Let's Talk about Meditation, Series 1

 

Meditation is a technique and regular practice of having focus on a sound, breathing, movement, or object, to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and to increase spiritual growth.  Some would say meditation is not an intense focus, it's just clearing your mind and watching what comes to you in your mind and letting it go.
Depending on how you are meditating, I'd say they all are right.

Meditation dates to prehistoric religion.  Prehistoric religion meaning from Paleolithic-Iron Age religions.  Meditative practices are recorded in Genesis 24:63, showing evidence of practices among Judaism.  Throughout the Hebrew Bible, Judaism always contained a central meditative practice.  Early Christian meditation involved repetitive words or phrases, using a specific posture.  This has been raced back to Byzantine period.  Western Christian meditation contrasts with most other forms of meditation because Western Christians do not use a specific posture or repetitive words or phrases.  This form of meditation progressed from the 6th century practice of the Bible reading among the Benedictine monks.

What is the point of learning it?  The benefits are many, but here are a few:

Enhances immune system, reduces effects of stress, improves concentration, improves sleep, relaxes, stops the endless chatter of voices in your head.  (Some call this monkey chatter; I call it Magpie chatter).  Helps to stop worry, instills general feeling of happiness, and faster information processing in your mind.  Because mind, breath, and emotions are interconnected, we can control them with meditative breath.  By controlling your breath, you can control how you react to thoughts and emotions.  

 

In the November 2012 issue of the medical journal called, Circulation:  Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes," there was a study on 201 people with coronary heart disease.  Half were educated on eating a better diet and exercise, while the other half were to meditate every day.  Five years after the onset of this study, researchers found out that the meditation group had a 48% reduction in overall risk of heart attack, stroke, and death.  Wow, amazing!

Here is a link to a Forbes article that talks about the benefits of meditation.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/10/05/different-types-of-meditation-change-the-brain-in-different-ways-study-finds/?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Malorie%2F#7e5b20c81f1e

There are many ways to meditate.  One can buy or watch YouTube for a Guided Meditation.  One could perform Qigong every day, which is really a moving type of meditation.  Another type of moving meditation is by focusing, inside of yourself, your every movement.  I could go on with the different types.  

Make up a small area that you have designated as "My space".  Close a door for quietness and to be alone.

Sit in a comfortable position.  (Laying down promotes falling asleep.  Meditation is not sleeping.)
Both feet need to be flat on the floor if in a comfortable chair.  Arms and hands laying to sides of your body.  Although, when I sit, it's more comfortable for me to put my hands in my lap (uncrossed or on my knees.)  Close your eyes.  Focus on your breathing in your stomach.  With each breath, your stomach rises and falls, concentrate on this.  If you have a thought about something from your day, just let it go and refocus on your stomach, going in and out.  If you feel an emotion rise, don't judge it, just observe it, acknowledge it, and then let it go.  It will flow right out the side of your head, like a steam flowing through your mind.  Refocus on your breath/stomach again.  Each time something comes into your mind, let it flow past and you refocus on your breath/stomach.  After about 5-10 minutes (you can go longer when you are more advanced at meditation.) with eyes still closed, slowly move your fingers, hands, and feet around.  Now open your eyes slowly, refocusing on the room.

  Practicing everyday will give you the benefits you're looking for.  When meditating, always have a quiet space just for you alone.  No TVs, no phones, and no spouses interrupting.

Try using soothing music while meditating.  (No words, just the soothing music, whether it's actual musical instrument music or nature sounds.) 

Try https://youtu.be/LrpZRHb3sgQ

This is just a simple, but an effective way to meditate that I made-up.

 A little extra;  this kind of meditation is effective when you are having a hard time falling asleep.  Try this mediation lying in bed.  (Only do this laying down when you are trying to go to sleep.)  What this does is it helps you to stay out of your mind, thinking.  You're concentrating on your stomach/breathing.  Tell yourself it doesn't matter if you fall asleep.  If you are lying in bed, relaxing, you will still feel rested by morning.  Eventually you will fall asleep and you're not even aware of it until the next morning.

Meditation helps in numerous ways.  It calms down the “Magpie chatter" going on all the time in the mind.   Meditation helps you to be more relaxed.  

So, to end this note I want to say, meditate.  Meditate for your health.  Meditate for connecting to God.  Meditate to feel more relaxed.  Meditate because you love yourself.

 

For Guided meditation CDs, go to

 https://www.reikiintheprairiellc.com/p/products.html

For more on meditation, check out Meditation Series 2 and Meditation Series 3. 

https://www.reikiintheprairiellc.com/2020/03/meditation-series-2-qigongtai-chi.html
https://www.reikiintheprairiellc.com/2020/03/meditation-series-three-guided.html

Sources

1). November 2012 issue of the medical journal called, Circulation:  Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes  https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.112.967406

2).  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation

3).  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_meditation

4).  Cynthia Bergsbaken

Re-written by Cynthia Bergsbaken of Reiki in the Prairie LLC January 29, 2020.
Written originally by Cynthia Bergsbaken for Reiki in the Prairie LLC December 23, 2017.

Disclaimer by Reiki in the Prairie LLC and Cynthia Bergsbaken copyright 2015

I am not a psychologist, psychiatrist, or medical doctor.  These articles I have written, are from reading and experiencing them.  Many of these articles are my own experiences with my own inventions to heal as well.

If you have a medical condition-physically/mentally/emotionally, please see a qualified medical doctor.  Do not substitute my articles for proper medical care.  You are too important to the world.

I have used all procedures I have written about and have found them to be helpful as tools to help myself become a better person.   I am sharing them with you because used as a tool, they are helpful in Shadow working on ourselves.  (Shadow working is healing our inner shadows that are unconscious or subconscious.  Inner shadows are our belief systems, our thoughts, our behaviors, our life experiences.)

I created this blog for my Reiki clients originally.  Combining these tools with Reiki creates a happy, healthy person.  These tools, when used alone are also beneficial!

 

***All original content is copyrighted by Cynthia Bergsbaken, Perceptive Blogger & Reiki in the Prairie LLC.

Reiki in the Prairie LLC is a legal Entity under law, 2015.

April 11, 2020

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