Monday, February 3, 2020

Self Meditate: Help for Your

Self Meditate: Help for Your "Busy Mind"
By Carol M Recchion


One of the most beneficial small life changes you can make this year is to incorporate the practice of meditation into your life. Meditation is an ancient practice that is beneficial physically, emotionally and spiritually, especially in today's busy world when it is difficult to unplug from stress and constant sensory overload.
There are many documented benefits to a daily meditation practice including physical improvements such as lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and pain levels. It also increases energy and boosts immunity. The emotional and mental benefits however, are even more impressive for today's stressful ever-changing world.
The benefits to our thinking and emotional states are just as significant. People who meditate report less irritability, a reduction in the stress, greater emotional self-control, increased focus, better concentration and enhanced creativity.
These improvements in awareness and focus allow an individual to become more self-aware helping them to notice how the environment is affecting them. Through this increased awareness they can slow down and respond to life rather than living in a state of blind reaction. People who meditate also tend to feel more of a sense of control in their lives. These benefits are ones that I see operative in people who feel more empowered and satisfied in their lives and relationships.
Meditation can be practiced in a variety of ways and requires no equipment or specialized training. If you would like to start a meditation practice, here is a simple way you can begin with a breathing meditation.


Find a comfortable place to sit making sure your back is straight; this will help you stay awake. Make sure you are in a quiet place where you won't be disturbed and silence all phones and other noise making devices.
Allow your hands to rest naturally and comfortably in your lap or on top of each other and shut your eyes.
Breathe deeply and fully at first to help yourself relax, eventually allow your breathing rhythm to become more natural. The idea is to focus on your breath, how it feels, sensations from it and nothing else.
When a thought comes, and it will, acknowledge the thought, let it pass, and go back to focusing on your breath. If you have an egg timer you can begin by setting it to 1-2 minutes. Each time you practice you can increase it in small increments.
Meditation takes practice; we really underestimate how active our mind is. We have grown accustomed to the constant barrage of thoughts and distractions and it takes time to learn to still the mind. Meditation is also a wonderful practice for any age group. Families who are interested in meditating together may choose to acquire a CD program or take a class together to get started.
In my practice I have seen the wonderful changes to my clients who have begun this basic practice as describe above. I find when they come into our sessions they have much more focus on what they want to achieve, they are more emotionally self-aware and feel more in control of their emotional lives.
I have also noticed a marked improvement in clients who are also dealing with issues of anxiety. With the help of meditative practices they are able to notice triggering into anxious thought cycles, slow their minds down in the moment, and break free of the panic cycles that once left them feeling helpless.
This article provided by Counseling for Change and Transition and Hypnosis for Change the practice of Carol Recchion, MDiv, CH.
providing services to clients who wish to live more empowered lives in the midst of life change, and those who wish to create positive personal change for more happiness and success. Areas of specialization include life transition management, loss and grief. For free resources visit [http://www.happinesscanhappen.com].



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