Meditation

Five easy steps of meditation for students:-

1. Commit to just two minutes a day: Start simply if you want the habit to stick. You can do it for five minutes if you feel good about it, but all you're committing to is two minutes each day.

2. Pick a time and trigger: Not an exact time of day, but a general time, like morning when you wake up, or during your lunch hour. "The trigger should be something you already do regularly, like drink your first cup of coffee, brush your teeth, have lunch, or arrive home from work," says Babauta.

3. Find a quiet spot: Sometimes early morning is best, before others in your house might beawake and making lots of noise. Others might find a spot in a park or on the beach or some other soothing setting. It really doesn't matter where — as long as you can sit without being bothered for a few minutes.

4. Sit comfortably: Don't fuss too much about how you sit, what you wear, what you sit on, etc. "I personally like to sit on a pillow on the floor, with my back leaning against a wall, because I'm very inflexible. Others who can sit cross-legged comfortably might do that instead," says Babauta. If you find sitting on the floor uncomfortable, try a chair or couch.

5. Focus on your breath: As you breathe in, follow your breath in through your nostrils, then into your throat, then into your lungs and belly. Sit straight, keep your eyes open but looking at the ground and with a soft focus. If you want to close your eyes, that's fine. As you breathe out, follow your breath out back into the world. If it helps, count ... one breathe in, two breathe out, three breathe in, four breathe out ... when you get to 10, start over. Says Babauta, "If you find your mind wandering (and you will), just pay attention to your mind wandering, then bring it gently back to your breath." Repeat this process for the few minutes you meditate. It will become a regular habit in a matter of days.

How to Meditate in 3 Steps:-

Many people find the idea of meditation to be daunting. They think they do not have the time, saying, “Someday I will devote the time to study meditation.” Meditation is simple. You don’t need training and you don’t need to be alone in the mountains. You can learn it right now! All you need is a quiet place to sit and the curiosity to try for 10 minutes.

Step 1: Sit comfortably in a chair with your spine erect and both legs and thighs forming a ninety-degree angle with the ground, keeping your feet shoulder width apart – or sit in a cross-legged position.

Step 2: Close your eyes and breath as naturally as possible. After a few breaths, try breathing with your abdomen only. Slowly, your breath will deepen as you practice.

Step 3: Begin to quiet your mind. Of course, the thoughts will come – and they will always be there. Don’t struggle against them. Let the thoughts come, but don’t dwell on them. Keep relaxing, and bring your consciousness back to your breath. If you have trouble concentrating, focus on one thing, a word or a mantra that can invoke a calming effect within you.

Some of the health benefits of meditation are:-

1.Reduces anxiety attacks as it lowers the levels of blood lactate.

2.Builds self confidence.

3.Increases serotonin which influences moods and behavior. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, headaches and insomnia.

4.Enhances energy, strength and vigor.

5.Helps keep blood pressure normal

6.Reduces stress and tension

7.Creates a state of deep relaxation and general feeling of wellbeing

8.Helps with P.M.T.

9.Increases concentration and strengthens the mind

10.Helps reduce heart disease

11.Helps with weight loss

meditation during pregnancy:-

What Meditation and Relaxation Therapies Are: An assortment of alternative therapies that rely on breathing, muscle relaxation, and guided imagery to develop a positive outlook on pregnancy (and life in general!) and soothe the mind and body.

What They Do: Deep relaxation techniques, meditation, and visualization can help you cope with a variety of physical and emotional stresses during pregnancy, enabling you to relax and focus your concentration, reduce stress, lower your blood pressure, and enhance your peace of mind. And who couldn't use that right now?
Deep breathing: Short of getting a daily massage, one of the most effective ways to ease muscle tension, lower your heart rate, and help you fall asleep is to breathe deeply and rhythmically. Try this: Lie down on the floor or on your bed with your feet shoulder-width apart. (After the second trimester or if you're uncomfortable lying on your back, rest on your side with a pillow between your legs for support.) Breathe slowly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed. Be conscious of your stomach rising as you gradually fill your lungs and diaphragm with air, then hold for one second before exhaling through your nose to the count of four.
Progressive muscle relaxation: This technique may take a couple of weeks to master, but once you do, you'll be glad you did. It's like a natural sleeping pill, which you'll really appreciate as your pregnancy progresses and a good night's sleep becomes more and more elusive. Here's how to do it: Lie down on your bed or on the floor and tense your muscles completely…then let them totally relax. Focus on one muscle group at a time and alternate between the left and right side of your body. One possible route is to start by tensing and releasing your hand and forearm muscles, followed by your triceps and biceps, then your face, chest and shoulders, stomach, legs, and finally, your feet.
Guided imagery: Remember when you were little and your mom told you to close your eyes and think of nice things whenever you got scared? Well, this is pretty similar. Just picture yourself in a place you find peaceful or relaxing — a tropical beach, a flower-filled meadow, or wherever your own private bliss may be. Next imagine every detail of that place, from the sounds to the smells and everything in between. An alternative to this technique is to think of an image from a magazine or photograph and fill in every detail in your mind. Visualization takes some practice, but once you get it, you'll find it's a great way to quiet your mind, ease your tension, and help you drift off to sleep.

Higher States Of Consciousness:-

We live most of our life through three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming and sleeping.

In the waking state of consciousness, we experience the world through the five senses. We seek elevation and joy from these senses. If any one of the senses is missing, the entire dimension of that sense is lost. One who cannot hear is bereft of the whole arena of sound. Similarly, he who cannot see is deprived of all the beautiful sights and colors. So, the sense is more important and much bigger than the object of the sense.

The mind is higher than the senses. The mind is infinite, its desires are many, but the capacity of the senses to enjoy is limited. Greed is wanting more and more of sensory objects. Even though one can only enjoy a limited amount during a lifetime, one wants all the wealth in the world.

Giving too much importance to sensory objects leads to greed; giving too much importance to the senses leads to lust; and giving too much importance to the mind and its desires leads to delusion.

We hold on to the concepts of the mind and want things to happen in a certain way. Thus, the concepts in our mind impede us from perceiving the infinite consciousness that is a part of us. This is not to say that the senses or the mind are bad. But we must learn to discriminate between things and be aware of what is happening at all times; that is when clarity dawns on us. This is the first step toward the higher state of consciousness.

In the waking state, one is constantly engaged in looking, eating, working, etc. The other extreme is the sleeping state where one is completely cut off and dull. The dullness and heaviness linger even after waking. The more one sleeps, the duller one feels since a lot of energy is expended in sleep. Then there is the dreaming state where one is neither asleep nor awake. Here, you neither feel at rest nor are aware of your surroundings.

Meditation

The higher state of consciousness is somewhere in between the waking, sleeping and dreaming states. Here, we know we "are" but we don't know "where" we are. This knowledge that I "am," but I don't know "where" I am or "what" I am, is called Shiva. This state gives the deepest possible rest that one can experience. And one can achieve this through meditation.

Meditation helps in two ways -- it prevents stress from entering the system and simultaneously releases accumulated stress. With the assimilation of meditation into daily life, a higher state of consciousness called cosmic consciousness dawns within us. Cosmic consciousness perceives the whole universe as part of oneself. When we perceive the world as a part of us, love flows strongly between the world and us. This love empowers us to overcome the opposing forces and the disturbances in life. Anger and disappointments become fleeting emotions that occur momentarily and then vanish.

A higher state of consciousness will not simply happen one fine morning. The sapling of consciousness is within you -- it needs to be nurtured through spiritual practices like meditation. Some coconut trees yield in three years, and some in 10 years. And those that are not nurtured never yield, they simply exist.

Attaining higher states of consciousness does not require any complicated strategy; one just needs to learn the art of letting go. The confluence of knowledge, understanding and practice makes life complete. When you grow into higher states of consciousness, you find that you are no longer thrown off-balance by different situations and disturbances. You become strong yet soft -- a delicate and beautiful individual capable of accommodating different values in life without any conditions. As your consciousness opens and the whole system gets physically, mentally and spiritually elevated, your life truly becomes worth living.

Meditation on Om:-
OM (Pranava) is a ferry-boat for men who have fallen into the never-ending ocean of mundane life. Many have crossed this ocean of Samsara with the help of this ferry-boat. You can also do so if you will meditate constantly on OM with Bhava and meaning and realise the Self.
OM is the only symbol for the Immortal, All-pervading Self or Atman. Think of OM to the exclusion of everything else. Shut out all mundane thoughts. They may again and again recur. Again and again generate thoughts of the pure Self. Associate ideas of purity, perfection, freedom, knowledge, immortality, eternity, infinity, etc., with OM. Repeat OM mentally.
Om is everything. Om is the name or symbol of God, Isvara or Brahman. OM is your real name. OM covers all the threefold experiences of man. OM stands for all the phenomenal worlds. From OM this sense-universe has been projected. The world exists in OM and dissolves in OM (AUM). "A" represents the physical plane, "U" represents the mental plane and astral planes, the world of spirits, all heavens, "M" represents the deep sleep state, and all that is unknown even in your wakeful state, all that is beyond the reach of the intellect. Om represents all. OM is the basis of your life, thought and intelligence.
All words which denote the objects are centred in OM. Hence the world has come from OM, rests in OM and dissolves in OM.
OM is the symbol of Brahman or the Supreme Being. Meditate on OM. When you think or meditate on OM, you will have to think of Brahman, the thing signified by the symbol.
Association with OM is to become one with the thing signified. "Tad-japas-tadartha-bhavanam." Try to identify yourself with the All-blissful Self when you think or meditate or chant OM and negate the five Kosas as illusory adjuncts created by Maya. You have to take the symbol OM as Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman or Atman. This is the meaning. During meditation, you should feel that you are all purity, all light, all-pervading existence, etc. Meditate on the Self daily. Think you are different from mind and body. Feel "I am Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman-I am all-pervading consciousness." This is the Vedantic meditation.
Meditate on OM till you attain Samadhi. If your mind gets distracted by Rajas and Tamas, practise Dharana (concentration) and Dhyana (meditation) again and again.
"Having made one's body or the lower self, the lower fire-stick, and Pranava (OM) the upper, by the friction of continued practice (Abhyasa) of meditation one should see God (Atman) hidden within." -Svetasvatara Upanishad.
O Rama, you are now living in the Himalayas. Be in tune with the Nature's Lord. The lofty peaks will whisper to you the secret of life eternal. The gurgling streams around you will sing the song of Omkara to you. Fix your mind in Pranava-Dhvani and enter into sublime communion easily. Nature will reveal to you her closely guarded secrets. Take lessons from her. Feel your unity or oneness with the snow-clad peaks, the glaciers, the refreshing Himalayan breeze, the rays of the sun, the blue sky, the glittering stars, etc.
May you all rest in the non-dual Brahman and taste the nectar of immortality. May you all reach the fourth state of bliss (Turiya) by analysing the experiences of the waking, dream and deep sleep states. May you all have a comprehensive understanding of Omkara or Pranava and the Amatra. May you all enter the soundless OM by transcending the sounds A, U and M. May you all meditate on OM and attain the goal of life, the ultimate Reality, Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman. May this OM guide you. May this OM be your centre, ideal and goal. May the secret and truth of Mandukya Upanishand be upon you all, OM OM OM!!

1.CHOOSE A CONVENIENT TIME:- Meditation is essentially relaxation time, so it should be done entirely at your convenience. So, after the meditation you do right now, for the subsiquent meditations, choose a time when you know you are not likely to be disturbed and are free to relax and enjoy. 

The hours of sunrise and sunset, while nature transitions between day and night, are also ideal for the practice.

2.Choose a quiet place:-Just like a convenient hour, choose a place where you not likely to be disturbed.

               Quiet and peaceful surroundings can make the meditation experience more   enjoyable and relaxing.

3.Sit comfortably:-

Your posture makes a difference too. Make sure you are relaxed, comfortable and steady.

Sit straight with your spine erect; keep your shoulders and neck relaxed, and eyes closed throughout the process.That you have to sit in Padmasana (the lotus position) to meditate is a very common myth of meditation.

4.Keep a relatively empty stomach:- A good time to meditate is before having a meal.

  After food, you might doze off while meditating. However, do not force yourself to   meditate when you are very hungry.

  You will find it difficult because of hunger cramps or you may even keep thinking   about food the whole time! In this case, you can meditate after two hours after having food.

5.Start with a few warm-ups:-A few warm-up or sukshma yoga exercises before sitting to meditate helps improve circulation, removes inertia and restlessness and makes the body feel lighter.

You will be able to sit steadily for a longer time.

6.Take a few deep breaths:-This is again preparation for easy meditation. Deep breathing in and out as well as   doing some nadi shodhan pranayama before meditating is always a good idea.  

  This helps to steady the rhythm of the breath and leads the mind in to a peaceful   meditative state.

7.Keep a gentle smile on your face:-You will see the difference.

A gentle smile throughout keeps you relaxed, peaceful and enhances your meditation experience.

8.Open your eyes slowly and gently:-As you come close to the end of the meditation, don't be in a hurry to open your eyes and start moving about.

  Open your eyes slowly and gradually and take time to become aware of yourself and your surroundings.

                               

Meditation "Change your World"

Want to relieve stress, restore your ability to focus, improve your energy level and create radiant health?
Meditation as a wellness practice is growing faster than ever before.
It's easier than you think to incorporate into a busy lifestyle. Experience how meditation can help you manage stress, reduce anxiety, improve your relationships, and enhance sleep.
Various meditation institutes like "meditationcouch.com" offer a variety of mindfulness products and resources to help you learn how to meditate or deepen your current meditation and mindfulness practice.
Here is a beautiful definition of "Namaste" ...
"I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides.
I honor the place in you of love, of truth, of peace, and of light.
And when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are one."

More about meditations....

A funny thing happened on the way to enlightenment. The quest got stripped of yogic posturing, Buddhist trappings, and even the last vestige of spirituality and turned into a search for the kind of clarity that might help us all in our worldly pursuits. Which is why movers and shakers are again embracing that seventies mainstay Transcendental Meditation. You're likely to hear it spoken of reverentially in interviews: Russell Brand, whose wildman behavior was cartoonish in its intensity, credits TM with helping him to conquer his heroin, sex, and alcohol addictions. "After meditation," he has said, "I felt this beautiful serenity and selfless connection." And where celebrities venture (the latest wave of TM-ers includes the likes of Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts), many of us are likely to follow. The rolls of practitioners have tripled in the past three years, according to the Transcendental Meditation Program, the practice's national organization. "The game-changer, I think, is David Lynch and his foundation," says Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, the Georgetown University psychiatry professor who wrote the recent best seller Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation. Lynch, the surrealist director of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Dr., had been quietly practicing TM since, yes, the seventies, but about six years ago he came out of the closet, launching a foundation to promote the practice and later publishing a manifesto, Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity. It's a process perfectly matched to our self-interested times�"no pain, but a lot of gain," according to Rosenthal. Bob Roth, an executive director of the David Lynch Foundation, who taught TM to Brand and Moby, explains that when the mind has been calmed with the help of a mantra, a Sanskrit word given to each TM grad, it will effortlessly sink below the level of thought to "pure consciousness." Practically speaking, sit in a chair, close your eyes, and silently repeat the mantra for 20 minutes. Once you get the hang of it, Lynch says, you cut the elevator cables of your normal-thinking mind to descend to a place that feels different. You may experience a connection with the universe or a mental light show, what Rosenthal calls "four-star graphic effects." At the very least, you should be blissfully relaxed, which is the foundation of the health benefits that have been measured in the medical research amassed, much of it funded by the government. The deep tranquillity TM promotes quiets the body's "fight or flight" stress response, lowering blood pressure and anxiety and combating depression. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the so-called giggling guru, who hosted the Beatles and Mia Farrow, among others, was the innovator who stripped Hindu meditation practice of its religious baggage and repackaged it as a systematic, stress-reducing, creativity-building technique. Lynch, a disciple, is responsible for adding a fresh civic-mindedness to the game. His foundation aims to bring TM free of charge to those most in need of its calming effects�at-risk kids, prison inmates, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. That, of course, means fund-raising benefits, which means reeling in rich folk and entertainers (many introduced to TM by Lynch and Roth), all of which attracts media coverage and an increased brand awareness among those in the general public who might be willing to shell out $1,500 for the basic course. "It was straight out of The Great Gatsby," Rosenthal says of the poolside benefit party thrown this past June at the Malibu home of Juicy Couture cofounder Pam Levy and her TV-director husband, Jefery Levy. One imagines the vibes spreading to their neighbor Ryan Kavanaugh, CEO of Relativity Media, the freshly minted Converse-wearing, 36-year-old movie mogul who practices TM twice a day. Kavanaugh, who started out as a stockbroker, has leveraged his connections by allying with the New York hedge fund Elliot Associates, among other investors, giving his company the billions required to dominate Hollywood film production. But his secret weapon is his risk-assessment algorithm, a high-tech quantitative analysis of the big picture that he says allows him to make money even on box-office dogs. As the New York hard-chargers who flock to the TM courses Roth teaches at the Center for Leadership Performance soon learn, this kind of success is not coincidental. According to published research, TM enhances neural activity in the part of the brain that houses the decision-making "executive center." "The businesspeople say they're more focused during the day," Roth says. As do the other Gotham heavy hitters who've evangelized for TM and the Lynch Foundation, from Jerry Seinfeld and Heather Graham to Ben Foster and Howard Stern. Leave it to Mr. Katy Perry himself, speaking at a gala fund-raiser at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this past winter, to get at the essence of TM's guilt-free marriage of creativity and commerce: "I literally had an idea drop into my brain the other day while I was meditating which I think is worth millions of dollars."