(from 10 Best Ways to Manage Stress by Kathleen Barnes)
Meditation isn’t complicated or particularly esoteric.
Meditation is simply stilling your mind. Since we know the mind and body and spirit are all interwoven, stilling the mind will heal body and spirit as well.
Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, but modern science is just catching on to the ancient truth: Meditation can change your body as well as your mind. Dozens of scientific studies show the physiological benefits of meditation. Research suggests that meditation may help with:
allergies
anxiety disorders
asthma
binge eating
cancer
depression
fatigue
heart disease
high blood pressure
pain
sleep problems
substance abuse
You don’t have to meditate for hours on end. Ten or 15 minutes daily should suffice.
There are many forms of meditation. I’m going to introduce you to just a few here. Some may be more effective for you than others, so it’s a good idea to try out more than one.
The Basics
Meditation should not become a chore or a duty. It takes about three weeks to form a new habit. I promise if you faithfully practice daily meditation for three weeks, this stress-relieving habit will become a part of your consciousness and your daily practice will become a joy that you eagerly anticipate.
If you make that three-week commitment, the rest is a piece of cake!
What follows is the most elementary description of the most commonly used meditation techniques. This is an incredibly complex subject that merits far greater depth.
For most forms of sitting meditation, you should sit in a chair or on the floor with your spine straight and your feet flat on the floor. It’s best not to lie down because that’s the position most of us assume for sleeping and our subconscious minds are programmed to connect lying down with going to sleep. Many meditators like to have their hands resting comfortably, palms up on their knees with thumbs and forefingers circled to contain energy.
I like to use a particular shawl that I’ve had for more than 20 years for practical reasons because body temperatures tend to drop as we become relaxed and for spiritual reasons because this shawl contains the energy of many, many years of meditation. Also, the act of putting on the shawl places my mind in readiness to let go of distraction and for my body to let go of stress.
Now, relax your shoulders.
Turn off your phone and eliminate distractions as much as possible. You may find that some soft soothing music will be helpful. Earbuds can help block out external distractions.
Best Meditations:
Progressive relaxation: This is one type of meditation that you might find is more effective if you are lying down. Starting with your feet, tense, hold and relax every muscle group. For example, point your toes away from your head and then toward your head, hold a few seconds and release. Progressing upward to and including your scalp, this technique releases deeply held stress patterns in every part of your body.
Floating meditation: This one is particularly effective for you water babies. Imagine yourself floating in an endless ocean that is the perfect temperature, warm and welcoming. The waves gently rock you up and down. You are completely safe and secure in the arms of this great ocean. Music that features the sounds of the ocean can help get you to this place of relaxation. You might even like to do this in the bathtub!
Candle meditation: If you have some difficulty keeping your eyes closed, try putting a lighted candle about three feet in front of you and darkening the rest of the room as much a possible. Simply focus your attention on the candle until your eyes begin to close involuntarily. This means you have reached a state of meditation.
These techniques all take some time to learn, so be patient with yourself. Try these basic techniques and you will likely find one that really works for you. Everyone is different and for a wide variety of reasons, some techniques will work more easily for you than others. That is all as it should be.
It is very important that you do not beat yourself up if you have difficulty. The human mind is very strong and is ultra-conservative, not in the political sense, but in the physiological sense that it fights like crazy to preserve the status quo. The mind resists change, even if the present is very uncomfortable.
So expect some push-back from your mind. Persist and you will succeed.
