December 11–Meditation

Many of us dream of having peace and quiet in our lives but believe they can’t take 15-20 minutes out of their 24-hour day to create it.  Let’s talk about that today.

Being a Life coach, a Consulting Hypnotist and a Reiki Master I am very aware that people are not always familiar with the incredible benefits of the wonderful tools I use with my clients to help them reduce stress and make lasting changes in their lives.

Unfortunately, what we don’t understand often gets surrounded in myths and mystery.  Hollywood has added to this with their portrayal of people who are controlled and made to do things under hypnosis against their will.  Reiki  and meditation are also misunderstood tools.  The problem is that when people don’t understand something fear and false ideas develop around them.

Because of this, I spend time speaking with people to help them realize that hypnosis, Reiki, and meditation are only foreign here in the West, but they have been used for centuries by other cultures around the world.

I would like to save the discussion of hypnosis and Reiki for another blog and focus today on meditation to help relieve the holiday stress.

What Is Meditation?

The idea of meditation often conjures visions of yogi masters with their legs crossed in a deep reflective state capable of controlling their body’s in ways that we can’t even imagine.  While that is true for the few who have practiced a very long time, for most of us meditation is just an excellent way of reducing stress.

So You’ve Decided To Meditate.

Often I hear, “I really want to meditate.  I know it’s supposed to be good for me and I’ve even done it once or twice, but I’m not doing it right.  My mind wanders and I’m unable to control it.”  I smile and answer, “Believing there is a right or wrong way to meditate is what’s creating your problem.” 

Unless you are striving to be one of those masters, meditation is just the ability to quiet the mind.   When we believe there is a right or wrong way to do it, we shift our focus from relaxation to resistance and allow more distraction to come into our mind.

Here Is My Suggestion… 

Forget about the “How!” Put on soft music, if that makes you feel good and just sit quietly in a comfortable chair.  Close your eyes, and take in several deep breaths.  Allow your body to move into relaxation naturally.  Give it permission to just let go of tension and stress.  See, imagine, or just think about your stress moving out of your body and filling a balloon.  Once you have moved all your stress into that balloon, let it go and watch as it drifts off into the sky until it is no longer visible to your mind.  Feel the relaxation growing within your body.  When your mind wanders, and it will, just allow the thought to come, let it go, and return your attention to your breathing.  Notice how when you exhale you feel more relaxed.  Soon your mind will move into alpha brain waves and the relaxation will grow deeper.  The key to mediation is to allow not force the relaxation.  Spend as long as you choose in this comfortable state and when you are ready to return, just take in another deep breath and open your eyes. 

Don’t Worry About Right Or Wrong.

The more time you spend relaxing the more relaxed you will feel.  One last thing to remember, we don’t find time we make it.