Meditate & Experience The Many Benefits Of 'Quiet Time' To Calm Your Mind
Set aside 'quiet' time for yourself each and every day and meditate to get in touch with your 'inner self.' In the "Who Am I?" classroom you learned that the average person has approximately 60,000 thoughts go through their mind every day. Our mind is bombarded constantly on a daily basis by media consisting of television, radio, newspapers, billboards, and the like. We interact mentally with our family, at our work, and in our leisure time. Our mind always seems to be 'on the go.' It is very beneficial to take time each day to mediate and 'shut off' our mind and allow it to become calm and clear. When you meditate you don't have to sit in a weird yoga position and chant strange sounds. It does not involve mystic visions or seeing the future. When you meditate you are simply spending quiet time with yourself. You are 'clearing' and 'calming' your busy mind. Your mind does not 'shut off' when you're sleeping. It is still active. Taking time to 'calm' it while you're awake has powerful benefits. Try this simple method to begin with... Wear loose clothing and simply sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and concentrate all thought on your breathing. Focus on your breath going in and out of your lungs. Eliminate all other thought. That's as complicated as it needs to be. If you are limber enough to cross your legs and put your hands on your knees, do so, but it's not necessary to experience the benefits. When you first try this and you're concentrating all thought on your breath you will find that your mind begins to wander. It can be difficult at first to keep your focus on your breathing. It's not easy to quiet the mind. You will get an understanding of how many different thoughts come into your mind that you're totally unaware of. When your mind begins to drift away from your breathing, simply shift your focus back to listening and feeling your breath going in and out of your lungs. You will find the more you can focus on nothing but your breathing the calmer you will feel. Your breathing will slow and your entire body will relax. You should set aside 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening to give yourself the gift of meditation. Once you experience the benefits of meditation you will want to increase the time period. In less than a week you will begin to feel the benefits of your meditation such as a lower stress level and a more attentive mind. Anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue will subside and your overall mood will improve. Meditation helps you to increase the discipline of your mind also. You will begin to have more control of your thoughts. Your mind will become more 'clear' and you will probably notice more 'details' throughout your day that you previously did not notice. The medical field is now working with meditation to treat conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), pain, inflammation, as well as other emotional conditions. Studies have also shown that meditation can reduce risk factors for heart disease, lower blood pressure, and actually contribute to a longer life. The more you become experienced with meditation the more you will be able to find answers to questions you have about your inner self. When you meditate you will be more 'in tune' with your Higher Power, whatever that may be to you. DO NOT discount the power of spending quiet time with yourself in meditation. The benefits are great. **************************************************************
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