Relaxation is the foundation of meditation. It is the absence of body mind tension. Meditation is a receptive clear mind. It is the absence of all conditioning: social, cultural, and religious.

Tension and a conditioned mind have taken us away from our natural relaxed body and a clear mind; a mind that can see straight. So we must practice relaxation and meditation formally to remove body mind tension and the mental conditioning.

Relaxation Meditation Techniques

Relaxation techniques – These include progressive muscular relaxation, mental imagery, touch therapies like massage, polarity therapy and reiki. The sauna, stretches and movement also reduce body mind tension.

Depending on how in touch you are with your body, you may hear the body speaking. You might be completely deaf to your body’s messages as you go about your daily activities. Ever notice how when you have an opportunity to become quiet, oh my, suddenly you become aware of the tense shoulder, or the tight calf?

Meditation techniques – Two broad categories are outlined in Managing Stress by Brian Luke Seaward:

(1) Concentration or Exclusive

Thoughts focus inwards using mental repetition, visual concentration, repeated sounds, physical repetition, and tactile repetition. Eyes often closed.

(2) Inclusive

In detached observation, the conscious mind accepts whatever arises from the unconscious mind. One important point is that this must be done without judgment or analysis. This meditation is also called access meditation, insightful meditation and mindfulness. Eyes are usually open.

Reduce Stress

Relaxation – When you practice relaxation, the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for rest and recuperation is strengthened. Rest after work reduces stress and fosters health. Rest is not sleep. Relaxation reduces muscular tension and relaxes the conscious mind.

Meditation – Mind training increases stability in the constantly moving mind. The witness within comes alive, creating some distance between any potential volcanic activity of fears and desires. Natural qualities of joy and openness are experienced more and more. A meditation practice offers an opportunity to reduce incorrect perceptions of threat. Our world becomes safer.

Outcomes

Both relaxation and meditation reduce the impact of stress. While relaxation addresses the physical body and conscious mind, meditation transforms the content of the subconscious mind and reduces the frequency and intensity of stressors. Meditation brings fearlessness, as well as a greater sense of connectedness with our inner and outer world.

Practice relaxation meditation techniques to get back to the real you and a greater sense of well being.

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From Heather Greaves – the Self Care Coach and Body Therapies Yoga Training

In the summer, it’s easier to feel better about life. The warm weather, casual feeling of the season and endless recreational opportunities bring with them an excitement about life that’s hard to find in any other season. Use this positive momentum to your advantage to learn a skill that will fuel your happiness in any season.

Getting Ready to Meditate

Meditation is a very personal thing. Some people meditate in groups. But when you meditate alone, you may experience fewer distractions and a richer experience as a result. A backyard lounge or hammock is a great place to contemplate where you are and the direction your life is headed on a warm summer evening.

Sit comfortably or lie down to prepare your body for meditation. Once you begin, the flow of your contemplation is interrupted if you have to move around or adjust to a more comfortable position.

Pay attention to your breathing. Breathe from your belly and not your chest. Take slow, deep breaths. The more you practice, the better you’ll become at deep breathing. Proper breathing is the key to relaxing your body and opening your mind to experience the benefits of meditation.

How you meditate will have a lot to do with what feels right to you. The goal of any meditation session is to feel centered and relaxed. If you relax and let go, your spirit will instinctively move toward a meditation style that’s right for you.

Supplies

Like meditation itself, the supplies you’ll need are largely a matter of personal preference. It’s okay to experiment with different ideas until you find what works best for you. Here are some suggestions for things you might want to use in your meditation:

• A religious object or symbol that means something to you
• Candles or incense that provide an aromatherapy effect
• Music or white noise for a calming effect
• A blanket, pillow, stuffed toy, or similar object that gives you comfort

What If It’s Not Working?

At first, meditation can feel a bit awkward. It’s easy to get distracted. If you continue to practice until you find what works for you, however, you’ll find that meditation calms your mind and supports the attainment of the peace you crave.

What matters most in meditation is how it makes you feel. If a particular technique feels uncomfortable or leaves you without a feeling of peace, it may be the wrong technique for you. Shift your focus and try a different technique. Above all, do what feels right to you in this personal time of reflection.

Meditation is valuable for increasing your inner sense of peace. The warmth of summer is a perfect complement to the peacefulness you experience in your mind, body, and spirit when you practice meditation on a regular basis.

If so, it’s comforting to know that you can ease feelings of anxiety by understanding your worries and fears and taking action to get to the root of them. One of the prime natural methods to easing anxiety is the use of meditation.

Meditation is a basic self-help technique that can get you in better touch with yourself. It also relieves stress, relaxes your body, and calms your mind.

Getting to the Root of Your Anxiety

Anxiety is a scary thing because it’s your body’s reaction to a fearful situation, except anxiety can form when there’s no perceived threat. You may even fall into a pattern where you’re afraid of the fear itself, so you avoid situations that have brought out anxiety in the past.

However, you’ll soon find that avoiding life does nothing to help you solve your challenges. You can enjoy much better results by figuring out the real causes of your feelings of anxiety. Participating in counseling or group therapy situations may help you understand these feelings. Another way to get to the root of your feelings is by practicing meditation.

Starting Out With Meditation

There are different ways you can approach a meditative practice. You can start by just picking a time everyday when you can calmly be alone without distractions. Begin your meditation by taking deep breaths and focusing only on each breath as it goes in and out.

On a particularly stressful day, you might have more difficulty focusing on your breath. The thoughts of whatever is stressing you may keep getting in the way. When this happens, acknowledge the thought and then go back to concentrating on your breath. Eventually, you’ll feel your mind grow calm.

As you calm your mind, begin purposefully taking notice of your thoughts. All you must do is notice them, and then return your attention to your breath again. If any thoughts make you uncomfortable or tense, relax your muscles and then focus on your breath again.

Try not to stress yourself out further by getting frustrated with the meditation process. As you continue to practice, it will get easier, and you’ll look forward to your relaxation sessions.

Maintaining Your Practice

Meditating will help you become fully aware of the present moment. Remind yourself to spend a portion of every day in the present so you’re not burdened by past and future stress. With regular practice, you’ll be able to expand the amounts of time that you stay in the present.

By continuing to meditate on a consistent basis, you’ll begin to notice your true self. You can discover a lot about your life by maintaining awareness of the present moment. You’ll also notice the way your body reacts to stress and anxiety and can take measures to counteract it.

When Meditation Isn’t Enough

Although meditating can go a long way toward easing your feelings of anxiety, sometimes meditation practice alone may not be your complete solution. In these situations, don’t hesitate to ask for help. There are many treatment options that include other natural methods, counseling services, and even medications.

With meditation and other methods, if necessary, you can make your feelings of anxiety become a faint memory of the past. Be proactive about creating a life free from fears or worries, and start meditating today so you can look forward to a bright future!

Yoga and meditation can be practiced separately or together, although in order to fully get the benefits of a yoga practice, you’d technically be meditating while you’re centered on your yoga breathing.

Benefiting the Mind and Body

The mind and body are often seen as separate entities, but they’re definitely intertwined. It’s impossible to separate the functions of one from the other.

For example, if you’ve ever been anxious or nervous, you know how that feels in your mind. Your thoughts race and you might even be irrational. At the same time, the nervousness has a profound effect on your body. Your heart pumps blood faster and your muscles tighten.

Yoga and meditation allow you to get centered on your breath so you can breathe deeply and relax, helping both body and mind. Both practices require some “work” in order to reap the benefits. However, when you stick with it and make the practices a part of your everyday routine, you’ll enjoy the serenity of a balanced mind and body.

More About Yoga

Yoga is an ancient practice where you assume certain postures while you concentrate and relax. Yoga helps you gain flexibility as well as clarity in your thinking. When you practice yoga consistently, you may even find that you bounce back after illness and injuries because your mind and body are in such a healthy state.

If you’ve never tried yoga before, you may want to attend a local beginner’s class or get a yoga DVD. For best results, start slow and ease your way into a practice. Remember that yoga is mostly about your breathing and state of mind. With concentration, the yoga postures will be easier for you to get into and then maintain.

More About Meditation

Meditation doesn’t focus as much on the body, but it’s still important to maintain good posture whether you’re practicing sitting or walking meditation. Your main focus with meditation is again on the breath, but more specifically on the present moment.

When starting a meditative practice, you’ll first want to find a time and place where you know you won’t be distracted. The time period immediately upon waking or before you go to bed usually works well.

It’s best to start by sitting in an upright posture with your shoulders back. This will ensure that your chest is out and in a good position for deep breathing. Focus on your breath and brush away stray thoughts that cloud your thinking. This relaxation can prepare your body for deeper meditation as well.

Tips To Deepen Your Practice

Once you’ve begun yoga and meditation practices, you can continue to deepen them by practicing every day. Persistence pays off, especially in the beginning while you’re still forming this healthy habit.

When you practice yoga and meditation consistently, you’ll feel the harmony forming between your mind and body. You’ll also look forward to your daily relaxation session that makes you feel so good! In the end, you’ll wonder how you could have ever waited so long to give them a try.

If you prepare for summer’s long days and warm nights, you can make the most of the season and experience joyous personal transformation. To get started, first give some thought to what you truly want to bring into your life.

Prepare Your Body

For many, summer means getting tanned, losing those five extra pounds, and looking great in a bathing suit. While these things can bring you a small measure of fulfillment, focusing exclusively on them can rob you of the true joy of self-discovery available to you this summer.

True beauty comes from deeper within you than your appearance. True beauty comes from what’s inside.

In summer, the heat can be uncomfortable. Prepare yourself with simple choices that fuel your body with the energy it needs. Drink plenty of water to flush out some of the excess toxins that have built up over the long winter months. With these toxins removed, you’ll feel more energetic and excited about life.

Prepare for the summer with exercise. If you create the habit of exercise before the hot summer months come, your body will crave that exercise. Instead of making the excuse that it’s too hot, you’ll look forward to the sunshine and the feeling of accomplishment you experience when you work out.

Strengthen your muscles and fuel your confidence with a workout plan that is well underway before the summer heat becomes intense.

Prepare Your Mind

Summer is the season for fun! The long days invite barbecues, pool parties, and the surf and sand of the beach. Take full advantage of the wide array of summer activities. They can stimulate your mind, body and emotions to new levels of fulfillment.

The summer also brings with it large demands on your time. Friends and family members want to do things together, and the options for your time can become overwhelming.

Enjoy the time with them, but protect your peace by saying no to activities that don’t fit with what matters the most to you. You can say no in a way that guards your time without hurting the feelings of others. Practice gently saying no.

To make the most of the summer season, you may want to:

• Find time for prayer or meditation
• Use the summer nights for peaceful contemplation
• Spend time with others who share your values and beliefs
• Take time to relax by yourself

Summer encourages physical activity outdoors. It’s easy to forget about slowing down to give your body a chance to recharge its batteries. Let the laid-back feeling of summer remind you to relax and figure out the things in your life that are the most important. If you do, you’ll enjoy your summer fully and benefit from its warmth long after the summer months have

The good news is you can get through anxious moments on your own without mind-altering drugs. Your worries can be transformed into peace with simple, natural strategies. One of these techniques is using prayer and meditation.

Which is Better: Prayer or Meditation?

The answer is simple: Use whichever you prefer. Some people have a close relationship with a higher power while others do not. No matter what your religious belief, you can conquer your anxiety through your thoughts and affirmations – no medication required!

If you like to pray, that’s great. If you want to meditate instead, then do it! Whichever technique makes you feel the most comfortable is acceptable. This is about you getting better, and you know best what will make you feel at ease.

How to Get Started

You can start on your path to an anxiety-free life right away and it all starts with a deep breath. Pull the air deep down into your diaphragm, and let it out slowly. Do this several times and you’ll begin to feel calmer.

Are you breathing effectively? When you take in air, if only the top part of your lungs expands, your chest rises and falls. When you breathe the right way – the calming way – your belly rises and falls, not your upper chest, because your entire lungs are being filled with fresh air.

Avoid breathing from your upper chest only and you’ll already be on the road to feeling calmer and less anxious. It’s a simple thing to do and a great way to get started. The more you do it, the more it’ll become automatic. Soon, you’ll feel calmer without even thinking about your breathing anymore.

Here are some other tips to help you feel calm while praying or meditating:

1. Use your breathing like a mantra. Inhale while you give yourself positive thoughts and feelings. Exhale anything negative you’re thinking or feeling. Breathing is the rhythm of life. Use it to your advantage.

2. Pray or meditate at the same time each day. Spend a few minutes – it doesn’t have to be a long time – in quiet reflection. Say good things to yourself. You can focus on your health, finances, family, or anything you want to make stronger. Avoid negative thinking during this time.

3. Laugh. Try saying “ho, ho, ho, he, he, he, ha, ha, ha” and other silly phrases out loud. When you do, you’ll start to smile, then grin, and then laugh for real! And when you’re laughing, you can’t frown or feel anxious!

4. Pray or meditate with others. Join a church, take up yoga, or find a support group for anxiety. Many others share your struggle, and you can feel better about yourself and more in-tune with others when you share your feelings.

Next Steps

When you start your journey toward personal peace through prayer or meditation, expect to conquer your anxiety. However, avoid the trap of assuming you’ll do it in one day, or even in one week. It took time to get where you are, and it’ll take time to get back to where you want to be.

The important thing is to take that first step and then enjoy and appreciate the journey.

Every journey begins with that first step, and once you make it you’ll be well on your way. Breathe. Laugh. Meditate or pray. Find time to think about and interact with others, rather than concentrating on your worries.

When you do these things, you’ll become calmer and more focused. Most importantly, you’ll be back to being happy again, and there’s no greater gift you can give yourself than joy!

Starting a Meditative Practice

Want to know what the hardest part of meditation is? Here’s a hint: It has nothing to do with meditation at all!

The hardest part is simply making the time to meditate. Once you believe in its power and see its results, you won’t let anything get in the way of you and your peaceful practice. It might be tough in the beginning, but stay with it! It’ll be well worth the effort.

Make a goal for yourself and evaluate your progress as you go. Commit to at least weekly meditations for four weeks. After this time, evaluate whether the meditation has made a positive difference your life.

These meditation tips will help you in your quest for obtaining inner peace:

1. Choose a time to meditate. Find a good time for you to meditate. You can start with shorter sessions in the beginning, but generally you should shoot for between 30 minutes to an hour during each session. Right when you get up or before you go to bed are good times to practice.

• Make meditation a priority for yourself just like you would for everything else that’s important in your life.

2. Keep an elevated posture. If you slouch, you won’t be in a good position for meditation and you’re more likely to feel like falling asleep. Elevate your posture and you’ll feel more open to the world. Relax in a crossed legged or other comfortable sitting position and rest your hands in your lap.

3. Focus on your breath. Your main goal is to keep your attention on your breath as you breathe in and breathe out. It may help to say a mantra and visualize breathing in good energy and letting out the bad energy with each cycle.

• Breathe at a pace that’s comfortable for you. Work toward deep, long breaths.

4. Acknowledge your thoughts. You want to remain fully present while you’re meditating, and there’s no doubt that thoughts are going to enter your mind while you’re trying to concentrate.

• Don’t be frustrated by these thoughts, but at the same time don’t let thoughts take your attention completely away. Acknowledge your thoughts and then bring your focus back to your breath.

5. Fight the urge to sleep. Many people complain of the urge to sleep during meditation sessions, mainly because it’s relaxing and you’re meditating during early morning or late evening hours. Try to remain awake with focus and good posture.

6. Maintain your practice. After you discover the many benefits of meditating, it will most likely become a part of you forever. You may not have time to do this every day, but it’s important to keep up with regular meditation sessions.

Meditation will help you keep a peaceful perspective on life and can tell you a lot of things about your true self. You can use it to relax, motivate, or energize you, depending on your purpose for each session. As you get more experienced with meditation, a more joyful and peaceful life will be yours!

The Art of Meditation

When you engage in walking meditation, you’ll be using some of the same principles as regular meditative practice.

Here are some tips to use when beginning with meditation:

• Schedule yourself plenty of time, at least 30 minutes to an hour.
• Focus all of your attention on your breath.
• Try to avoid making noise as it may distract you.
• Concentrate solely on the present moment.
• Go with the flow.
• Follow the energy that your mind is giving you.

Introduction To Walking Meditation

Walking meditation differs from regular meditation in a few core ways. The most obvious is the fact that you’re walking instead of staying still. This is beneficial for those who think more clearly when they’re moving around.

Also, when you practice walking meditation, you can eventually engage in meditation as you complete day-to-day tasks. This is useful because you won’t always have enough time for a standard meditation session.

Use these strategies to enhance your experience as you begin walking meditation:

1. Start by standing. Don’t begin walking right away. Stay calm and give yourself time to get into a steady pattern of breathing. Once you’ve achieved this balance, you can begin walking. This stage can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes; just do what feels right for you at the time.

2. Choose your location. Have an idea in mind about where you’re going to walk before you start the practice. If you don’t have a plan in mind beforehand, you may be too distracted thinking about where you’re headed.

• It’s up to you where you want to walk, but choose a place that tends to be calm instead of busy. You can walk in a park and take in nature, or you can even walk in circles in a large empty room.

3. Watch your pace. Your pace will probably vary from session to session, and that’s okay. Try starting out faster than intended, then slow down to a pace that makes you feel balanced and almost like your body is doing the work automatically.

4. End your session. Most sessions last about 30 minutes to an hour. This should be enough time for you to enjoy the meditative practice as well as get some exercise in the process. To end your session, slow down and stand up straight for a few minutes. Focus on your breathing just as you did at the beginning of your session.

Bringing Meditation Into Everyday Tasks
It’s a good idea to master the art of walking meditation before trying to bring your regular meditative practice into your everyday living. Doing so will give you a better idea about what it’s like to meditate while your body is in motion.

While you won’t be able to meditate while you’re talking or engaging in activities that you’re not familiar with, you can start to make it a part of your daily routine, whether it be in the mornings during your commute or during your lunch break.

Watch Your Emotions

Walking meditation and regular meditation have the power to get you in touch with your true emotions. Some people are unsure about what they’re feeling and may end up repressing feelings or acting out in anger. Your emotions will generally rise up during a walking meditation session, which is why it’s a good idea for you to engage in these meditation sessions often.

With continued practice, you’ll find a powerful tool in your life that can calm, refresh, inspire, and motivate you wherever you go!

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With regular practice you’ll find that you’ll be able to go deeper into meditation without much effort. As you practice, you’ll be better able to deal with distractions and achieve a certain depth of meditation in a shorter period of time. If you practice for just 30 minutes per day, you’ll be able to go deeper each time.

Deepening Your Practice

You may be wondering what it means to deepen your practice. It’s definitely a topic that’s difficult to put into mere words. It’s similar to talking about how to deepen your love. If you’ve been in love you’ll know in your heart what it feels like to experience the depth of love. The same is true when you meditate, you’ll know what it feels like as your practice deepens.

Tactics For Deepening Your Practice

If you want to go beyond regular practice to deepen your meditation skills, you can try these other tactics.

Consider these suggestions as you deepen your practice:

1. Focus. A big part of deepening your practice is working on an improved focus. Find something that works for you.

• First try experiencing eyes open meditation. Meditate with a small focal point and don’t let your gaze go astray during your session. You can also try eyes open meditation without the need for a strict focal point; this may help you to keep your focus within.

• Alternatively, you can explore the option of eyes closed meditation. Many people enjoy the aspect of shutting out the visual sense, while others think it’s too much of an escape from true life, so do what feels right.

2. Your breath. Your breath is also a part of your focus. It’s how you break up your life into a series of moments. Take a moment to breathe in the good and a moment to exhale the bad. In order to deepen your practice, experiment with different breathing techniques.

• Work on the length of your breaths. Some people decide to work with their moods when they work on breath length. It’s a way to just go with how you feel, instead of deciding on a set pattern of breathing.

• Use a mantra. There are many mantras to choose from or you can even create your own depending on how you feel or what you like.

3. Your posture. Your posture also has an impact on how deep your practice will go. Choose a position that’s comfortable for you.

• During sitting meditation, it’s always a good idea to maintain good posture. This means: Don’t slouch! The location of your legs usually doesn’t matter as much.

• If you maintain a good posture without hunching over, you tend to maintain your alertness and you’ll be less likely to fall asleep. Remember that your goal is to remain in the present moment and not merely to relax.

Keep Up Your Practice

The most important thing you need to do is keep up with your practice. You can then tweak any other aspect of meditation that you feel needs adjusting. However, you may find that you simply evolve without much effort as you continue your meditative journey.