Most of us limit our definitions of health to two categories – health and
illness. These terms focus specifically on the state of our body, which is a
limited definition in the eyes of alternative medicine practitioners.
To those who practice natural healing and alternative medicine, there are
several different aspects of your life that need to be in balance in order to
help you maintain your ideal state of wellness.
• Physical health
• Mental health
• Spiritual health
We realize that we need to exercise more and stress less in order to stay fit
and healthy, but what have you done for your soul lately?
Cultivating spirituality isn't just about following a specific religion or set of
rules, but rather learning more about who we are and what we believe when
all is quiet and still.
This is where meditation can step in.
By not stepping on any spiritual practices you may already have, meditation
can help you cultivate a sense of spiritual well-being as well as inner peace.
Many people have scoffed at meditation, thinking it's a practice of sitting
cross legged and chanting to themselves. This is far from the truth. When
you take a deeper look into this many thousand of years old practice, you will
find that meditation is actually quite simple – and easy to do anywhere.
Meditation involves the training of your mind to release the excessive
thoughts we all hold inside.
Right now, you're probably not just reading this book, but also thinking about
what your next meal is going to be, how you're going to plan your next
vacation, etc.
Our minds are always working overtime, which is causing a strain on our
bodies.
We know that doing too much is stressful for our bodies, but when it comes
to our busy minds, we don't seem to apply the same knowledge. With
meditation, you will be able to quiet things down in your brain and help it get
a much needed rest in order to process things that are happening and that
have happened.
This allows us to learn from our experiences and to retain memories more
easily as well.
In terms of medicine, meditation allows the body to rest so that it can relax
and repair any damage that we may have caused. Your body's cells will be
able to turnover more easily, which allows us to have brighter skin and even
a stronger immune system.
By teaching our brains to slow down and to be quiet, we are teaching our
bodies to run at a lower speed. This lessens the damage that our busy lives
might be doing to us and it can help us maintain perspective, even when it
seems like we're overwhelmed.
Meditation has been linked to:
• Lower blood pressure
• Lessened anxiety
• Slower heartbeat
• Less muscular tension
• Fewer illnesses
And these benefits have been proven by science again and again.
In order to start your own meditation practice, it will help to keep in mind
that only ten minutes a day will help you reap the benefits. So you don't
have to worry about meditation taking up a lot of your time.
Here are the steps to creating your own meditation practice:
• Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.
• Wear loose fitting clothing that doesn't restrict you in any way.
• Find a place where you can sit upright without becoming fatigued – it's
generally not a good idea to lay down as many people can fall asleep
in doing that.
• Close your eyes and breathe normally.
• Sit like this for a few minutes until you settle into your body.
• Once you are calm, try to let go of any thoughts you have in your
mind.
• If any new thoughts enter in (and they will), just dismiss them from
your mind and try to focus on your breathing.
• Some people find that counting their breaths in and out helps them
keep their attention away from new thoughts.
• Or you can choose a one syllable word to repeat with each breath.
• Continue this for as long as you can.
• Once you are done, slowly open up your eyes and come back to the
room.
At first, you will have troubles letting go of your thoughts. Think of this
process as any other workout you might do.
You can't simply lift 100 pounds at once, you need to slowly build up your
strength until your muscles are ready. You might want to approach
meditation in the same fashion.
Start by doing just five minutes a day, then ten, then fifteen, etc.
Each time, it will become easier to mediate and to let go of intrusive
thoughts.
But meditation isn't limited to being quiet and keeping your mind still by
simply focusing on your breathing. You can also help quiet your mind by
creating another place upon which to focus your thoughts.
Here are some ideas:
• Walking meditation
Focus on each step, what it feels like, what the moment is like. In
doing so, you will make your mind still. Move slowly with each step,
pushing off with the ball of your feet and rolling to the heel.
Everything You Need to Know about Alternative Medicine - Page 20
• Think about the present
Stop every few hours to notice the world around you. Just look around
you and think about nothing but what is happening right then. Don't
worry about the future or the past, just focus on the right now.
• Shower meditation
When you're in the shower, focus on the water and how it feels as it
hits your skin. Think only about the process of showering and
cleansing yourself. Allow yourself to focus on each movement you
make, how it makes you feel, etc.
• Slow down everything
For one day or even one hour, make sure to do everything more slowly
than you usually do. This will cause you to slow down and take notice
of everything around you. In addition, you will slow your mind down
at the same time.
• Attend a meditation class
Many community centers are now offering free or low cost classes in
meditation that you can take. These can help you learn more about
how to settle your mind in a supportive setting.
• Purchase or borrow a guided meditation CD
For some people, they need more guidance when it comes to
meditation. You might need to be guided into a more relaxed state
and that's what these CDs do. By giving you things to think about and
visualize, you can slowly learn to settle your thoughts.
• Direct your attention to a picture or an object
If you still find that your mind is wandering, it can help you to have a
focus point. Some people like to look at the flickering flame of a
candle or at a picture to help them concentrate. In time, you might
not even need that item – you can simply picture it in your mind when
your thoughts return.
Whatever helps you clear your mind can be considered a part of your
meditation practice. And since the effects of meditation are cumulative, you
can slowly add more minutes of meditation to your day in order to reap all
the benefits.
illness. These terms focus specifically on the state of our body, which is a
limited definition in the eyes of alternative medicine practitioners.
To those who practice natural healing and alternative medicine, there are
several different aspects of your life that need to be in balance in order to
help you maintain your ideal state of wellness.
• Physical health
• Mental health
• Spiritual health
We realize that we need to exercise more and stress less in order to stay fit
and healthy, but what have you done for your soul lately?
Cultivating spirituality isn't just about following a specific religion or set of
rules, but rather learning more about who we are and what we believe when
all is quiet and still.
This is where meditation can step in.
By not stepping on any spiritual practices you may already have, meditation
can help you cultivate a sense of spiritual well-being as well as inner peace.
Many people have scoffed at meditation, thinking it's a practice of sitting
cross legged and chanting to themselves. This is far from the truth. When
you take a deeper look into this many thousand of years old practice, you will
find that meditation is actually quite simple – and easy to do anywhere.
Meditation involves the training of your mind to release the excessive
thoughts we all hold inside.
Right now, you're probably not just reading this book, but also thinking about
what your next meal is going to be, how you're going to plan your next
vacation, etc.
Our minds are always working overtime, which is causing a strain on our
bodies.
We know that doing too much is stressful for our bodies, but when it comes
to our busy minds, we don't seem to apply the same knowledge. With
meditation, you will be able to quiet things down in your brain and help it get
a much needed rest in order to process things that are happening and that
have happened.
This allows us to learn from our experiences and to retain memories more
easily as well.
In terms of medicine, meditation allows the body to rest so that it can relax
and repair any damage that we may have caused. Your body's cells will be
able to turnover more easily, which allows us to have brighter skin and even
a stronger immune system.
By teaching our brains to slow down and to be quiet, we are teaching our
bodies to run at a lower speed. This lessens the damage that our busy lives
might be doing to us and it can help us maintain perspective, even when it
seems like we're overwhelmed.
Meditation has been linked to:
• Lower blood pressure
• Lessened anxiety
• Slower heartbeat
• Less muscular tension
• Fewer illnesses
And these benefits have been proven by science again and again.
In order to start your own meditation practice, it will help to keep in mind
that only ten minutes a day will help you reap the benefits. So you don't
have to worry about meditation taking up a lot of your time.
Here are the steps to creating your own meditation practice:
• Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.
• Wear loose fitting clothing that doesn't restrict you in any way.
• Find a place where you can sit upright without becoming fatigued – it's
generally not a good idea to lay down as many people can fall asleep
in doing that.
• Close your eyes and breathe normally.
• Sit like this for a few minutes until you settle into your body.
• Once you are calm, try to let go of any thoughts you have in your
mind.
• If any new thoughts enter in (and they will), just dismiss them from
your mind and try to focus on your breathing.
• Some people find that counting their breaths in and out helps them
keep their attention away from new thoughts.
• Or you can choose a one syllable word to repeat with each breath.
• Continue this for as long as you can.
• Once you are done, slowly open up your eyes and come back to the
room.
At first, you will have troubles letting go of your thoughts. Think of this
process as any other workout you might do.
You can't simply lift 100 pounds at once, you need to slowly build up your
strength until your muscles are ready. You might want to approach
meditation in the same fashion.
Start by doing just five minutes a day, then ten, then fifteen, etc.
Each time, it will become easier to mediate and to let go of intrusive
thoughts.
But meditation isn't limited to being quiet and keeping your mind still by
simply focusing on your breathing. You can also help quiet your mind by
creating another place upon which to focus your thoughts.
Here are some ideas:
• Walking meditation
Focus on each step, what it feels like, what the moment is like. In
doing so, you will make your mind still. Move slowly with each step,
pushing off with the ball of your feet and rolling to the heel.
Everything You Need to Know about Alternative Medicine - Page 20
• Think about the present
Stop every few hours to notice the world around you. Just look around
you and think about nothing but what is happening right then. Don't
worry about the future or the past, just focus on the right now.
• Shower meditation
When you're in the shower, focus on the water and how it feels as it
hits your skin. Think only about the process of showering and
cleansing yourself. Allow yourself to focus on each movement you
make, how it makes you feel, etc.
• Slow down everything
For one day or even one hour, make sure to do everything more slowly
than you usually do. This will cause you to slow down and take notice
of everything around you. In addition, you will slow your mind down
at the same time.
• Attend a meditation class
Many community centers are now offering free or low cost classes in
meditation that you can take. These can help you learn more about
how to settle your mind in a supportive setting.
• Purchase or borrow a guided meditation CD
For some people, they need more guidance when it comes to
meditation. You might need to be guided into a more relaxed state
and that's what these CDs do. By giving you things to think about and
visualize, you can slowly learn to settle your thoughts.
• Direct your attention to a picture or an object
If you still find that your mind is wandering, it can help you to have a
focus point. Some people like to look at the flickering flame of a
candle or at a picture to help them concentrate. In time, you might
not even need that item – you can simply picture it in your mind when
your thoughts return.
Whatever helps you clear your mind can be considered a part of your
meditation practice. And since the effects of meditation are cumulative, you
can slowly add more minutes of meditation to your day in order to reap all
the benefits.
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