Many people find meditation when they are unwell. I had a friend who was diagnosed with cancer and it was only then that she opened up to meditation in the hope that it would help her.
Many others would like to try meditation but they have no idea where to start. So here is some information to make things easier for you.
Firstly it is important to emphasize that you can’t get it wrong! Meditation can create a personal sanctuary for you any time, any place, anywhere.
What Is Meditation & What Is It Not?
Firstly meditation has nothing to do with religion. Meditation is a way of relaxing and healing. Meditation is a great way to increase your overall health, this has been proved in many studies.
For many of us in the Western world, meditation is often seen as some sort of “new-age hippie” fad, something that you do right before you eat your vegan meal and hug a tree. They feel like it is something only hippies or weird people do.
However, Eastern civilizations have known about the power of meditation for centuries and have used it to control the mind and expand their consciousness.
Today, Western thinking is finally catching up, and there is an increasing awareness of what meditation is and what it can be used for. It is becoming a daily practise for many all over the world.
The benefits of meditation are mentioned by health practitioners, doctors and other everyday people in day to day life. More and more people are doing it and gaining benefits.
Some Of The Benefits You Can Experience From Meditation Include:
• Decrease in insomnia
• Increased personal development
• Decreased stress and anxiety
• Reduced risk of cardiovascular related deaths
• Lowered blood pressure
• Relieves muscle tension
• Easier to focus and concentrate
• Reduced risk for other diseases and illnesses
As you can see the benefits of practising meditation regularly are extensive. The best part of meditation is that anyone can learn how to do it, and it can be learned at almost any age. Meditation for sleep and relaxation is a fantastic tool!
Whatever course you choose to learn meditation, you must know the people who are achieving the most amazing results are the ones who are incorporating meditation into their daily lives. Even 10 minutes a day can make such a difference.
There Are Many Different Types Of Meditation What Should You Choose?
It really depends on what you like to do. Like anything else in life, we are all different, we like different things and do things in different ways. All types of meditation will lead to the same result. Every form of meditation will relax our body and mind.
That is the goal. To get us into a state of repair for our body. When we are in this state it is optimal for our bodies to heal.
You Can Use Mantra Meditation
When you use mantra meditation, you are creating a sound such as “om”, “ah”, or “hum” to help you in your meditation.
You Can Use Silence Or Freeform Meditation
As a beginner, I tried sitting in a room with just me and my mind and it didn’t work for me as my mind was way too busy but now I know how to calm my mind I can use this technique anytime.
Freeform meditation is one where there is no guide, and you simply let your mind wander. To do this, sit comfortably and allow yourself to relax as much as possible.
Some people like to lie down when meditating, but others find that they fall asleep when they do so. Choose whichever method is best for you.
You Can Focus Your Attention On One Thing Like A Candle
Do an open eye meditation, sit in a darkened room with a candle and focus your attention on the candle. Calm your mind.
You Can Use Guided Meditations
These REALLY work for me. The guided meditations give your conscious mind a job to do while the subconscious mind can relax. When our conscious mind lets go we are in a state of meditation.
You can use guided meditations in a class or via a recording. A teacher leads the meditation, telling you where to go and what you see.
They may include things such as, “You are walking on a beach,” or “There is a person coming towards you who holds something in her hand.”
For beginners, a guided meditation is excellent, because it provides a good idea of what meditation actually is, and allows you to center your focus. You can buy commercially produced guided meditation CDs, or you can even record your own!
As a beginner wondering about meditation so much of your thinking can be about the process – i.e do I sit or lay down, where do I do it, how long for etc – are these aspects important?
The best time to meditate is whenever you can get some quiet time. If that’s in the morning before everyone else gets up, great. If it’s at night when your family has gone to bed, that’s fine too.
Whatever time you decide to practice, try to do it at the same time every day. This will allow you for more consistency, and get you into good meditation habits.
There is no right way, no right posture, the really important thing is you are undisturbed and away from distractions.
3 Steps To Meditation
1. Find a place where you can be undisturbed. Turn off the phone and the television, put the kids to bed, and close the windows if there’s traffic outside.
In some traditions, meditation is only performed inside a sacred space, so feel free to cleanse and consecrate the area as you see fit. Remove any possible distractions, and wear clothing that’s comfortable.
2. Find a comfortable position. You can sit, kneel, lay down (although if you are laying down you are more likely to fall asleep!)
3. Pick the form of meditation you want to do and do it.
It is that simple!!!
Remember there is no right way or wrong way. As long as you get to a place where you are relaxed you have done it right!
For true health and wellness we need to make meditation a part of our life. On a physical level it puts our body into a state that the body can repair itself.
On a mental level it calms our mind and can lessen anxiety and fear and on a spiritual level it can help to attract the life we want.
We can use it to aid our intention to what we want in our future and use it as a tool that will help us live the life we dream of.
You can find much more information on living a holistic lifestyle in these free magazines and on our YouTube channel.
Sharon White
If you would like to learn more and work with me one on one I would love to work with you. I am passionate about people having a voice, being heard and creating the change you want in your life.
You can contact me at sharon@globalhealingexchange.com to see how I can help you. Sharon is the founder of Global Healing Exchange. You can work with her on her Emotional Freedom Program here.
