Quick Guide on How to Relax

A few good relaxation methods can help save your life, not only is stress very emotionally unpleasant but it can also be hazardous to your health. There are many ways of relaxing, like meditation for example, but if you don't have the motivation or the drive to learn how to properly meditate you can try some other ways to relax like, hugging someone that you love, this can be very relaxing.

The second thing you can do is interrupt your daily routine, in your lunch break go sit outside and look at the people that are walking by, anything that breaks you daily habitual patterns can help relieve stress. The third thing you can do is take a hot shower. Taking hot showers helps relax your muscles. The fourth thing you can do is try laughing, go out and rent a funny movie or go to a comedy club. Laughter can be one of the best medicines to relieve stress.

The fifth thing you can do is breathe deeply, try inhaling for four seconds and exhaling for four seconds, try to pay close attention to your breathing while doing this. The sixth and last thing to do to relax is take a walk, if you have about fifteen minuets of free time to spare, you can take a quick walk through the neighborhood. Naturally, it would be better if you learn how to meditate. Meditation can help relieve your stress and also make you more emotionally stronger, you don't have to meditate for hours at a time, all it takes is about fifteen to twenty minuets a day to start to feel better.

Andy J. has been writing articles for about two years now. Make sure to visit his newest website on Social Anxiety at http://socialanxiety101.com/

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The Benefits of Meditating

Meditation has many positive benefits that are countless. Many studies have shown that those who regularly meditate have reduced stress and illness. But one of the most important reasons to meditate is the process of becoming disciplined with meditation itself.

The act of meditation is a blissful one taking you from one peaceful state to another. In today's day and age we are constantly bombarded with a constant onslaught of stress. We are bombarded by all kinds of energies such as television, radios, noise pollution or even envious people. In order to take control and counteract all these negative energies, we need to develop our selves from within.

Meditation will be the tool that connects us to the cleansing and energy of our minds. In old times people were surrounded by nature in their daily lives and existence. There were no artificial sounds to disturb our peace. In today's modern age we can live a whole lifespan without ever contacting nature in a direct way. Meditation allows us easy convenient, portable method to get back into our lost natural rhythm, by closing the world around us and making us aware of the world within us.

By learning to close the world around us we can clear our minds of all artificial stresses that the mind gathers during our daily lives. Learning meditation will not cost you anything, it has no secondary side effects, and it won't add any calories to your diet. The only thing meditation will do for you is give you a sense of well being and a more positive out look in life.

Andy J. has been writing articles for about two years now. Make sure to visit his newest website on Social Anxiety at http://socialanxiety101.com/

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Mastering the Tutor Saliba Meditation Technique

Mastering the Tutor Saliba meditation technique takes practice and repetition. Once a person has learned how to use it effectively, they will likely live a stress-free lifestyle. There are many rituals and guidelines involved in the meditation method which has been passed down from generation to generation on Tutor Saliba Island. The elders of this tiny community in the Indian Ocean have overseen its incorporation in daily life for centuries. The tranquility of the islanders is legendary.

Where to Learn
Learning to meditate the Tutor Saliba way requires a person to either visit the island or learn from someone who has gone elsewhere to teach. Group classes are available on a regular schedule at the island's resort. They are taught by elders in a closed environment where spectators are not allowed, but participants are welcomed. Resort guests feeling stressed out or those reported for aggressive behavior are encouraged to attend.

Private instruction of the Tutor Saliba meditation method is also available both on and off the island. Those who have learned and mastered it are given a special dispensation from the island elders to pass on the technique to others. As the island's popularity has grown, so have the number of people teaching this meditating technique. While considered expensive in comparison to other types of soul-strengthening seminars, these classes are harder to find and harder to learn.

Frequency
Most users of the Tutor Saliba meditation method do it every day, several times a day. There are different rituals used at different times of day and for different occasions. For people who prefer a daily routine, the morning ritual becomes an important part of it. The nighttime ritual is less common, but equally effective. Group and family meditation sessions should be scheduled weekly. Couples in successful relationships where both use the technique practice Tutor Saliba at regular intervals and whenever a potential conflict arises. When only one of them uses it, it is a personal choice as to how often one meditates.

Effects
Those using the Tutor Saliba meditation method are well-known for their ability to resolve stressful situations and bring peace to parties at odds with each other. Not only is it successful in conflict resolution, but also in the prevention of personality conflicts and aggressive disagreements. Masters of this meditating technique allow it to permeate their everyday lives. Users are easily recognizable as happy, joyful and carefree in their personal and professional roles.

Author writes about a variety of topics. If you would like to learn more about Tutor saliba, visit http://www.tutorsalibalearning.com/.

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Music For Meditation and Healing - A Free Service

Which New Age Music for Meditation and Healing do YOU Need?

Sound is the Oldest Form of Healing

Sound is the oldest form of healing and of that it is the sound of the mothers voice that is the most important. In the 80's Sony conducted research that showed sounds played to babies while in the womb influenced their behaviour. It has been proven that like animals human babies can detect their mother's voice from other females and there is evidence that they can do this in the womb too. Other research has shown that babies can remember and recognise sounds from the womb a year after birth.

The Colour of Music

Each colour has a corresponding musical keynote which in turn resonates with the respective chakra.

Keynote Chakra

C# - Base, D - Sacral, E - Solar-Plexus, F# - Heart, G - Throat, A - Brow, B - Crown.

Sympathetic resonance is the projection of sound vibrations that cause another object to vibrate as it has the same frequency, singers breaking glasses in one example as is metal vibrating to heavy bass sounds. We can experience a sympathetic resonance in our bodies in areas that have a similar vibrational frequency. Playing music of the corresponding colour can have the same effect as the colour itself as it resonates with the respective chakra frequency.

What Meditation Music for Healing Do You Need?

Many music websites advertise they offer free music for meditation, but the New Age Blog offers a free consultation as only help and advice from a qualified colour therapist can help you decide which frequencies you need to balance your chakras and repair any damage to your aura for music meditation and healing.

Featured new age music artists openly embrace New Age beliefs so they provide a unique service to those looking to use new age music for healing, so if you need advice as to which music would be best suited to the stresses of your life to help you maintain a sense of well being and balance you can contact them and they will advise a personal selection of music.

They have a wide selection of music CD's that can be used in conjunction with Reiki, meditation, magick, angel healing, colour therapy, aromatherapy, spiritual healing, and for uplifting inspiration.

A Free Music for Meditation and Healing Service

Visit the New Age Music for more details, visitors are under no obligation and no purchase is necessary.

� Trevor Mayes is a qualified colour therapist and proprietor of the New Age Blog which includes new age music and Colour-Counselling-Therapy-Healing which specialises in online diagnostic colour therapy and healing gemstones which is particularly suitable for stress relates issues.

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Quick Guide on How to Meditate

When regularly meditating, as you start to notice your feelings that have been accumulating inside your mind tend to naturally vaporize. One must not do anything special to have this happen to them, it will happen naturally as your concentration deepens and your mind starts quiets down.You might start your meditation session stressed and worried about small stuff, but after you have been meditating for half an hour you start to feel lighter and worry free.

To better release these feelings, you could practice techniques in meditation that require awareness, or just inviting in whatever is bothering you so your mind can let it go.When you practice letting your experience be, and that includes you criticisms and judgments, you may begin to realize that your self attitude starts to change in subtle ways. You may also notice that you have developed more compassion for your self.If you are looking for the easiest instructions on how to relax you are in the right place.

We can talk about the benefits of meditation forever, but if you have actually tried doing it you are going to find out fast that your mind can be very stubborn and does not want to quiet down. Some meditation masters like to compare the mind to training a puppy you know how hard it can be. The more you try to force your mind to quiet down the more it doesn't want to stop.So when trying to relax when meditating you are going to gently return your mind when it strays again and again to your chosen point of attention.

where to sit while meditating.

When i was in college i began to meditate, after school i used to take the subway to a meditation center in the east side of Manhattan. Every Time i would enter the meditation center, the smell of incense used to calm me down and then i knew i was in a special place. A place where i can be peaceful. And as i would start meditating, i could feel my breath and my mind slow down. I began to get frustrated to find that i couldn't relax and have the same quality of meditation i experienced there on the mat me and my friends shared. In the years i have been meditating i started noticing that the environment surrounding your meditation, where you sit, what you wear or the energy that you invest, will have an impact on your meditation. Trying to relax while counting your breathe in a busy environment can be a challenge, but you will go deeper fastest in a place where you can have some quiet time. In this modern time we are constantly being bombarded with stimulation, like TV, music, radio etc.. and it can be hard to find the place or even time to meditate, so what i do is meditate with music, no i don't mean that heavy metal CD sitting on your car, what i listen to is slow jazz, or some kind of rhythm that will slow me down. So by i means you could use your favorite CD to slow your mind down. When you have successfully slowed down you can move on to your quiet space, and if your mind starts to wander, bring it back to the music.

What to wear when meditating.

This may seem like an easy one, but you may be surprised when you go to a meditation center and people show up with jeans, which makes it impossible to cross your legs or even breathe right. One should wear loose clothing to be able to breath deeply and keep your circulation going in the right way.

The right time to meditate?

The tradition is to meditate one hour after one wakes up, or the best time will be before the sun come up. Your mind is awake and well rested by sleep, and usually after you wake up your mind isn't obsessing and worrying yet, so you can stay more focused and you may find it easier to stay present. The benefits to meditating when you wake up is that you set the tone for a peaceful and less stressing day. People may take an hour or two to fully wake up from an eight hour rest, and others find it easy to roll right out of bed, drink their morning coffee and rush right out to work. If you are the kind of person that has a hard time getting up and is in a bad mood it may be better for you to meditate before going to bed, if fact that's what i do. When i meditate before going to sleep i find that my sleep is way more restful and i need less of it to wake up energized. There is a downside to meditating before bed, you may be too tired or stressed at the end of the day and may want to go right to sleep. If you are a parent and spend all your free time taking care of the kids, from school, activities, sports, dinner etc.. what you can do is instead of reading the newspaper or watching TV you can meditate instead. Sex is similar to meditation in many ways, and one of them is that you may want it to be short, quick, long or slow. When you apply this comparison to meditation, you will get the drift, if you are not able to set the half an hour to meditate for a couple minuets. Setting five to ten minuet meditation periods once a day is better than meditating one hour a week even though you may want to do both. The best way to find out what best suits you is to try a bunch of different options.

How long to meditate

When you are a beginner a couple of minuets may seem like an eternity, if you are just starting off you can increase the time of your sittings as your interest and enjoyment grows. When your body and mind start to slow down your time is up, that may be a sign that your meditation muscle is getting stronger and may need to extent your sitting time. Most people may need several minuets to start settling, so when you get to the point where you are meditating 15 to 20 minuets try doing it for a couple of weeks at a time to build your concentration. As your concentration begins to strengthen you will begin to settle faster into a focused and relaxed mind. When you are at the point where your can sit for thirty to forty minutes at a time each day by all means do it regularly, and you will understand why most meditation teachers recommend the long stretch. Regular practice is better than meditating a long time one day than abstaining the rest of the week.

Andy J. has been writing articles for about two years now. Make sure to visit his newest website on Social Anxiety at http://socialanxiety101.com/

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Changing Our Lives With Guided Meditation

We can learn to access the power of our minds just by using the guided imagery meditation. We will discover how we can change our self image that will create positive changes in our lives. it is always helpful to communicate with our subconscious mind that the guided meditational techniques will give us.

All we need to have is a quiet place that is free from any distractions. That way, we can be free with our mind and we can focus only with our subconscious. It will just take about 10 minutes. Try turning off your phone and closing the door for a while to avoid any sudden noise and distractions.

You can choose either to sit up or lie down, however you feel comfortable. Close your eyes as you take deep breaths for about five minutes. Continue to inhale and exhale. Mentally say the word "relax" as you breathe out. After breathing deeply for five times, go back to your normal breathing pace.

For this technique, try to visualize a lemon while you are in a relaxed state. Visualize in your mind that you are inside of a grocery store and you see a lemon in the produced aisle. In your mind, visualize that you are picking up a lemon. It is now in your hand. Imagine that you smell it. Then you are cutting the lemon in half using a sharp knife. In your mind, you see the juice runs down the blade of the knife. Again, pretend that you are squeezing the lemon in your mouth. You can taste the bitterness and sourness of the lemon.

Did you notice what happened to your mouth? It salivated. This means that you have activated your body with your subconscious mind. After you have done with that step, you can now try to start imagining yourself with the changes you desire. It can be anything that you want.

See yourself in a store again. Visualize that laptop you are wanting. You can see its good features. Imagine yourself holding that laptop. Then see yourself reaching onto your wallet with lots of cash. You are then going to the cashier and actually paying for the laptop.

Continue imagining that until you went home, and started using it. You can now feel the excitement in your outside body as if you're actually in that imagination.

It is all a very good practice for you to do. Repeat the process every morning after you wake up. You will feel a sudden change and transformation. Within 21 days, continue with the process and you will eventually come up to that state where in your imaginations will actually come to life.

Changing our lives with a guided meditation helps us focus more. It will give us the feeling of being guided outside of reality and bringing our souls to where we want to be.

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Blood Pressure and Meditation

It is unfortunate in some ways that for many people, meditation smacks of Eastern mysticism for which some form of special spiritual path as to be learned, absorbed and followed.

However, over the course of the twentieth century meditation has, in a sense, been westernised. Teachers and researchers have extracted and separated the mystic from the practical.

True, for many, even in the West, meditation is part of a journey, and given the amount of literature available on the subject, one could be forgiven for feeling a little put off by some of the more mystical properties and terms alluded to.

However, much research has been done in the West which confirms some of the positive benefits meditators have claimed as true for thousands of years.

One of the main benefits concerns blood pressure.

It is certainly true that meditation calms the body and mind and reduces stress. There have been many scientific studies that prove this is fact.

"The Lancet", the famous British medical journal, published a report concerning a group of twenty patients who were suffering from hypertension.

These hypertension patients were taught a number of holistic techniques, including yoga, breath meditation, meditation concentration and muscle relaxation.

After 12 months their systolic blood pressure had fallen by an average of more than twenty points.

Another study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine", involved fourteen patients who suffered from hypertension. They were taught a very simple meditation technique that consisted of counting their breaths for a certain time daily, for a period of six months. At the end of the period it was found that their average systolic blood pressure had gone down by an average of fifteen points.

This certainly does not mean that patients should stop taking medication. However, it does show that meditation can be an effective addition to medication, with no side effects whatsoever.

After a busy day, James likes to unwind by restoring used air compressors. Visit is latest website where you will find information and deals on used air compressors.

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Starting Meditation - Overcoming Sleepiness

You may find a number of obstacles when you start meditating. Indeed, these same obstacles do not just apply to the beginner - many people experienced in meditation also experience these difficulties from time to time, although with practice they find that they occur less often.

One of the biggest problems when one starts meditating, is that of staying awake.

The first thing to say here is that you should not feel bad or punish yourself in any way. It is perfectly natural, particularly in this modern age and all the pressure that comes with it, that as one relaxes one is drawn into sleep!

The fact is that the point of meditation is to be more aware. Have you ever driven along a stretch of road and have no memory of doing so? This is because we often do things on "auto pilot", in other words we pay little attention to the world around us.

The thing to do when you are meditating and finding it hard to keep awake is to actually explore the feeling of sleep as you meditate. Take a look at it.

If you feel that you are sleepy because you are genuinely tired, perhaps you had a late night the night before for example, then the best thing to do is to stop your meditation session and actually go and have a sleep!

However, you may need to look more closely. Explore the feeling of sleepiness. Do you feel tired in any particular part of your body? What is going on in your mind?

Often times, it's a thought, usually about something we have experienced, stress at work for example, which leads to negative emotions. Negative emotions usually appear in the form of fear, resentment or sadness, which makes us want to turn away from them, often in the form of sleep.

The key here, as with most things, is persistence. After all, meditation is about freeing your mind by not paying attention to the thoughts that come into your head. This releases the "feel good" hormones, endorphins and the mind becomes clearer and focused.

So stay with it. Benefits accrue over time. If you need to sleep, sleep. If it is simply that your mind is being distracted, refocus. You may have to refocus many times, but with practice this becomes much easier, and the initial effort that has to be made has huge benefits in the longer term.

James likes to relax with friends at the end of the working day, and frequently has people over for an evening meal. See his latest website about 70 round tablecloth where you will find useful information and amazing deals on 70 round tablecloth.

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Meditation - Simple Meditation Technique

Have you noticed in today's world how many distractions there are? From bill boards and television advertising, to shops playing loud music and restaurants with plasma televisions, it seems everything is geared for us not to stop and quietly contemplate our lives. The world around us seems to do everything it can to keep ourselves from ourselves.

Add to this the stresses of the postmodern era - the problems of violence, greed, economic depression, disease etc., all shown graphically through the media - the reality of losing one's job or the stress of wondering when your turn will come, and you have a recipe that take a huge emotional toll on our lives.

Loneliness, depression, addiction, stress and alienation can be just some of the consequences. So who, or what do you turn to?

It is a fact of life, that to achieve anything one has to take action. The bills have to be paid and the family fed. These are the external things.

However, you have to take care of the internal self as well. Call it your spirit, your soul, the essence of who you are, whatever; what you may wish to call it is up to you. The fact is there's a very effective antidote to the world's ills listed above, and it's meditation.

As we respond to the world around us, combined with what we were taught as children, we more and more seem to be programmed to expect stress, worry and sadness.

Meditation offers a way of reversing this into hope, peace and well being.

Simply set aside 10-15 minutes a day to meditate.

1. Sit with your back straight somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed. It is important to be comfortable.

2. Relax your body as much as possible, close your eyes and breathe deeply for 7-10 breaths.

3. Take a word or phrase. It can be something spiritual, but this is not necessary. However, it should be something that has special meaning for you, "world peace" for example. If you cannot think of a word or phrase, no matter, simply concentrate on your breathing.

4. Breath only through the nose and repeat the phrase to yourself softly. Do not say it out loud. If you are using your breathing instead of a word or phrase, concentrate on that. If you find your mind wanders, simply refocus.

5. Do this for 5 minutes, (longer if you wish).

The most important thing about meditation is that you stick at it. It is not really something you can "dip" into from time to time. To really experience the benefits, try and make it routine.

James enjoys entertaining and cooking for friends at home after a busy day at work. Visit his new website about 70 round tablecloth where you will find great deal and tips on a 70 round tablecloth.

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How to Choose the Right Meditation CDs

With�the number of Meditation CD's on the market today,�choosing the right ones can be confusing.�You'll see Meditation CD's for reducing stress, improving your memory, increasing performance, improving your health, and many more. These are all�benefits�you gain�by meditating, whether using CD's or traditional methods. What Meditation CD's offer�is an alternative way to practice meditation and still� reap the benefits. They often simplify�the process and in �some cases dramatically increase the effectiveness of your meditation sessions. Although there may be many types of Meditation CD's they all can be categorized into three main categories:

1. Guided
2. Guided Imagery
3. Sound Technology

We'll discuss each group and what they can offer you. The first one we'll discuss is:

1. Guided Meditation CD's- these are great for anyone just starting out, these usually have some type of soothing sounds, or music and a person guiding you into a meditative state. These are going to focus on the fundamentals of meditation, your posture, breathing, mantras, and focusing your mind. These would be a great fit for anyone who's looking for a more traditional experience.

2. Guided Imagery-the difference between guided and guided imagery is you're going to be guided into a meditative state using imagery. These focus on the imagery, so these are�better suited for people who have some meditation experience. The added benefit to Imagery CD's is once you get good creating these images you could put yourself into a meditative state when you want. This is a great way to clear the mind and release some stress during a busy day.

3. Sound Technology- these CD's are embedded with Binaural Beat Technology and are extremely powerful! This technology can take a person off the street and put them into a deep meditative state that most advanced meditators will never experience. This technology has been�around for more than 30 years and is highly effective. No experience necessary, put on some headphones and push play. These are�for results orientated people that�want all� the benefits of meditation without having to learn how to meditate.

So whether you're just starting out, advanced, or somewhere in between, Meditation CD's have something to offer. So choose the right one for you and start experiencing all the benefits of meditating with Meditation CD's today!

The benefits of meditation was once only reserved for the dedicated practitioners of meditation. With the advancement of binaural beat technology this is no longer true. Anyone wanting to enjoy these benefits can, and its never been easier. So come visit us and learn about the many ways this technology can improve the quality of your life! http://www.meditation-with-cds.com

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How to Meditate For Beginners - 5 Easy Steps to Becoming a Meditator

Meditation is really popular these days and for good reason too. It has a huge range of benefits, and if you've decided to discover these yourself, good choice! However, learning to meditate can be overwhelming for a beginner, as there are so many methods that you can try. In this article we'll take a look at some simple tips on how to meditate for beginners.

First of all, don't worry about getting it right, or learning to meditate perfectly. As noted earlier, there are lots of different meditation methods out there, and all can be of great value. The best thing to do is to experiment a bit and see what works well for you. However, if you're just starting off, it's also valuable to keep things simple, and not get too caught up in complex techniques; remember that these aren't really necessary to experience the main benefits of meditation. To begin with, try these simple steps:

1. Wear comfortable clothing

Firstly, make sure you're wearing loose comfortable clothing. Don't wear anything tight or restrictive, or anything else that will cause you discomfort. You want to focus on what's going on in your mind when meditating, not be distracted by physical issues.

2. Find a quiet place to sit or lie down

Next, you need to find a meditation location that's quiet and you won't be disturbed. Many people like to meditate by lying down on the bed, or sitting in a comfortable chair. You can sit cross-legged on the floor or use the lotus position if you want to, but you don't have to. Again, the key is to be comfortable here, so you can allow your body to relax and lose awareness of it.

3. Close your eyes and breathe deeply

Having got yourself comfortable, close your eyes and begin to breathe deeply. If you're a shallow breather like most people are, you'll probably find that this takes some conscious focus. Breathing deeply will also slow your breathing rate down, which is important when it comes to relaxing mentally.

4. Try to focus your attention on your breath

As you breathe, keep your attention on your breath as it enters and leaves your body. Breathing meditation of this type is one of the simplest and most effective ways to meditate, and is often recommended for beginners. You can keep your point of attention at your nostrils, and observe the breath entering and leaving your nose. If your mind wanders (as it probably will) just gently bring your attention back to your breathing.

Continue doing this for as long as you want - if you're just starting off, a 10 or 15 minute meditation session will probably be sufficient, but of course you can carry on for longer if you want to.

5. Repeat daily

The next day, return to your meditation spot and repeat. Meditation is of less value if you only do it once in awhile; the real benefits come once you establish a consistent routine. With practice, you'll also find it easier to relax properly and focus your mind.

If you have a lot of trouble keeping your attention focused on your breath, don't despair. Most new meditators have trouble in this area, and if you want to improve your focusing skills, you can improve your meditation practice by listening to a brainwave entrainment recording.

These recordings contain sounds of specific frequencies which have a direct effect on your brain, causing your brainwave output to slow down, and your mind to achieve a level of deep relaxation. The most common type of brainwave entrainment recording is binaural beats, although monaural beats or isochronic tones may also be used, and all three types of very effective.

I use all three myself, and strongly recommend brainwave entrainment to anyone who wants to make the most of their meditation sessions. It's especially effective for beginners, as it can help you to achieve levels of relaxation and focus that often only come after months or even years of practice with traditional techniques.

If you decide to explore the power of brainwave entrainment meditation for yourself, I suggest checking out the 'Meditation' recording from The Unexplainable Store. I love their products as they're of great quality, and all are fully guaranteed. There are also free downloads available, so check those out when you're over there too. For more information just go to http://www.brain-sync.com

Loren Mann is an experienced 'explorer of consciousness' who enjoys writing about self-development topics and sharing helpful, high quality resources, and may receive compensation as a result of making these recommendations.

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Why Should I Meditate? And How?

Have you read about the benefits of meditation, and are curious about trying yourself? Perhaps you're wondering what all the fuss is about? If so, read on and we'll take a look at some of the reasons one meditation has become so popular, and how to go about it.

One big reason for meditation's popularity is that it's a great way to relieve stress. Many people live stressful lifestyles these days, and after a busy day of work, it's blissful to get home and finally relax. And meditation provides one of the best ways to relax really deeply.

But how do you do this? Contrary to popular belief, meditation doesn't have to involve twisting yourself into uncomfortable poses for hours on end. In fact, there are many ways to meditate, and there's no one 'right' that will be best for everybody.

The first thing to do is to find a meditation posture that's comfortable for you. You can sit in the lotus position if you really want to, but it's not necessary. Many people meditate by lying down on the bed, or just sitting in a comfortable chair. It helps if your spine is erect and not slouched, but the key thing is that you should be comfortable, so physical aches and pains don't intrude into your session.

As far as the mental aspect of meditation is concerned, some people like to meditate by fixing their thoughts on something specific, such as their breathing, a mantra, or perhaps a flickering candle flame or a meditation recording. It doesn't really matter what the object of your attention is; the point is just to practice keeping your mind focused for a length of time. Doing this is extremely relaxing once you get the hang of it, and gives you a nice break from the chatter of everyday thoughts.

Others might meditate by quieting down the mind completely. Achieving such a state of 'non-thought' can be very challenging for new meditators, but it is doable with practice, and well worth the effort.

Then there are those people who meditate without making any effort to control their thoughts. Instead, they may sit quietly and let thoughts arise as they will, observing them without judgement. If you use this method, try not to get caught up in following your thoughts - just let them pass through your mind and float away, while you remain centred and detached.

You might want to experiment with different methods, to see what works for you. In the beginning you'll properly find that it's hard to keep your thoughts focused or quiet, and your mind will jump around madly. This is normal, and meditation becomes much easier with practice, especially if you use a meditation recording which incorporates brainwave entrainment technologies such as binaural beats.

Such a recording include sounds of specific frequencies which have been proven to help your brain relax and your thoughts slow down. Use of such a track makes meditation much easier for most people, because the brain is getting a kind of 'helping hand'. This can also make meditation more rewarding in the early stages, which is where many people give up because they find their lack of mental focus so frustrating.

If you want to experience the benefits of using a brainwave entrainment meditation for yourself, I suggest checking out the 'Meditation' tracks from The Unexplainable Store, which are of great quality, and fully guaranteed. There are some free downloads available as well, so for more information just go to http://www.brain-sync.com

Loren Mann is an experienced 'explorer of consciousness' who enjoys writing about self-development topics and sharing helpful, high quality resources, and may receive compensation as a result of making these recommendations.

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What Are Meditation and Yoga Benefits?

In recent years, the practices of meditation and yoga have become increasingly popular. Regardless of how many people recommend it, however, there are some who do not believe that there are actual health benefits to these activities. The truth is that there are many meditation and yoga benefits that help with improving both a person's physical and their mental well being.

Meditation is particularly effective for someone who wants to feel better mentally. Many people think negatively about most situations, but they do not think that they can control their thoughts. Yoga teaches people to take control of their thoughts and stop being victims of their own negative thinking. Through meditation, people can learn how to curb their negative thoughts or temporarily shut off their brains completely.

Every day, people are presented with situations that are not such a big deal, but the little annoyances really get under their skin. Meditation can help them learn how to detach themselves from these aggravating situations. Someone who practices meditation does not ignore the long line at the grocery store or the person talking loudly on their cell phone in the waiting room. They simply learn how to put it into perspective and be less bothered by it.

There are many physical benefits to yoga, besides losing weight and staying in shape. Yoga gently stretches out the muscles and joints, therefore ensuring that optimum blood supply make its way to the entire body. In addition, it gently massages organs in the body that would otherwise never be stimulated. This is excellent for detoxifications which can help delay aging and improve energy levels.

Yoga has also been proven to help prevent or control serious health conditions. For example, it lowers blood pressure, which helps prevent hypertension, heart disease and stroke. In addition to the benefits for the heart, yoga can lower cholesterol, which helps prevent many other health problems, and boots the function in the immune system.

Some people still believe that meditation and yoga benefits are new age ideas that have no real physical or mental health value. Research on these practices, however, shows that these people are completely wrong. Meditation can help calm the mind and significantly reduce everyday stress triggers, while yoga can help detoxify the body and prevent serious health conditions. Someone who often feels stressed or would like to feel generally healthier should explore these options to start feeling their best at all times.

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3 Reasons to Use a Self-Healing Meditation

Do you want to take control of your health? Join the club! Many people are actively changing their lifestyles for the better, to boost their health and reduce their dependence on the medical establishment, and for many, self-healing meditation plays an important role in this process. Here we'll take a look at some of the reasons why meditating for better health is a great thing to do.

Firstly, it makes sense because the mind and body are inextricably connected, and your mental state exerts a huge influence over your physical health. Sure, most people depend on drugs and surgery to deal with illness; after all, this approach has the backing of science, and is what just about everybody does. But the fact remains that while such interventions can useful or even essential in some cases, true healing comes from within, and we're all much more powerful than conventional medicine would have us believe. The existence of people who have overcome serious illnesses by using visualisation and similar mind-body techniques is testament to that.

Secondly, it costs nothing to meditate, except some of your time, and possibly a meditation recording if you choose to use one. It's certainly much cheaper to meditate then it is to pay for conventional treatment. Now while you should always follow your doctor's advice, and continue with any necessary medications or other treatment plans for your condition, there's usually no reason why you can't add meditation as part of your healing regime as well. If nothing else, it'll help you feel more relaxed and less stressed, which can in itself have a positive knock-on effect on your general well-being.

Thirdly, a self-healing meditation can be used to great effect by those who are currently healthy, as a preventative measure. Do this and you may be less likely to become ill, because meditation provides an effective way to deal with stress, which underlies many modern illnesses. In addition, you'll gain a great sense of self-empowerment by taking more responsibility for your own health and well-being - which is something that far more people need to do in this era where we're actively encouraged hand over our power to the medical establishment and the big-business pharmaceutical industry.

While there are many health-related meditations available, the most powerful include brainwave entrainment recordings which take your brain down into a delta brainwave state. Delta waves are very low-frequency brain waves which are predominantly produced when we're in deep sleep, and delta wave production is associated with enhanced bodily healing and regeneration. This is partly why getting plenty of sleep of the right type is so important to your health.

Using a suitable brainwave recording can help you to spend more time in the delta state even while you're still awake, thus giving your body an extra chance to boost its healing processes.

You can learn more about the power of such self-healing meditation recordings at my site, and if you should decide to use one for yourself, I recommend checking out the 'Health' recordings from The Unexplainable Store. This is a great site with a reputation for producing top quality products (I've tried and liked them myself), and there are free downloads available as well. For more information just go to http://www.brain-sync.com

Loren Mann is an experienced 'explorer of consciousness' who enjoys writing about self-development topics and sharing helpful, high quality resources, and may receive compensation as a result of making these recommendations.

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4 Easy Relaxation Methods For Deeper Meditation

The key to successful meditation is physical and mental relaxation. How many times have you sat down to meditate, and then got up at the end of your session feeling as if it was a waste of time? Many have this experience, and it's usually because for whatever reason, they've found it difficult to relax properly.

Let's take a look at some simple tips for relaxing your body and mind, so you can get the most from your meditation sessions.

1. A good way to relax your body is to systematically tense and release all of your muscles. Start with your toes, and then tense and relax the muscles in your feet, your calves, thighs, buttocks, abdomen, arms and shoulders and head. You don't have to spend long time on this, but a few minutes spent doing it at the beginning of each session will pay off.

2. Another effective physical relaxation method is to visualise a feeling of warmth and heaviness in your body. Imagine that your flesh is turned into a warm metal, and is becoming progressively heavier and warmer. Start with your limbs, progressing to your torso and head, feeling the heavy, warm sensations flooding over your whole body.

3. The way in which you breathe can also affect your levels of relaxation, and deep, slow breathing is an excellent way to relax naturally. As you begin to meditate, make the effort to breathe fully from your abdomen, drawing in and releasing the breath slowly and smoothly.

4. A fourth method which can help you to relax both physically and mentally, is to listen to a meditation recording. While there's a huge variety available to choose from, the best meditation tracks include brainwave entrainment technologies such as binaural beats.

Such a recording helps to relax your brain by stimulating the production of lower frequency brainwaves than those that are associated with normal waking consciousness. This happens thanks to a phenomenon called the 'frequency following response', where your brain matches its own brainwave output to the frequencies of the sounds on the recording.

Such a recording is useful for new and experienced meditators alike, but is especially valuable for those who normally find it difficult to relax and focus their minds. Use binaural beats, and you're sure to experience the benefits of meditation and deep relaxation more quickly than you would with traditional methods, which can often take months or even years to learn.

If you want to find out what binaural beats or other brainwave entrainment methods can do for you, I highly recommend checking out the 'Meditation' recordings from The Unexplainable Store. These are of great quality and are fully guaranteed, and there are free downloads available too. For more information go to http://www.brain-sync.com

Loren Mann is an experienced 'explorer of consciousness' who enjoys writing about self-development topics and sharing helpful, high quality resources, and may receive compensation as a result of making these recommendations.

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Living and Aging With Meditation

These days, without wishing to sound morbid, living seems to get harder and harder. Over the past 20 years or so, and partly due to incredible advances in the ease of communication, the world seems to be full of famine, disease, environmental breakdown and war. One could be forgiven for thinking that the end is nigh!

As one starts to personalise this state of affairs, one finds oneself out of a job, or simply wondering when their time will come, losing their home and possessions due to the economic crash, or spending much mental time and energy on wondering how to keep afloat.

Things that have been held as absolute truths have been questioned and then dismantled, and when this happens, when all yardsticks by which we measure ourselves have been discredited, we no longer feel we know what is right or correct, and do not know where to go to get the answers we need.

We are encouraged to be positive and reject negativity, to conform to whatever the rules happen to be and accept "spin" as part of everyday life.

All this causes stress and worry, communities fragment as people have to travel to find work, people feel marginalised and lonely, depression, stress and finally stress related diseases begin to take their toll.

Meditation helps to find that inner peace or sense of self. Like all things, it has to be practised regularly, but with practice it becomes easier and as one's experience of meditation increases, finding time to meditate becomes much easier, as we all find the time to do something we enjoy.

In fact, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people who had practiced meditation had improved cognitive and behavioural abilities, and lived longer than people who do not meditate.

The study used 73 residents of retirement homes who were over 81 years old. They were randomly split into 4 groups - those who had no treatment, those who underwent training in meditation, a third group who were given mindfulness training in active distinction making and a fourth group who underwent relaxation training.

After 3 years all of the meditation group members were still alive compared to 87.5% for the mindfulness training group and lower rates for the other two groups. In addition, when tested for attributes such as associative learning, cognitive skills, mental health, aging and behavioural flexibility, the meditation group did much better than the other three groups.

The study therefore suggests that if you meditate you will live longer, have better mental capacity and be less prone to mental disease and depression.

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Benefits of Meditation - Happiness

For many people, meditation represents some sort of spiritual experience, or that to meditate you are engaging in some sort of dark art.

It's true, there is a tradition of ancient texts and beliefs that have been passed down the generations which do indeed involve a spiritual path, but during the course of the twentieth century, teachers and researchers in the West have separated meditation from its spiritual origins, to a practical method of assisting with many twenty first century ills, for example, happiness.

Mystics, monks and yogis living simple lives have claimed for thousands of years that meditation makes you happier. This is endorsed by the many thousands of people who practice meditation in the West, and was recently proved in 2003.

MRI technology and brain mapping was used by researchers who found that meditation does, in fact make the practitioner happy. This is because the left prefrontal cortex of the brain was activated with regular meditation. The left prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain associated with positive emotions. The results of the research where published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

In addition, a biotech company took a group of their employees and trained them in meditation over an eight week period, after which it was found that the group had greatly increased left pre frontal activity than a control group who had not had the training - four months after the training was completed, suggested that the effects of meditation are long term.

It was also found that by measuring the amount of antibodies produced in response to an injection of the flu virus. It was found that the greater the activation of the left prefrontal (in other words, the happier they felt), the greater the response from the immune system to the flu injection. So, meditation helps both with your sense of happiness, and also strengthens the immune system.

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Meditation and Cholesterol

It has been proved that high levels of cholesterol can be caused by diet. No surprise there, but did you know high cholesterol levels can also be caused by stress? In today's world it seems everywhere we go we are constantly subject to noise, be it audible - cars, music blaring in shops, machinery at work etc., or subliminal in the form of what we see around us, advertising and TV for example.

It seems today's world is full of distractions competing for our attention, often at the expense of quality family time, or importantly, time simply with ourselves. Add the changing nature of the workplace, the uncertainty of continued employment, those in work having to work harder to stand still, and it's not surprising that today's modern living is responsible for more stress related illnesses than ever before.

There has been a great deal of research conducted on the subject of stress, and it has been found that chronic stress actually increases cholesterol levels. The Journal of Human Stress published a study that proved raised stress levels also raises cholesterol. The study involved 23 individuals suffering from hypercholesterolemia, (very high cholesterol), being divided into two groups, one of 12 and the other of 11.

The group of 12 learnt and practised meditation for 13 months, the group of 11 did not. At the end of the 13 months results were compared and it was found that the group who had not practised meditation had a 5 point reduction in their cholesterol level, whilst those who had been using meditation found that their cholesterol levels had dropped from an average of 254 to 225 - nearly 30 points.

A second study in which 40 female medical students practiced yoga and meditation found their cholesterol levels dropped by an average of 31 points. So what can we conclude here? Well, one of the main benefits of meditation is calm and inner peace - emotional states rarely approached in today's living.

Practiced regularly, and regularly is the operative word here, like anything worth doing it must be done consistently, meditation will relax and calm you. The result of this as you continue to practice is that more and more you can retain this inner peace as you go about your day, thus reducing your overall stress levels.

Meditation should not be used as a substitute for medication, but given that it is safe and free, meditation is a very worthwhile addition to your daily routine.

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Meditation and Empathy

We seem to live in a world that is often dominated by bad news. The media is full of stories of pestilence, crime, war and economic collapse. We are encouraged to conform to the latest celebrity musings and made to feel that we have to look and act in a certain way.

In Britain and elsewhere a blame culture sometimes seems to predominate as we seek to escape responsibility for our actions, and look for scapegoats to justify our own shortcomings, and at the same time no one seems to want to take any notice when we have a problem, in particular large companies whose employees are more interested (understandably) in keeping their jobs than offering any real help or concern.

Wouldn't life be better if everyone could just take a little more time and trouble just to at least listen to whatever others have to say or may think? Wouldn't a more empathetic society be a better society?

Charity, as they say, begins at home. If we want change in society, then we have to engage in society and change ourselves before we can hope to influence others. If we can learn to think of ourselves a little less and others a little bit more, think of the change that could come about!

Well, real change in ourselves is possible.

Psychologist Carl Rogers defined empathy as "both the capacity to sense what the client is feeling and the ability to communicate this sensitivity at a level tuned to the client's emotional state".

Using this definition, a study was published in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology that investigated the relationship between meditation and the level of empathy in counsellors.

The study consisted of three groups of students. The first group of 16 were taught meditation, the second group of 12 were volunteers to learn meditation, but were not actually taught it, and the third group of 11 where totally opposed to learning meditation. All groups were checked before the study and again four weeks afterwards.

The study showed that those who had actually learnt meditation were significantly better at empathising than the other 2 groups, who showed no sign of increased empathy at all.

The conclusion of the study was that those who were the least empathetic before the study but the most open to experience, were those who improved the most.

So, if you would like to see a world where people empathise more with others, meditation can certainly help.

James enjoys cooking for friends and family, and is proud of his new kitchen. Visit his latest website about wall mounted kitchen faucets where you will find tips and great deals on wall mounted kitchen faucets.

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