Our lives are part of a whirlwind frenzy of engaging with the outer world to do and accomplish as much as we can.

We are all brought up to believe deeply the more we do the better a person we are. Waste not want not! Who would be lazy enough to waste time and do nothing. Our vacations are reserved for when we go away. It is a new age orientation to appreciate the quality of what we do compared to how much can we do. Meditation can shift us to notice qualities of being in ways most of us miss with our rational thinking.

Meditation can be seen as a time out from our focus on the outside world and a shift to a inner reality. Meditation is not going inside our selves for some burdensome introspective thinking process.

There are numerous methods of meditation that can have different purposes and intended results.

Different meditations:

• help us open our hearts to experience more compassion for ourselves and others,
• increase mental clarity and increase our ability to focus,
• offer experiences for us to perceive the depth of how interconnected we are to each other and all life,
• allow us to access profound creativity,
• guide us to states of deep relaxation and peace,
• open up new areas of awareness for learning,
• support us to more easily identify, accept, express, and release negative emotions,
• effect our body in many beneficial ways, i.e decrease blood pressure, increase immune capability, more effective tissue repair, and
• have scientifically been proven to increase our capacity to heal.

Meditation can be:

• Silent,
• Listening to calming and soothing music, or a repetitive phrase (Mantra),
• Intentional movement: dancing, walking, running, or a martial art,
• Merging with a scene of Nature,
• Following your Breath,
• Absorbing a color from a gem or crystal,
• Gazing at a piece of art or sacred object (Yantra),
• Holding any natural object like a stone or piece of wood to connect with its energy,
• Gazing into the eye of another person and allowing yourself to connect deeply beyond your thoughts and feelings.

MEDITATION TIPS:

1. Thinking is part of the natural flow of our mind. Allow your thoughts to be. They will allow you to be. Our thoughts are not the enemy. Meditation is not about stopping thinking. Meditation is a process of practicing compassion and bringing your focus back to what ever you have chosen as your object of meditation.
2. About 40 years ago, I was struggling with too many thoughts while I was meditating, I asked my meditation teacher, “How do I stop my thoughts?” His answer still powerfully resides within me. “It is OK to have thoughts when you meditate, just do not invite them to tea.”   
3. Relax your body. You can take some moments to get your body comfortable using your breath to release any tension you feel. Use a chair if you need to. Sitting with you back relaxed with your head slightly drawn pulled back is very important.
4. Start slowly with 5 or 10 minutes and meditate for longer periods.Regular and short practice periods, provide you with more benefits than long periods where you are sitting thinking, day dreaming, and wandering.
5. If possible use the same room or place in a room as often as you are able.
6. Give up expectations of results you think you will get. Allow your meditation experience to unfold and surprise you. Be willing to just be in a meditative space and see what arises.

Look for different guided meditations i.e., Meadow Meditation with and without music in our Wellness Store.

When you sign up for the Health Notes newsletter, different food, body and healing meditations will be sent to you.