Alternative Healing

Meditation and looking within are relatively new concepts to Westerners, and they have often been looked at as being too “New Wave” or trendy to be taken seriously. In the last few decades, however, meditation has been received with less skepticism. Now, many people are interested in learning more about meditation, as the positive health benefits of the practice have become more widely accepted.

The health benefits begin within the mind, creating a more peaceful and stress-free outlook on life. In turn, this ends up having an extremely positive effect on our physical health as well.

Stress causes physical ailments. It can cause headaches, weight gain, insomnia, and a loss of sex drive, to name a few. There is also a direct relationship between one’s cardiovascular health and stress.

Daily meditation can play a huge role in reducing stress in your life, which in turn leads to better physical health. Many different studies have been done on all types of meditation through the years, and the general consensus is that it can do wonders for your health.

There are many different methods of meditation, maybe too many to count. You might be asking yourself, “Where do I start, and how do I choose the right kind for me?” Choosing a good method can be daunting at first if you haven’t had any experience with meditation.

Let’s go through a simple method just to get you started.

Sit in a comfortable position on your bed, on the ground with a pillow, or even in a chair. Close your eyes, look within, and begin to feel like you’re an observer of your own thoughts.

As thoughts come, try to slow them down a bit. Imagine that thoughts are like clouds in the sky, just slowly drifting by. This may be difficult at first, but after some practice you’ll start to get the hang of it.

Next, start to focus on your breathing. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Feel the breath come in, and feel it as it leaves. Concentrate on simply what it feels like to breathe. Then you can begin to count your breaths slowly, one by one.

If you lose track, which can actually be quite easy to do at first, start over until you can focus your attention enough to keep track of your breaths.

After you feel you have a good grasp of holding your attention inward, start to calmly dive further inward each time you meditate. The more you practice, the more you’ll find yourself feeling refreshed and significantly less stressed by the end of each meditation.

Start with baby steps. Try five minutes at first, and slowly increase the time you spend meditating each day until you reach a comfortable time for you. Some meditate for only a few minutes each day, and some will meditate for an hour or more.

It all depends on your own schedule and needs. You’ll find that the more you practice, the longer you will be able to meditate each time.

Barbara Williamson