Benefits of Meditation From A Theological Perspective

Posted on May 18, 2012October 14, 2022 by Dominick Flarey

Theological Meditative Benefits

Many of us are aware of the physical benefits of meditation. However, those are side benefits and not the primary reason why one should utilize meditation in one’s prayer life. Meditation’s ultimate purpose is to unite one with God.
Whether one approaches meditation from an Eastern or Western theological point of view, the ultimate purpose is spiritual renewal and connection with God. The benefits of this are beyond

measure because they are spiritual in nature.
Whether one refers to such union as increase of grace or spiritual awakening, one cannot deny the inner peace, focus, clarity, and understanding one achieves when meditation is properly applied to one’s prayer life. The inner workings of God, his grace, and his serenity are applied to the soul and re-energizes the it.
This spiritual feeding of the soul, allows one to grow spiritually and to better communicate and share the love of God with the world. Ultimately this is the purpose of meditation. To find God and to share God with the world. Meditation is not a selfish individual endeavor as many think, but is an action that purifies oneself so oneself can help purify the world.
If you are interested in Meditation Certification, please review the program.

Mark Moran, MA, GC-C, SCC-C

Learn to Meditate with Congressman Ryan

Posted on May 17, 2012October 14, 2022 by Dominick Flarey

Learn to Meditate

Congressman Tim Ryan (D-Oh) insists that meditation is the answer! An expert in mindfulness meditation, the Congressman has written a new book that has just recently been released by Hay House publishers. The book is a real eye-opener for those who have little knowledge and experience in the practice of mindfulness. The Congressman’s quest is to introduce mindfulness into our schools, our work places, etc., thus creating a more mindful and peaceful nation. This article is highly recommended, as well as the accompanying video.

The article, “Meditating with Tim Ryan”, by Patrick Gavin states

“Rep. Tim Ryan may have once been a typical politician, but no longer: The Ohio Democrat has traded in the hurried mentality that dominates Capitol Hill for a more Zen-like approach.
Literally.”

Working Meditation into Your Life.

Posted on May 15, 2012October 13, 2022 by Dominick Flarey

A woman working in daily meditation during her job

Wondering how you can make time for meditation in your daily life? You are not alone. Many people every day go without the benefits of meditation because they are “too busy”. Meditating does not take long and daily meditation can help reduce stress and help with relaxation. How to meditate you ask? Simply just do it when you have a free moment. You could be waiting for the mail, at the doctor’s office, when you first wake up, or before you go to bed. It is easy to fit mediation into your daily life.

Working Meditation into Your Life.

The article, “Five ways to incorporate meditation into your life”, by Robert Piper states

“Meditation is an incredible tool that has been used for thousands of years in eastern spiritual traditions of India, Tibet, and China. Most recently, it has been used in western medicine to work with pain, stress, and even by American Troops suffering from PTSD.”

For the full list please go here.

Now that you know how to work meditation into your daily life, it is up to you to actually do it.
If you are interested in learning how to meditate or meditation in general please visit our webpage.

St. Ignatius and Meditative Prayer

Posted on May 3, 2012October 13, 2022 by Dominick Flarey

St. Ignatius and Methods of Praying

St. Ignatius had a detailed methodology on meditative prayer in his Spiritual Exercises. Within his methodology one can find the primary elements of prayer which include adoration, contrition, petition and thanksgiving. However, more emphasis is given on adoration, contrition and thanksgiving than petition. Petition correlates with the will of the Father and the not the individual will.

Contemplation is found in the second method. When one is praying a particular prayer whether it is the Our Father or Hail Mary, one is to remember to reflect on the meaning of each word during a one hour session. If one dwells on one word longer and it takes up the whole hour, then one should continue the next day on the next word. One is to not rush the images and meanings that come to one from the Holy Spirit during this deep contemplation.
Finally, St. Ignatius while promoting freedom of thought nevertheless finds value in ritual prayer. While praying ritualistic and written prayers, St. Ignatius emphasizes that one should employ the rhythmic functions of the body during prayer. As one recites a word, he or she should reflect between breathes on the meaning of the word. In this way, the prayer is said within a reasonable time but with deep reflection in a meditative state.
Christian Counseling and Spiritual Counseling should emphasize these methods of prayer. Whether the pray encompasses one or all four of the purposes of prayer, each prayer can reach higher states of union with God by the methods suggested by St. Ignatius. Through these relaxed contemplative states, one can reap a higher spiritual yield while in communication with God.

By Mark Moran, MA, GC-C, SCC-C

Ignatian Meditation

Posted on May 3, 2012October 13, 2022 by Dominick Flarey

Ignatian Meditation

St. Ignatius Loyola presented a disciplined version of meditation that while disciplined also gave freedom to the soul to explore numerous images of contemplation about Christ and sin. As founder of the Jesuits, he incorporated a military type religious movement that not only characterized his order but also his meditation techniques. This disciplined form of meditation is key in helping the soul overcome the weakness of one’s fallen nature and creating a soul better equipped to reform and avoid sin. Christian Counselors as well as merely spiritual counselors can all find value in the writings of St. Ignatius and his spiritual exercises in regards to meditation.

One of the primary themes found in meditation by St. Ignatius is his great emphasis on sin and repentance. Many of the contemplations deal directly with the soul’s sins and how horrible sin is to the life of the soul. Hence many reflections revolve around the passion of Christ, Hell, and how sin has corrupted the human race. It is St. Ignatius’ goal to inspire within the soul a complete aversion of sin via perfect contrition that burns for the love of Christ.
This Christocentric form of meditation is obviously best suited for Christian Counseling but the rich spiritual nature of the meditations and exercises can also be applied to general spiritual counseling because it focuses on discernment and vocational choices as well. While Christocentric, the primary goal is help the soul escape sin and rid itself of earthly attachments. This is the key for most meditative processes.

By Mark Moran, MA, GC-C, SCC-C

Study finds meditation makes people happy and nicer

Posted on April 13, 2012October 13, 2022 by Dominick Flarey

A study from UC San Francisco found that meditation made schoolteachers more relaxed, nicer and reduced their stress levels. The teachers meditated using several meditation techniques. They focused on their memories, their feelings, and how to develop empathy for those around them. The article is from Newsreview.com.

Using Meditation to be happier and nicer.

The article, “Meditating makes people happier, nicer”, Source: NewsReview

“A study that put 82 female schoolteachers through a short, intensive meditation regimen found the test subjects were less depressed, anxious or stressed, and more compassionate and aware of other’s emotions.”

For the full article please go here.

Teacher smiling — Happiness is key to success in any career.

It is interesting to read how daily meditation can improve relaxation, reduce stress and help with keeping a positive attitude. One has to wonder how much nicer the world would be if everyone took a few minutes a day to meditate and learn to relax. If you want to learn how to meditate or want to learn more, please visit our meditation website.

Learn to Meditate

Posted on April 3, 2012October 12, 2022 by Dominick Flarey

With life becoming more busy and hectic these days, it is important to take the time to care for yourself, center your body and your mind and your spirit, and the best way to achieve this is when you learn to meditate. Meditation is the process of clearing your mind of all thoughts and clutter, and relaxing into a state of clarity.
Many of us are constantly on the go, with work, children and activities outside of the home, and we tend to get extremely stressed out which has a very negative impact on our body. The body is designed to withstand a certain amount of stress; however, when we are under “attack” from every angle, our bodies can start to give in to the effects of stress. This makes us more open to disease and illness, and it is simple to avoid this by learning meditation techniques.
There is no big secret to mediation, and if you want to learn to meditate, you simply need to have an open mind. There is a certain spiritual aspect to this activity which you will tap into even if you are not the least bit spiritual. You need to find a space in your home that is quiet and well ventilated where you can sit alone for as much time as you need without being interrupted.
All that you need to do is sit in a quiet area, in a comfortable position, usually on the floor with your legs crossed. Closing your eyes, you will deep breath for several seconds, up to one minute. You will then tense up your body and then allow it to relax, letting the tension leave you with the breath you exhale as you relax. While you have been concentrating on your breathing, you can now just put that aside and let it happen naturally. You will simply think of one single thought and nothing else. Some people smile when they are meditating, while others may weep. It is a state of complete relaxation that is time you take for yourself.
If you want to learn to meditate, you must practice each day for as much time as it takes for you to feel relaxed. Taking this time for yourself will allow you to feel more peaceful and give you a much more positive outlook on life.

Benefits of Meditation

There are so many benefits to meditation, and it is free and takes less than 20 minutes per day. Your body will reap many wonderful benefits from this practice, including:

• Increased blood flow and a slower heart rate;
• Slows down the aging process;
• A known cure for headaches and relief from migraines;
• Weight loss benefits and the normalization of your weight;
• A significant reduction in free radicals, reducing damage to tissues;
• Beneficial and lasting changes to the electrical activity in the brain;
• A significant decrease in muscle tension
• Lowers your consumption of oxygen;
• Can improve and speed up post- operative healing;
• Decreases perspiration (for those who sweat excessively);
• Can dramatically improve your immunity.

The brain is an extremely powerful organ, and when you learn how to relax it and provide it with much needed rest, it can use that reserved energy to heal other parts of your body. Stress increases the presence of free radicals and speeds up the aging process. This is why people who are under intense stress all of the time just look that much older.
In addition to the physical changes you will experience when you learn to mediate, you will also find yourself with more confidence, a greater ability to focus and concentrate and better moods. When you are in a better and more positive state of mind with good moods all of the time, you will simply feel like participating in life more. This is why mediation is a good solution for people who find themselves susceptible to depression.
Meditation can also help you to develop your creativity if you are artistic, help you to retain more (memory), help you to develop your intuition and help you to feel rejuvenated. You will gain the ability to react more effectively to stress, instead of absorbing all of the stress, you will be able to redirect it and expel it through meditation.
If you are person who worries a lot, meditation can help you to deal with your worries and fears. By centering your thoughts and focusing on yourself and positive things, you will be able to dispel all of the negative feelings and replace them with peace of mind and happiness.

Meditation Instruction

Posted on March 29, 2012October 12, 2022 by Dominick Flarey

Consider becoming a certified Meditation Instructor and bring the health and benefits of meditation to multiple clients Thank you for visiting our AIHCP web blog. This category of the blog focuses on the specialty practice of Meditation Instruction. Our blog provides our visitors and professional members and students an ever expanding platform for related articles, information, discussions, event announcements and much more. We invite your participation by posting comments, information, sharing and authoring for our blog. Please visit us often and be sure to book mark us!