Meditation has been around for too long to be just another buzz word in the multi-billion dollars wellness industry.
Meditation is indeed the method of choice for one’s spiritual evolution but this is not the benefit discussed in this article. Rather the focus is on meditation immediate benefits for your mind and body. There is not only anecdotal but also more and more scientifical evidence that meditation benefits both your mind and body in a synergistic way: your mindset influences the body and at the same time your body helps your mind go further on its quest for evolution.
Meditation benefits your mind by:
* Increasing your awareness in every moment, as opposite of living your life on autopilot, hence everyday seems to last longer and be filled with more noticeable experiences.
* Increasing your focus and concentration which in turn, like a magnifying glass, helps resolve the problems at hand faster and more profound.
* Raising your threshold of tolerance to stress inducing events therefore you become calmer, happier and more tolerant.
* Increasing your intelligence. During the process of meditation, new synapses (neural connections) are formed. There are an average 100 billions neurons in anyone’s brain. What differentiates us from an IQ standpoint though, is the number of neural connections. As simple as this.
From a physiological perspective, your body benefits as well. This is easier to demonstrate by science. Measurable markers of meditation positive effects on one’s body include:
* Reduced blood lactate and Cortisol, known markers of stress, depression and anxiety.
* Reduced blood pressure.
* Increased number of longevity and youthfulness hormones as Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Meditation is subsequently a less expensive and natural alternative to provide our bodies with these essential hormones.
* Increased number of wellbeing and happiness related hormones: Serotonin and Melatonin. It is common knowledge that happier people live longer.
There are simple ways to include meditation in your daily routine without impact on your schedule. Most of us spend a lot of time in the gym taking care of our bodies. And this is perfectly all right.
Shouldn’t we spend just a fraction of this time though to keep our mind in shape?. Well, meditation does just that.
Written By:-Constantine
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_571541_23.html
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Meditation - The Benefits of Guided Meditation
When most people first start out practicing meditation, they can find it difficult to grasp the concept of freeing the mind, or with learning to relax sufficiently to let the mind take over. That is why seeking some form of help either through a professional, or a CD or even through a “do it yourself” book on meditation can be extremely helpful when one is starting to learn and practice meditation for the first time.
So what is nice about a guided meditation? Well for starters, guided meditation is often cheaper than a private session. If you use tools like CD’s or cassettes or if you ask the help of a friend to guide you, it would cost you a whole lot less than a private session. A guided meditation can help you understand the basics of meditation more clearly and can help you get rid of all distractions and meditate more effectively.
Most forms of group guided meditation have particular goals, from physical healing to spiritual-related goals. While guided meditation may be used to heal, it is important to know that the healing is not performed by the guides themselves; rather it is the naturally healthy state of a person which is being restored through the flow of energy freed during meditation. It is these vital aspects of meditation that one needs to understand or one can end up learning and practicing meditation for all the wrong reasons.
A lot of websites offer information on self meditation and guided meditation. Most of these sites even provide prepared scripts, sounds and music, and several calming images for exercise to help you stay focused. One good site to visit is www.selfhealingexpressions.com. It is a virtual guided meditation room with the same goals – to provide you minutes of deep relaxation and reflection.
If you think adults are the only ones who need meditation, think again. There is actually an online guided meditation site for children called www.susankramer.com .It can be quite a daunting task to get a child to concentrate or meditate, however the prepared scripts are very interesting and will keep most children focused during meditation.
Some guided meditations provide around thirty minutes of relaxing music to calm the mind and body. A guide’s voice can sometimes be heard over the beat of the music to cue you on what to think and how to stay more deeply focused. These guided meditations can be practiced alone or with a group.
A guided meditation is perfect for beginners who may find meditation techniques difficult to understand or comprehend. While it may seem lengthy and a little difficult to concentrate on especially for the first few times, it can prove to be very helpful by providing tips on how to concentrate, breath correct and how to focus the mind in the right direction.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Radhakrishnan_K_Gurudas
So what is nice about a guided meditation? Well for starters, guided meditation is often cheaper than a private session. If you use tools like CD’s or cassettes or if you ask the help of a friend to guide you, it would cost you a whole lot less than a private session. A guided meditation can help you understand the basics of meditation more clearly and can help you get rid of all distractions and meditate more effectively.
Most forms of group guided meditation have particular goals, from physical healing to spiritual-related goals. While guided meditation may be used to heal, it is important to know that the healing is not performed by the guides themselves; rather it is the naturally healthy state of a person which is being restored through the flow of energy freed during meditation. It is these vital aspects of meditation that one needs to understand or one can end up learning and practicing meditation for all the wrong reasons.
A lot of websites offer information on self meditation and guided meditation. Most of these sites even provide prepared scripts, sounds and music, and several calming images for exercise to help you stay focused. One good site to visit is www.selfhealingexpressions.com. It is a virtual guided meditation room with the same goals – to provide you minutes of deep relaxation and reflection.
If you think adults are the only ones who need meditation, think again. There is actually an online guided meditation site for children called www.susankramer.com .It can be quite a daunting task to get a child to concentrate or meditate, however the prepared scripts are very interesting and will keep most children focused during meditation.
Some guided meditations provide around thirty minutes of relaxing music to calm the mind and body. A guide’s voice can sometimes be heard over the beat of the music to cue you on what to think and how to stay more deeply focused. These guided meditations can be practiced alone or with a group.
A guided meditation is perfect for beginners who may find meditation techniques difficult to understand or comprehend. While it may seem lengthy and a little difficult to concentrate on especially for the first few times, it can prove to be very helpful by providing tips on how to concentrate, breath correct and how to focus the mind in the right direction.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Radhakrishnan_K_Gurudas
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