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May 25, 2008 - Sunday 

Current mood:  calm
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural








_________________________________

Exploring Meditation
by Robert Landau
_________________________________

RESEARCH - Exhaustive research conducted over the last couple of years has shown that meditation is an excellent antidote against stress, hyperactivity, and fear related themes. It has been found to increase your energy, as well as lower blood pressure and heart rate. Meditation can also be used as a successful tool to accompany many medical, psychological and alternative healing therapies. Last, but certainly not least, for centuries, people like you and me have been using the art of meditation to control the mind-chatter that so often interferes with our connection to inner peace and the energy of the Divine Being that we are. So the question is, if meditation can do all of this and more, how is it that so many of us can't seem to do it!? To get the answer, let's explore all of this a bit further.

DEFINITION - The definition of meditation is almost as broad as are the numerous ways you can choose to experience the process. I have found that the best way to define it is as follows; simply stated, meditation is what happens between your thoughts.

Think about that for a minute. If you choose to read many of the hundreds of books written about meditation, most will tell you that unless you can control the oftentimes overactive thought process, then the peaceful energy of meditation will elude you. As a matter of fact, many state that one of the most common obstacles to experiencing a true meditative state is mind- chatter/thought interference that all too often can occur moments after one attempts to enter a period of meditation.

SO WHAT TO DO? - First, it's important to note that we meditate more often than we consciously realize. The energetic state of meditation is something that we engage in many times each and everyday. Anytime you are focused on one thing and remain focused on that one thing without thoughts of the past or the future, that can be said to be a meditative state.

THE ENERGY OF MEDITATION - It is the peace that can be felt walking along the beach, hiking through the mountains or jogging. The joy of hearing a beautiful piece of music, playing an instrument, even brushing your teeth can be said to be a mindful meditation because you are focused on one thing and while this occurs, there are no distracting thoughts present. When you are totally based in the present moment, then you are actively involved in the energy of meditation.

MIND-CHATTER - But how easy is it to stay totally anchored in the present moment with no thought interference? Not very, it would seem, since this phenomenon is said to be the number one pitfall to successful meditation. So what is mind-chatter anyway? Many believe the phenomenon of mind chatter, described as a constant battery of inner thoughts, effectively keeps us out of the present moment and is closely associated to the energy of our ego.

THE PRESENT MOMENT - Try this for a moment; close your eyes and see how long you can stay totally within the energy of the present moment with no mind-chatter interference at all. Most of us won't be able to go too long without some thoughts coming in to cloud the picture. If you are the energy of the clear great vast blue sky, then it would only seem logical that at some point, a cloud, or series of clouds, might pass through to cloud up your particular sky.

DEALING WITH THOUGHT INTERFERENCE - If mind-chatter can be thought of as clouds, the important thing to remember is that the clouds will pass through, if you don't hold onto them! This means that thought interference is not a bad thing. It is not something that needs to be repressed or stomped out. It simply needs to be put in its proper place. All too often we have honored our ego's mind-chatter to the point where we think that is all we are. If you buy into your ego's chatter, if you zero onto a cloud that wants to pass through your clear blue sky reality, then you have let your mind-chatter go too far. Don't let your ego do everything it thinks it should do!

CONTROL - You are in control here, not it! In giving into the energy of thought interference, you could very well be blocking the energy of your True Self, your Spirit Self, the You that is so much more than your thoughts or your physical body. To fully realize the Sovereign Being that you inherently are, there must be a balance between the ego-self and the Spirit Self. Without one or the other, we are incomplete, and too often this incompleteness manifests in our lives. If you can learn to flow with the energy of mind-chatter, then you will be able to successfully meditate any time, any place, and it's easier to do than you might think.

TRY THIS BASIC EXERCISE - Close your eyes and shift your awareness to your breathing process, that natural flow of breath that you engage in every moment of your life. Let the breath begin to breathe you and see what that feels like. Let the breath be the most important thing. Surrender to it and do nothing else. Each breath can be said to contain the energy of the clear vast blue sky and whenever a thought comes in, whenever mind-chatter jumps into the picture, just let it, and acknowledge it (as if it were a cloud). Then return to the breath and to the energy of the clear vast blue sky.

Whatever type of meditation you choose, let it become a natural part of your life. If you but practice, the desired results can be achieved! Remember, "It's the journey, not the destination that counts!"

_________________________________

innerself.com
_________________________________






lightworkers



12:06 AM
 
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Diane
Diane Wayne

 
Thank you for this gentle and informative message. I, for one, have been inundated with mind-chatter lately. Lots of physical changes and places, too. Lots of unexpected situations,
and many sad ones, true. But reading here, what I read from Lightworkers, gives relief. I have so many glorious times, experienced mediation in a dance stretch, a walk in the park, in writing songs and rhymes, lying quietly in the dark. Thank you for helping me remember all that. And bringing it into my present moments that have been filled with havoc. I write most gratefully, to thank you, I hope most completely, true. Namaste.
Love & Light, Diane Wayne
 
Posted by Diane on May 25, 2008 - Sunday - 12:56 AM
[Reply to this] 
Lightworkers

 




___________________________

What, Me Meditate?
by Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.

joanborysenko. com
___________________________

In terms of strategies for managing the mind, meditation is like doing mental push-ups that strengthen the muscles of awareness and choice. While it's not a practice that most people are willing to adopt for life, even several weeks of meditation can help train your mind and change your attitudes. If you should decide to keep it up, the benefits for the body are just as positive. The majority of regular meditators, however, are most interested in the soul. In virtually every religious tradition, meditation is practiced as a way to reach divine union.


However, you don't have to be religious to meditate. One of my mentors and former colleagues, Harvard cardiologist Dr. Herbert Benson, realized in the 1960s that any repetitive mental activity that shuts down the mind's busy chatter elicits a physiological shift to peace. He called this the relaxation response. It is the body's natural balance to the fight-or-flight, or stress, response. Research on the relaxation response proves that even ten minutes a day can strengthen your immune system, improve sleep, lower blood pressure, help to prevent irregular heartbeat, lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, decrease anxiety, and increase joy and peace.
That's a big
return for a few minutes of your time.


You may not think of yourself as a meditator, but everyone has done it. For example, when you're totally focused on balancing your checkbook, recording each number and doing the calculations, time seems to fly. Rather than thinking about other things, you're absorbed in the task. It can be a relaxing activity unless you're worried about your finances. Knitting has a similar effect. The repetitive movement of the needles and yarn quiets the mind and allows your naturally peaceful inner core to shine through. Perhaps that's why knitting has become so popular in our busy world.


But you can't whip out your knitting needles or your checkbook everywhere you go. The most portable focus for eliciting the relaxation response is in your mind. If you're religious, you can use a bit of scripture or song from your tradition as a repetitive mental focus. A Greek Orthodox patient of mine experienced profound peace whenever the "Kyrie Eleison," a hymn about the mercy of Jesus, was sung in church. I suggested that he begin his meditation by chanting it aloud a few times, letting peace fill him up. Then he chanted it silently for 10 or 15 minutes. Not only did this simple, pleasurable practice elicit the physiological benefits of the relaxation response, it was a communion with his Higher Power.


Bringing the mind to a single focus is called concentration meditation. If we were taught this skill in childhood, think how much more creative, productive, and peaceful we would be as adults. Focusing the mind isn't easy. It takes practice. But just like learning to play the piano or driving a car, it soon becomes second nature. Can you remember how difficult it was to keep everything straight when you learned how to drive? It was hard, but after a few weeks, things fell into place. The key to learning meditation is realizing that most people find it difficult at first. They aren't automatically delivered to a state of bliss -- they might still be thinking about trivial matters such as what to eat for breakfast.


You might decide, for example, to concentrate on belly breathing as a form of meditation. Perhaps you're focused on noticing your belly expand on the in-breath and relax on the out-breath. Then a thought occurs: This is so relaxing, why don't I get around to it more often? One thought leads to others: I'm so busy and stressed. I really need this. No one helps around the house. Am I the only one who can change a toilet paper roll? Soon you're ruminating rather than meditating. The key is to notice your thinking as soon as possible, and then as gently as you can, let go and return to the repetitive mental focus.


Many people give up on trying to meditate when they find out how busy the mind is. Thoughts such as, I'm no good at this; other people relax right away, but my mind is too busy, can stop you in your tracks. Make no mistake about it. Thinking will continue. That's the nature of the mind. The goal of concentration meditation is not to stop the mind, but rather to learn a potent form of mental martial arts. When thoughts come (and they will), you have a choice. You can notice and let them go, or keep on thinking. In 10 or 15 minutes, you might have to bring your mind back to focus dozens of times. This strengthens the mental muscles of letting go. After just a few weeks of practice, you'll see that it's much easier to control your mind throughout the day. You've been in training.


With a little more practice, you'll discover a layer of mind deeper than your thoughts. Just as the surface of the ocean can be turbulent -- although it's calm several feet below -- so goes your mind. Meditation trains you to descend to the level of peace. It's another way of finding the eye of the storm.


Benefits of Meditation

One of the greatest benefits of meditation is awareness. If someone were to say, "I'll give you a penny for your thoughts," I'd wager that about half the time you couldn't really say what you were thinking. You were vacationing in Never-Never Land, that zoned-out state in which you miss your exit on the highway. That's the familiar mindless condition where the lights are on, but nobody's home. Meditation increases mindfulness so that you can experience more choice, freedom and pleasure.


Mindfulness meditation is a tradition unto itself. Unlike concentration meditation, in which you keep bringing yourself back to a single focus, mindfulness meditation is about expanding your awareness to notice all that you can without judging it. If you feel cool, for example, the idea is to avoid thinking of that as bad or good, which immediately changes the experience. Instead, you simply notice what the sensation of coolness is like. My favorite mindfulness meditation is eating a piece of chocolate cake with full attention. You might like to try it.


My colleague Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, does an exercise in which every participant gets two raisins. They eat them mindfully, savoring the smell, the texture, and the sensation of saliva filling the mouth that makes the taste extraordinary. Mindfulness meditation can expand the world and make even the most mundane activity an adventure. You might enjoy Dr. Kabat-Zinn's book on mindfulness, Wherever You Go, There You Are.


There are as many ways to meditate as there are human beings. What works for one person may leave another cold. Concentration meditation is straightforward and can be learned from a book. Mindfulness meditation is more easily learned with a teacher. Fortunately, Dr. Kabat-Zinn's Stress Reduction and Relaxation programs are available at several hundred hospitals across the country.


This week, give meditation a try. If you're a beginner, start slowly. Five minutes is enough. If you like it, you can increase the length as you see fit. Research shows that 10 to 20 minutes, four or five times a week, is enough to create and sustain the physiological and psychological benefits of the practice. Keep this advice firmly in mind: The only definition of a good meditation is one that you did. The goal is not to experience peace during the practice session. The goal is to train the mind so that gradually you will feel more peace, awareness, and choice at all times. If the whole five minutes seems to consist of hauling your mind back from its reveries, then rejoice. You got a lot of practice in mental martial arts.


Like all habits, meditation takes commitment. It's best to meditate at the same time and in the same place each day. If you've created a place of refuge in your home, meditate there. On the other hand, one of my patients used to do it in her car during her lunch break at work, since she had small children at home. My friend Janet takes her shower and then meditates while her hair is drying. When she's done, it's at the perfect degree of dampness for blow-drying. I like to meditate before bed, but some people find that this revives them and interferes with sleep. The most important thing is to find a time that works for you... and to be consistent about the practice.





Lightworkers


 
Posted by Lightworkers on October 20, 2008 - Monday - 9:05 PM
[Reply to this] 
Lightworkers

 


_____________________________

From Time To Time
_____________________________


From time to time,

we all feel a little disappointed with

our lives and perhaps the people in them..

We start questioning our daily routines;

a sense of loneliness touches our hearts,

and we wonder what life is really all about..

When you reach this point in your life,

take a moment and forget about

what has gone before...

And start believing in

what you really want today..

It is by redirecting our lives that

we can keep ourselves headed

in the right direction,

and it is by standing still that

we allow time to just pass us by..

It is looking at a sunrise or a sunset

and appreciating its beauty for ourselves

that enables us to understand

some of life's mysteries..

No two people see the world the same way,

nor do they think of feel or even

experience things around them

with the same exact perception..

Don't try to mold yourself or your life

into a design that isn't you;

rather, paint your days

with all the colors you so desire

and enjoy the artwork

that you alone can create!


-author unknown



 
Posted by Lightworkers on May 25, 2008 - Sunday - 8:03 PM
[Reply to this] 
Lightworkers



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