How To Quiet The Mind.
Reasons To Meditate.
- Meditation helps us to focus
- Meditation helps us to achieve what we want
- It's healthy for our mind and body
What is Meditation?
Meditation is deep relaxation and quieting our mind to the point that distractions are no longer distracting. When we meditate we are in the 'now'. We are not thinking about what we will do in the future, or what we did in the past.
Benefits of Meditation.
- Knowing how to meditate helps us control our mind in stressful situations
- Meditation reduces stress, anxiety, depression, and other psychological mental illnesses
- Meditation helps us to be calm and relaxed when most people would panic
Deep Meditation.
Deep meditation does not mean you fall asleep. This may accidentally happen and it's ok, but our goal is not to sleep. When we meditate we should be 100% conscious and in the moment, aware of everything, but analyzing nothing.
In deep meditation, we are completely aware of whatever we choose to focus upon. However we do not judge or color what we observe by our previous mental programming.
In the silence we can hear more.
Escaping Reality.
Essentially what you are doing with meditation is substituting unhealthy coping mechanisms with a healthy one. Meditation is healthy for our mind and body. It makes us feel so good, we no longer have the need to drink, smoke, take drugs, or abuse our body in some way.
Once you know how to meditate, you can instantly quiet your mind when you feel anxious, depressed, or getting out of control. Meditation helps you to regroup and see the world from a calm, loving place, rather than one where your world is falling apart.
Meditation is a healthy escape from reality.
How Do You Do Meditation?
There is no right or wrong way to meditate. Your goal is to get into a state of being where you are doing nothing at all! It sounds hard because most of us believe we can't turn off the endless chatter we hear in our mind. Our thoughts imprison us in a reality that causes us stress, anxiety, depression, and feelings of despair.
I'm going to give you three simple but powerful meditation techniques, but remember, meditation is about silencing the mind and doing nothing. The techniques are merely tools or ways to get into the quiet place where all your worries disappear.
3 Meditation Techniques.
Before you try these meditation techniques, here are some guidelines.
- Sit in a comfortable position
- Remove yourself from all distractions
- Turn off any music or sounds unless this is part of a meditation technique
- Make sure you will not be suddenly startled by loud noises
- Keep your eyes closed
Technique #1. Mantras.
Mantras are a word, phrase, or sound that is repeated over and over again. The more we say a mantra and focus upon it, the quieter our mind becomes, until at some point, it is completely silent.
Until you get very good at meditation, mantras are useful as a vehicle to get you to that quiet place of deep relaxation where there is no fear, worry, depression, and stress.
Once your mind is quiet and you are not thinking any more, you can stop doing the mantra. If distractions, sounds, or thoughts take you out of deep relaxation, simply start doing the mantra again until it is no longer needed.
Technique #2. Focus.
Focus on our breath, scan your body from top to bottom very slowly, listen to a metronome or a clock ticking. As you focus on one thing only, your mind will become more and more quiet.
Technique #3. Guided Meditations.
Guided meditations are the easiest way to learn meditation. You can go to group meditations where a facilitator guides you through a meditation or you can listen to guided meditation CD's.
Typically in guided meditations, one uses clairvoyance or our mind to see visions, beautiful places, and energy that radiates through our body and empowers us to be more than we presently believe we are.
Guided meditations can be very powerful and you will be exercising your ability to see pictures and color through your 'third eye'.
Intentions.
It's always best to set an intention before meditating. That way your unconscious mind together with oneness that contacts all of us can bring into reality what you're looking for. Thus meditation saves us time. While we're in deep relaxation, the universe is working on our behalf to make our dreams come true.
Intentions are all about us. Our intentions should not be about others.
Intentions should be spoken in the present tense similar to or identical to affirmations. Adding the word 'why' before an intention makes it much more powerful.
Good intentions.
- I am love
- I say the right things at the right times
- I am calm and relaxed at all times
- I feel healthy when I eat small meals several times a day
- Money flows to me like a magnet
- The love of my life is looking for me
- With every breath my body is stronger
As you see from the above 'intentions', they look very much like hypnotic suggestions.
Examples of Bad Intentions.
- I will be rich some day.
- I want a good job.
- I wish my husband would spend more time with me.
All three intentions are very vague. Statements like rich, some day, good job, more time, etc. are not specific enough. It's better to say 'I make $10,000 per day' (if it's a realistic goal you haven't quite achieved yet), than to say 'I make a lot of money'.
All three intentions are not in the present tense. The last one deals with someone else and 'wishing'. Intentions are not about wishing for something in the future or controlling someone else so we can be happy. Controlling others always leads to disappointment. All we can do is control ourselves and even that is a challenge at times.
While we may wish for a better future, it's important to word our intentions in such a way that the future is now. In the process of being thankful and appreciative of our current situation, (real or imagined), we allow the universe to give us more of what we want.
Meditation Risks.
As far as I know, I've never heard of any health risks from meditation. I've always felt better and in more control. But your situation may be different. If you are concerned about the safety of meditation, consult with your physician.
Here are the only risks i've experienced:
- Feeling so good I don't want to come out of meditation
- Missing an appointment because I forgot to set an alarm
- Losing track of time
