Meditation is the key

I have known about meditation for most of my adult life. My brother taught me on a special vacation we took together and for years I practiced that way. Did it bring me peace back then, I'm not sure, I had a lot of "stuff" to work through and I don't know how bad it would have been if I didn't meditate! Years later I would read every book I could find on it, I even used it as the theme of my final study paper to complete my psychology paper. Not an easy task, btw, as studies on meditation are rarely scientific and mostly biased depending on the group funding the study.

Probably the most I've grown in meditation has come from my yoga practice, which makes sense as I have been a dancer most of my life and I find comfort in movement and stretching. The ability to quiet the mind and plug in to the energy of the universe, God, higher power or whatever you choose to call it, is worth the effort. The effort is actually minimal compared to the time we spend on worry, controlling, manipulating, drinking,eating, shopping or whatever   we do to get through the day.

I think alot of people believe that you have achieve some higher state of being which is just too elusive, or they have to stop their thoughts completely, which is too hard in the beginning.

Let's start by keeping it simple. Breathe. Close your eyes, relax, and breathe. It also helps to sit up straight and find a comfortable spot.Listen to some peaceful music-(I'll give examples later), focus on your breath rising and falling, in and out. If a thought arises, that's ok. Now, lets get back to that breath. As you inhale imagine it's moving up and down your spine. This helps keep you in the moment. No past, its gone. No future, not here yet. Just keep breathing and relaxing. Try this for 5 minutes in the morning and 5 in the evening. We'll increase the time as it gets easier.

This is just the first step. But it's the most important one. It creates an atmosphere for healthy living.Mentally and physically we need to choose good things. It starts here. Breath.

All the Best,

MaryCarol