Vitamin Jeff's blog: "BELIEFS"

Stress Cure

Are you open to learning about something that can enhance the quality of your life?  What if it's about something you've heard about before and dismissed?  What if it's about something you've tried before unsuccessfully?

Are you open to the possibility that you could learn something new here that will change your perspective?  If you are open to the possibility of learning something that you may have dismissed before, read on.

There is an area of the brain responsible for feelings of well-being and happiness.  Scientists at the University of Wisconsin have proven that regular meditation causes that area of the brain to actually grow in size. There is a demonstrable link between regular meditation and contentment.

Think you don't have time to meditate daily?  These benefits can be achieved through meditating as little as 5 minutes a day.  So if you STILL think you don't have time for it, you probably are so stressed that you are actually on the verge of truly needing it.

If you don't meditate regularly, you are cheating yourself.  If you have tried meditation and think that you "can't do it," then you probably were never told some basic information about the process.  If you think you "don't need it," you are right. It's not like food, water, or air, which you literally need to survive. But it is the best stress reliever you will ever find.

So, how to do it?

Find a quiet place and sit or lie comfortably with your arms to your side.  Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.  As you begin to do that, it can be beneficial to count each breath, 1 for a breath in, 2 breath out, 3 breath in, etc.  Count to 100 and you're done.

You will find that your mind will wander to other things. This is natural, especially when you first begin practicing meditation. I have never heard of anyone who didn't have trouble with this. In fact in my experience most people get frustrated for this reason, conclude that they "can't" meditate, and give it up. This is sad, because even if you never achieve a level of meditation free of the occasional thought, you can still achieve the benefits of meditation. The benefits come from the process, not from the perfect practice of the process.

So, what to do when your mind wanders?  Just return your focus to your breathing and counting. Don't worry if you can't remember where you left off in the count, just pick a number from about where you were and resume.  Don't fight the random thought. Don't get upset that you "failed again."  Just simply return to your counting.

It really is that simple and easy.

And you can do it any time of day, any place you may be. You don't need to learn a chant, have musical accompaniment, or bells or anything else.  You don't need to buy a book and read about meditation techniques. I just told you all you need to know to meditate.  If you don't meditate regularly you are cheating yourself. And probably the people around you too.