Meditation part 5

Basic Meditation Exercise To Try At home

A way to Relax

This is a basic meditation exercise that you can try from the comfort of your own home. I have practiced this with success several times, so I know it works.
If you have a meditation timer, set it for 20 minutes. Otherwise use any regular alarm clock that doesn't have a very strong and loud noise.
Between each step allow a few seconds to pass, so that your mind can absorb and follow the instructions in the meditation script.
Make sure you are alone and rested. Don't meditate if you feel ill or in a bad mood, as it won't work and you will just get frustrated.
If you have any thoughts entering your mind during the meditation, it is ok. All you simply need to do is turn your inner gaze and your focus towards your body. Simply let those thoughts fade away.

The Meditation Steps

1.Sit in your favorite meditation position, using the posture that you are most comfortable with.

2.Close your eyes.

3.Take a few deep breaths and after that simply continue breathing naturally. Don't force your breath to be deep or shallow.

4.Focus your attention to the top of your head. Imagine that you are looking from outside of yourself to the top of your head and your shoulders.

5.Feel your head relax.

6.Focus on your forehead. Feel it relax.

7.Focus your attention on your eyes: your eyebrows, your eyelids and your eye muscles. Sense how they are also relaxing along.

8.Now move gently your inner eyes to your cheecks and let the cheeks relax.

9.Next travel to your nose, feel it relax. Feel how you inhale the fresh air through your nostrils. Let the nostrils do your work while they relax as well.

10.Focus on your mouth, feel your upper lips and your lower lips relax. Let just a tiny space open between your lips. Keep the tongue either behind the lower teeth or touching lightly the upper palate. Let your entire mouth relax.

11.Now travel down to your neck and shoulder muscles. Let them gently relax.

12.Focus your attention on your upper arms, on your lower arms, on your hands, palms and fingers one at a time. As you travel your focus to each of these parts, give each the command to relax, to sleep.

13.Let your inner eye wander over your upper back, your lower back and your hips. Feel them relax with the easy gaze of your eyes traveling along them.

14.Now focus on your chest, your lungs, your stomach and your belly area. Feel each one at a time and then let them relax.

15.Feel your thighs and then let them relax as well.

16.Travel with your mind' eyes down on your legs, starting with the upper legs, your knees, your lower legs, your ankles, your feet and your toes. Feel each part relax gently under the caress of your inner eyes.

17.Once you have reached each spot on your body and let it relax, scan again briefly your entire body for tension spots. If you find any, release those tension spots. Allow them to relax.
Maybe you have a tense muscle in one of your legs. Contract those muscles and then release them to relax. The tension should leave with this fast movement followed by the relaxation instruction.

18.Now simply sit for a few moments in this relaxing position and enjoy the feeling of not having any tension in your body. Feel how your mind is also calm, relaxed.

19.If you have used a meditation alarm clock or timer then simply sit in this comfortable position until the sounding of the alarm.

20.When it's time to end your meditation, with the eyes still closed, come back to the now by remembering something that you did just prior to starting the meditation. This will anchor you back in the present and will ground you.

21.Now open your eyes and enjoy the new calm that you are experiencing.

Meditation part 4

                                                                Chakra balancing meditation

Chakra balancing meditation helps your body with opening, clearing and harmonizing the chakras through meditation techniques.
The chakras, most commonly, refer to the seven major energy centers in the body that run along the spine. They start at the tailbone and go upward to the crown of the head. The word, chakra, simply means wheel, and these are typically seen as spiraling circles of light.
Before starting a chakra meditation, it is important to ground and center. One of the best ways to center and balance that is by sitting in a comfortable position on the chair with the feet touching the floor.

•Take a few deep breaths to relax and calm my mind.
1.Bring your focus to your breath for ten long, deep inhales. Let it fill your belly, then your lungs until both are stretched to capacity.

2.Then, gently let the air out from the chest, then the belly, by blowing it through your teeth.

3.After ten breaths you should feel very relaxed. Keep breathing long and deep as you begin to focus at the base of the spine.
•Next imagine (or visualize or feel) roots growing from my feet going down to the center of the Earth. It starts a a thin root, and eventually it grows big and thick so that the connection to the Earth becomes very strong.

4.Start at the spot between your legs, where the root chakra lies. You want to shift your mental attention and breath to this area. Picture a spiraling ball of light and start to make it grow with your mind until it surrounds your entire being. Imagine that the ball is spinning clockwise. Let it fill the room, the world or the universe. Let it become as big or small as it wants, but don't shrink it from its original size. Then, bring it back to a normal size and put it back in place in the body. You, may notice it is glowing more intensely now.

5.Next, bring your focus just below the tailbone, where the sacral chakra is and picture a small, swiftly circling ball of orange light. Grow it outward just as you did the color red, letting it fill your mind, then your body, and then letting it become as big as it wants before bringing it back down and placing it in its position.

6.Shift your attention, now, to the belly button. This core chakra called the solar plexus chakra uses the color yellow. Work with it in the same manner as the last two colors.

7.Then, move on to the heart chakra, located in the center of the chest. The color for this chakra is green. Feel free to pull your shoulders back and down slightly and straighten your spine upward, lifting the heart as you meditate on this center. Typically, we experience a large chakra blockage here.

8.Spend as much time as you like, then move on to the throat chakra, just behind the front of the throat, and see the color blue. If you get the urge to sing out or chant, allow that to happen. Don't try to control what is said, and don't judge yourself for it. If, instead, your throat feels constricted, feel free to stretch it by letting your head drop down and back, exposing your throat to the sky or ceiling.

9.After the throat chakra, bring your focus between the eyes and up slightly to the third eye. The third eye chakra likes the color  indigo. Meditate on this color the same as before.

10.When you are ready, move to the seventh and final crown chakra, which likes the color violet, or dark purple, and the color white. Let these colors pour out of the crown of your head, and then imagine each color rising up the spine and blending into pure white light as it leaves through the top of your skull.

Main Benefits

Balancing the chakras with a chakra clearing meditation by beginning to work with them helps clear away ignorance and bring about clear seeing.
It opens us to the wisdom and power of the universe, while simultaneously strengthening us, healing past wounds, and opening our hearts.
Relationships, issues with money, and grief we cannot let go of are all examples of the obstructions being cleared away as we focus on these energy centers and cleanse them. Each time we do a chakra cleansing or balancing meditation, it yields new insights, and refreshes us mentally and spiritually.


 

meditation part 3

                                         Zen meditation

This meditation is the process of sitting quietly in the meditative sitting position which allows you to empty your mind from any chit chatter and appearing thoughts.
Modern Zen meditation technique comes to us from Mahayana Buddhism. Zen meditation is, at its base, the practice of sitting still, of doing absolutely nothing.

That may sound very simple and easy, but for those of us in the tumult of the modern world, reaching that Zen level can take quite a bit of effort.
To understand the purpose of the Zen meditation technique below, you must first understand how your mind works.
We have two sides of the brain, the left side and the right side.
Your left side is logic. This is where your thoughts are formed and processed, the thinking side of your brain.
The right side is your creativity center. Music, art, love, hate, and all other emotions are processed on the right side. The right side is your ‘feeling’ side.

When following the Zen meditation technique, the right side of the brain is used so that thoughts will not be processed as they are in your daily life.

This is truly a very simple method to learn even though it may take a long time to master.

Accessories for this meditation technique

Since Zen meditation is best practiced sitting in a lotus or half-lotus position, you will need a mat and a small cushion to raise your behind a bit.
Make sure you are wearing loose, comfortable clothing.

Proper posture

It is highly suggested that you sit in the lotus position (cross legged with your right foot on your left thigh and your left foot on your right thigh) or in a half-lotus position (cross legged with your right foot on your left thigh and your left foot under your right thigh).
However, if you have trouble sitting cross legged on the floor, using a stool or chair is ok.
You must keep your spine straight and your hands touching in your lap. You should be comfortable but not in danger of falling asleep.

Instructions for Zen meditation technique

1.Once you are situated and in your preferred posture, take a deep and clearing breath, exhale slowly and completely.

2.Begin to breathe naturally.

3.Look at your left hand; do not move the left hand, just gaze at it. If thoughts come to mind, push them aside. Just look, without thinking, at your hand.

4.Become aware of the left side of your body, just sense that side of your body. Allow yourself only to feel it.
This step stimulates your right brain and sets it in motion. All of those random thoughts from the left side of the mind will begin to dissipate.

5.Now, you will begin to take deep breaths counting each inhalation and each exhalation.

6.Inhale deeply…one

7.Exhale completely…two

8.Inhale deeply…three

9.Exhale completely…four

10.Continue deep breathing to the count of ten.

Anapanasati meditation (Anapana)

                               Anapanasati Meditation 

It is also a  Buddhist Meditation. In 10 days vipassana course , we are taught how to do Anapana meditation at first and we have to practice it for first few  days.and believe me it is one of the best meditation I have learnt. With in the first three days of the course, body started detoxifying and mind started to become little bit calm and focused...
While sitting, we simply watch our breath and notice its length without any judgement of why the breath is too long or too short. Focusing on the breath is the only object of this meditation.

The few simple steps to practice the Anapanasati meditation method:

1.Sit on the mat with  back in a straight posture allowing for a straight spine.

2. Allow shoulders relax while placing both hands in your lap facing up..

3.Close eyes and start focusing on breath.

4.Start feeling the spot where   the air blowing out of nostrils including above the lips. When we exhale, that spots gets hit with the air and it trembles slightly.

5.Following that particular spot above the  lips, called anapana (hence the Anapanasati meditation) both when we breath in and breath out.

6. we have to simply observe in our mind when the breath is short, or when it is longer and we should not try to adjust it. The short breath is called Rassam pajanati, and the long breath is called Digham pajanati.


Benefits of Anapanasati meditation

This technique has several benefits that everyone who is practicing it regularly can achieve it:
•Improving focus (due to the constant focus on the breathing)

•Helping with slowing the aging process

Meditation

 Meditation is a process - a fun and relaxing one at that - which allows the mind to get into a state of calm and relaxation that helps the body restore its depleted energy.

Meditation can be anything you want it to be. In other words we can achieve from it anything that you really want to achieve: bliss, a state of zen, enlightenment, communion with God or other higher power, de-stress, relaxation, or body and mind rejuvenation.
You can find out who you really are at your core - who your inner self is - if this is what you are searching for when embarking on learning this practice.
Or, like me when first starting out - you might simply be burned out by the ongoing stress at your 9-5 day job, the endless meetings, angry words with your co-workers, money and financial problems, stress at home, you name it.
There are different types of meditation like Zen meditation, simple breathing excercise, meditation on
God etc. i have collected some tried and tested meditation technique and now i m going to share with u..hope u will  get benefit.

Breathing meditation

   Simple Breathing Excercise

The key to deep breathing is to breathe deeply from the abdomen, getting as much fresh air as possible in your lungs. When you take deep breaths from the abdomen, rather than shallow breaths from your upper chest, you inhale more oxygen. The more oxygen you get, the less tense, short of breath, and anxious you feel.
Sit comfortably with your back straight. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
Breathe in through your nose.
The hand on your stomach should rise.
The hand on your chest should move very little.
Exhale through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles.
The hand on your stomach should move in as you exhale, but your other hand should move very little.
Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls. Count slowly as you exhale.

Lessons from Trees

                            Lessons from Trees
                   

1. It's important to have roots.
2. In today's complex world, it pays to branch out.
3. If you really believe in something, don't be afraid to go out on a limb.
4. Be flexible so you don't break when a harsh wind blows.
5. Sometimes you have to shed your old bark in order to grow.
6. If you want to maintain accurate records, keep a log.
7. It's okay to be a late bloomer.
8. Avoid people who would like to cut you down.
9. As you approach the autumn of your life, you will show your true colors.
10. You could be Brilliant! in other words "bloom where you are planted."

"POWER OF APPRECIATION "

"A person on of our classes told of a request made by his wife. She and a group of other women in her church were involved in a self-improvement program. She asked her husband to help her by listing six things he believed she could do to help herself become a better wife. He reported to the class, “I was surprised by such a request. Frankly, it would have been easy for me to list six things I would like to change about her—my heavens, she could have listed a thousand things she would like to change about me—but I didn’t. I said to her, ‘Let me think about it and give you an answer in the morning.’
“The next morning I got up very early and called the florist and had them send six red roses to my wife with a note saying: ‘I can’t think of six things I would like to change about you. I love you the way you are.’
“When I arrived at home that evening, who do you think greeted me at the door: That’s right. My wife! She was almost in tears. Needless to say, I was extremely glad I had not criticized her as she had requested.
“The following Sunday at church, after she had reported the results of her assignment, several women with whom she had been studying came up to me and said, ‘That was the most considerate thing I have ever heard.’ It was then I realized the power of appreciation""


When a study was made a few years ago on runaway wives, what do you think was discovered to be the main reason wives ran away? It was “lack of appreciation”. And I’d bet that a similar study made of runaway husbands would come out the same way. We often take our spouses so much for granted that we never let them know we appreciate them.........

How To Win Friends & Influence People
DALE CARNEGIE
.....................................................................................
.Yesterday I was going through this book n above story given me a new vision to handle relationship.

I recall Warren Wong's article which suggest learning to appreciate others will help us to live a better life. We never lost anything in appreciating others - instead we become a better person. Appreciating others will help us to enhance our skill; it will also boost the doers to contribute more for the good of the people.

I have noticed people’s eagerness to help out when little things they do are remembered, and also experienced first hand the devastatingly de-motivating effects when my efforts go unnoticed
When you don’t care what other people are doing, you are basically telling them that what they are doing doesn’t matter all that much to you. After all, if it did matter, you’d notice it, wouldn’t you? Since they are doing it, they obviously think it matters.

Did people say something nice to you? Tell them that you appreciate how nice they are. Did they do something unique that excites you? Tell them you appreciate how excited they made you feel.

Showing appreciation doesn’t have to be some gesture where you bring a ton of flowers or anything like that. All the “fluff” is just icing on the cake, but be sure to have the cake! The core of showing appreciation is to convey the message to the other person that you appreciate something they have done for you. Usually, just saying it sincerely is sufficient to convey the message.
Go ahead and thank someone for something they’ve done for you. It costs you so little, but it might mean the world to the other person!

Whether you are having a good day or and an off day, a great week or a terrible one, the importance of gratitude can lift your spirits and shift your mood, and, sometimes even those around you.

Alan Cohen said, “Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts”.

You can shine the light of your thankful thoughts towards anyone or anything, and at any time you choose.

What and whom do you appreciate in your life right now?

Kimberley Cohen suggested:

•  Be thankful you woke this morning.
•  Appreciate your work and that you are able to work.
•   Be grateful for your home, family and friends.
•  Give thanks for your life just the way it is.
•  Be grateful for your freedom.
•   Value yourself and others.
•  Welcome the unexpected and the lessons you will learn.
•  Appreciate nature and all its splendor with each passing day and season.
•  Let others know how thankful you are that they are in your life.
•   Give thanks for being you.
•  Appreciate your body and all that it allows you to do.
•   Be thankful for all or as many of the 5 senses that you have.
•   Value the vast diversities in this wonderful universe.
•   Be grateful you are breathing at this very minute.
•  Be thankful for the “things” in your life like computers, phones, clothes, buildings, planes, cars, etc.
•   Be grateful for the food that nourishes your body.
•  You can give thanks for what inspires you to be the best you can be.
•  You can value your life and others each and every day.
•  There is so much you can appreciate right where you are in this exact moment!

Immerse yourself in gratitude each and every day and watch the miracles unfold around you as you do.