Meditation Exercise

Meditation exercise offers the practitioner a comfortable way to distress. Meditation exercise practiced regularly will create peace and harmony and over time regular meditation exercise can avoid many dangerous stress related illnesses. As the demands on our lives increases, so does the amount of stress. Trying to juggle work and business affairs, family life, social engagements combined with our sports or hobbies can certainly take its toll and stress slowly builds up without us realizing it. Many of us engage in sport or other healthy activities for our bodies but we tend to forget to really relax. The effects of stress have been proved to be at the root of many health conditions ranging from tiredness, headaches, and tension to more serious conditions such as high blood pressure, heart problems, and immune system deficiencies.

Meditation exercise can bring harmony and balance, improve the memory, improve circulation and stimulate the nervous system and importantly release the stress which can be detrimental to health. Meditation exercise is one of the principals of yoga and is used in conjunction with Asanas and Pranayamas. There are many ways to meditate and meditation exercise in totally up to the individual. When beginning to meditate it is often a good idea to try several methods to find the meditation exercise that best suits you.

Relaxation meditation helps you “centre” and makes you think in the present. You focus on the muscles in your body relaxing each one at a time. This relieves bodily tension, and makes you feel more at peace with yourself. Another meditation exercise concentrates on breathing. We all breathe but very rarely do any of us really pay any attention to our breathing. In this meditation exercise you become aware of each breath, inhaling, holding, exhaling and aging pausing before inhaling. This technique was developed over time from simple concentration of breath to deeper more meaningful meditations.

Concentration on a candle flame, flower or some other icon helps keep the mind centered, as other thoughts drift into your mind you simply shift your attention back to the icon. This kind of meditation is known as visualization meditation and is a meditation exercise that is widely used. When this method is used you think of a calming place you would enjoy such as the ocean, near a waterfall or in the forest etc, see yourself there happy and peaceful, keep this visualization going, and feel the relaxation effects through your body.

“Losing” yourself in calming music, chanting, or using a mantra can keep the mind focused on relaxation as well. Aum or Om is said to be a universal sound but you can use other words such as peace, calm or love. It is entirely up to the individual.

A meditation exercise that has become increasingly popular all over the world is Tai Chi. The gentle flowing movement of this system of exercise helps mind, body and spirit relax and classes are often seen in parks and other public places.

There are many forms of meditation exercise one of which may suit you or you may find that you prefer a combination of several. It is entirely up to the individual which form works best as they all share a common thread which is relaxation and a feeling of inner peace. No one method is better than the other if it is the one than works for you.

By Joel Sparks