A beginner's guide to meditation
Meditation is one of the most powerful tools for transformation. Unfortunately for many conventional people it is a “bit too out there”, so it is put in a box only to be used by the likes of martial artists and yogis. I believe meditation however need not be put in a box for the few but is a tool we all inherently know but just have forgotten how to use it in daily life.
As a kid who loved martial arts films my impression was that meditation would be like magic and would give me special powers.
Unfortunately however when I began to meditate through learning martial arts it was more a case of suddenly finding out how much chatter was going on inside my head (in fast forward). Over the years I have experienced various meditation styles and experiences and would like to share some very simple techniques in this article with you and perhaps invite you to the possibility of introducing some form of meditation into your life.
What is meditation?
Over 1500 years ago the ancient sage Patanjali wrote the yoga sutra’s (the original term yoga refers not to physical postures like hatha yoga but a connection to the inner self i.e. meditation) which consisted of 196 aphorisms on the art of meditation. He said:
“Yoga is the effort to still the thought and feeling waves of the mind.” (1)
However this effort comes from a calm and relaxed place whereby
the body is relaxed
the mind is quiet
the attention is focussed in the moment (not the past or the future)
This therefore does not mean you need to be sitting crossed legged and still with the eyes closed, that’s just one way. You could be meditating while listening to music, enjoying a cup of tea or playing with your pet.
You can meditate on: your breath, nature, a mantra, sensations in your body, even the noise outside – there are limitless possibilities. It is a matter of focus and therefore quieting the chatter otherwise known as the “monkey mind”.
Health benefits of meditation
Reducing your stress levels is without a doubt one of the most important components to living a long and healthy life.
Here are but a few examples of how through meditation we can promote health:
- By reducing muscle tension that can lead to pain and dysfunction
- Through stimulating the immune szstem and the healing process
- Increasing blood circulation and the functioning to our digestive system (which among other systems shuts down when stressed)
- Balancing left and right brain activity otherwise known as the thinking vs. feeling sides. Today most people are caught at one extreme especially the left or thinking hemisphere
Reducing the amount and severitz of hypertensive conditions including insomnia, headaches and migraines
Here a few different styles or examples of meditation:
1. Breathe Meditation
This meditation incorporates also belly breathing exercise – which most people have lost the ability to do and can dramatically improve your health alone by increasing the amount of oxygen you take in (2 birds with one stone).
To begin belly breathing:
1. Lie on your back on the floor or alternatively in a comfortable chair.
2. Place your hands on your belly and begin to slowly inhale allowing the breath to expand the belly raising the hands up.
3. Breathe in for a count of 4, breathe out for a count of 6, increase the length of the breath keeping the out-breath two counts longer than the in-breathe – only go to a comfortable point then stay there (try breathing through the nose). Once connected to your belly breathe try placing your awareness on a point just below the nose and feel the sensation of the breath coming in and out. As your mind drifts away just gently bring it back to the sensation.
2. Body Scan
This meditation can be done at a number of times during the day including at red lights in the car or before falling asleep. Take a moment to scan the body from the feet through each body part to the head, the more time permits the more detail.
For example: Right foot, right calf, right thigh (then left side), hips, belly, solar plexus, chest, back, shoulders, right hand, right arm (left side), neck, head.
3. Walking Meditation
Do you find that you are always in a rush to get somewhere? Next time you go walking try slowing right down and practice this meditation. With each step correspond it to breathing in or out. Feel the weight shift through the movement of the feet from lifting, then shifting, to returning to the ground. Look straight ahead and let the eyes soften to observe the sensations within the body including the weight shift. Just 10 minutes a day will go a long way to a more relaxed mind.
Resources on meditation:
If you would like to learn more and importantly experience what meditation can offer then here are three possible places to go:
1. For those interested in a good book on meditation I thoroughly recommend:
Happy for no good reason by Swami Shankaranda.
It is an excellent manual on meditation including a CD to guide your practice.
2. There are also many centres that teach short courses in meditation, just check out your local directory. In London the best known is through: www.meditateinlondon.org.uk
3. For those after an intensive meditation course then this may be for you - 10 days silent retreat meditation.
It was definitely one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences I have ever had.
Vipassana meditation www.dharma.org (world wide organisation – funded by donations)
Happy Meditating :)
Your 3d coach
Craig Burton
Reference
1. Happy for no good reason, Swami Shankaranda, 2000, Information Australia
Article by Craig Burton. Craig is a prominent European based holistic health and fitness coach and founder of 3D Personal Training Systems. Craig is a Sports Science graduate with postgraduate accreditations in nutrition, massage, athletic training, and corrective exercise therapy.
He is the author of "The 21 Day Roadmap to Health" available at http://www.21dayroadmap.com.
Receive your FREE 3d pts tools including the 7 Part Series: Success Strategies for transforming the body, mind and spirit, our FREE monthly Peak Performance Newsletter and our FREE questionnaire to find out more about your current health status at http://www.3dpts.com/freetools.
For more information and articles on health and fitness visit http://www.3dpts.com/articles.
Who Says That Learning Italian Can't Be Fun?
Imagine you were trying to become a designer looking to travel the roads of Europe. On your travels you want to learn about different cultures, language and cuisine. Your goal is simple; take in as much as you can. Suddenly, you find yourself in Milan in a great discussion regarding the future of design and fashion, chatting over a glass of red wine sitting at a quaint coffee shop. You know that your success abroad will depend on your ability to learn enough of any given language to complete your goal.
For me it is simple. I have to listen to how a language is spoken in order to be able to speak it. That is why foreign language audio books work very well for me. In this example let’s use Italian. I use the audio to get myself speaking Italian quickly. I have to admit it is always funny when you listen to yourself attempting to pull of certain pronunciations.
The benefits of a simple audio program are many. On my way to work I can be yapping away to myself in Italian. By listening to an audio book you can quickly learn Italian that you can use in real situations.
By listening to the pronunciations you can learn how to practically apply what you have learned. You can learn the vocabulary through engaging stories. You can discover easy and effective memory tricks. With the audio format you can practice on your laptop at home or while traveling
Whatever your position in life, whether you're brushing up on a forgotten language or just interested in learning a new one, audio is one of the most practical and simple ways to do so. You will learn the skills you need at the pace you want using a variety of methods that keep the experience fun, fresh and motivating.
Learn a new language in no time. Start today. There is something fun about learning a new language.
Learn Italian I part II Includes five additional hours of spoken language practice in ten 30-minute lessons. . Learn a new language with audio book foreign language courses .
Make Your Dream Comes True With An Online Degree Program
What had you written in your high school's essay about your ambition? Do you still remember it? Is your current career in conjunction with what you ambitious for? If not, do you still want to realize the career that you are dreaming for? If you answer is yes, but you are not willing to put on hold your current job, then enrolling into an online degree program may be your best option. By enrolling into an online degree program, you can pursue your goals without disrupting your current lifestyle, because online degree programs are designed to fit into your busy schedule.
Look For An Online Degree Program
Before you enroll into any of the online degree programs, you need to know what you want to do with the degree you going to earn. Make your career direction clear and start to search for online degree programs that offer courses that meet your career goal. There are many accredited online universities or colleges offer various online degree programs. The best place to search for this information is Internet. You may find many online degree programs that close to your needs that make you confuse and hard to decide one. Don't rush your decision making. Make a request for information for those online universities or colleges. The information requests are free of charge, so make use of these resources.
Once you get all the information in hand, carefully study the courses' description of each online degree program. If you have any doubts or questions, you better get them cleared before you sign up the program. There are many online universities making their admission officers or counselors live for chat, get your questions answered at these live chat sessions. If you prefer to ask through phone call, the university's contact or toll free number should have stated in their website or in the information brochure that they sent to you. You won't be charged for asking questions, so ask as much questions as you have and make yourself clear on what the online degree program is offered and it is meeting your career goal.
Scheduling Your Online Classes
The best feature of online degree program is the flexibility. It tailors to fit your schedule so that your can still maintain your lifestyle and career. The drawback it, you have to schedule it. Typical class-based degree program has a fix learning schedule that you just need to follow, but with online degree program, you make the calls on when you want to attend your courses, put the time into your own schedule and ensure the online classes do not crash with your working schedule. Before you know it, you can be on your way to a college degree and your dream of career will be soon comes true.
Summary
Not many people will realize their career ambition due to many reasons. Now you have a chance to make yours comes true. With the available of online degree programs, busy working schedule and unable to put on hold your current job for earning a degree should not be your excuses any more. Put your dream into an action by enrolling into an online degree program and move your career according to your ambition.
Amelia Turner is the author from http://www.your-online-degree.info Visit her website if you want more FREE and detailed information on choosing the right Online Degree Programs, accredited online colleges and other online education information.
