[et_pb_section fb_built="1" fullwidth="on" _builder_version="3.0.47"][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title featured_image="off" _builder_version="3.0.105" meta_font="||||||||" meta_font_size="14px"][/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built="1" admin_label="section" _builder_version="3.0.47"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" _builder_version="3.0.47" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"][et_pb_column type="2_3" _builder_version="3.0.47" parallax="off" parallax_method="on"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.105"]Our brain is said to be the profound distinction between human and that of other living counterparts, the ability to reflect and reason is what sets us apart. Ironically though, this very advantage drives us to our weakness.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src="http://www.kahlmah.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-to-Relieve-Stress.png" _builder_version="3.0.105" max_width="54%" module_alignment="center"][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.105" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"]<p><em>Stress</em>, <em>anxiety, depression</em>, do all these sound familiar? Yes. They are the modern-day bogeyman. These are the things we force ourselves to endure in our day to day living.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Among the three, <strong>"stress"</strong> is probably the common denominator of today's living, in fact, a survey done by the <a href="http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2015/impact-of-discrimination.pdf" rel="noopener">American Psychological Association</a> revealed a significant percentage of American adults reported that stress greatly impacts their physical and mental health. But the strange thing is most of them say they are not doing anything about it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Although a release of stress hormones is part of our body's natural physiologic response to a threat, which is, of course, useful in times of danger; however, <strong><em>chronic stress</em></strong> caused by our own thoughts and worries is linked to greater health problems such as cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, stomach ulcer, obesity and many more.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, how do we stop stress? The answer is simple but complex, and that is<strong><em> being mindful. </em></strong>There's this saying that goes "it's all in the mind", so tackle the mind head-on!</p>
<h4></h4>
<h4></h4>
<h4></h4>
<h4></h4>
<h4>Meditation</h4>
<p><strong><em>Meditation</em></strong> is a <strong><em>practice of mindfulness</em></strong>, it teaches <strong><em>mental focus</em></strong> and <strong><em>clarity</em></strong>. Its roots go far back our time, which is linked to various religious practices, but you certainly do not need to be religious to be able to practice meditation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A wide variety of research has proven that meditation significantly reduced stress and improved one's health and well-being.</p>
<p>A scientific study revealed an increase in regional brain gray matter density in people who practiced meditation. This affects a person's ability to react to stress, this was explained in an interview with Sarah Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, read the article in the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/05/26/harvard-neuroscientist-meditation-not-only-reduces-stress-it-literally-changes-your-brain/?utm_term=.8290383ee1cf" rel="noopener">Washington Post.</a></p>
<h5></h5>
<h5></h5>
<h5><em><strong>Among the many benefits of meditation are:</strong></em></h5>
<ul>
<li><g class="gr_ gr_421 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="421" data-gr-id="421">Decrease</g> in blood pressure</li>
<li>Improves blood flow</li>
<li><g class="gr_ gr_420 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="420" data-gr-id="420">Decrease</g> in heart rate</li>
<li>Decrease anxiety</li>
<li>Decrease cortisol level</li>
<li>Promotes deep relaxation</li>
<li>Decrease stress</li>
<li>and many more</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>There are three main forms of meditation: <em>Physical posture</em>, <em>Mindfulness</em>, and <em>Mental silence</em>. One or a combination of these forms are incorporated into many types of meditation and their teaching vary with respect to the practice of different techniques.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In my personal view, meditation does not necessarily need to rely on one practice, belief or religion, however knowing them may guide a person to finding the right path to practice meditation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In whichever form or type of meditation, the idea is basically the same that is, <strong><em>"to be in the present moment"</em></strong>. There is no exact tangible and intangible goal or definition of thought just <strong><em>focused attention</em></strong>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><em>Meditation</em></strong> is <strong><em>not judgemental</em></strong>, from that I would argue that there is no right or wrong way of doing it, it's just a matter of finding a way that works best for you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You must examine your intentions and fully submit to the practice in order to benefit from it.</p>
<h4></h4>
<h4></h4>
<h4>Expectations</h4>
<p> </p>
<p>The one thing that draws us back from reaching any goal is our <strong><em>"expectation"</em></strong>, we expect quick solution and result, but quite often, we have not even gone far from the starting point.</p>
<p>Before even considering meditation settle your <em>expectation</em>.</p>
<ul>
<li>Meditation is an exercise, <strong><em>a mental exercise</em></strong>, like any other exercise it may or may not work for you.</li>
<li>Meditation <em><strong>takes time</strong></em>, anything that takes our time gets the least of our attention, which is probably why people continue to endure stress because doing something about it takes away our time, without looking into the larger picture that doing something about <span style="color: #046300;"><em>it will not only add time but also quality to our lifetime.</em></span></li>
<li>Meditation<strong><em> is a practice</em></strong>, a practice is an actual application and the key is to be <em>consistent in your practice</em>.</li>
<li>Meditation <strong><em>is a process</em></strong>, and quite frankly it is a <em>complex process</em>, you have to make the decision to submit to the process.</li>
</ul>
<h4></h4>
<p> </p>
<h4>Basics of Meditation</h4>
<p> </p>
<p>A bit of a boring talk but the essential background. With reference to<em> Vedic</em> science, the human being is consist of three aspects:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong><em>The physical body</em></strong></li>
<li><strong><em>Inner faculty</em>;</strong> This is the working consciousness, it is constantly changing
<ul>
<li><em>Mind</em>, where we process sensory perception such as pleasure, pain, good and bad.</li>
<li><em>Intelect</em>, where we analyze, decide and judge</li>
<li><em>Ego</em>, the doer, and the experiencer</li>
<li>And the <em>memory</em></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong><em>Deep inner self</em></strong>; a non-changing consciousness, it is the source of all knowledge, intelligence, creativity and all that governs human existence.</li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>The Process</strong></p>
<p>The <strong><em>deep inner-self</em></strong> activates the <strong><em>inner-faculty</em></strong> which activates the <em><strong>physical body</strong></em>. <strong><em>Meditation</em></strong> serves as a <em>feedback loop</em>, in which one makes a <em>conscious connection</em> to the <em>deep inner-self</em>. This process provides <em>inner peace</em> which ultimately <em>removes stress</em> and <em>improves overall health and well being.</em></p>
<p>To understand this process fully, we need to recognize the three states of consciousness; <em>Waking</em>, <em>Dreaming</em>, and <em>Deep Sleep</em>.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong><em>Waking</em></strong>, in a waking state of consciousness the inner faculty is aware of the experiences of the physical body.</li>
<li><em><strong>Dreaming</strong></em>, in a dreaming state of consciousness, the inner faculty is aware of the dream but not the physical body.</li>
<li><em><strong>Deep Sleep</strong></em>, in a deep sleep the inner faculty is not functioning at all, it is in this state that the inner faculty and deep inner-self unites, in this state, there is no pleasure or pain, there is no feeling, no experience of stress, anxiety, anger, guilt etc. This is why we feel so good after a deep sleep.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">So yeah, the answer to all our troubled mind is a good snoring!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">But a deep sleep is not always possible or it's not always easy to get to for some if not most of us, w<span style="font-size: 20px;">hich was the case for me, I've always struggled to go on a deep sleep until I discovered the power of meditation.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size: 20px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">You can't sleep because you are stressed, you are stressed because you can't sleep, which one are you?</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>In <em>meditation</em>, you go beyond the inner-faculty, in this process, you will experience the unity of <em>deep inner self</em> while <em>being aware</em> and <em>not asleep.</em></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 20px;">The practice of </span><em style="font-size: 20px;">meditation</em><span style="font-size: 20px;"> will modify the inner faculty, and it extends the properties of the deep inner self. The benefits of this process affect all aspects of life - </span><em style="font-size: 20px;">physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.</em></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4></h4>
<p> </p>
<h4>How to Meditate</h4>
<p> </p>
<p>Meditation is a personal journey if you find that one technique that works best for you, then concentrate on that technique. The most important thing is to develop the habit of meditation. The following are some of the ways to the practice meditation.</p>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li><strong>A simple way to meditate is to focus on breathing. <em>Just breathing.</em></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>There are many techniques of how to achieve a meditative state, but one common ground of all techniques is the <strong><em>"focus on breathing"</em></strong>.</p>
<p>The reason is that in meditation, breathing is the only real object, it's there no matter what state you are in, it's constant.</p>
<p>You can do this exercise anytime, anywhere, even now.</p>
<ol>
<li>Sit or lie down comfortably, loosen tight clothing</li>
<li>Close your eyes</li>
<li>Relax and breathe normally</li>
<li>Focus on your breathing, the rise, and fall of your chest or the in and out motion of your stomach. Focus only on your breathing for 2-3 minutes. How it makes you feel is irrelevant, any other cluster of thought is irrelevant, just focus on the breathing.</li>
</ol>
<p>This is a great way to start for beginners. Doing this exercise almost instantly relaxes you. The longer you do it or the more you do it gets you into a deeper meditative state. I do this exercise whenever I feel the need to relax.</p>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Another more complex way to meditate is a <em>Meditation with Intention</em>.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>1. Choose a specific time of when you are going to meditate. This time will have to be the same time every time you meditate.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>2. Choose a specific place, this will have to be the same place each time you meditate. This place must be free of distraction.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>3. Choose consistency, How many times you are going to meditate. Daily is recommended but be realistic and most importantly be consistent.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>4. Choose a word or a phrase of central focus, this could be anything that resonates with you, this has to be something that has a stronger meaning to you even if it does not make any sense to others. Keep this in secret, do not share the relevance of this word or phrase.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>5. Examine your life, look at it in a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual sense. Then decide on your intentioned purpose, it could be in any aspect or in all aspect of your life.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>6. Choose a word or a phrase that represents your intentioned purpose. For example, for physical, you find that you need to lose weight you may choose to represent this by the word "health", it's entirely up to you, but make the word of phrase short and easy to remember. Be honest and open to yourself, no one is going to know this word or phrase.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>7. On the day, place and time you agree to meditate, sit and be present to meditate allow at least 15-20 minutes for the exercise. Sit, relax and be comfortable, make sure you are far from any distraction. like a mobile phone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>8. Start with a few deep breaths, and then breath normally, Say the word or phrase of your central focus, repeat it in your head a few times, again and again. Then listen to your breathing, when other thoughts begin to interfere repeat the word or phrase of central focus. Embrace silence and calmness. You might have to repeat the process of saying the word or phrase of central focus a few times, that is fine, Through consistent practice, you will find that this will become easier to do.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>9. End your session by saying your intentioned purpose.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li><strong>An easier way to meditate is through <em>Guided Meditation</em>.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>My initial practice of meditation was through guided meditation, this is the easiest way to practice meditation for beginners. A wide variety of resources can be accessed on the internet.</p>
<p>In guided meditation, you will listen to a voice guiding you through the process of achieving a meditative state.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">Learn more about Guided Meditation:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvldC6mzLvA">Meditation and Guided Relaxation</a></li>
<li><a href="http://marc.ucla.edu/mindful-meditations">Free Guided Meditation</a></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">I strongly encourage you to go on a meditative practice. It does not matter what type or which technique you do but what matters is to develop a consistent practice, because this is where you get the most benefit out of meditation. It will not only relieve stress but also it will transform your life.</span></p>[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_3" _builder_version="3.0.47" parallax="off" parallax_method="on"][et_pb_sidebar orientation="right" area="sidebar-1" _builder_version="3.0.105" header_font="|||||on|||" body_text_align="center" body_font_size="15" text_orientation="center"][/et_pb_sidebar][et_pb_code _builder_version="3.0.105" text_orientation="center"]&lt;iframe style=&quot;width:120px;height:240px;&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ac&amp;ref=tf_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=kahlmah87-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=1505825288&amp;asins=1505825288&amp;linkId=1e01dc7673fedd68741a659bc69af4fa&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;price_color=333333&amp;title_color=0066c0&amp;bg_color=ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --&gt;    &lt;/iframe&gt;[/et_pb_code][et_pb_code _builder_version="3.0.105" text_orientation="center"]&lt;iframe style=&quot;width:120px;height:240px;&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ac&amp;ref=tf_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=kahlmah87-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B06XCQWZ88&amp;asins=B06XCQWZ88&amp;linkId=384f651caf0eaa42ccf90d8086664c38&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;price_color=333333&amp;title_color=0066c0&amp;bg_color=ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --&gt;    &lt;/iframe&gt;[/et_pb_code][et_pb_code _builder_version="3.0.105" text_orientation="center"]&lt;iframe style=&quot;width:120px;height:240px;&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=GB&amp;source=ac&amp;ref=tf_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=kahlmah87-21&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=GB&amp;placement=B01N02PPET&amp;asins=B01N02PPET&amp;linkId=617fe7cfc7bb2e7e32bd7a031fddc59d&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;price_color=333333&amp;title_color=0066c0&amp;bg_color=ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --&gt;    &lt;/iframe&gt;[/et_pb_code][et_pb_sidebar orientation="right" area="et_pb_widget_area_4" _builder_version="3.0.105" header_font="|||||on|||" header_text_align="center" header_font_size="18px" body_font="||||||||" body_text_align="left" body_font_size="16px" body_text_color="#0c71c3"][/et_pb_sidebar][et_pb_sidebar orientation="right" area="et_pb_widget_area_3" _builder_version="3.0.105" header_font="|||||on|||" header_text_align="center" header_font_size="13px" body_font="||||||||" body_text_align="center" text_orientation="center"][/et_pb_sidebar][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="3.0.105"][et_pb_row _builder_version="3.0.105"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="3.0.47" parallax="off" parallax_method="on"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.105" inline_fonts="Open Sans Condensed"]<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed'; font-weight: normal;">This post may contain an affiliate link to products and services that may be useful to you, please check <a href="disclaimer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disclaimer</a> for more information.</span></p>[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]