Let's Talk about Meditation, Series 1
Meditation is a technique and regular practice
of having focus on a sound, breathing, movement, or object, to increase
awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and to
increase spiritual growth. Some would say meditation is not an intense
focus, it's just clearing your mind and watching what comes to you in your mind
and letting it go.
Depending on how you are meditating, I'd say they all are right.
Meditation dates to prehistoric religion. Prehistoric religion meaning
from Paleolithic-Iron Age religions. Meditative practices are recorded in
Genesis 24:63, showing evidence of practices among Judaism. Throughout
the Hebrew Bible, Judaism always contained a central meditative practice.
Early Christian meditation involved repetitive words or phrases, using a
specific posture. This has been raced back to Byzantine period.
Western Christian meditation contrasts with most other forms of meditation
because Western Christians do not use a specific posture or repetitive words or
phrases. This form of meditation progressed from the 6th century practice
of the Bible reading among the Benedictine monks.
What is the point of learning it? The benefits are many, but here are a
few:
Enhances immune system, reduces effects of stress, improves concentration,
improves sleep, relaxes, stops the endless chatter of voices in your
head. (Some call this monkey chatter; I call it Magpie chatter).
Helps to stop worry, instills general feeling of happiness, and faster
information processing in your mind. Because mind, breath, and emotions
are interconnected, we can control them with meditative breath. By
controlling your breath, you can control how you react to thoughts and
emotions.
In the November 2012 issue of the medical
journal called, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and
Outcomes," there was a study on 201 people with coronary heart
disease. Half were educated on eating a better diet and exercise, while
the other half were to meditate every day. Five years after the onset of
this study, researchers found out that the meditation group had a 48% reduction
in overall risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. Wow, amazing!
Here is a link to a Forbes article that talks about the benefits of meditation.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/10/05/different-types-of-meditation-change-the-brain-in-different-ways-study-finds/?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Malorie%2F#7e5b20c81f1e
There are many ways to meditate. One can buy or watch YouTube for a
Guided Meditation. One could perform Qigong every day, which is really a
moving type of meditation. Another type of moving meditation is by
focusing, inside of yourself, your every movement. I could go on with the
different types.
Make up a small area that you have designated as "My space".
Close a door for quietness and to be alone.
Sit in a comfortable position. (Laying down promotes falling
asleep. Meditation is not sleeping.)
Both feet need to be flat on the floor if in a comfortable chair. Arms
and hands laying to sides of your body. Although, when I sit, it's more
comfortable for me to put my hands in my lap (uncrossed or on my knees.)
Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing in your stomach. With each
breath, your stomach rises and falls, concentrate on this. If you have a
thought about something from your day, just let it go and refocus on your
stomach, going in and out. If you feel an emotion rise, don't judge it,
just observe it, acknowledge it, and then let it go. It will flow right
out the side of your head, like a steam flowing through your mind.
Refocus on your breath/stomach again. Each time something comes into your
mind, let it flow past and you refocus on your breath/stomach. After
about 5-10 minutes (you can go longer when you are more advanced at
meditation.) with eyes still closed, slowly move your fingers, hands, and feet
around. Now open your eyes slowly, refocusing on the room.
Practicing everyday will give you the benefits you're looking for. When
meditating, always have a quiet space just for you alone. No TVs, no
phones, and no spouses interrupting.
Try using soothing music while meditating. (No words, just the soothing
music, whether it's actual musical instrument music or nature sounds.)
Try https://youtu.be/LrpZRHb3sgQ
This is just a simple, but an effective way to meditate that I made-up.
A little extra; this kind of meditation is effective when you are
having a hard time falling asleep. Try this mediation lying in bed.
(Only do this laying down when you are trying to go to sleep.) What this
does is it helps you to stay out of your mind, thinking. You're
concentrating on your stomach/breathing. Tell yourself it doesn't matter
if you fall asleep. If you are lying in bed, relaxing, you will still
feel rested by morning. Eventually you will fall asleep and you're not
even aware of it until the next morning.
Meditation helps in numerous ways. It calms down the āMagpie
chatter" going on all the time in the mind. Meditation helps
you to be more relaxed.
So, to end this note I want to say, meditate. Meditate for your
health. Meditate for connecting to God. Meditate to feel more
relaxed. Meditate because you love yourself.
For Guided meditation CDs, go to
https://www.reikiintheprairiellc.com/p/products.html
For more on meditation, check out Meditation Series 2 and Meditation Series
3.
https://www.reikiintheprairiellc.com/2020/03/meditation-series-2-qigongtai-chi.html
https://www.reikiintheprairiellc.com/2020/03/meditation-series-three-guided.html
Sources
1). November 2012 issue of the medical journal
called, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.112.967406
2). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation
3). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_meditation
4). Cynthia
Bergsbaken
Re-written by Cynthia Bergsbaken of Reiki in the Prairie LLC January 29, 2020.
Written originally by Cynthia Bergsbaken for Reiki in the Prairie LLC December
23, 2017.
Disclaimer by Reiki in the Prairie LLC and Cynthia
Bergsbaken copyright 2015
I am not a psychologist,
psychiatrist, or medical doctor. These articles I have written, are
from reading and experiencing them. Many of these articles are my
own experiences with my own inventions to heal as well.
If you have a medical
condition-physically/mentally/emotionally, please see a qualified medical
doctor. Do not substitute my articles for proper medical
care. You are too important to the world.
I have used all
procedures I have written about and have found them to be helpful as tools to
help myself become a better person. I am sharing them with you
because used as a tool, they are helpful in Shadow working on
ourselves. (Shadow working is healing our inner shadows that are
unconscious or subconscious. Inner shadows are our belief systems,
our thoughts, our behaviors, our life experiences.)
I created this blog for
my Reiki clients originally. Combining these tools with Reiki
creates a happy, healthy person. These tools, when used alone are
also beneficial!
***All original content is copyrighted by
Cynthia Bergsbaken, Perceptive Blogger & Reiki in the Prairie LLC.
Reiki in the Prairie LLC is a legal Entity
under law, 2015.
April 11, 2020
Plagiarism is a crime. Share only by URL
without changing the content! Thank you.
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