How to De-Stress and Relax During the Holiday Season, Part I
For the next three weeks as we navigate through the stresses, challenges and joys of the Holiday season, I wanted to offer as a gift to all of you a series of guided meditations that will help you to relax and enjoy the season.
So, for the next three weeks my blog posts on Mondays and Wednesdays will consist of instructions on how to meditate and my podcasts on Fridays will be three different guided meditations from my Meditation CDs.
So, on my podcast on 12/14/07 you will be lead in a guided meditation entitled: “Abdominal Breathing Meditation” from my Meditation CD entitled: Peace of Mind is a Breath Away: Breathing Free Meditations.
And on my podcast on 12/21/07 you will be lead in a guided meditation entitled: “Breathing Compassion Meditation” from my Meditation CD entitled: Peace of Mind is a Thought Away: Mastery Meditations.
Lastly, on my podcast on 12/28/07 you will be lead in a guided meditation entitled: “The Light Within and Without” from my Meditation CD entitled: Peace of Mind is an Image Away: Visualization Meditations.
If you are interested in finding out more about my Meditations CDs, please go to the following link: http://www.learnmastery.com/AudioTapesByYanni.htm
Below are instructions on how to meditate. These instructions are broken up into two parts and will be repeated each of the three weeks on my blog: 12/10, 12/17 and 12/24.
EnJoy and Relax!
The natural mind: non-extremist, un-dogmatic, sensitive mind-set is produced by meditation.
Meditation helps one to acquire an attitude that is deterred by nothing, gains insight from everything, and allows each situation to find its own special good. Then one is like a sapling which, though bent, springs back upright; the water which, though diverted, keeps flowing toward the sea, gradually wearing away all barriers to its course; the grass, which though cut, comes up again if its roots are kept moist.
How to prepare to meditate?
Before you start to meditate, it is very important to settle yourself, to slow yourself down and to prepare an internal and external environment for relaxation. So, begin by creating a quiet, comfortable place for you to sit and meditate in. Dim the lights; close the door, and turn off the phones.
Also, it is preferable that every time you meditate it be at the same time and in the same place, but don’t be too rigid about this. It is more important that you actually meditate rather than that you adhere to a rigid schedule. But do know that by establishing a regular time and place for meditation, you are more likely to do it consistently because you are then creating a very clear new habit/pattern and intention that this is my time and my place to meditate.
As well, make sure that all significant others know that this is a quiet, private, undisturbed time just for you. This is your time to be with yourself, to meditate and to do nothing else. Also, pick a time that works for you, a time when you are usually not too busy. And, if the time you first choose doesn’t work for any reason, then change it and experiment until you do find a time and setting that works.
Please note, too, that it is most ideal to meditate every day, but don’t get too rigid about this either. Just start meditating as often as you can and then gradually build up to meditating every day. The more you meditate, the more you will want to, so let the frequency grow on its own.
Also, start off with whatever length of time you feel most comfortable with, even if it is only five minutes. Let the timeframe, as well, gradually become longer. It takes time, practice and patience to build up your meditation muscles. Don’t force any of this. But do be consistent and clear in your intentions.
If you have never meditated before and decide that you will now meditate for twenty minutes, two times a day, everyday, you are more than likely setting yourself up for failure, for self-sabotage. You will most likely go on overload and will quit in a few days. Just as you can’t run a marathon unless you have gradually built up your endurance, so, too, with meditation, let yourself gradually build up your endurance. So, go slow and get there fast!
Meditation is a life-long skill that you step by step integrate into your life. Don’t try to rush or push it! Let it all be easy and fun!
This is Part I of a two Part Blog