...Meditation Meditation is the state achieved from intense concentration on a single object until all other thoughts vanish and all that is left is an intense awareness of the object and nothing else is there in mind for some time. Meditation is one of the Eight branches of yoga classified in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Called dhyana, meditation is considered the highest practice and is the final step before ultimate hapiness. Meditation definition: "meditation means sense withdrawl (pratyahara) and concentration (dharana), sustained into contemplation (dhyana), with the aim of triggering a super-conscious state (samadhi), which is one of intuitive realization of the identity of the individual soul or spirit and the cosmic soul or spirit." Benefits of meditation: Meditation helps reduce stress and anxiety, maintains blood pressure at normal levels, and improves concentrating abilities, clarity and improves creativity. - meditation calms the fluctuations of the mind. A simple way to do meditation: First, sit in a comfortable position, either on a chair or on the floor, with your back and head in a staright position parallel to each other in a straight line. Take a couple of deep breaths, which are called ujjayi pranayama or nadi shodhana. Close your eyes. Breathe easy through your nose. Focus on your breath - cool air in, warm air out. If the mind wanders about and it feels difficult to concentrate, gently bring it back to the breath. That's it. Start with...
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...pain, difficulty sleeping, and or decreased sex drive. Long term effects of unmanaged stress include insomnia, diabetes, intestinal disorders, heart attack and/or weight loss. These listed above are just the physical side effects, not including how unmanaged stress can affect you mind, job, and other relationships. However, there is hope. There are many ways to manage stress. These include but are not limited to imagery, meditation, music, yoga, self-hypnosis, and physical techniques. My personal favorites are the physical techniques because you can do them anywhere. If you like you can even combined techniques. For example, you can combine yoga with music, or imagery with meditation. Everyone needs to find a combination or relaxation technique that works for them. I have found mine and it is truly helpful when it comes to managing my stress. “The first part of this technique is deep breathing. Deeps breaths are what you take to calm down, throughout yoga, and meditation. Your breathing is key. To use this take a number of deep breaths and with each breath relax your body further. This is a very simple and effective method of...
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...Meditation or quieting the mind is key to many complementary modalities. By dismissing distracting thoughts, fears, and worries from one's mind, one can develop a meditation practice that employs peaceful breathing techniques to arrest the inner chaos. Guided imagery is a directed form of imagination or daydreaming that balances mind and body by employing the sensory impressions of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch in a holistic and non-intrusive manner. Guided Imagery and led meditation free the mind from distraction through focus on themes or inspirations presented by the leader. Balancing with meditation and guided imagery results in inner well-being-a natural state of inner peace and balance. While we need some stimulation to be alert, our culture's fast pace, our own and the perceived expectations of others, self-recrimination, perfectionism, and hosts of other factors frequently upset this inner balance. Stress, anger, fear, frustration, pain, hatred, animosity, and negativity tend to weigh on our minds and can claim an undue share of our consciousness that, in turn, upsets our balance. Breathing practice and freeing the mind through meditation is key to divesting oneself of these distractors. The quiet state of meditation allows one to return to the natural state of inner well-being where energy and breath move freely without restriction or blockage....
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...Niyama: Tapas (Sanskrit) My description of tapas would be deep meditation and achieving self-realization. To be able to put your body at ease and have solitude with myself is the goal. Keeping my breathing regulated as well as keeping my mind from running around is the idea. While practicing yoga/while I am meditating, to practice Tapas I relax every part of my body and picture my self in a dark room. I think of everything that upset or bothered me that week, all my feelings being slowly released through my fingertips until I am at peace with my self. I am able to get my body to feel lighter and come out of my meditation in a better mood. Tapas has helped my life improve because with school, family, and sports I can become very stressed and tense. I used to not know how to relax how to take my mind of things. A few years back I began practicing yoga. Starting with a deep stretch and releasing endorphins then finishing up with deep breathing, closing my eyes and blacking everything out, I have been able to capture the essence of true relaxation. This has really helped me because till then, I had yet to find something that could work for me. I would try deep breaths but I felt that doing that just worked me up. Tapas has captured everything I enjoy about meditation. To be able to find solitude, come to conclusions with myself and have clarity in my thoughts. The steps I can now take towards embracing this principle in my life is that when I feel that I am beginning to...
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...techniques. There are several relaxation techniques readily available to anyone in order to help deal with a variety of daily stress. One technique that is simple and quick to do is physical relaxation, including deep breathing and muscular relaxation. When you feel stress building, this method can help to rid you of the stress before it becomes overwhelming. You may have heard someone tell you before to take ten deep breaths, this is the process of deep breathing. Each subsequent breath helps to relax the mind and body. Muscular relaxation can be used in conjunction with deep breathing and is done by consciously tensing your muscles then relaxing them a few times in a row. Performing these steps together can help you to rid your body of acute stress. When you have stress that seems to escalate throughout the day, a great technique to practice is meditation. This requires a little more time than physical relaxation, but can be a great way to help rid your body of stress at the end of the day. Meditation can be achieved by sitting in a quiet place with your eyes closed, focus on relaxing and on breathing. By concentrating on relaxing your body and on breathing in and out, you are able to clear your head and stress should simply disappear. Stress relief from meditation is generally achieved within ten to twenty...
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...our bodies are in a constant state of fighting without a direction, outlet or purpose. During the grief period, we are frequently overwhelmed and lost. When we grieve, a flood of stress hormones is released. In recent publication’s the term ”broken heart syndrome” has been used to describe, what is medically known as, stress cardiomyopathy. The level of stress hormones in the blood can be two to three times higher than it is in those suffering from a classic heart attack. Overall, our immune systems become compromised. So what can you do? Building your immune system is one of the most valuable gifts you can give you during the grieving process. This can be done through a combination of exercise, meditation,...
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...of the body attain specified purposes and work together to convey a smooth movement. When I amenably acknowledged how my body tenses and relaxes in dissimilar positions, it aided in educating me in what body systems work together, and how one system affects the others. 2. Intentional Attention Describe what you noticed BREATH: When practicing MAC on my body, I observed that my breath endured long and smooth. As I stretched my body in different directions, my lungs occupied to their complete capacity, slowly exhaling as my muscles relaxed. Relaxation allowed my lungs to maintain maximum strength, elongating the muscles. When I am not practicing MAC, my breathing rests short...
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...Questions to Consider When Assessing for Stress ..............12 The Stress Response ......................................................13 The Relaxation Response ................................................14 Stress Relieving Techniques.............................................15 Mindfulness.........................................................15 How to do a Mindfulness Exercise .........................15 10 Simple Ways to Practice Mindfulness Each Day ...18 Relaxation in a Hurry ...........................................18 Relaxing Your Body at Work ..................................19 Exercises.......................................................................20 Progressive Muscle Relaxation ...............................21 Deep Breathing....................................................22 Guided Imagery...
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...STRESS MANAGEMENT An Introductory Guide for Eckerd Students Eckerd College Counseling Services [pic] Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………....3 Stress Assessments...............................................4 Deep Breathing………………………………………….11 Meditation Mantras…………………………………....13 Mandala Coloring…………………………………… …15 Journaling…………………………………………..……16 Progressive Muscle Relaxation……………………..19 Mental Imagery…………………………………………21 Thought Stopping……………………………..……….25 References……………………………………………….26 It is completely normal for college students to experience stress. Common college stressors include increased academic pressures, roommate conflicts, homesickness, long distance relationships, and financial constraints. While not all stress is considered “bad”, health professionals increasingly link stress to disease and poor health. Stress is a leading risk factor for the number one cause of death, heart disease and is associated with many other health problems including mental illness, cancer, and even the common cold. More importantly, stress is directly associated with quality of life. Therefore, everyone should learn to recognize the stressors in their life and practice stress management techniques. This guide provides basic instruction for a variety of different stress management techniques. If you find one activity particularly helpful, let a counselor know and he/she will provide...
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...practice of meditation is central to the Buddhist tradition and is considered to be one of the essential Buddhist practices for reaching enlightenment. History tells us that meditation was a necessary component of the Buddha’s life and his search for liberation from suffering. Rahula (1978 p, 67) argues that the Buddha’s teachings on meditation had the aim of ‘producing a state of perfect mental health, equilibrium and tranquillity’. However, Rahula (1978) also states, that the Buddha’s teachings on meditation were the most misunderstood of all his teachings. Although the origins of meditation are not easy to trace, Friedlander (2002 p. 37) suggests that they may predate proto-history. There are varying methods of meditation practice found in different cultures and the western and eastern concepts of meditation vary greatly. For this reason, Friedlander (2002, p. 15) argues that ‘we may need to explore the meaning of meditation within the context that it is found’. This essay will explore the meaning of meditation and discuss the relationship between meditation, prayer and ritual. Meditation is an ancient, personal spiritual practice which has evolved from early Indian culture and it may be plausible to suggest that the practice of meditation developed from the ecstatic trances associated with shamanistic religions (Friedlander 2002). There are various techniques of meditation such as breath control, mantras and single-pointed concentration. Meditation is a practice...
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...Mindfulness: Foundation of life to approach happiness It is no more infrequent that every time people look at the newspaper in the morning, terrible news dominates the cover and headlines. As a matter of fact, we all notice that the violence is dramatically growing in this world. This is not a new modern issue but already becomes a common topic in both the world of laypeople and that of social scientists and spiritual leaders. Hence, there is an urgent calling for a solution to the security of every individual and the whole world as well. Nevertheless, tragedies that people have been suffering, are still taking place. They are not natural but sadly man-made catastrophes. The root of cause is not in external and top down factors such as security measures, laws, and policies, but it is originated from consciousness of human. Unquestionably, the issue should be solved at the root. Hence, mindfulness, which could help people to deal with the causes, would be a solution for this problem. As an ancient notion that was taught as the heart of Buddhism’s teaching, mindfulness was proved as a valuable practice in health care and life that help people deal with their suffering and reach happiness. Religion In Buddhism’s position, mindfulness means awareness moment-by-moment in the present without forming attachment and making judgment. Mindfulness is comprised of consciousness and awareness. The motivation of Buddhism is practice that can help people to reach the enlightenment and happiness...
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...Axia College Material Appendix A Meditation Worksheet Directions: Locate two resources on the Internet that explain meditation techniques. Copy and paste the web address into the top of the matrix. After reviewing the website, provide a brief summary for each source. Below your summary, list two interesting facts you learned from each site. Try the techniques you located in your Internet search. Provide a brief description of what happened in your experience. Be sure to answer the two questions below the matrix also. |Web Address (URL): |http://www.tm.org/meditation-techniques and |http://www.project-meditation.org/mt/zen_meditation.html | | |http://www.tm.org/benefits-of-meditation | | | |This source discusses a meditation technique known as the Transcendental |Zen Meditation is all about focusing on what you are doing at that very moment. You do not | | |Meditation (TM) technique. TM’s purpose is to allow the mind to |want to be thinking about stuff that happen throughout the day or even things that you need | | |effortlessly transcend thinking into a deep state of restfulness without |to do later. The article even said that it is ok to think about your body being...
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...practitioner through a series of simple instructions and breathing exercises .These include a scan of the body or visual imagery, which occupies the mind thus preventing it from getting involved in the ordinary mind-chatter that absorbs our usual consciousness. Within a short time, one becomes submerged in the alpha state, in which the brain rhythms fall into the internal silent space. Once the body is relaxed and the mind is calm, all energies become focused on the Third Eye, i.e the inner sanctuary found between the eyebrows. One is now able to simultaneously access both the intuitive and the logical left brain, and the insightful right brain. This naturally and effortlessly and naturally brings one into integration, and experience deep relaxation and still remain conscious and conscious. Historical/Cultural roots of this healing modality Yoga nidra originated in the ancient tantric practice called nyasa. It was adapted and presented in a systematic and scientific way in...
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...FOUNDATIONS OF TAOIST PRACTICE by Jampa Mackenzie Stewart When you try to define Taoism, you immediately run into trouble. The great Taoist philosopher and author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, begins his first chapter with the warning words, The Tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. Thus Westerners are not the only ones who have a hard time defining Taoism; the Chinese have had difficulty time agreeing on just what Taoism is for millenia. Taoism is sometimes defined as a ritualistic religion, as a philosophy, as Chinese folk religion, as alchemy, as a system of magical lore, or as a series of health practices similar to yoga. The adherants of each school often look with disdain on the others as being heterodoxy, heresy, or simply incomplete portions of the great Tao. The Chinese word Tao (pronounced "dow") means "the way, the path." In the common sense it refers to the way of doing anything, or the pathway to some destination. In its higher meaning, Tao refers to the way of the universe, the way things are. As a spiritual system, Tao means the way to achieving a true understanding of the nature of mind and reality, to the way of living in harmony with the changes of Nature. Thus the Tao is the goal, the path and the journey all in one. A Taoist then, is "a follower of the Way," the same title by which the early Buddhists and Christians dubbed themselves. The earliest Taoists appeared at least four thousand years...
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...Promotes longevity, (Frawley,2012) In the Kaivalya pāda(verse 1) of Patañjalī Yoga sūtrās states that supernatural powers (siddhis) arise from birth, drugs, mantras, austerity or Yoga (Samādhi).The real Soma relates to the secretion in the head /brain due to the practices of Yoga, Pranayama, and meditation .There is a chakra by name Soma which is also known as Amria Chakra meaning Nectar of the crescent Moon located at the middle of forehead, connected to Hypothalamus and Pineal gland with its main functions related to rejuvenation and bliss...
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