Tips for meditating

http://www.prairiedogcoalition.org/whats-new.php

1. Breathe naturally- do not try to control your breath
2. Count your breathes- count the inhales and exhales of your breathe. When a thought enters your mind be kind to yourself and start the counting over.  Try to get to 10.
3. Posture- keep your back straight, but not rigid.  Keep you head slightly tilted forward.
4. Create an Intention- before you begin your meditation, create an intention and focus on that during your practice
5. Mantra- repeat a word or phrase while meditating
6. Music- listen to meditation music to guide you
7. Practice- As with most things in life, the more you practice the better you become

This is your brain on meditation

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Meditation Space

It's important to create a peaceful meditation space in your home.  

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What do you keep in your meditation space?

Walking Meditation

It's spring

time to get out doors

Take in the beauty that this earth has to offer

with a walking meditation

find a park

or a beach

or a quiet neighborhood

and walk

Notice the air

the wind

the sun on your body

the grass on the ground

the smell of the flowers

the song of the birds

the rush of water

your breath

your steps

your heartbeat

turn off your cell phone

quite your mind

be present

be mindful

be aware

If you are too busy to meditate

What Meditation Really Is

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Mantras

Mantra meditation involves repeating a word or phrase during a meditation

this helps to block unwanted thoughts

and calm the mind

The repetition can also be used to create a positive quality in your life

for example,

by repeating 

I love myself

over and over

you are tapping into your subconscious mind

which in turn will change your thoughts and your habits.

Many repeat mantras to connect with GOD 

(however you wish to define GOD)

by repeating GOD's name

 you are connecting to that spirit to become one

You may also choose to have a mantra with no meaning

sometimes repeating a word or sound that means nothing to you 

can have a relaxing quality 

for a calming meditation experience.

Do you use mantras while meditating?  If so, we'd love for you to share!

For information on the history of mantras check out this site: http://www.wildmind.org/mantras

In the beginning

Supreme Spirit

Spring Cleaning

Spring is here and the earth is bursting with the new.  Why not roll with it and start anew as well?

A New You Meditation

Begin by thinking about the person you want to be. Visualize what future you looks like - your hair, your face, your clothes, your surroundings. Then take an everyday moment in your life and relive it as the future you. Take your morning drive for instance. Do you see things differently? Are you traveling to a new exciting place? Notice the people and places around you - are they more vibrant? exciting? energized? How do you feel inside-vibrant, excited and energized?

After going through the motions of this daily activity, slowly let the background fall away. Let your surroundings - what you see and hear - disappear while holding on to those feelings. Feel this positive energy running through your body like a golden light. Let the light consume you.

With the light all around you, know that everything is possible. That future you is present you and all things are possible.

Create your own Luck

Many see "luck" as something that you either do or don't have. Funny enough, those that "have" it- usually don't even see themselves as being lucky. The truth is "luck" is something we can all have. It is all about changing your perspective.

Try these meditations to help increase your luck:

1- Be present- Lucky people live in the moment. They appreciate what they are doing and don't look too far ahead or too far behind thinking about what has been or what could be. To do this, take this very moment and sit in your surroundings. Notice your breath, see everything around you- especially the small things you look over on a day to day basis, noises in the background, the temperature... notice it all and be present.

2 - Express gratitude- Lucky people are grateful for what they have whether it be  big or small. This sets the Law of Attraction in motion allowing more positive energy (luck) to come into your life.  To increase your positive energy, practice a gratitude meditation. Sit, eyes closed, and think of everything good in your life. If you have a hard time finding positive things in  your life, begin with the fact that you are alive, that the sky is blue and the grass is green.

3- Do things for others - Once again working with the Law of Attraction, doing good for others brings good fortune into your life.  Think about the last time you did something for someone- even something small- didn't it feel wonderful to give? Doesn't it automatically lift your spirits knowing you made a difference- even a small one- in someone's life? Doing for others doesn't have to be a physical act, meditating on one's happiness is just as effective. To do this, think of those suffering in this world and visualize beams of light covering them, washing over them like a  bath, ridding them of all the pain they have.

Try each meditation for 10 minutes and see if your "luck" changes.

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Meditation and Stress

Stress is your emotional and physical reaction to pressures in your life. I think it is safe to say that we all experience a little stress in our day to day lives. Stress, as you may already know can cause serious health problems.

I recently met someone that was experiencing extreme stomach pain on a daily basis.  He went to his doctor who ran him through a variety of exams. He went to a specialist who ran him through even more exams. We're talking a colonoscopy, cat scan, blood work- you name it- they checked it.  After 3 months of testing and doctor's visits they came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with him. They said that his high pressure job was to blame for his physical ailments. In other words- STRESS was the cause of his illness.


In life you are going to have stresses. One way to reduce the intensity in which you experience them is through meditation. 


"Meditation helps to reduce the activity of part of the brain called the amygdala, which governs feelings of stress. Those who are more stressed and anxious have an amygdala that is overactive. Meditating reduces this," according to Mark Williams, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry and co-developer of one of the many variants, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).


He goes on to say that stressful situations lead to stressful feelings which lead to stressful thoughts. These stressful thoughts create a cycle of more bad feelings, each feeding into each other.


“Meditating breaks this cycle by reducing the links between the insula and the parts of the brain that analyse, as we have seen on brain scans. It doesn't stop a person from feeling or thinking but it uncouples these two parts of the brain, giving the patient more control." (source)


So the next time you're feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Don't reach for that glass of wine.. instead grab a pillow and sit in silence for 10 minutes.  It can improve your health.

Meditation for Kids Neuroscientist touts benefits of meditation for kids

I wanted to share this great article on the benefits of meditating for kids.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Simple meditation techniques, backed up with modern scientific knowledge of the brain, are helping kids hard-wire themselves to be able to better pay attention and become kinder, says neuroscientist Richard Davidson

• Research, including brain imaging studies, also shows it is possible to cultivate the mind to change brain function and structure in ways that will promote higher levels of well-being and increased resilience, said Davidson.

• To improve a child’s ability to pay attention — and also improve their studying abilities — a stone is put on a child’s belly, and they learn to focus on their breathing as the stone goes up and down.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/empowered-health/Neuroscientist+touts+benefits+meditation+kids/6158952/story.html#ixzz1o5U21blR

What is Samada Soul Meditation?

Samada Soul Meditation takes you beyond the five senses to the place that Samada Philosophy identifies as your Soul. You will find that the Samada Meditation is a powerful technique for transforming you into the person you want to be.

Unlike yoga meditation, whose goal is to empty the mind of all thought and sensation, the goal of Samada meditation is to learn to live from your immortal soul.  By living through your immortal soul you will find happiness by finding peace with the world’s karmic condition and live in harmony with the rest of creation. 

Samada Soul Meditation is a practice that will benefit you physically, mentally and emotionally for a more complete and balanced life.

    Psychological Benefit

• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Increase creativity and intelligence
• Minimized depression
• Increase learning ability, reasoning and memory
• Gain emotional control
• Reduce irritability and moodiness
• Improve self-esteem
• Alertness
• Improve relationships
• Better concentration 

Physiological Benefits

• Alleviate drug/nicotine/alcohol dependency
• Lower blood pressure and cholesterol
• Eliminate pain of chronic disease
• Reduce biological age
• Enhance physical abilities