Fitness: Meditation Calming Art in Over-stimulated Society

From news-press.com, By Angie Ferguson

Meditation, with its power to relax the soul and relive stress, has become a popular concept. In mainstream America, things considered spiritual have become fashionable images, making them as much cosmopolitan as they are healing. Store windows display Buddhas with candles while advertisements use images of models sitting cross-legged in yoga bliss to sell products.

But what is meditation really all about?

At the most basic level, mediation is the art of being with yourself. Meditation is an invitation to take time out from our busy lives and spend some real time, some quiet time, with ourselves on a deeper level. It is time to find out what's really going on in us.

In Western society, meditation offers an antidote to our incredibly busy, overstimulated, Blackberry addicted, iPod-plugged-in life, which can lead to heightened stress, anxiety and a sense of losing touch with our core values.

Conversely in the East, where general health, well-being and life expectancies outweigh and outlast ours, meditation has been a traditional spiritual practice for thousands of years, and part of a tried and tested path to peace of mind.

Before you begin, there are a few things you'll need to know if you want to tune in to this calming art.

First, find a quiet, comfortable place to sit of lie down, perhaps on firm cushions, on the floor or in a chair. Your physical posture is your foundation for proper meditative practice, so it's important to feel as comfortable and grounded as possible.

Next, understand that meditation is not about having a blank, empty mind, or about seeing the colors in lava lamps. It is also not something we do just intellectually in our heads.

Rather, meditation invites us to be much more broadly aware of ourselves. Primarily, to begin a meditative practice, begin by gently investigating your own experience, being aware of your physical body, your changing emotions and the thoughts that pass through your mind.

There are several techniques to help you hone this awareness, especially when you're just starting out. Perhaps the most popular technique is anchoring our concentration in our breath or the coming and going of our own breathing.

This can seem strange, uncomfortable and even a bit boring at first, but in fact, our breath is an incredibly subtle thing to be aware of. Our breath is directly connected to our emotional state and is the most essential thing keeping us alive.

Our breath is always there; we don't need any special equipment, location or company to become aware of our breathing, and it is always a useful thing to be aware of.

For more information on meditation practice and techniques visit the Web, keyword meditation and you'll be amazed at the resources.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009906160303