Achieve Peace Of Mind With Yoga And Meditation

Yoga is developing as a part of life. It is a way of life - you can integrate body poses and breathing exercises with added meditation to give a peace of mind to be ONE with the world.

Meditation comes from intense concentration. The individual focuses so thoroughly on a single object that he or she thinks of - nothing besides his or her awareness of that object (Some religions may find that their idea of prayer could fall under this definition). Yoga takes things a little bit further that is, by making meditation the highest point of the Eight Limbs of Yoga.

These "eight limbs" define Yoga as a lifestyle: your attitude to the world around you is followed by your attitudes towards yourself, physical posturing, breathing exercises, withdrawing the senses, concentrating, contemplating, and finally enlightenment. You go into a state of bliss that will result in the use and development of the other seven. Meditation combines withdrawing the senses, concentrating, and contemplating to be the final state that can be accomplished before bliss.

At any rate, meditation calms the mind and offers a number of health benefits even before enlightenment. With regular mediation, all your daily stresses and anxiety reduces; your blood pressure and the risk of having a heart attack minimizes; your concentration and clarity of thought improves, and your creative side releases.

Research shows that mediation plus yoga will increase the matter of the brain’s cortex, which in turn helps the cognitive, emotional, and sensory aspects of the brain. Meditation may also slow natural shrinkage of the frontal cortex due to aging. The 20 participants on average meditated for 40 minutes a day. Actually, most change happens in the brain’s right half.

Meditation really isn’t easy though. Clearing the mind of extraneous thought is difficult, and all thought even more so. Learning how to do meditation will take some time and hard work.

You will want to sit somewhere with your back and head straight, to start out. You will find that you will want to learn some basic breathing exercises first to help you. You will then want to close your eyes, breathe in through your noses and exhale through your mouth. You will want to focus on your breath. You will be able to get cool air to enter through and the warm air leaves. You will want to make sure that you focus on the way that you breath. You will want to redirect all of your wondering thoughts and then just focus on the warm air leaving. You should start off with some short meditations that last a few minutes. Most beginners will start off counting their breaths so that they can focus on the breathing, but you will only want to count to four and then start over again.

By: Huda

Society, Religion, Spirituality And Meditation

meditation is widely used in the western world today. As people hear of the benefits of meditation it has travelled the world several times over under various different names. One thing that we have realised though is that countries like India, China and Japan have always been at the forefront of meditation. Most of the new enlightenment techniques that we are just learning now started in Asia, and often centuries ago. As you can imagine though there are a lot of differences between how people live in Asia and how we live in the West today.Our upbringings are different, our lifestyles are different, and the way we learn and understand is totally alien to the people of Asia. This means that the way our countries understand and accept meditation is also slightly different.

In Asia students of meditation learn the concepts by way of parables or stories. In the West we encourage critical thought. We teach our children how to think with rational, logical minds. Telling stories to explain a thought doesn't work. We require facts and scientific data. We lose a lot of the meaning behind meditation because of this, and limit ourselves to the depths that we can reach. There is a meditation society in most countries now. This is often the best place to find meditation courses and seminars local to your region.

Religion has also adapted to encompass meditation practices into it's daily programme. You can now find meditation exercises adopted to suit Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and many other religions. Some people are still finding resistance using meditation within their specific Church or Temple. While meditation has been accepted by most religions some people are finding it slow to trickle down to the people at the bottom. If you would like to incorporate meditation into your religious practices and are finding it difficult to get information from your local religious centre there are lots of examples and instructions online to show you the best ways to use meditation for your own religious purposes.

Spirituality

Spirituality and the new age movement was one of the first groups of people in the west to adopt and accept meditation practices into their way of life. Spirituality differs from religion in that spiritualists aim to reach a level of happiness in their lives. Religion tends to stick to a set of rules, where as spiritualists will try various different methods to find the path that is right for them. It is a very personal experience and they can use meditation to help them along the path that they have chosen.

It really doesn't matter why you come to meditation. It is such a simple technique to master that you can adapt it to almost any situation.

By: Brenda Mayhew
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Brenda Mayhew writes on self development related issues. You can learn more about meditation by visiting her website, Meditation Basics.

A Guide To Stress Management Using Yoga

There is a widespread thinking. a wrong one, that yoga for achieving peace of mind where in mind,body and soul are perfectly co-ordinated. It is much more than that,as it can help you over come stress as well.

Today, most yoga practitioners and teachers believe that in addition to providing relaxation and peace, yoga is about the seemingly limitless capability of a person to be in control and unite with his or her inner self. With these underlying principles, yoga can be an effective way of stress management if used properly.

Yoga is a word from ancient Indian language of Sanskrit and means “union or joining.” It is considered as almost an ambiguous term because it encompasses a wide range of purely physical disciplines to purely spiritual. When people talk of yoga, the term “asana” is always mentioned. Asana is known as one of the eight types of yoga wherein mental and spiritual well being than are prioritized compared to physical endurance. Today, the two words have become almost synonymous to modern-day yogis because they embody the same concept: relaxation though meditation.

If you’re planning to practice yoga as a form of stress management, it should not be as confusing as it seems because you don’t need to learn all the concepts and philosophies behind it. This ancient tradition that requires deep meditation has been proven as an effective way to relax, what you need to learn are the basic information you will need for you to apply the concept in your everyday life.

People have different reasons and purposes for practicing yoga. This is because through yoga, people may explore the almost limitless possibilities of health and relaxation. Since this ancient form of exercise can help people delve into depths of the meditative practice for spiritual discipline, it can also be used to manage stress and maintain physical and emotional health.

If you are going to use yoga as a form of stress management, it is best to understand your main objectives and your level of interest because these can definitely help you find the right yoga program.

The first thing that you have to bear in mind before you totally indulge in practicing yoga is setting and determining your goals. You can do this by knowing first what are the possible health and fitness benefits you can get from yoga. Most yoga practitioners agree that the major potential benefit of yoga is to relieve stress.

Apart from this, it can also increase of strength and flexibility, creation of balance as well as the improvement of breathing and overall posture. On the spiritual aspect, yoga can serve as an exercise that can help you soothe your nerves, calm your mind while increasing your focal and concentration skills.

Once you set your goals, it is best to perform a general check-up. This is very important because it will help you know your limitations when it comes to practicing it. You must also talk about your overall health with the yoga instructor so as avoid complications in future. Since yoga involves physical endurance, it would be better to visit an orthopedic before you start attending a class so that injuries can be prevented.

You must take care to find out the qualification of your yoga teacher, while you ascertain your own physical and emotional ability.

By: keshavlaxmi
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Understand these natural stress management techniques before using a stress and tension management package.

Yoga: What Is Yoga?

Yoga, which means discipline, was developed in the year 300 by an Indian Hindu named Patanjali. Its purpose is to stretch the muscles, strengthen the body and increase concentration. It can also help you relax, if you have trouble doing that.

No wonder this ancient discipline has become popular among modern entertainers and athletes. Depending on who practices it, yoga can be simply a set of exercises or a total way of life.

Some who practice yoga, called yogis, try to use the discipline to reach a high level of consciousness. They respect certain abstentions (things not to do), such as not lying, stealing, being greedy or harming other people. They also practice certain observances (things to do), such as being clean, content, self-controlled, studious and devoted.

Physical control is also important in yoga. Yogis train themselves to take full, deep breaths. They consider breathing a life force, counting a lifespan not in years but in the number of breaths taken.

Unlike exercises that work only on strength, yoga also helps the body become flexible. As a result, some yoga exercises (called asanas) look a little strange, and you may think you need to be a human pretzel to do them. Not so. You just have to relax.

In yoga, you ease into stretches, never forcing yourself. The saying no pain--no gain simply does not apply. You do only the best you can at the moment, and at some later moment you will do more.

All yoga poses demand balance. And since you can't balance if you're thinking about last night's TV show, yoga also demands concentration. Learn to concentrate in yoga, and you will be better able to concentrate in baseball, tennis or even school.

Yoga exercises copy nature. Many yoga poses can be traced to the shapes of creatures, such as the cobra, cat, dog, tortoise, crab and eagle.

In the cobra pose, for example, you ask yourself, What would it feel like to be a cobra. You lie on your stomach with your forehead to the floor. As you inhale, you slowly roll your head back, supporting yourself with your hands. You hold that pose, then come down slowly, trying to move as a snake would move.

All yoga exercises promote strength and calmness. Each move's effects on a muscle, a gland or a nerve center are carefully thought out.

You can choose certain exercises to rid yourself of particular pains, such as back pain from back-packing or leg pain from jogging. Yoga can help condition you for skiing or help you control feelings of depression or fear.

Any good book on yoga will describe various asanas and tell how each works. You may even have done yoga exercises already. Ever done a handstand, or the wheel. Many exercise programs borrow from yoga.

By: Nicholas Tan
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Yoga: Yoga For Business People - Mind-body Connection

A rising number of business people are finding the mind-body connection.

Yoga, meditation, and other Eastern-born exercises are finding a growing audience among harried business people craving inner calm. Classes are offered at health clubs, company fitness centers, corporate retreats and spas.

Ideas that once were left-of-center are finding greater acceptance with the public support. Mind-body executive fitness is a hot topic right now.

Lynn Doody, owner of Zen Fitness wellness programs in Chicago, notes that, whereas in the past most of her clients pursued traditional cardiovascular and weight-training exercise, most now incorporate mind-body applications into the regimen.

There's just a general awareness, and non-conventional health care is a little more available.

No need to convince Mark Frantz. The 40-year-old vice-president at Merrill Lynch & Co. had learned in 15 years of trading commodities to manage stress and anxiety. He ran a few times a week, worked out at the gym, and worked at reducing stress in other conventional ways.

But he still ground his teeth at night, massages were temporary Band-Aids, and even while running he'd tense his muscles. He wanted more. He sought ''a different quality of life.''

What he found was yoga and meditation. At home, on an airplane, or for 10 minutes behind closed doors at work, Mr. Frantz can shut out distractions with deep breathing, yoga poses, imagery and other relaxation techniques.

He still runs, but '(yoga and meditation) forces you to focus on what's going on in the moment and to be aware of what your body is telling you. It relaxes you, brings your heart rate and your blood pressure down.

By: Nicholas Tan
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Yoga: Yoga For Modern City Life - Ancient Practice Fits Modern Life

When Trace Bonner launched Holy Cow in West Ashley's South Windermere Shopping Center last summer, she didn't know what to expect. Now she's teaching 16 classes a week and adding another instructor. And while she credits the center's success in part to its cute cow logo and convenient location, there's no question that there's a revived interest in yoga across America.

The ancient Indian practice of yoga first arrived in the US at the beginning of the 20th century, but didn't really catch on until 1969 with chants at Woodstock. Now, after being overshadowed by the aerobics craze in the '80s and early '90s, yoga is once again attracting followers, with many looking for relief from ailments and injuries or from the stress of daily life.

Baby boomers, worn out from years of jogging and bouncy workouts, are back on board. But interest is growing with other age groups, too, from college students to senior citizens to celebrities.

The surge in interest is being fueled partly by doctors' growing acceptance of yoga's healing potential. Mainstream medicine has adopted yoga as a gentle therapeutic method for treating a number of illnesses, so more and more doctors are referring their patients to yoga. Initial trials have shown yoga can help people with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, asthma and cardiac risk factors.

By: Nicholas Tan
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Mindfulness And The Change You Should Believe In

Being aware of change without having to stop and interpret it, mindfulness means detachment. I call it surfing on change. As the waves you surf upon, as the waves that come and go and vary in size and intensity, change is fluid and always present.

But you don't have to immerse yourself in change.

Furthermore, if the surfer focuses on finding the perfect wave and that perfect feel, she will probably never find it. And if she does, every wave that follows that perfect wave may become a disappointment. Observing and registering change, a mindful person doesn't coat change with expectations. And she isn't fooled by labels, face values, and concepts.

Concepts and labels can be helpful because we talk to each other and to ourselves (thoughts). We have words for almost everything and we have even conceptualized emotions into anger, fear, joy, bliss, and so on. But there's nothing static about emotions. They're dynamic, fluid, always changing. For example, if a person feels some natural, negative emotions and immediately jumps to the conclusion, "I'm depressed!" Then he runs the risk of freeze-framing his dynamic emotions into a static concept of depression when he's not really depressed at all.

Believing in the concept, he might actually become depressed.

The main thing here is to not accept labels and face values... Someone who looks good, speaks well, and wears a nice suit might be a scam artist. A priest might be a thief. A seemingly sympathetic, soft-spoken politician may be a warmonger. But if he belongs to your community, church, or political party, will you be able to see it?

These are just examples, and most people are nice people. They really are. However, we are susceptible to good first impressions and we easily associate one thing with another. An actor wearing a lab coat becomes a scientist or a doctor. Words turn into actions when it should be the other way around. In many cases you don't have time to do a background check on everything you buy and everyone you deal with. That's fine. When you are mindful, your feelings save you time and do the checking for you. You develop a reliable gut instinct.

BUT...

If you are voting for a politician who might become your next president, look at what he has done in his career. Do not take his words at face value. Do not accept his label as yours. The person's history of action is the key. Compared to action - evidence of a person actually doing and believing in what he says - words mean little or nothing.

Mindfulness helps prevent errors of judgment. It is the smart way. So you see how concepts, labels, and face values can be bad things?

Change/life is dynamic, fluid, and holds no barriers, while concepts and labels are static, pre-interpreted, and boxed-in. Going beyond concepts, you become aware of the free float of time, emotions, thoughts, and any other change big enough to draw your attention, thus making its way into your awareness. You'll notice how you can pick up on subtle changes in your awareness before they materialize and become concepts and labels (mis)interpreting and explaining the change. You feel change quickly, surfing on top of it rather than becoming immersed in it.

Concepts are only useful if we can step back once in a while and become aware of the bigger, interconnected, and changing picture, and not gaze for too long at one point, such as our own reflection.

Place Narcissus on a surf board from time to time...

Unless you have meditated before, and even if you have, this explanation may not make sense right away. But if you feel confused yet tolerant and relaxed about your confusion, you're being mindful. Feelings, sights, sounds, thoughts - they change all the time. Becoming aware of them and the fact that they change don't mean that you have to follow them to their origin or destination (do they even have one?).

Detached and non-judgmental of your observations, you allow yourself the freedom to exist in both your meditation and daily life. Most importantly, mindfulness goes hand in hand with compassion, which is healthy and befriending, bringing you closer to yourself and the truly great people around you.

By: Oz Vorland
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Sincerely, Oz Vorland
Physical therapist and meditator
"Learn to Love The Mind You're In" at www.meditation-techniques-for-happiness.com