Have you considered meditation, but thought it was either too hard or too “out there”? Not so fast.
Here is an article submitted by one of my contributing writers.
Meditation is renowned for its benefits and there are all sorts of reasons now is the right time to start.
Those looking to begin would do well reading the information below. It can be a big help and really get you off on the right foot.
Scan Your Body
Our minds are always being distracted by all kinds of messages and thinking. Therefore, it can be very challenging to relax and clear our minds. There is one trick for getting rid of the mental side-talk is scanning your body so that it is in unison with your breath.
Begin with focusing on your toes and tell them silently to relax. Next, repeat the process until you’ve scanned all parts of your body including your head, heart, arms, fingers, abdomen and legs. By the time you have paid attention to your whole body, you might be surprised at how relaxed it makes you feel.
Mantras
The word “mantra” is derived from two Sankrit root words. “Man” means “mind,” while “tra” means “instrument.” Therefore, a mantra is when somebody makes some kind of repetitive vibration or sound, using either an instrument or their own voice to calm and soothe their mind.
A majority of individuals are aware of the word “om,” which is frequently used as a mantra. However, there are a number of others as well. The key is repeating the word or sound over and over so that you feels its sound and vibration course throughout your entire body.
Peaceful Music and Sounds
The sound and vibration of peaceful music helps you relaxes your mind, which makes it easier to reach a meditative state. The key here is choosing music that is dreamy and soothing and ideally something that doesn’t have words. However, if you would prefer to have words as part of your peaceful music, then it is recommended that the words have soothing and soft tones.
The volume should also be low enough so it provides more of a backdrop for things instead of being all-consuming. In addition, be sure that your music doesn’t change significantly or end abruptly as you are meditating.
There are also a number of peaceful sounds that can help with meditation. Indoor Fountain Pros suggest an indoor fountain system. The trickle can really be a notable benefit for concentration and many find it very relaxing. Alternatively, chimes and other natural noises are also known to help.
Imagery
Whenever you think of or see an alarming image, it results in your body being flooded with cortisol, the stress hormone, and it becomes on edge and alert. The other side of that phenomenon is that through focusing on peaceful and calming images, it allows your body to have the ability to tap into your stillness within, which sets you up for meditation and relaxation. Those kinds of images are quite powerful for harmonizing the body and mind’s energy.
In terms of meditation, practice makes perfect. Therefore the more you practice it, the more it becomes easier to move into a meditative and aware state. In addition, try mediating regularly so that body becomes accustomed to it. There is one thing you should do prior to meditating, which is to ensure that you are comfortable at all times. If you aren’t comfortable, it makes it more difficult to achieve a state of inner peace and make it more difficult to relax.
Focus your awareness on your heart and brain
When a majority of people meditate, they have a tendency to just focus their awareness on their brains. Whenever people do that, it means they are missing a critical element of the overall meditation process. In addition to your brain, the other thing that is very important is your heart which can help you achieve that desired state of inner peace.
Focusing on your brain at first is among the most effective methods to help you achieve the desired state of mindfulness. Following that, slow down the activities from your brain through relaxing and clearing your mind of distracting thoughts. After you have achieved this, the next thing you want to do is bring your awareness to your heart and then relax your heart to allow your hear and brain to work in unison.
Focus your awareness onto a specific body part for a couple of minutes or even longer may be difficult at times. If you discover that you are having a difficult time with focusing your awareness, these 5 techniques can be used for helping to make your spiritual awareness stronger.
All uncaptioned images courtesy of 123rf.com
