Controlling your mental activity is necessary to handle stress. The ability to relax and experience peace is a way to gain respite from distressing thoughts, worries and the information overload so prevalent in today's society. Meditation therapy helps reduce stress by taking the mind away from always thinking about this problem or that.
Meditation, practiced regularly helps release stress and fatigue while resting the body, allowing it to heal naturally by reducing the unhealthy chemicals stress produces.
The benefits of meditation therapy have a snowball effect starting with reducing your stress. As an exercise, spend a short moment and experience this brief video, taking note of how you feel before you watch it, and how you feel when you have finished.
EXPERIENCE PEACE
Why do people meditate?
The benefits of meditation on the body and mind are enormous. People meditate simply to relax their body and mind, improve sleep, and rejuvenate their body so that they will be at their optimum performance for the next busy day.
Meditation brings the body and mind to a state of peace and balance, which will in turn reduce stress, allowing the body to heal, and improve and maintain health.
What is Meditation Therapy?
Meditation therapy techniques are used to quiet the mind. When your conscious mind is calm and peaceful, without worries or chattering thoughts you become open to insights and clarity. In short, meditation therapies help elicit a relaxation response.
There are many styles of meditation originating from all corners of the world. Each one offers a peaceful state of mind, body relaxation, and clarity.
Some types of meditation therapy require you to focus on a particular image, such as a candle. Other styles of meditation require no concentration, but a letting go of all thoughts. A third type of meditation asks you only to observe your thoughts and become consciously aware of them.
It is very important to find a meditation therapy type that you enjoy doing, one that fits into your daily routine, and one that also relaxes you. If you find you are becoming tenser trying to focus or concentrate, it's possible that you might need to try another type of meditation. For instance, try a moving meditation with chi gong or
tai chi,
instead of a sitting meditation.
Deep Breathing for Relaxation
If you have never done meditation before, we suggest that you start with
A Beginner's Meditation
of deep breathing. This linked page will show you some easy deep breathing techniques as well as introduce you to our new downloadable series "Meditation Techniques".
Deep breathing allows you to become familiar with your breaths and begin to unwind. You can do this while watching the peaceful video at the top of this page (as many times as you wish.
This simple technique will soon give you the understanding of the benefits of meditation therapy.
Progressive Muscular Relaxation
Sometimes our muscles stay tense even though we may feel relaxed.
Progressive Muscular Relaxation
involves relaxing your muscles one muscle group at a time. In order to reap the full benefits of this meditation therapy technique, you need only two 15-minute sessions per day for one to two weeks.
Progressive muscle relation will reduce your physiological tension and psychological stress. To learn how to be aware of your muscles, which ones you hold tight and how to release that tension, follow the link above for more detailed instruction.
Zen Meditation
A seated meditation,
Zen meditation
uses proper posture with concentration on breathing to achieve relaxation and a more positive outlook. Your awareness is directed towards counting or watching the breath from an energy center below the navel. You then put your focus on your thoughts, letting them come and go. To experience the benefits of Zen meditation, try the free demo we've put together for you.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Did you know that the way you breathe can affect your state of mind -- either calm and relaxed or stressed and excited? By altering the way you breathe, you can create different feelings in your body.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
is a deep breathing exercise that gets more oxygen into the body and releases physical tension. Many people breathe from their chest in short breaths. When stressed or in a panic, breathing becomes shallower and faster. Daphragmatic breathing is slow and deep (which is the exact opposite)and helps you to calm down. It is also thought that using the diaphragm to breathe massages your internal organs.
Just by breathing long, deep breaths, you can create a relaxed state in your body. Follow the link above for our guided exercise in this deep breathing method.
Mindfulness Meditation
One of the easiest of all meditations to do is the
"Present Moment"
meditation. It only requires you to be fully aware of what you are doing at that very moment.
During this time, you let go of worries and thoughts about the future or the past. You relax. You are being mindful.
A free Mindfulness Meditation video can be found by following the above link. Learn to enjoy the small pleasures in life by fully concentrating on the task at hand without getting distracted by random thoughts passing through your mind.
You can also try our free Totally Tranquil demonstration audio. Enjoy the bliss of being totally relaxed in just minutes.
Cleanse Your Aura and Purify Your Soul
Cleansing the Aura
is an amazing technique that easily brings focus on your breath and allows it to slow down. Borne from Tendai Buddhist and Chi Gong theories, it is widely used by martial artists to relax the body and calm the mind and as a stress reliever.
This aspect of meditation therapy considers the 'Oneness' of all things, that we are all one and come from and return to the same place. Wash away the tension and stress of the day with our 12-step meditation found on the linked page above. Create peace of mind and a sense of well-being while allowing your body to heal naturally.
Chakra Meditation
Meditating with the Chakras
is based on the centres of energy which connect mind and body. Originating in India, the chakra is a Sanskrit term meaning wheel or circle. Some people believe that in order to maintain a healthy body, the chakras need to be cleansed and balanced. To do this involves imaging the colour of your chakras one by one, and imagine them cleansed and healthy.
A chakra meditation can relieve stress, relax your mind and body, and we invite you to sample a Chakra meditation by trying the link above.
Laughter is good medicine!
What makes you laugh? Rent a good comedy, see a comedy play, find a laughter mp3 on the Internet.
Smile at everyone you see today. Smiles are contagious...count how many people you can make smile today just by smiling at them. You will find yourself feeling joyful.
