Relaxation Through Meditation
My preference would be to call meditation relaxation – conscious relaxation, chosen relaxation. These are words that are more universally understood, more comfortable. Constantly working toward the goal of discovering my own ability to reach a state of serenity, I have learned to meditate. Meditating is actually easier than you might imagine. Most of us have dabbled in meditation by participating in conscious relaxation. Maybe during an exercise class or to manage pain at the dentist or anxiety before a test. We start by paying attention to our breathing. The practical effort to focus completely on our breathing takes our minds away from the "mind clutter" that constantly tries to invade our mind and eliminate feelings that will lead to a time of calm. With repeated effort the goal of clearing your mind – to think of nothing, does occur and the process of meditation takes on its own energy. The result is peace, serenity, calmness, eventually opening yourself to new insights.
Meditating for Life
Too much stress, stress reduction, chill out, let it go, detach – familiar phrases to all of us. Our world is fast, fun and exciting. It is also challenging, trying, demanding and frightening. These two sides of our lives produce stress, emotional reactions, anxiety, worry and anticipation. Our bodies and minds can tolerate only so much of any of these. After a while, each of us reaches a saturation point and the results become uncomfortable at best; for some it may be unbearable, even unendurable.
No magic pill is available to eliminate these feelings. The reality is, as the wise old man said, the answer is inside all of us. To manage these universal concerns we must go inside ourselves. Among the steps we can take is the learning and practicing of meditation.
What to Expect
With time and faith in the commitment to practice frequently, (daily meditating is ideal), during your meditation time you may "leave the moment." A feeling of separation exists where the mind is clear, clean and blank. You will still hear sounds around you, but they will not interfere with your meditation.
Sometimes you may weep -- you may not even be aware of what is making you weep. It is your own emotions having a voice of their own. Sometimes you may feel a smile across your face -- that is contentment showing itself. Sometimes you may fall asleep and awaken truly refreshed.
There is no right or wrong behavior during your meditation. It is your time for you. There is no specific thing you are ‘supposed’ to do – it is time for you to just be, nothing to do and no place to get too. You deserve this kind of personal attention. This is time that is just for you! It’s a bold act of self-care! Not only will you begin to feel more positive energy, you will also begin to get more in touch with, what I call, your ‘inner knower’. Your inner knower is that voice or intuitive place in you that knows your truth. This is usually a small voice that, when you get really still, you can hear. It’s the part of us that knows our deepest truth. During meditation we can more readily access and hear this part of ourselves. Essentially, not only can mediation help you to feel more peaceful and grounded but it can also lead you to having more clarity for yourself and your life. Imagine what the world would be like if we all took a little time each day for ourselves to relax... Or meditate. Enjoy!
Nikki Anderson, Nikki Anderson specializes in working with women who are ready to boldly step into a bigger life of choice, empowerment and conscious living. Over the years, Nikki has mentored, counseled and coached dozens of extraordinary women on how to dare to dream and then explore, identify and reach their goals. Nikki helps you learn how to make yourself a priority, create intention in your life, and feel inspired by the action you are taking toward creating a life of newly defined, attainable success from the inside out. Nikki brings to her coaching nearly a decade of experience in business, psychology and wellness. She studied Nutrition and Psychology at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and received her Masters Degree in Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). Nikki is also the Program Director for SF Coaches, is a member of The International Coaching Federation, and is a graduate of The Coaches Training Institute (CTI).www.coachnikki.com