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| Beginning Meditation Techniques |
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| Meditation is simply the practice of neutrally attempting to focus your attention on one object (physical or mental) or on a verbal phrase (for example, "Peace") for a period of time. There are many styles of meditation to choose from, we will discuss two basic ones that are easy to learn for beginning meditation: |
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| 1. Grounding: |
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One
basic component, in learning meditation, that can
be used alone or in addition to other meditation
techniques is a technique called grounding. Begin
by sitting comfortably in a chair with your feet
flat on the ground, relaxed but not slumped over,
and your hands resting on your lap with your eyes
closed.
Bring your
awareness to the base of the spine. Imagine that
you are sitting outside in a natural setting on
a large comfortable tree stump and that the trees
roots reach all the way down to the center of the
earth, connecting you with the earth and you feel
a part of and connected to this tree, rooted to
the earth. As you exhale, imagine that this releases
any tension down the roots of the tree and that
it also allows you to release anything you want
to let go of, any thoughts, any stress, etc. As
you inhale, image that the warm, golden sun is above
your head, filling you up with a sense of further
relaxation. You can practice this for a minute or
for however long you feel inclined. |
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| 2. Benson’s Technique - The Relaxation Response: |
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| According to Herbert Benson, M.D. of the Mind/Body Medical Institute, he developed this technique in the late 1960's, while working at Harvard Medical School. |
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| The relaxation response is a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress (i.e., it causes a decrease in heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension). He posits that if practiced regularly, it can have lasting effects when encountering stress throughout the day and can improve health. |
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| Furthermore, he states that elicitation of the relaxation response is not difficult. There are two essential steps to eliciting the relaxation response that I've summarized here for beginning meditation: |
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| 1. Repetition of a word, sound, phrase, prayer, or muscular activity. Pick a focus word, short phrase, or prayer that is firmly rooted in your belief system. Dr. Benson gives the following examples: "one", "peace", "The Lord is my shepherd", "Hail Mary full of grace" or "shalom". |
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| Be sure to sit comfortably and close your eyes. Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you do, say your focus word, sound, phrase, or prayer silently to yourself as you exhale and allow your muscles to relax. |
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| 2. Passive disregard of every day thoughts that inevitably come to mind and the return to your repetition. Don't worry about how you are doing. When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself that you'll let those go and then return to your repetition. |
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| You can continue for approximately 10 to 20 minutes. Then, continue sitting quietly for a minute or so, and open your eyes slowly, while allowing other thoughts to return. |
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The relaxation response can be brought forth through many other techniques in addition to the method above, such as the others discussed in the free articles, i.e. guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, and breath focus. There are several other forms of meditation, such as mindfulness, to choose from as well. Each person should choose a technique with which they feel most comfortable for beginning meditation.
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