Archive for the ‘Meditation Guides’ Category

If you’re new to meditation, you may be discovering that you’re more relaxed when you meditate frequently. But a meditation routine can provide more tangible results than just an improved sense of well-being. Meditation can actually do much more than relieve stress.

If you’re looking for an effective way to get more done in your workday in a more efficient manner, meditation can be a practical solution. Meditation can reduce anxiety about your job and help you identify priorities that you can act on one at a time instead of worrying about everything and accomplishing nothing.

Wake up Earlier

A morning meditation routine doesn’t require a huge commitment in terms of time. It does require a commitment to getting up about forty minutes earlier than you normally do. Trying to meditate when you’re rushed for time is pointless. When you’re rushing, there is no time to settle yourself or your thoughts.

The best way to form a habit of morning meditation is to find what works for you. You don’t have to incorporate any particular ritual into your meditation. If you’re accustomed to having a cup of coffee in the morning, there’s no reason you can’t blend elements of your normal morning routine into a new morning meditation time. Also, make sure to find a comfortable position. Don’t worry about whether you’re doing it right or strain yourself trying to get into a lotus position if that is difficult for you.

 

Just Breathe

Once you’ve found a comfortable position, begin by focusing on your breathing. Counting your inhalations and exhalations is a good way to begin clearing the clutter from your mind and focusing on your posture. Keeping your back straight and paying attention to your abdominal muscles contracting as you breathe in and out also helps take your mind away from the normal daily preoccupations that you may be so accustomed to that it’s become a sort of mental white noise.

You may even find after a while that you’re no longer thinking about your breathing and have entered a peaceful reverie. If you can, keep your mind in this clear uncluttered state for at least fifteen minutes. That may be difficult at first, but like any other discipline, meditation gets easier with practice.

 

Begin Thinking About Your Workday

Now that your mind is clear and empty, slowly begin thinking about the approaching tasks in your workday. Start identifying priorities. What is your most important priority of the day? Once you’ve identified it, move on to the other goals you need to accomplish. You’ll likely find this process much more anxiety-free as identifying priorities may be simpler than normal. Once you’ve made a mental check list, begin to think about the best way to go about each task to maximize efficiency and cut down on wasted, ineffective work habits. Sometimes we find ourselves feeling very busy at work while actually accomplishing nothing.

But feeling busy isn’t the same as working effectively. Once you’ve gone through the thought process of how you’ll execute each task you’ve identified, get up, get a pen a paper and make a list. You’ll likely find that this simple morning meditation routine will help you get far more accomplished in a typical workday than you’re used to. And even better, you may be more relaxed and worry-free while getting more done.

 

Author Bio

Jesse Langley lives near Chicago. He divides his time among work, writing and family life. He writes on behalf of Colorado Technical University and has a keen interest in blogging and social media. He also writes for www.professionalintern.com.

Meditation doesn’t have to be sitting in the same pose doing variations of the same thing time after time. This can become boring to some and make them lose their interest in meditation. There are different more fun kinds of meditation though such as this eating meditation that will develop mindfulness.

For this technique you will need something to eat and a comfortable chair. I recommend food such as a salad containing as many different types of flavors and textures as possible – lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, spinach leaves, beetroot, onion and pumpkin seeds all make for good ingredients.

Once you have prepared your salad sit down with it and take a moment just to look at it and all the colors that it holds – the greens of the lettuce and spinach leaves, the reds of the tomatoes and peppers and so on. Hold the salad to your nose and try to smell the scent of each ingredient you have placed in your salad individually.

Take your fork and feels how it passes through each item of food. You’ll find it passes through lettuce much differently than it does a tomato.

When you are ready take your first mouthful. Chew slowly and allow the salad time to dance on your tongue so you can fully appreciate the flavours. Experience the different textures that different vegetables hold. After you have swallowed the first mouthful take a short moment to think about everything you have experience just from eating a small amount of salad. You might notice that there is now more saliva in your mouth as your body readies itself to ingest more.

Experiment eating different ingredients in different combinations – you may take a mouthful of lettuce, tomato and peppers in one bite and then spinach, tomato and pumpkin seed the next.

Continue to eat in this slow, deliberate manner until you are full. You don’t have to finish the salad if there is some left. Just eat until you feel your hunger is satiated.

Besides developing mindfulness this eating meditation is also an excellent method of losing weight. As you eat more slowly and appreciate the rich flavors of the food you are also allowing your brain to register when you are full. This will help guide you to stop eating at an appropriate time for your nutritional needs.

Almost everyone has heard about meditation, but very few actually participate in the practice. Most people simply do not know how to meditate, and don’t really know what exactly what it is. Here we will show you how to meditate, and will try to describe what it is.

Anyone can benefit from the healing powers of meditation. You don’t need to be some spiritual guru to do this, and it doesn’t need to be complicated. You do not need to sit in those complicated yoga positions, unless you really want to. Simple is often better, especially if it encourages you to participate.

Meditation is all about clearing the mind of conscious thoughts. Removing that mental chatter so that your mind is clear. Being able to rest the mind like this is great for both mental and physical health in almost every way imaginable.

It is also great for gaining insight about your own mind, and even generating creative thoughts, as it allows the powerful intuitive subconscious mind to take charge. Your productivity can also soar as your mind becomes less cluttered and more efficient.

There are many methods people use to help them meditate and clear their minds. Some people simply sit in a comfortable position with their eyes closed and think about nothing. However this is not so easy for most people, unless they are quite experienced at meditating.

Many people find something to focus on in order to help them clear their minds.

You may wish to focus on your breathing – breathing slowly and deeply, and concentrate your mind on your breathing.

Some people like to repeat a mantra, either out loud or in their head, over and over again. The mantra can be any words or even a sound. It could be just the word ‘relax’, or the traditional ‘ohhmm’ sound for example.

You can even focus on an object to help you clear your mind. This does not necessarily have to be a religious or spiritual object. Some people like to focus on a flickering candle flame for example. You can even focus on an imagined object or scene.

If you are at first having difficulty, then you may wish to try some guided meditation audio sessions to help get you going. They will talk you through the process of meditation as you are doing it, and will help you to find that inner stillness. Once you have experienced this a few times you will be far more able to do it for yourself in the future.

Like any other skill, your meditation powers can be improved with practice. The more you do it the better and easier it will become.

If you want to experience meditation for yourself right now, then try this quick and simple breathing meditation. If you are having difficulty remembering this, then you may wish to use the video instead. Forward it to the 3 minute mark, and you will get a nice audio guide of the following meditation.

 

Get yourself comfortable, either led down, or sat up with good posture that you can sustain for some time. And when you are ready, close your eyes.

…All you need to do is focus on your breathing…Breath slowly and deeply…and focus on your breathing…For a few minutes, notice the coolness of the air as it enters your nostrils…and notice how much warmer it feels when you relax and breathe out…

…If at any time your attention wanders…simply refocus again on your breathing…There is no right or wrong…just enjoy the process…

…Any stray thoughts…simply allow them flow through you…as you continue to focus on your breathing…This is your meditation time…and you can deal with these things later…

…To help you focus on your breathing…I would like you to now begin to count your breaths…Once you reach the number 10…start back again at zero…Breathing slowly and deeply…Keep repeating this pattern over and over…for as long as you wish…Enjoy!