What is meditation?

Meditation is a practical technique conscious effort to focus your mind in a non-analytic way that avoids rumination and worry. By concentrating on neutral things, such as your breath or a word or even an object, you cannot simultaneously focus on worries, resentment, fears or anxieties.

Is there any research to show meditation can help?

People who regularly practice medication show

* a dramatic decrease in stress symptoms (lowers blood pressure, heart rate, levels of stress hormones, fatigue and breathing rate)

* a decrease in anxiety, depression and pain

* an increase in self-esteem

How do you meditate?

Follow the steps below to practice meditation:

1. Choose a quiet place, someone where you feel safe and comfortable.

2. Pick a time when other responsibilities won't interfere or create problems for people you live with. Make sure it is prior to eating, after a light meal, or several hours after a heavy meal. Avoid caffeine in your last meal or snack prior to meditating.

3. Take a shower or wash your face and hands to help begin the relaxation phase. Such activities will also help you feel refreshed and give you a sense of purification.

4. Consider doing a light type of exercise to loosen your muscles and create physical relaxation. Yoga or tai chi, for example.

5. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, or sit on the floor with your legs cross in front of you. It doesn't matter as long as your position allows you to sit comfortably and steadily with your head, neck and trunk in alignment. You can even walk and meditate.

6. Guide your attention through the major parts of your body, releasing the tension from the muscles.

7. Breathe smoothly and easily from your diaphragm, to aid in the physical relaxation and prepare you for meditation. Make your breath smooth and even. As you exhale, gently pull your abdominal muscles in. As you inhale, relax your abdominal muscles and feel the air being pulled deeply into your lungs.

8. Scan your body for any areas of body tension. Bring your awareness to those areas and gently suggest they relax. Give special attention to your face, which holds a major part of your tension. Suggest your forehead smooth out, the tightness around your eyes releases and your jaw muscles relax and let go.

9. Focus on your breath. Count "one" as you inhale and "two" as you exhale. Continue in this pattern up to ten and then start over. If you get distracted, go back to one and start over.

10. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes, but avoid pushing yourself past your level of comfort.

11. When you finish meditating, allow yourself a time for a gradual transition to a more active state. Sit quietly for a few moments and take a long stretch. Reflect on your life.

What attitude should I have to get the most out of meditation?

* Cultivate an attitude of non-striving.

* Whatever happens is okay. The important thing is to quiet your mind. Avoid struggling.

* Accept any thoughts without judging them.

* Persist with patience whether you're distracted, peaceful or chaotic.

* Cultivate the ability to watch your thoughts or replay of past experiences without reacting to them. This is called witnessing. If you find yourself getting upset, focus on breathing in and breathing out.

* Note feelings and let them go.

* Between meditation sessions, read the masters for inspiration


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Resources:

Larry Blumenfeld, The Big Book of Relaxation. Roslyn NY: The Relaxation Company, 1994.

Swami Rama, Meditation and Its Practice, Himalayan Publishers, 1992.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness Meditation Practice. Six tapes to guide meditation. POBox 547, Lexington, MA 02173.