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NEW FROM AARP: https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2021/meditation-health-benefits.html
BENEFITS FROM MEDITATION
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How to Practice Meditation
By Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian
There are four basic stages to meditation practice — like the four movements in a beautiful symphony, they flow together in a great concert of higher awareness. Within these four general stages, Patanjali’s eight limbs provide specific practices.
A simple guide to the stages — my four-part formula — for meditation practice is this: foster, focus, flow, and finish.
Foster: Establish a conducive environment, both externally and internally. This includes posture, breath awareness, and internalization of attention.
Focus: Use a concentration technique to focus attention on a single point.
Flow: Let go into the peak experiences of meditation and Oneness.
Finish: Consciously bring your attention back to mind and body with a sense of appreciation, renewal, and empowerment.
For complete info go to the below website:
The History and Origin of Meditation
Elaine Mead, BSc.
[History and origin of meditation]
The French philosopher Michel de Montaigne is quoted as having once said ‘The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.’
Never is this truer in our current, fast-paced society.
With so many demands on our time and minds, it takes conscious effort to take a moment and allow ourselves the time we need to explore who we truly are. Even when we do make time, many people are stuck on how to actually do this. The practice of meditation has certainly been recognized as a key method that can help.
The word meditation stems from meditatum, a Latin term that means ‘to ponder.’ Through the practice of meditation, we can seek to find a better connection with our body in the everyday moments that we often let pass us by, and create stronger awareness for how our emotions influence our behavior (West, 2016).
You may already have a meditation practice that works for you, or you may be new to the concept and looking to build your knowledge and understanding of how meditation can bring value to your daily life. Either way, the history of meditation is fascinating and well worth exploring.
Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our 3 Mindfulness Exercises for free. These science-based, comprehensive exercises will not only help you cultivate a sense of inner peace throughout your daily life but will also give you the tools to enhance the mindfulness of your clients, students or employees.
You can download the free PDF here.
This Article Contains:
How Old is Meditation?
Where Did Meditation Originate?
Do We Know Who Created/Invented Meditation?
A Look at the Origin and Roots of Meditation
A History of Meditation in the West
A Timeline of Meditation’s History
The Beginnings of Mindfulness Meditation
A Look at the History of Meditation Research
A Brief History of Transcendental Meditation
What is Vipassana Meditation?
9 Recommended Books
8 Videos on YouTube
A Take-Home Message
HOW TO MEDITATE
Articles on Meditation to
Improve Your Practice
7 Simple Meditation Tips For Newbies - Daily Choices
Click on the above Link
Learn to Meditate!
Tuesday November 12, 2024, 11:00 am -12:30 pm
Pre-registration required: SYLVIAKARUNALUNT@GMAIL.COM
Want to De-stress? Relieve anxiety?
Access Inner Peace? Practice Mindful Living?
Rev. Lunt shares an easy method of meditation drawn from ancient wisdom and the practice of yoga that is universally accessible to anyone regardless of prior experience. In this class on Zoom, you will learn about the stages of meditation and learn a simple and natural form of meditation to calm your mind, relax your body, and open the innate peace at the core of your being. These techniques have helped millions of people from all spiritual traditions and all walks of life. Why not join us?
Class size is limited. Pre-register at sylviakarunalunt@gmail.com
Free.zoom link: tinyurl.com/yyl7qltv
Rev. Sylvia Karuna Lunt is an ordained minister in the tradition of Kriya Yoga. She served as associate minister at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment in San Jose. She has taught meditation for 25 years.
She retired in 2018 and is a happy resident at Rossmoor with her husband. She is a member of the Mindful Living club which offers 30 minute meditation twice a day.
ON LINE SOURCES
One of the best APP for learning how to meditate is Insight Timer, www.Insighttimer.com
It is Free and can be downloaded to your Phone or Pad or Computer. It has "how to" as well as guided meditations. Check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_iDaIAPrGo&ab_channel=PlumVillageApp
The First 8 Exercises of Mindful Breathing | Thich Nhat Hanh (short teaching video)
HOW MEDITATION CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND MIND POSITIVELY
A 28 minute video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCJdl6Vs7wg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_iDaIAPrGo&ab_channel=PlumVillageApp
The First 8 Exercises of Mindful Breathing | Thich Nhat Hanh (short teaching video)
ON LINE SOURCES
One of the best APP for learning how to meditate is Insight Timer, www.Insighttimer.com
It is Free and can be downloaded to your Phone or Pad or Computer. It has "how to" as well as guided meditations. Check it out.
__How to Practice Mindfulness
Becoming more aware of where you are and what you’re doing, without becoming overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around you.
By Mindful Staff | June 5, 2017
https://www.mindful.org/how-to-practice-mindfulness/
Headspace.com for a Happier, Healthier Life
This is a great website to subscribe to and learn to meditate and receive daily meditations and track your progress. Highly recommended. Check it out (click on red title).
The Flighty Nature of Attention
Meditation teacher Will Kabat-Zinn explores how meditation allows us to stumble upon something we've always wanted: a settled, stable mind in the midst of the chaos of life. We live at the mercy of our thoughts and thought patterns, he says, and as we begin to cultivate attention—which requires us to move counter to much of the mainstream direction of our society and economy—we gain a little stability.
By Will Kabat-Zinn | June 8, 2017Type your paragraph here.
https://www.mindful.org/a-house-that-wont-blow-down/
“Adult” Better with Meditation
The crack team at How to Adult takes on basic seated meditation. Take 5 minutes and follow the demonstration.
By Stephany Tlalka | June 23, 2017
https://www.mindful.org/how-to-adult-meditation-101/?mc_cid=657819e0c3&mc_eid=8d438188c6
3 Ways to Build a Sustainable Meditation Practice
Meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein and Dan Harris of 10% Happier discuss how to establish the habit of sitting for daily meditation practice.
By Kelly Graves | July 14, 2017
https://www.mindful.org/3-ways-build-sustainable-meditation-practice/
REWIRE YOUR BRAIN FOR KINDNESS
Listen: A 3-Minute Loving-Kindness Meditation to Boost Compassion
https://www.mindful.org/a-loving-kindness-meditation-to-boost-compassion/?utm_source=Mindful+Newsletter&utm_campaign=302045c546-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_07_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6d03e8c02c-302045c546-20945625&mc_cid=302045c546&mc_eid=8d438188c6
Kindness isn’t just a trait that our most admirable friends and colleagues possess—it’s a skill that we can cultivate. Research suggests kindness can reduce pain, anger, and improve how we feel from day-to-day. But when the inner critic is activated, wandering thoughts and annoyances keep us entangled in difficult feelings.
That’s where mindfulness comes in—a space outside of the noise where you can begin extending kindness, first toward yourself, and then to others around you. Try the three-step practice below:
1) First, if you want to be more compassionate with others, direct some of those feelings toward yourself. Here is a 5-step practice for a better relationship with yourself (and your inner critic).
2) Then, send thoughts of compassion to those around you. Try this 3-minute loving-kindness meditation.
3) Finally, find simple everyday ways to develop your kindness muscle. Explore these 5 ways to be kind and generous every day.
Here’s hoping you all find moments to enjoy being mindful this week.
Yours,
The Mindful Editors
Hope this is of help. "Mindful" is an excellent magazine ~ Dick
Try this 6 1/2 minute meditation. I found it excellent technique which could be expanded for a longer meditation. It really helps build your conscious awareness. Dick
http://meditation-awakens.xyz/index-404.html?utm_source=fb&utm_campaign=byk&utm_content=drw
THE ART OF MINDFULNESS
A Practical Guide to Living in the Moment:
HOW TO PRACTICE SHAMATHA MEDITATION
BY LAMA ROD OWENS| OCTOBER 20, 2017
Shamatha meditation—mindfulness or concentration—is the foundation of Buddhist practice. Lama Rod Owens teaches us a version from the Vajrayana tradition. It is basically mindful breath meditation with helpful techniques.
Thich Nhat Hanh recommends 5 meditation techniques that rewire your brain to live in the present moment:
To become successful and joyful, you must succeed in generating inner peace. But when our lives are full of chaos, it can be difficult to work out exactly how to go about it.
One of the best and most consistent ways is through meditation techniques. Meditation is a great practice that helps us relax and find inner peace.
The problem is it can be hard to figure out how to practice meditation properly, if you haven’t got access to an expert. We will talk about some Thich Nhat Hanh mindfulness techniques that will help you.
Mindful Breathing
According to Thich Nhat Hanh, this is the most simple and basic but also the
most useful. Why? Because we’re always breathing. You can literally practice this anywhere, anytime, even if it’s for 15 seconds. The main crux of this technique is that you simply focus on your breath.
Here is Thich Nhat Hanh explaining how to go about it:
“Please, when you breathe in, do not make an effort of breathing in. You just allow yourself to breathe in. Even if you don’t breathe in it will breathe in by itself. So don’t say, “My breath, come, so that I tell you how to do.” Don’t try to force anything, don’t try to intervene, just allow the breathing in to take place….
“What you have to do is be aware of the fact that the breathing in is taking place. And you have more chance to enjoy your in-breath. Don’t struggle with your breath, that is what I recommend. Realize that your in breath is a wonder. When someone is dead, no matter what we do, the person will not breathe in again. So we are breathing in, that is a wonderful thing….
“This is the first recommendation on breathing that the Buddha made: When breathing in, I know this is the in-breath. When breathing out, I know this is the out-breath. When the in-breath is long, I know it is long. When it is short, I know it is short. Just recognition, mere recognition, simple recognition of the presence of the in-breath and out-breath. When you do that, suddenly you become entirely present. What a miracle, because to meditate means to be there. To be there with yourself, to be there with your in‑breath.”
2) Concentration
According to Thich Nhat Hanh, concentration is a great source of happiness. Concentration simply means focusing on something, whether it’s your breathe, a flower or a body part. You could literally point your focus on anything, and as long as you keep that focus, you are practising mindfulness.
It’s recommended that you choose an object where you don’t have to scan your eyes. Buddhist monks tend to use a candle flame. If you get distracted by your thoughts, simply return your focus back to the object. You can start this for one minute and then keep on increasing the time as you get more practice. Thich Nhat Hanh explains why this is so powerful:
“Anything can be the object of your meditation, and with the powerful energy of concentration, you can make a breakthrough and develop insight. It’s like a magnifying glass concentrating the light of the sun. If you put the point of concentrated light on a piece of paper, it will burn. Similarly, when your mindfulness and concentration are powerful, your insight will liberate you from fear, anger, and despair, and bring you true joy, true peace, and true happiness.”
3) Awareness of your body
Thich Nhat Hanh recommends to use this mantra: “Breathing in, I’m aware of my body”. When you practice mindful breathing, the quality of your in-breath and out-breath will be improved. There is more peace and harmony in your breathing, and if you continue to practice like that, the peace and the harmony will penetrate into the body, and the body will profit.” All it involves is a body scan where you turn your focus to each of your body parts one by one. As you’re going through your body, release any tension and simply try to relax. Thich Nhat Hanh says that this is powerful because we rarely experience this in daily existence. Our body is there but our mind is elsewhere.
4) Release tension
The next exercise is to release tension in the body. When you start becoming aware of your body, you’ll notice tension in different parts of your body. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to release the tension in the body.
Thich Nhat Hanh explains how:
“So next time you’re stopped at a red light, you might like to sit back and practice the fourth exercise: “Breathing in, I’m aware of my body. Breathing out, I release the tension in my body.” Peace is possible at that moment, and it can be practiced many times a day—in the workplace, while you are driving, while you are cooking, while you are doing the dishes, while you are watering the vegetable garden. It is always possible to practice releasing the tension in yourself.”
5) Mindful walking
Remember the first technique? When you practice mindful breathing you let
breath take place without effort. You simply enjoy it. The same thing is true with mindful walking. Thich Nhat Hanh says it best:
“You don’t have to make any effort during walking meditation, because it is enjoyable. You are there, body and mind together. You are fully alive, fully present in the here and the now. With every step, you touch the wonders of life that are in you and around you. When you walk like that, every step brings healing. Every step brings peace and joy, because every step is a miracle.
The real miracle is not to fly or walk on fire. The real miracle is to walk on the Earth, and you can perform that miracle at any time.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Plum Village, France
Enjoy trying these techniques to keep your meditation new and fresh. Also, the techniques in “The Mindful Day” by Laurie J. Cameron are also excellent on pages 21 - 26.
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We will be adding more articles soon. If you have any recommendations, please send them to:
DickPowell53@aol.com or 2956 Tice Creek Drive #4, Walnut Creek, CA 94595