A definition accepted in most dictionaries for meditation is, continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature. This is in actual fact self reflection. Meditation can provide you with inner strength and help you to be much happier. 

Meditation doesn’t have to be difficult to do and can give you an instant feeling of calmness and relaxation.
This particular meditation technique is simple and very effective as it will only take you a few minutes to learn and will help you relax and forget about the stresses of everyday life.
 

Meditation generally involves one consciously discounting wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming and focusing the mind, while controlling the breathing, and sensory awareness.
There is one meditation anyone can do, and by doing it, one’s life force itself comes under control; ones senses turn off, and the mind becomes quiet. Then the peace and realization that comes from true meditation comes to the practitioner.

Meditation: how is it done?

You must be comfortable, so sit on a chair or on the floor with a soft mat or carpet underneath you.
Sit up straight with your spine in a line…do not slouch. When you feel completely relaxed, command your mind to be silent, your emotions to be still, keeping your body as relaxed as possible.
Beginners in this meditation usually silently say the word So with each inhalation and the word Ham with each exhalation.  As you do this meditation, actually imagine the air entering your nose and traveling all the way down into your lungs. This is one So.

As you exhale, you can imagine the air traveling out of the lungs, up to the nose and out of your body. This is one Ham.
Continue in this way, as long as you are comfortable, but no less than 5 minutes, and no longer than 20 minutes until the meditation feels natural to go longer.
Even spoken over and over, the syllables merge…so one is saying Sohamsoham…I am He, He am I…it is a prayer and a meditation mantra which are spiritually charged word or series of words used a meditation theme.
One feels closer to ones intuition, and one feels as if the world of material things is less important due to its overbearing insignificance when compared to the bliss one feels in meditation.
 Learn as much as you can about meditation so you too can start feeling better.

By Yardley Moore

There seem to be many different forms of Yoga and, for the
beginner, this can be confusing. Which form should he/she
choose? Exactly what are the benefits of each type of Yoga form?
Well, you can’t go far wrong with ‘Hatha Yoga’. It is very much
like normal Yoga, involving:

1. Stretches and poses.
2. Can bring relief from stress and anxiety.
3. It will help you to achieve greater levels of concentration.

4. For some individuals, it can also act as a cleanser for the
spirit.

Body Purification

Thanks to a fifteenth century Indian Yogi called Swatmarama,
Hatha Yoga will help you to think more clearly. Swatmarama found
a way for practitioners of Yoga to prepare their body for
purification and this was to be achieved chiefly through
meditation. Originally, this kind of Yoga was called ‘Shatkarma’
(’Hatha’ is a combination of ‘Ha’, meaning sun, and ‘tha’,
meaning moon).

‘Hatha Yoga’ is similar to ‘Raji Yoga’ where it is believed
that practitioners can gain total control over the spirit, body
and mind. With practice, you should be able to focus your energy
into your whole body. In fact, because these two forms of Yoga
are so closely related, they are often talked about simply as
‘Yoga’. The point of all this is that Hatha Yoga can help you to
eliminate physical and/or mental problems by directing your
energy to the areas that need the most assistance. What more
could you ask for?

A major benefit of Hatha Yoga is the ability to get relief from
many different aches and pains that may be afflicting your body,
particularly in the head and neck area. After developing your
skills further, you will learn how best to relax your body as
you will have a greater understanding about how your body works.
By releasing energy that has been suppressed for a long period
of time, you will become happier and enjoy a range of health
benefits. Also, your inner self will not be neglected either and
you will have a far greater facility for getting in touch with
your feelings. This combination of physical AND mental benefits
makes Hatha Yoga extremely popular to most sections of the
population.

Breathing is a major part of Hatha Yoga and allows you to focus
your energy on the correct parts of the body that need
assistance. Higher, more esoteric, benefits can also be reached
by working on the breath. Pranayama is the name given to these
kind of breathing techniques and (combined with postures called
asanas and meditation) can help you to balance the positive and
negative forces in your life. As a result, you will find your
mind becoming clearer and access to your subconscious will
become much easier.

So, Hatha Yoga is a very physical form of Yoga, but one that,
perhaps, provides the greatest benefits, especially to
beginners. Although it is a physical form, the mental and
spiritual benefits are also considerable and so it is a good
‘all-rounder’ if you are undecided.

About the Author: Yardley Moore invites you to discover more
about the great benefits of Yoga by visiting
http://www.YourYogaTips.com where you will find lots of
information and advice for the Yoga enthusiast.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=215613&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

Spiritual growth in the modern world, a world defined by power, money, and influence is a mammoth undertaking. The modern conveniences we take for granted such as home computers and electronics, gadgets, and tools, in addition to the entertainment we expect through television, magazines, and the web have conditioned us to confine our attention mostly to physical needs and wants. As a direct result of these influences, our concepts of self-worth and self-meaning are muddled, and our spiritual needs are being increasingly neglected. How can we strike a balance between the material and spiritual aspects of our lives?

To grow spiritually is to requires us to be introspective, to look inside ourselves.

Spiritual growth requires that this introspection extends further than simply recalling the things that have occurred in recent days, weeks, or even months. It is neccessary to look closely and to take notice of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. Periodically reviewing your experiences, the decisions you took, the relationships you have, and the things you involve yourself in provide useful insights into your life goals, on the positive traits you need to maintain and the bad traits you have to discard. Additionally this periodic introspection gives you clues on how to act, how to react, and ultimately how you should conduct yourself in any given situation you may find yourself in. As with any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie within you. Here are some pointers when you introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on your areas for improvement.

To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials.

Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in both Christian (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize. Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, security, belongingness, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James earlier categorized these needs into three: material, emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or existential needs come next. Achieving each need leads to the total development of the individual. Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity and Islam see that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology view that self-development is an end by itself.

To grow spiritually is to search for meaning.

Religions that believe in the existence of God such as Christianism, Judaism, and Islam suppose that the purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all things. Several theories in psychology propose that we ultimately give meaning to our lives. Whether we believe that life’s meaning is pre-determined or self-directed, to grow in spirit is to realize that we do not merely exist. We do not know the meaning of our lives at birth; but we gain knowledge and wisdom from our interactions with people and from our actions and reactions to the situations we are in. As we discover this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that we reject and affirm. Our lives have purpose. This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potentials into use; sustains us during trying times; and gives us something to look forward to—a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.

To grow spiritually is to recognize interconnections.

Religions stress the concept of our relatedness to all creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call other people “brothers and sisters” even if there are no direct blood relations. Moreover, deity-centered religions such as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship between humans and a higher being. On the other hand, science expounds on our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living things. In psychology, connectedness is a characteristic of self-transcendence, the highest human need according to Maslow. Recognizing your connection to all things makes you more humble and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature. It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.

Growth is a process thus to grow in spirit is a day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some, but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible.