A Baby Boomer’s Guide To Basic Meditation

17 Mar A Baby Boomer’s Guide To Basic Meditation

Meditation

Psychological Article by Boomeryearbook.com

Meditation is for the purposes of calming the mind and attaining an internal peace. Meditation is something that is useful in environments of stress and can have surprising benefits varying from simply feeling better in the moment to keeping cholesterol levels down. Many people do not know how to meditate, however, and therefore tend to avoid it.

The following are simple steps you can take to meditate, without getting into the intricacies of the practice:

Step One
Turn off all distractions like the TV, the cell phone, the laptop, etc and sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and relax your body, but you need to stay awake and alert so you can really focus on clearing your thoughts. Good posture is very important. A straight back is the best way to achieve this, but if you have trouble sitting straight for an extended period of time, then sit with your back against some support and/or roll a towel and place it behind your lower back. This will encourage you to maintain good posture while meditating.

Step Two
Take a deep breath in and, then, expel it. Tune your ears into the sound of your breathing and try to get to a slow, even rhythm. Concentrate on the movements your body makes during this breathing exercise and take your time to feel the air come into your body and distribute itself all around it and then out of your body. If you have racing thoughts, block them out and concentrate on how your body feels during your breathing exercise.

Step Three
After a few minutes, you should be tuned into your body and as you become more and more conscious of even its smallest movements during breathing. Now return to your natural breathing rhythm, while still concentrating on how your body moves and feels during breathing. There is a sensation that most persons feel at this point that makes them feel ‘in tuned’ with their bodies. If you’ve attained that feeling, then, you are in the perfect mode for deeper meditation. This simply means that you will involve your mind in the process now.

Step Four
Keep the muscles in your body relaxed. If you find yourself twitching or fidgeting, then try to find a more comfortable position where you won’t feel the need to do so. You will now need to focus your mind on one thing. Picture yourself in an empty room with a pile of laundry in it, or whatever works for you. Now picture yourself pushing the pile out of room and shutting the door. That is what you need to do with all the thoughts that are pestering your mind and trying to steal your attention. Some persons use a meadow or a lake. The idea is to think of somewhere where you can relax and be alone, and to imagine yourself there with nothing to think about. When you have done this then stay there and revel in the peace that it brings you.

Meditation can be the place where you slow down and take things easy, something most of us can’t do in our normal lives. The more you meditate, the easier it will be and soon you will find that you will be able to meditate anywhere, anytime. It’s a handy tool to keep your sanity in the ever-changing, helter-skelter world we live in.

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