Each one is associated with various areas of physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. When the energy flow in one becomes blocked it can result in certain symptoms and vice versa. By keeping the chakras open and the energy flowing, we can maximise our body’s ability to keep well and heal itself.
One way of stimulating energy flow is by a simple visualisation. Each chakra has a colour of the spectrum linked to it. Focus on that colour and imagine that colour light pouring into the chakra and saturating it in pure coloured light, then visualise the chakra as a spinning disc of colour. Take 2 or 3 deep breaths as you do so. You can also repeat a mantra or affirmation to intensify the positive energy you are creating. Work through each chakra (see below for summary) in turn from Root to Crown to rebalance your whole energy level.
So what about the flowers? Whatever you use to visualise the colour would work, paint swatches, coloured stones or crystals, an image in your minds eye, but beautiful photographs of flowers saturated in the pure colour of each chakra can bring some extra flower energy into your life as well.
Flowers raise the vibrational energy around them, which is why they have long been associated with celebrations, brought as presents to new mothers, sick people, loved ones. Weddings and funerals are lavish with them. We are rarely aware of the spiritual connection these days, we just know that flowers cheer people up and make them feel glad. So flower photos as visualisation aids make sense and are beautiful to have around.
There are books written about the chakras going into far more detail than there is space for here, as it is a deep and complex subject, with infinite, individual interpretations, but here is a basic, brief summary of the chakras and their associated areas and colours.
1. Root - Red Situated at the base of the spine.
Emotional grounding and ones roots. The excretory and reproductive systems and the immune system.
Mantra “I am in touch with the earth, my roots”
2. Sacral – Orange
A hands breadth down from the belly button.
Sexuality, creativity, financial issues, honour and ethics, one to one relationships.
Genital and urinary systems, bladder and prostate.
Mantra “I am a creative, sexual being”
3. Solar Plexus – Yellow
Over the solar plexus at the bottom of the rib cage.
Self-esteem, self-confidence and how you see yourself.
Digestive system, worries and fears, the stress of responsibility.
Mantra “I believe in myself”
4. Heart – Green
Over the heart.
Love, forgiveness, unconditional love. Relationships.
Circulatory and immune systems. Heart and lungs. Loneliness.
Mantra “I can give and receive love”
5. Throat – Blue
Centre of the throat
Communication, self-expression and will power.
Thyroid problems, sore throats, addictions(due to lack of will)
Mantra “I speak my truth”
6. Brow - Indigo
Centre of forehead
Intuition, intellect and mind, inner vision.
Brain and nervous system, eye problems.
Mantra “I see clearly”
7. Crown - Violet
Top of head.
Spiritual awakening, search for meaning. Our relationship to our spirit and God.
Central nervous system, overwhelming fatigue.
Mantra “I believe”
8. Soul star – White/crystal
Directly above the crown, about two hand’s breadths from the head.
Awareness of ones soul and its connection to the conscious self.
Gives perspective on life and ability to see seemingly random positive or negative events as part of the soul’s journey.
Mantra "I transcend"
This is a personal, simplified interpretation of the chakras. Use it as a stepping stone to finding out more for yourself.
Copyright 2005 Kit Heathcock
A Flower Gallery has a whole section devoted to chakra flower photos.
About the Author: Sometime flower photographer, keen observer of the resonances of life and fulltime mother. Born in the UK but now living on a farm in the southern hemisphere. Contributor to the creation and maintenance of A Flower Gallery.com one of the homes of chakra flower art.
Maximum Heart Rate - Is your weight behaving these days? Is the bathroom scale haunting you every time you step on it?
Past Life Regression - This exercise should help you to feel rejuvenated and refreshed as you’re drawing energy from an infinite pool.
Three Deep Breaths - The individual and the society gain the most using this methodology. Why have we not considered this wise advice in our culture?
Goldenseal Root Supplement - Glyconutrients are essential sugars that are required to enable the human body’s cells to recognise and communicate with each other.
Dietary Supplement - A dietary supplement is a product that a person takes by mouth, which contains nutritional ingredients meant for addition to the normal diet.
Weight Loss Supplements - Antioxidants are substances that help the body to remove free radicals, which are cancer causing agents. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that can contribute to the development of numerous harmful conditions in the body.
Open Focus Meditation - Once you feel centered, look around and see that everything you need is here – perfect peace, vibrant health, constant love, endless supply for all your needs.
My Meditation Practice - I have been influenced by Zen meditation, yoga relaxation and breathing practices, visualization techniques, mantra repetition and even dancing techniques to name a few.
Dietary Supplement Centrum - Jogging is usually an exercise program followed by athletes and sportspersons.
Urinary System Disorders - Type I Diabetes is a disease involving the pancreas in which the body destroys its own B cells and the pancreas can no longer make insulin.
> > > More coming soon!
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