outside of meditation too.
•Meditation Improves Your Relationships
Meditation can help improve our relationships in two ways: first, it provides us with time to reconnect with ourselves. The more relaxed, grounded and self-accepting we are, the more we are able to be our best selves with other people. Secondly, meditation also helps develop our awareness of the stories we might hold around our relationships.
As well as noticing thoughts and feelings about ourselves, meditation provides us with the opportunity to see stories we have around others from a different perspective too.
•Improves Creativity
Scientific study has revealed that you can relieve pain with the help of meditation. In the study, subjects trained themselves to focus on physical sensations from certain parts of their bodies, leading researchers to believe that people who suffer from chronic conditions could be able to train themselves to ‘turn down the volume’ on pain.
•Enhances Concentration
You may call meditation a practice in concentration. Once you learn to concentrate on your breath, you can translate that skill into any number of settings we choose. Through regular meditation, we also get used to shifting our attention back to the task at hand when it strays.
•Fosters a Feeling of ‘Wholeness’
This is probably the most difficult one to put into words, as it’s something that is hard to explain until you experience it.
Do not underestimate the power of spending a few minutes a day connecting with your body and your mind. An innate sense of well-being such as oneness, stability, a sense of perspective, or self-connection is what you get from meditation. You can change your experience of the world by taking a few minutes to reconnect with your internal feelings and sensations in a world where most of your time is spent focusing on external activities.
Daily Meditation
One of the most powerful things I’ve learned over the years is the habit of meditation. Amazingly, it’s also been one of the simplest habits I’ve had to develop. You can meditate almost anywhere, anytime, and it will always have immediate benefits.
Many people think that meditation is something that requires a teacher. However, in reality, it can be as simple as paying attention to your breath while sitting in your car or on the train, or while sitting at the coffee shop or in your office, or while walking or showering.
You can meditate even if you’re a busy person as it takes hardly one or two minutes. When you simplify the meditation habit, there’s no excuse for not doing it daily.
Why Meditate?
There are countless reasons for you to create a small daily meditation practice. Here are few of the ones I’ve experienced during my meditation practice:
•It relieves stress and helps you to relax
•When you practice mindfulness, you can carry it out to everyday life
•Mindfulness helps you to savor life, change habits, live simply and slowly, be present in everything you do
•There are many mental benefits of meditation such as improved focus, happiness, memory, self-control, academic performance and more
•Some research on meditation has indicated that it may have other health benefits, including improved metabolism, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure and more
•You begin to understand yourself better and form a self-awareness level you’ve never had before with the help of meditation
Most simply, sitting for just a few minutes of meditation is an oasis of calm and relaxation that we rarely find in our lives these days. And that, in itself, is enough.
Making the Most of Meditation
Living in such a hectic world can take its toll on your body, mind, and spirit – but the practice of meditation can help you to focus, have a clear mind, and stay centered. Meditation is a practice of learning to train your mind using many techniques.
What all of the techniques have in common is that they work for some benefit in your life. Meditation can help you reduce the effects of stress on your body and mind. It can help you develop a clear mission and purpose for your life. It can help you connect to a higher power.
If you’ve never meditated before, it can be hard to imagine how to get started. There’s a wide range of meditation techniques. Some are simple, while others require a great deal of discipline and training. In the end, though, there’s really no wrong way to do it.
As you consider beginning the practice of meditation, there are factors to consider. The first is determining in what position you’ll meditate. There are several options for you – choose the one that makes the most sense for you.
Getting into Position
Determining an appropriate position for meditation can set the stage properly. You really don’t have to choose one specific way to do it, but getting your body into a different position from the norm can help you to focus your mind in a more effective way.
While many people choose to use specific yoga positions for meditation, trying to get your body to hold a position that’s uncomfortable can actually take away from your meditation practice. Choose a position that separates you from outside activities, but is comfortable.
•The Lotus
The lotus position is the one that most people associate with meditation. This position is a seated position on the floor. For this position, you’ll bend your right leg and place your right ankle on your left thigh.
Then you’ll place your left ankle on your right thigh. This takes a bit of flexibility. Extend your arms and place your hands on your knees palms up. You’ll also want to touch your thumb and index finger.
For this position it’s important to maintain proper posture so that your spine is properly aligned. You may also want to lower your head so that your chin is touching your chest. It may take some time to be able to achieve this position comfortably.
If you’re not able to achieve it comfortably, there are positions that are close, but don’t require as much flexibility. These can allow you to work up to the lotus position that you want to achieve and allow you to meditate.
•The Half-Lotus
This position is similar to the lotus, but not as difficult. You start in the same way by touching your right ankle to your left thigh. However, when you bend your left leg, you keep it on the floor and rest your left ankle in front of your right knee.
For this position your arm placement will be the same. This will help you to begin experiencing meditation even if you’re not quite flexible enough to achieve a full lotus. Many people who want to practice meditation in the lotus position begin with this pose.
•Crossed Legs
If you’re not ready to perform the lotus, you can also sit with your legs crossed on the floor. Make sure to sit straight up and have proper posture. This position is more comfortable if you’re not flexible and will still allow you to meditate.
•Lying Down
There are also positions for meditating where you lie on the floor. Lying down can help you to relax your body and separate yourself from your regular daily life. It’s very comfortable, doesn’t require flexibility, and keeps your body supported.
When it comes to meditation positions, the most important consideration is your comfort. While meditation positions can help you to focus your mind, the wrong position can actually take away from your experience.
If you’re new to meditation, you don’t need to spend all your time focusing on your body