Meditation Techniques
Meditation Techniques - Simple Exercises
Author: Ron King
How To Relax With Meditation
In our pressured society, it is helpful to learn worthwhile tools to help us relax body, mind and spirit. Many individuals find that practicing a meditation technique can be a real lifesaver, primarily when you are in the midst of a demanding or troubling period of your life.
How do I Meditate? Is Meditation Difficult?
It's not as hard as you think. The process revolves around focusing your mind on a specific relaxing image or experience over a specific time-even just a few minutes per day. This way, your mind is able to relax. Your stress is relieved so your body can recuperate and relax; toxic build ups are also decreased.
You will find that while you're meditating your breathing slows, your blood pressure is reduced, the muscles relax, nervousness and irritability are reduced. Stressful thoughts and lactic acid are eliminated, cleansing your mind and heart. Headaches and stress are also lessened. These are only a few of the documented mental and physical rewards of meditation.
Focusing on just a single thing is the true essence of meditation. Meditation is usually performed for about 30 minutes, so be sure that you're in a comfortable position wearing comfortable clothing. You can lie on your bed, sit on your favorite couch, or select any position that you're really comfortable in.
Center your attention on your breathing, an object, a sound, or even an object such as a blooming flower. Keep your eyes closed or open, whichever you prefer. Whichever you choose, it is best to stay focused. If you feel any distractions or repetitive thoughts, simply notice them and let them subside on their own. This is typical when you're just a beginner; you will always find your thoughts wandering but as you continue practicing meditation, you will soon improve. Your thoughts will never disappear altogether, unless you become enlightened! What will improve is your reactions to your thoughts, and your feeling of being overcome by worries, anxiety, jealousy, pain and other troubling states of mind and body.
Try the following simple exercises and incorporate them into your meditation so that you can achieve total relaxation.
Tense Relax. With this meditation technique, start by clenching your fists, then pull forearms firmly against the upper arms. Keep your leg muscles muscles tensed. Clench you jaws and close you eyes tightly. Breathe deeply and hold for about 5 seconds. Then let go of everything at once. Feel the sensations while your tension is being released.
Heaviness/ Warmth. This is done by sensing your legs and feet becoming heavier and warmer by the second. Picture that you are wearing lead boots. Try to envision that your central body area is also getting warmer and relaxed. Tell yourself that you're forehead is getting cooler and relaxed. Breathe easily and regularly. Just feel all the heaviness and warmth cover your entire body.
Ideal Relaxation. In this technique, close your eyes and try to create a heavenly relaxation spot within your mind. Pick out any place, whether it's imagined or real. Visualize that you're in that place. Feel calm and relaxed in your imagined and ideal relaxation place. Enjoy that positive, special moment for as long as you wish.
There isn't simply one meditation technique. Meditation is a time-honored art, and books abound on the methods and practices used for millennia by a multitude of cultures and spiritual traditions. With practice, you will be able to recharge your energy and quiet your mind by using your breath. Your facility to feel the benefits of meditation will improve if you make a dedication to meditate daily. By simply resting for a few minutes each day, paying attention to your body sensations, feelings and emotions without judgement or attachment, you will be cultivating mindfulness, and creating a path toward serenity, self-healing and stress reduction.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-
articles/meditation-techniques-simple-exercises-366224.html
About the Author:
For more information, check out Absolute Natural Health - Meditation Guide . Unlock your free report on Alternative Medicines at Everything You Wanted To Know About Alternative Medicine . Ron King is a web developer; visit his website Authoring Articles .
Copyright 2008 Ron King.
Meeting Your Personal Spirit Guides
Short, Simple Beginner Meditation
Author: Jamie Southworth
This meditation can be done at any time, day or night. The most important thing is to ensure that you will not be interrupted and that you are comfortable. I have found when I first go to bed works the best or during the day when I would normally be napping. I have also found that lying down is the most comfortable for me, but choose a position in which you can fully relax. It is not uncommon to actually fall asleep during this meditation. That is a good thing, as your Guides often wish to communicate with your subconscious and will prefer a trance state. You will later remember what you were taught, similar to DeJaVu.
At first, much of this mediation will feel like your mind is making it up, and that is ok. Tell yourself before beginning that you are ok with your mind making it up, and that you trust in yourself to allow the experience. You will find as you move into this meditation that your mind will try to change things or make them more pleasing to you. And no matter how hard you try you cannot change what you see. This is because it is not coming from you. Your Guides are creating your experience. My daughter once said that she wanted the doorknob to be black, but it was gold. And no matter how hard she tried it remained gold. I told her this is because it IS gold! She agreed. So remember this as you move into your relaxed state.
Begin by imagining a flight of stairs. These can go up or down as to your preference. They can be made of light, wood, metal, air it makes no difference. Your Guides will immediately place them in your mind and you will find that you cannot change their appearance. They simply are. Now get on that flight of stairs and go either up or down until you reach a door. Again, the door can have any shape or form, just allow your mind to show you what the door looks like. If there is a handle turn it and open the door. If there is no handle, push the door open. Use any method at this point to open the door. You will now step into another place. This place can take on any form that your Guides show you. For some it is a beach or a forest. For others, like me it is a garden or a pavilion. It makes no difference. Just allow yourself to see it and take notice of what is around you. For some there is no actual place it is more of a white light everywhere. This is fine too. Whatever you see is fine.
Now. In this place you will see a figure. It may or may not be human looking. It might take the form of an animal or an object like a droplet of water or a cloud. Again, it makes no difference. This will be your first guide. Walk up to this energy and say hello. Ask him/her for their name and they will tell you. Do not second guess the name or try to change it no matter what they tell you. You cannot get this wrong. Our guides do not speak like we do. They communicate via Vibration. So bear this in mind as they try to tell you what their names are. They are translating in order to do this. If the name you are given is not a word you can recognize or speak, ask this guide to change to a name you can understand and they will give you a name. Once you have a name, ask this guide what his/her purpose is for you...what are they there to teach you or give to you. And they will tell you. Take a deep breath and think about this and then thank this guide for being in your life. Tell them you appreciate them and look forward to working with them. As you move along, try to remember the details of your encounter for later.
Now, ask this guide if they would like to introduce you to any other guide that happens to be there. At this point they will either take you to another guide or not. If they do not, it is ok. You may remain in your Meeting Place as long as you want to, either talking to your new guide or taking in the surroundings. I have often asked for my loved ones that have passed on before me to come and talk to me. I find this a great source of comfort. They will usually take on the same form they had when they were here on Earth, but not always. As before, never force the experience. Just let it unfold naturally. When you are finished, simply open your eyes and end the meditation. Take time to write down what has occurred for you in a journal. If you are in a group setting, sit quietly and wait for the others to finish. Use this time to think about what you have just experienced.
If your guide takes you to another guide, repeat the same process. Ask for a name, ask what their purpose is and thank them for being in your life. Continue to do this until you are satisfied that you have met all the guides that are presently there for you to meet. It is not uncommon to only see one or two the first time, so do not feel worried or in competition with anyone else. Throughout your life you will work with many guides in varying strengths. They come and go and their numbers are irrelevant. Some, like Esther Hicks have a collective guide. Hers is called Abraham and it is a collective of many Ascended Masters all in one voice. So in her case, one guide is all she needs!
You will often hear me say-I am going to the garden-I do this at times when I need a little extra help. When I feel them calling me there or if I just need comfort from my Guides. Your Meeting Place is always there and is often ever changing. Do not be alarmed if you go there one day and it is very different and changed. This is normal. As you evolve so does your meeting place. Bear in mind that a conversation with them does not require your Meeting Place as a pre-requisite. I speak with my Guides dozens of times during the day right in my head. The Meeting Place is more for meeting new guides or getting more specialized direction. I hope your first experience was a good one! Take a moment and write to me and let me know what happened for you. I am always interested in your experiences!
Article Source:
http://voiceoftheancients.com/Med1.html
"May Angels Rain Their Love And Light"