Understanding Meditation
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Meditation has been around for many thousands of years. It is a technique geared towards inner discovery and enlightenment. Its' also used for deep relaxation, freedom from thoughts and inner peace. There are many forms and techniques of meditating, varying from silent motionless techniques to very vigorous physical ones.
The Goals of Meditation
Many people meditate for different reasons, thus achieving different goals. One of the most common reasons for meditation, is relaxation from peoples busy and stressful lifestyles. Stress! The culprit for many ailments and poor health is at an all time high in many a persons life. The combative results of meditation often brings much needed relieve like the rain falling upon a half thirsty tree to this problem. Other people meditate for deep spiritual reasons, such as to achieve enlightenment. Enlightenment in this case is to reach your true self, the self uncluttered with what we call the ego. Then others again meditate to develop better concentration and control of the mind (stilling their thoughts).
The Benefits of Meditation
Meditation relaxes the body almost to a sleep like restfulness, yet it's a hundred times better than sleep itself in terms of benefits. With continued meditation over time, you'll notice your memory increases. You'll be able to remember things with much better clarity and accuracy. Your concentration strengthens to the point where little to no distractions occur once your mind is engaged in a task. Slowly but surely, like a veil being removed from your eyes, you'll see things much clearer (be conscious of) and begin to live in the present with a renewed happiness. Serenity and deep relaxation marries itself to you as a season mediator. What this means is, over time, you'll be able to turn on the serenity feelings at will to some degree. Especially during stressful episodes in your life.
Enlightenment
There are many kinds of enlightenments, but for the subject of meditation, we'll stick to the relevant one. For many people, meditation is simply a means to relax and combat stress. In reality, meditation is much more than a stress buster. Other than the many benefits it rewards you with, it's ultimate gift is something that many spiritual teachers call enlightenment. The goal of enlightenment in meditation is to go beyond the ego. Ego! According to the dictionary is the self, the part of the mind that reacts to reality and has a sense of individuality. This description of the ego is exactly what enlightenment seeks to transcend and unveil as the totally false self.
When a person is born, they eventually absorb various thoughts, ideas and beliefs from family and other people they come into contact with. As time goes on, they grow and these ideas, thoughts and beliefs become so ingrained within their mind, that they see them as an inseparable part of them self. Consider this! If you were to tell me who you were, you'd probably tell me: What your gender is, say what race you belong too, what kind of career/job you do, nationality, hobbies, your age, weight etc. Anything that you identify with, may be brought out to help explain your case of who you are. This is all well and good, but essentially, those things don't reflect your true self of who you really are. Meditation with the goal of enlightenment will transcend this usual state and place you in a state of consciousness where such identification is pointless. The true you is eternal and unchanging. All the former descriptions I just mentioned to you, are not permanent and subject to change at any given time. The enlightened state allows you witness your true self in an altered state of consciousness beyond the thoughts and attachments you grasp to help you identify who you are. In this altered state of consciousness, you see the eternalness of yourself and your true nature. You're on the outside looking in at the world as if it were a grand show or movie. In your ordinary state of consciousness, you'd be taking part as an actor or actress inside this movie (life). Playing whatever part your thoughts and ego wish you to play, but as your true self, you will be in the world (the movie) not of it. You are able to choose your interactions sensibly and avoid unnecessary suffering, pain and regret. You become aware of the limitations of your ordinary state as oppose to your enlightened state, where you rise above the rushing of your thoughts and emotions that change constantly. One minute you are happy, the next you are sad. In your altered state of consciousness, you exist as almost a pure state of consciousness that is untouched by the influences of random thought and emotions. All false identifications of yourself is observed and then tossed into nothingness until you need them again in your ordinary state of consciousness, but with one difference. You'll be able to always see them as false labels and not the real you. They will have their uses in the ordinary world, but they will no longer control or deceive you into believing this is who you are.
Unfinished Symphony
Meditation offers a sensible solution to health, personal and professional problems. It also provides a solution for peaceful enlightenment, if that's what you're after. There will come a time in your life, when the chorus of life starts sagging and prompts you to pick up your conductor's stick (meditation) and start correcting the insufferable songs, into a beautiful symphony that breathes life back into your soul.
Gabriel Foster is the editor for http://www.gabrielfoster.com, the online magazine for both vegetarians and natural health enthusiasts.
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Meditation offers practical help for all faiths, lifestyles San Antonio Express The practice of meditation makes our present moment workable by helping us overcome everyday stresses. It's something people of all faiths or no faith can use to keep us where we are — regardless of whether the moment is pleasurable or not. Managing Stress with Meditation |
Washington Post Best Selling Book by Meditation Expert Offers Chance at a ... MarketWatch (press release) Author Ilchi Lee has offered a free one-hour teleseminar, and an iOS and Android-based app featuring meditations from the book will be introduced for the first time at a discounted $0.99. Participants can enter by going to www.callofsedona.com . |
Please Meditate: Try the Tao (VIDEO) Huffington Post (blog) I first encountered Taoist meditations while working on my Master's of Science degree in acupuncture at Yo San University. I had previously received acupuncture treatments from Dr. Maoshing Ni, and through these treatments found complete remission from ... |
Challenger School's meditation garden offers students 'horticultural therapy ... TCPalm The meditation garden, now dedicated in honor of Susan D. Burrows, Challenger School founder and its principal for 18 years, was started by Cindy Haris with the University of Florida of Martin County 4-H Youth. |
 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal | Transcendental Meditation returns to the Peninsula Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal Val Mailander, Ma, PhD, retired psychologist, probation officer and TV producer/actress is offering introductory lectures and group meditations on the Kitsap Peninsula. She has taught over 1000 people over the past 40 years. Consider Consciousness-Based Education Through 15 Minutes Quiet Time |
 PR Web (press release) | Mind-Body Healing Pioneer, Best-Selling Author, and Chopra Center Co-founder ... PR Web (press release) Known for his pioneering work in the field of mind-body medicine, David Simon, MD played a key role in bringing the healing practices of meditation, yoga, and Ayurveda into the mainstream medical world and to countless people throughout the globe. Chopra Center Dedicates 21-Day Meditation Challenge™ to Memory of Co-founder ... |
Find some inner peace with quiet meditation Calgary Herald A regular meditation practice enables us to learn how to distance ourselves from our thoughts. It is very easy to identify with every thought that comes into our heads and to believe what we think is true. We can quickly "let our thoughts run away with ... |
Learn basic meditation techniques Times of India Meditation is not a new-age sensation as you might believe given its ever-rising popularity over the last decade. It's a lifestyle that holds thousands of years of history to its name and once indulged in, very few people ever doubt its capacity to ... |
 The Saginaw News - MLive.com | Meditation on Madonna: 'Material Girl' pursued crossover collaborations in ... The Saginaw News - MLive.com By Justin Engel | jengel1@mlive.com View full sizecourtesy Interscope RecordsThe album cover for Madonna's new "Give Me All Your Luvin'." BAY CITY — The fourth and final Madonna "reinvention" MLive will highlight wasn't so much a reinvention as it was ... Meditation on Madonna: Material girl went 'Vogue' during controversial '90s work |
A Meditation on the Arc of Justice Patheos (blog) Invocation delivered at the ninth annual Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr Hall of Fame awards at City Hall, Providence, Rhode Island. Once the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr, sang of an “inescapable network of mutuality. |
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Basic Meditation Exercises
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Breathing
Breathe in through your nose and draw your breath down into the area just below your navel, allowing your stomach to expand as you breathe (Baby Breath) and filling your lungs entirely with each breath before exhaling through your nose. Breathing is the most important part of meditation and Kundalini Awakening.
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