Relax Into Health
I'd like to share a little secret about relaxation techniques for athletes (or health-minded people that workout) and anyone that wants to feel more focused, calm, healthy and peaceful. But first, let's define relaxation techniques, or more specifically, meditation. To begin, it's not necessary to be a Zen master to learn meditation. Anyone can jump-in at any time and start meditating. You should put any expectations aside; do not try to force the outcome; don't try to over-analyze "what meditation is"; and in general, just turn-off the brain and be in the moment. When meditating it is not necessary to blank out your mind or chase thoughts away. You'll learn that as you progress with meditation, your mind will become quieter. Sit comfortably, with your spine reasonably straight. You can rest against a chair, a wall or headboard. Your hands can rest comfortably at your side or on your lap. Your legs can also be in any comfortable position (crossing them or any complicated pretzel position is not necessary). Overall, allow your body to sit comfortably so your body-mind-spirit can be open to relax. There are different types of meditations that you can use in your daily practice. Here are a few: * Mindfulness - A process focusing on physical sensations and being present of the moment. It is being attentive to the sensory information entering your mind through your five senses. Beneficial to athletes, people in body pain or someone with a health challenge, dieters and overall for body awareness. * Visualization - This process creates in the mind specific places or situations, such as a green forest or the calming waves of the ocean. This can be used for goal setting or for quieting the mind. * Breath mediation - A process focusing on the rhythm of breathing. * Walking meditation - This Zen Buddhist form of meditation focuses on the sensation of the feet against the ground. Some people have discovered its benefits without realizing it was meditative. Pacing back and forth can be very calming on the mind. This next meditation I strongly recommend learning first. In fact, I do a "sandwich" - I start with grounding then one of the meditations listed above and end my meditation practice with grounding. Grounding - This process is being fully present mentally and emotionally and will help you feel more centered and focused. Practicing grounding will put you in control of your environment and focus your energies in your daily routine. Anyone learning meditation for the first time will gain great benefits by practicing grounding on a daily basis. The Tree Meditation is the simplest exercise to feel more relaxed and energized. Yes, you can actually experience both of these at the same time! Familiarize yourself with this meditation by reading it two or three times and then begin. If you want, you can set a timer for ten minutes. * Close your eyes and breathe in calmly. Each breath, imagine sipping air with a straw. * Breathe in --- slow --- and relaxed. * Imagine a beautiful, majestic tree. As you think of this tree, breathing in more relaxed, imagine YOU are the tree. With each calming breath your spine lengthens. See your body as the trunk of the tree; and as you continue breathing down from your head to your spine, down to your hips ---continue breathing down, feeling more relaxed and calm; down your legs --- your feet ---supporting you like the trunk of the tree. * As you continue breathing, imagine healthy strong roots extending from the bottom of your feet. Your roots extend deep into Mother Earth, anchoring your body. You're healthy-whole-and complete; fully supported as you breathe deep into the earth. You are a beautiful tree; you feel strong, solid and fully grounded where you are. * Continue relaxing and breathing. When you are ready, come back to the present --- alert, confident and fully energized. The last type of meditation is Transcendental. This is a specific type of meditation that must be learned from a certified teacher of the Transcendental Meditation program. Introduced in the late 1950s, this meditation focuses on a mantra (a sound, word or phrase that is repeated over and over, either aloud, as a chant or silently). Studies of relaxation techniques have shown overall improvements of the body-mind connection for athletes and many health benefits for individuals. Taking the time to meditate and quiet our mind gives us the time to pause in our daily lives. It is the greatest power we hold, to be in the moment, alive and aware of our surroundings and our body. Relaxation gives us time to better organize our day, focus our energy and work more efficiently. Start your meditation practice in the morning for ten to fifteen minutes. Many of the types of meditations - Grounding, Mindfulness, Visualization, Breath, Walking or Transcendental - can be done at home, work or out-and-about. There are hundreds of meditations to match the needs of the individual or to meet a specific purpose. You can find meditations online, in books, on CD and by taking a class. Over time you will have increased self-esteem and self-confidence; greater creativity; a greater ability to problem solve; and a more calming effect on your surroundings and the people you interact with. Copyright 2005 Wayne McDonald Wayne McDonald is the author of "Relax Into Health" - a comprehensive guide to completely relax your body in five minutes. He is the founder of http://www.HolisticWebDirectory.com - an on-line health directory of complementary health care professionals. For more health articles, signup for the monthly Health Newsletter. Send an email to submit-ezine@aweber.com
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Beyond The Hype:
I thought it was about time someone talked about what it's REALLY like to use the Holosync cds. I've been using the program for 2 years fairly consistently. That means sitting down almost every day, putting on my headphones and doing nothing else for an hour. It's a huge time commitment and there were times I wondered if it was worth it.
In The Beginning:
Unlike the other testimonials you may have read, I did not experience profound changes after listening to the first cd. In fact, for the most part, I fell asleep! But that's okay, because the more I listened, the less sleeping I did. Truth be told, I still doze off when I'm starting a new level. Each new level takes you into deeper meditative states and requires an adjustment.
As Time Goes By:
Here I am, two years later, still making the time and financial commitment to stick with it. Why? Because I'm amazed at the person I've become. Over the course of the two years:
I'm calmer
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I have a more positive attitude.
I've become more spiritual.
I'm happier - negative thoughts creep in, but they don't stay.
Would I have experienced this growth without Holosync? Maybe, but I believe it would have taken much longer.
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Absolutely! I've used and still incorporate other programs into my Holosync meditation. I mentioned affirmations, but other types of releasing programs work well, even different meditation techniques can work with Holosync.
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In order to practice meditation, you need a pleasant quiet place where nobody is going to disturb you. Once you are comfortably seated, you can start with pranayama (rhythmic breathing exercise), followed by pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses from the outer world), thorough relaxation of the mind and senses, and finally relaxation of the physical body. By breathing rhythmically ? inhaling, holding the breath, and exhaling while following a simple pattern (4-16-8, for instance) ? you will accumulate prana, revitalize your life force, and new spiritual strength will come to you. During the pratyahara you will play the role of a neutral observer of your thoughts, with the ultimate aim of achieving a state of consciousness without any thoughts.
In this way, the objective possibility of reaching the most inner part of your Being ? God in you ? is realized. This means that you can now start feeling the warmth in your heart, see the light which is present there, and experience the subtle energy of Divine love. Furthermore, you can become aware of the harmony of mind, heart, and will. Your devotion and relaxation can lead you into deeper levels of consciousness, into deeper meditation. You can turn your senses inward to further increase you awareness. Your meditation will start realizing its goals. This is the level of devotion where you can actually contact the source of inspiration, gain countless insights, and approach the possibility of enlightening your Being.
It is the harmony of your mind, heart, and will, that brings you into Unity with the One. When you learn to be quiescent, when there are no thoughts and aspirations of any kind, you will find yourself out of your mental body, out of limitations, free in the consciousness of Unity. Only when your intentions diminish, when your mind becomes unoccupied, the enlightenment will start to show its magnificence. The sustained flow of attention will connect you to the endless reservoir of power, the source of knowledge and inspiration. When meditation occurs, love is its flavor. This love is your true nature. When the consciousness starts perceiving itself, it becomes pure consciousness. What resides is only the voiceless spirit of awareness whose meaning is I AM, I EXIST, I ENDURE.
You should meditate every single day, if necessary two times a day. If some day you find yourself distressed, a simple exercise can help you. Light a candle and put it some 30 cm away, at the level of your eyes. Simply by gazing at the blue part of the candle's flame for 5 minutes, you can relax yourself. Your positive attitude, faith, calmness, and serenity can help. You should consciously develop love toward your meditation and meditativeness. The results will be in accord with your efforts, persistence and fortitude. There is not a single individual who can not succeed. There are only different kinds of obstacles with different people. Don't forget to consult your spiritual teacher, who is there to help you overcome your obstacles.
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