Mindfulness Meditation with Children?

sweet looking little girl
Mindfulness meditation could help your child learn to relax and reduce their stress levels.

Mindful Meditation Shown to Reduce Depression in School Children

The article, “Mindfulness Programs In Schools Reduce Symptoms Of Depression Among Adolescents: Study”, by Carolyn Gregoire states

The study is the first to examine the effects of mindfulness on depression among adolescents in a classroom setting, but previous research has found that mindfulness meditation can reduce symptoms of depression and chronic pain in adult patients.

Please go here for the full article.

Mindfulness meditation can be done at home if your school does not offer a program.   Make a special meditation time with your children once they get home from school.   It can be your time with them to learn to relax as a family.   Making meditation an important daily family event could help bond your family and reduce overall stress.
For more information on meditation techniques please feel free to visit our webpage.

Better States of Mind With mindfulness and meditation

Mindfulness and Meditation Equal Healthier Life

Mindfulness and meditation play pivotal roles in our overall functioning.

The article, “Mindfulness Linked With Emotional Well Being and Improved Sleep, Study Finds”, “by Carolyn Gregoire states

“Adding to a growing body of research on the health benefits of mindfulness, a recent University of Utah study found that individuals with mindful personality traits exhibit more stable emotional patterns and report feeling more in control of their moods and behaviors.”

To read the entire article, please click here

If you are interested in learning more about meditation or in how to meditate, then please review our site and click here

AIHCP

7 Common Meditation Myths

ladies meditating
Meditation myths can cause us to not receive the full benefits of meditating

Meditation Myths

The article, “7 Myths of Meditation”, by Deepak Chopra states

“In the past 40 years, meditation has entered the mainstream of modern Western culture, and been prescribed by physicians and practiced by everyone from business executives, artists, and scientists to students, teachers, military personnel, and — on a promising note — politicians.”

For the full list of myths please go here.

Now we know the truth to these meditation myths we can start getting more out of our daily meditation.
If you wish to learn more meditation techniques then you should go to our site.

Interested in Learning About Meditation?

man in suit meditating
There is always something new to learn about meditation.

Learning About Meditation?  Here Are 7 New Techniques.

The article, “Meditation Techniques: 7 Unusual Practices”, by Carolyn Gregoire states

“Although any practitioner can enjoy the considerable emotional and health benefits of meditation, no meditative practice is one-size-fits-all. Countless mind-body techniques have arisen to suit individual preferences.”

For the full list please go here.

Great thing about meditation is that there is always something new to learn.   Be it in the form of fire meditation or koan meditation, daily meditation is an adventure that we get to revisit every day.
If you want more information concerning online meditation courses, then you should visit our meditation webpage

Interested in meditation courses ?

Meditation and Health

Alot of discussion is about the spirituality of meditation, but there is also physical health advantages.

Jan Brogan of the Boston Globe writes about how “Meditation Can Improve help” with one’s health.

“On Halloween, turnout at the Advaita Meditation Center in Waltham was lower than usual, but still, nearly 30 people filled the rooms of the old Victorian mansion. They attended a variety of classes, from beginning to advanced meditation, or gathered informally at a drop-in session to repeat their mantras and corral their minds.”

If you wish to read the entire article, please click here

If you are interested in meditation courses, please review our program and click here.

AIHCP

A Closer Look at Spiritual Meditation

Taking a Better Look at Spiritual Meditation

When it comes to meditation programs, it must be mentioned that there are many kinds of it. While some meditation techniques aim to heal the body and mind, others are meant to heal the spirit. Spiritual meditation is undoubtedly one of the most popular and most effective forms of meditation, as it is deeper than any other kind. In this article you will find detailed information regarding spiritual meditation: what it is, its benefits and how to practice it.

What Is Spiritual Meditation?

In a nutshell, there is not any major difference between the typical medication, when you simply concentrate very much on what you want to achieve (money, health, success and such) and spiritual meditation. The latter focuses more on the inner light, on spirit, love and understanding. It is a very deep form of meditation that has been used all around the world for centuries. The purpose is simple: spiritual meditation aims to help people achieve supreme wisdom and experience that inner feeling of liberation, it aims to enlighten your life and show you the path to God.

Women enjoying the benefits of spiritual meditation.

They say that the deeper the meditation, the deeper the healing. Your body, mind and soul are interconnected – you cannot have one without the other one, this is why you need to approach a “holistic” type of meditation, one that would take care of all three of them. Spiritual meditation aims to heal the body, enlighten the mind and purify your soul with the help of God. This type of meditation basically helps you see divinity in small things; it helps you appreciate those small details that make our life beautiful.
When you meditate spiritually, you basically open “gates” between your conscious and unconscious mind, you can access the divine world (thing that would be impossible without proper meditation). Once you are ready, you can choose to ask God various questions, you can choose a type of meditation that allows you to forgive people easier, you can find out more about Christian spirituality or you can explore your soul and find out information about you and your past life.
What Are The Main Benefits?
One of the most important advantages of spiritual meditation is that it helps you relax and relieve stress. Meditation aims to take your mind to a whole different level, one where you can release the tension that has accumulated inside you throughout the day. Besides, it aims to open your heart and your mind, and it helps you be more tolerant.
Another benefit of spiritual meditation is that it helps you become a better person, generally speaking. It will give you the ability and the wisdom you need in order to understand what is happening around you and the reasons why certain things are happening. Spiritual meditation aims to offer you the wisdom to accept the things you cannot change and it also helps you understand basic principles like birth and death.
Spiritual meditation provides overall well-being: if you meditate long enough, you will feel that sense of liberation, of freedom, of wisdom and tranquility. This is the feeling we are all craving for, and many of us do not manage to achieve it. Spiritual practice makes you appreciate more the things you have, instead of thinking about the things you lack.

How to Practice Spiritual Meditation?

As stated above, spiritual meditation is a profound practice that requires a lot of skill, research and determination. Despite the fact that there are many spiritual meditation techniques, it is highly recommended not to mix practices – stick to one practice only. This aims to connect you with God, and it is something that must be taken seriously. Here is how you need to prepare for your spiritual meditation:

Spiritual meditation can help with stress.

1. The first step is to find a quiet place, one where nobody will disturb you. Pick a comfortable position and place your hands lying palms up in your lap. Try to imagine that your body is an open gate, one that is ready to receive divine information. Relax and focus on this image;
2. The next thing you need to do is to take deep breaths. Whenever you breathe in, imagine a white, pure light that enters your body through your nose and fills it with love, enlightenment, peace and wisdom. Continue to do so until you feel that your body is totally filled with that pure divine light.
3. You can even use some specific sounds designed for Reiki therapy that help you relax and concentrate more on the light that fills your body. After these steps, you can choose one of the different types of spiritual meditation mentioned above: spirituality, questions for God, forgiveness or inner journey.
To summarize, these are the basics of spiritual meditation. It is a simple yet highly effective process that not only allows you to relax, but it can also answer some of your most important questions about God, existence or the human soul.
If you are interested in learning more about meditation courses, you should visit our site.

What Is Movement Meditation?

What is Movement Meditation?

The benefits of meditation cannot be ignored, but not everyone finds it easy to sit in one spot and focus on their breath. Additionally, not everyone has the time to sit and meditate during his or her day. This is why another type of meditation, called movement meditation, can be so beneficial.
Have you ever sat on a beach in a blissful state and picked up handfuls of sand that mesmerized you as you watched them run through your fingers. You probably felt individual grains as the sand left your hands. You may have noticed the way your fingers felt as they opened to let the sand the go through. Other things such as the way you were sitting and breathing likely entered your mind. You were focused and centered, yet you were still moving. This is what movement meditation is all about.
Movement meditation is not your usual meditation where you sit still and focus on your breath. Instead, you are moving through various positions with a mindful and slow pace.
Mindfulness is the biggest part of movement meditation; for example, being mindful of your muscles as they move or the feeling of your feet against the floor as you move. You notice various parts of your body that are otherwise ignored such as you hip, elbow, or cheek. You begin to pay attention to the body and how it feels as it moves, bends, and twists. Even your breathing, heartbeat, and other inner sensations will be better noticed when you are mindful of the body.
Movement meditation focuses on the movements of the body rather than the goal of the movement. For instance, picking up a book is not normally registered by your mind, but being mindful of the process makes the movement much different. For instance, you feel the bend of the legs and the arm as you reach down for the book. You notice the movement as the head as it looks towards the book. You feel the book against your hand as you begin to pick it up. You notice the extra weight in your hand as you lift the book towards you. All of these things are in your awareness during movement meditation.
How is it Practiced?
Just as with sitting meditation, there are many different ways to do it. There is no one position, thought, or movement that is correct. Many people utilize walking meditation where they walk slowly in a predefined space repeatedly while noticing the wind against their skin and their feet against the ground.
No matter what type of movement meditation you do, all forms involve slow movement and mindfulness. With that in mind, we will talk about how to do a movement meditation starting in a sitting position.
1. Take a few moments to sit in a comfortable position and align your breath and body. Try to make your movements and breath one, like swaying your body in time with a swaying tree.
2. Put your hands on your body and feel the movement of breath as you breathe in and out. Notice as your arms extend and return slightly.
3. Start to stand up and notice what occurs. You will likely feel your hands touch the ground, your legs begin to extend, your spine lengthen, and your neck strengthen as you stand up.
4. Once standing, notice the feelings in your body and pay special attention to any uncomfortable feelings. Adjust your body to make those uncomfortable feelings go away, or if you can’t, then just take notice of them and move on to somewhere else.
5. Start at the top of your head and notice sensations or feelings that come into mind. Once you have felt the sensations of the top of the head, move on to the forehead, then the cheeks, nose, ears, lips, chin, and neck. Keep moving through your body, and registering any feelings that you have, until you reach the tip of your toes. This process does not have to take a long time or a short time. It is important to move at your own pace and not judge how fast or slow you are going.
6. Bring your whole body back into focus, instead of just one area, and begin to move with your heartbeat. Feel your body as it moves back and forth or side to side.
7. Raise an arm into the air and pretend as if you are picking a fruit off a tree that is just out of reach. Notice as your arm lengthens and reaches for the fruit. Notice how you toe raises off the ground in order to allow more height for your arm. Notice all the movements of your body during the simple act of reaching for a fruit takes place.
8. Repeat with the other arm.
9. Leave your standing spot and move around the area you are in. Notice the sensations that appear as you begin to take steps. Your feet, your legs, your hips, your stomach all work together to create movement. Take the time to notice the individual sensations in those areas.
10. Now, sit back on the floor and pay attention to your body as it crunches and bends. End as you began, and align your breath with your body.
This is just one variation of movement meditation. You may want to touch things as you stand and notice the sensations that occur. You may want to dance slowly and rhythmically and notice the feelings of your body that you would otherwise ignore. The point is to be mindful of your body and the sensations that occur.
If you are not able to quiet your mind during sitting meditation, then movement meditation can really help you get the focus you need in order to still your mind and reap the rewards of sitting meditation such as calmness, less stress, and focus. Any time your mind wanders, you can simply tense a muscle or move a finger to bring your attention back to your body and the movement.
You will become more in tune with your body through movement meditation. When you are not engaging in it, you will find that you will notice your body more and the movements that it makes. This will help you to notice any inconsistencies such as pain or stiffness that you may otherwise ignore, and attend to the concerns for good health.
You will also become more aware of the things around you as you feel the sensation of objects that you come into contact with. This can help you connect to your surroundings and other people on a higher level.
In conclusion, movement meditation involves being mindful of the sensations that occur during movements. Walking, dancing, cooking, and even going to bed are moments that you can practice this type of meditation.

If you are interested in meditation techniques, please review the program.

James Evans

Meditation with St. Teresa of Avila

Meditation for Spiritual Union with God

If anyone spiritual is seeking union with God from a Christian perspective, then one should look no farther than the meditations of St. Teresa of Avila.  Her meditative classic, “The Interior Castle” supplies the reader with numerous ideas and spiritual advice.
Her first and foremost fundamental principle is that if one wishes to enter into union with God, they must seek God through prayer and meditation.  She emphasizes that meditation is important because one must focus upon the words of any prayer.  Through prayer and meditation, a person can begin to experience the joys of God.
St. Teresa, however, understands the fallen nature of man.  She also understands the traps and deceptions of the evil one.  As one enters into the first “mansions” of the castle or soul, they are besought with conflicts to do good or evil.  While the spirituality of the first mansions deal with prayer, good works and contemplation, the spiritual traveler must fight off the evil one and submit one’s will to God.
The final mansions involve the courtship of the soul with God.  The soul falls in love with God via romantic analogy and eventually finds mystical marriage and union.  In this union, God stays with the soul and sustains it with his intimate presence.  Both the will of creator and creation share the same goals.
St. Teresa finds the mystical marriage with the Lord to be the greatest gift the soul can be given by God in this temporal reality.  In it, the soul has purged itself from temporal gains and has submitted its will to God’s will.  The soul is filled with a burning love and basks in the love of God.  While in earlier states, the soul does experience occasional illuminations, esctasies and visions, this final state rises the soul to a more secure and consistent union with the Lord that also allows the soul to carry on with its daily duties.
If you are interested in learning more about Christian meditation or other topics, review our program and also review the “Interior Castle”.

Mark Moran, MA

How a Meditation Program Can Reduce Loneliness

Two people meditating
A good meditation program can teach you many wonderful things.

How a Good Meditation Program can Help the Elderly!

The article, “Mindfulness meditation reduces loneliness in older adults, study shows” Source: Carnegie Mellon University

Published in Brain, Behavior & Immunity, the researchers also found that mindfulness meditation — a 2,500-year-old practice dating back to Buddha that focuses on creating an attentive awareness of the present moment — lowered inflammation levels, which is thought to promote the development and progression of many diseases. These findings provide valuable insights into how mindfulness meditation training can be used as a novel approach for reducing loneliness and the risk of disease in older adults.

For the full article please go here.

Mindfulness meditation can affect the body and soul if done correctly.   Science has barely see the tip of the meditation iceberg.    As more studies on meditation are completed, more benefits from this century old technique will be rediscovered.
If you are looking for a good meditation program, you might want to check out our website.

A Meditation Program Can Bring Excitement

A picture of several different yoga poses
Many people everyday use yoga as a form of meditation.

Find Excitement With A Meditation Program

The article, “Meditation Is Boring”, by Rupert Wolfe-Murray states

“Meditation is really simple, and you don’t need to join a class or read a heavy tome (but I would recommend this cartoon guide). Just sit down for 20 minutes and concentrate on your breathing; breathe deeply and listen to your breath, and let go of your thoughts.”

For the full article please go here.

It is easy for us to stereotype meditation as sitting on the floor with our eyes closed.   This practice might work for some but the true is meditation can be done in just about anywhere.   Next time you are in your car at a stop light, clear your head and focus on your breathing.   Yoga is another great way to meditate.    It helps clear your mind of thoughts through your focus on your poses and forms.    Meditation techniques are all around us.
If you are interested and taking a meditation program then you might want to check out our website.