|
Home / Fitness / Yoga
About Meditation - how to meditate to reduce stress and improve mental abilities
By:Knut Holt
Meditation is a group of mental training techniques .You can use meditation to improve mental health and capacities, and also to help improve the physical health. Some of these techniques are very simple, so you can learn them from a book or an article; others require guidance by a qualified meditation teacher.
WHAT IS MEDITATION
Most techniques called meditation include these components:
1. You sit or lie in a relaxed position.
2. You breathe regularly. You breathe in deep enough to get enough oxygen. When you breathe out, you relax your muscles so that your lungs are well emptied, but without straining.
3. You stop thinking about everyday problems and matters.
4. You concentrate your thoughts upon some sound, some word you repeat, some image, some abstract concept or some feeling. Your whole attention should be pointed at the object you have chosen to concentrate upon.
5. If some foreign thoughts creep in, you just stop this foreign thought, and go back to the object of meditation.
The different meditation techniques differ according to the degree of concentration, and how foreign thoughts are handled. By some techniques, the objective is to concentrate so intensely that no foreign thoughts occur at all.
In other techniques, the concentration is more relaxed so that foreign thoughts easily pop up. When these foreign thoughts are discovered, one stops these and goes back to the pure meditation in a relaxed manner. Thoughts coming up, will often be about things you have forgotten or suppressed, and allow you to rediscover hidden memory material. This rediscovery will have a psychotherapeutic effect.
THE EFFECTS OF MEDITATION
Meditation has the following effects:
1. Meditation will give you rest and recreation.
2. You learn to relax.
3. You learn to concentrate better on problem solving.
4. Meditation often has a good effect upon the blood pressure.
5. Meditation has beneficial effects upon inner body processes, like circulation, respiration and digestion.
6. Regular meditation will have a psychotherapeutically effect.
7. Regular meditation will facilitate the immune system.
8. Meditation is usually pleasant.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HYPNOSIS AND MEDITATION
Hypnosis may have some of the same relaxing and psychotherapeutic effects as meditation. However, when you meditate you are in control yourself; by hypnosis you let some other person or some mechanical device control you. Also hypnosis will not have a training effect upon the ability to concentrate.
A SIMPLE FORM OF MEDITATION
Here is a simple form of meditation. By this meditation technique, you should concentrate in an easy manner. This will allow foreign thoughts to pop up. These are handled one by one as they appear. You proceed as follows:
1. Sit in a good chair in a comfortable position.
2. Relax all your muscles as well as you can.
3. Stop thinking about anything, or at least try not to think about anything.
4. Breath out, relaxing all the muscles in your breathing apparatus.
5. Repeat the following in 10 - 20 minutes:
-- Breath in so deep that you feel you get enough oxygen.
-- Breath out, relaxing your chest and diaphragm completely.
-- Every time you breathe out, think the word "one" or another simple word inside yourself. You should think the word in a prolonged manner, and so that you hear it inside you, but you should try to avoid using your mouth or voice.
6. If foreign thoughts come in, just stop these thoughts in a relaxed manner, and keep on concentrating upon the breathing and the word you repeat.
As you proceed through this meditation, you should feel steadily more relaxed in your mind and body, feel that you breathe steadily more effectively, and that the blood circulation throughout your body gets more efficient. You may also feel an increasing mental pleasure throughout the meditation.
THE EFFECTS OF MEDITATION UPON DISEASES
As any kind of training, meditation may be exaggerated so that you get tired and worn out. Therefore you should not meditate so long or so concentrated that you feel tired or mentally emptied.
Meditation may sometimes give problems for people suffering from mental diseases, epilepsy, serious heart problems or neurological diseases. On the other hand, meditation may be of help in the treatment of these and other conditions.
People suffering from such conditions should check out what effects the different kinds of meditation have on their own kind of health problems, before beginning to practise meditation, and be cautious if they choose to begin to meditate. It may be wise to learn meditation from an experienced teacher, psychologist or health worker that use meditation as a treatment module for the actual disease.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: what, is, meditation, how, meditate, techique, explanation, of, defination, a, simple, mode, method, mental, training, begin, about, easy, form, learn, to, relaxation, reduce, eliminate, avoid, stress
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Knut Holt is an IT consultant and marketer focusing on health items. -----TO FIND natural help against aging symptoms, acne, skin problems, hypothyroidism, hemorrhoids, heart problems, joint pain, over-weight and much more, PLEASE VISIT:----
http://www.abicana.com
----Free to reprint with the author's name and link.
|
|
| Top Yoga Articles |
- 1). The 5 Divine Sheaths of the subtle human body. By : Yuga Rishi
he trend of 5-faced photographs and images of Gayatri is seen, so that those who take recourse to the spiritual practice of this MahaMantra, ask a pertinent question as to what we should do in future? Mantra chanting, meditation, eulogies to God, reading religious texts, sacrificial fire rites etc. are preliminary practices. As a result of this, the preliminary goal of purification of the body and concentration of the mind is achieved.
|
- 2). Yoga: The Most Effective Scoliosis Exercise By : Saurabh Jain
Scoliosis is a condition in which a person has side-to-side spinal curves in addition to the normal curves through which the lower portion of the human back curves inwards. The most effective remedy for such a condition is Scoliosis exercises. Although many exercises help in reducing the Scoliosis-related problems, yoga is considered the best Scoliosis exercise.
|
- 3). How to Improve Your Body, Mind and Spirit By Practicing Hatha Yoga By : Bashy
Hatha yoga is a 5000 year old system that is used to improve the health of your body, mind and spirit. Hatha yoga combines the stretching exercises of the asanas. Breathing techniques and mental concentration are included in hatha yoga.
The lotus position of the asanas is used in hatha yoga. The goal of hatha yoga remains the same as that of the other types of yoga.
|
|
|
- 5). The Journey Of Yoga Through Mind By : Rebecca Prescott
Yoga is a transformative art, and deceptively simple. At least, although the advanced yoga postures are in fact difficult to the unpracticed, and look it, the changes that yoga can bring into one's life belie the apparent simplicity of stretching muscles.
After all, we stretch muscles at the gym during a warm up. So what is the basic difference between yoga and regular workouts, including pilates.
|
- 6). Yoga Creates A Balance Between The Body, Mind And Soul. By : Yoga Guru
Yoga is an ancient science that aims to create a balance between the body, mind and soul, thereby curing physical mental and spiritual disorders that are caused by this imbalance. In common language, yoga means union; it’s a union of the individual consciousness with the super-consciousness. To be exact, yoga aims at reminding the individual of this union that already exists and has merely been forgotten.
|
|
|
- 8). Yoga for Women’s Health By : Paul M. Jerard Jr.
Lately, there has been a big stir about the University of California study that reveals many benefits of practicing Yoga for women. Some of the benefits are as follows:
Fewer eating disorders
Less self objection
Better self image
Less preoccupation with physical appearance
Healthy eating habits
Let’s stop for a moment and think about the big picture.
|
- 9). Benefiting From Your Yoga Practice By : Stephen Kreutzer
Yoga is not only an extremely popular form of exercise, but depending on the form you practice, can be exciting or calming, social or meditative, energizing or relaxing. No matter which of these best describes your yoga class, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of every class you attend.
* Go to yoga class with an empty stomach. Yoga is full bending, twisting, lengthening, stretching, and strength moves.
|
- 10). Yoga Teachers Lead by Example - Part 2 By : Paul M. Jerard Jr.
It is a shame that proper behavior, respect, and ethics do not make great headlines in the newspapers. Just watch the news, and read the newspaper for a week, to confirm what makes “good copy.” It will not take long for you to find a dozen, or dozens, of scandals.
|
| New Yoga Articles |
- 1). Start Getting Fit With Yoga Exercise By : Christopher Smith
Starting a training regimen with Yoga as an emphasis will greatly enhance your personal health. An added bonus with Yoga and Yoga training is that it will also develop and maintain a good state of mind. Read the attached article to learn how to exercise both your body and mind with Yoga.
|
|
|
- 3). History of Yoga By : Rob Daniels
Yoga is a union of body, mind, and spirit. The history of yoga is long and steeped in tradition. Yoga is an ancient system of health and fitness which originated in India. The word yoga has its first mention in the Rig Veda, the oldest of the sacred texts. Those that study Yoga estimate it's age to be four thousand year.
The history of Yoga can be divided into four main periods which are the pre-classical period, classical period, post-classical period and modern period.
|
- 4). Kapalabhati - A Breathing Exercise By : Sharon Hopkins
Kapalabhati is a very important asana and it should be part of your daily practice. This pose is also known as the Fire Breathing Pose, due to intake and outlet of air, with force. The exercise purifies your lungs and nasal passage. It is one of the powerful breathing exercises which help the entire body. It is one of a kind of the breathing exercises in Pranayama.
|
- 5). Learn Yoga’s Relaxation Technique: A long lost art for rejuvenation By : Foras Aje
We all know that one of the necessary things needed to keep an automobile in good condition is cooling the engine when it gets hot.
Well the same principle applies to the human body. When the body and mind are constantly overworked, their efficiency in performing their duties diminishes. Modern social life, food, work and even play make it difficult for the modern man to use a proper relaxation technique for rejuvenation.
|
- 6). Have a health Problem? Yoga can solve it. Part 1 By : Foras Aje
What was once ridiculed as a bizarre fad in health has been widely accepted as a way of life for many people. This ‘fad’ however has been in practice for over 5, 000 years and is known as Yoga. Though it is recognized as a form of exercise, some specific poses unique to this method of physical culture have been highly recognized and recommended in the drugless healing cycles for centuries.
|
- 7). Have a health Problem? Yoga can solve it. Part 2 By : Foras Aje
This is part 2 of my series depicting the use of Yoga poses for alleviating health challenges and ailments. Do remember friends, Yoga works hand in hand with a proper diet. That can’t be overemphasized, so in learning these poses, keep in mind to learn how to improve your diet as well for success. Here we go:
11. Delaying Old Age: Sun Salutations, Shoulder-stand, Bridge Pose, Fish Pose, Wheel Pose, Abdominal lift and Breathing exercises.
|
- 8). Have a health Problem? Yoga can solve it. (Part 3) By : Foras Aje
“L” is for let’s do Yoga…just kidding. But seriously, Yoga is more than just poses and meditation or stretching. It is healing as well…and you’ll be on an unstoppable pace with a proper diet too. Here are the rest of the recommended poses for various health problems as applicable.
24. Laryngitis: Sun Salutations, the Shoulder stand and its counter pose.
|
- 9). Yoga for Kids: What Yoga Poses are best for My Child? By : Foras Aje
Yoga indeed has become a popular, mainstream alternative for exercise and fitness. Here in Los Angeles, hardly a day goes by that I don’t see people walking by with their Yoga Mats rolled up underneath their arms coming from or going to their Yoga class.
Most stay-home moms have picked Yoga up as well as their method of keeping fit and maintaining physical, mental and emotional balance.
|
- 10). Yoga for Beginners: How to take those first steps into Yoga By : Foras Aje
Yoga is all around us these days. From Sting to Madonna, to maybe even your next door neighbor, everyone is hooked upon this fitness craze and with good cause. As a form of physical exercise, Yoga indeed is a force to be reckoned with. But just how can one go about using yoga for beginners? It is my hope that as a Yoga practitioner and enthusiast, this article will be of assistance in this regard.
|
|
|
