Day 24 of 365 - Meditation; It's Worth a Try
Over the years I have tried different forms of meditation with varying degrees of success. There are so many styles available which range from simply paying attention to your breath on one end of the spectrum, to spending an hour or longer on paying attention to a very specific guided technique. I've had experiences from one end of the range to the other.
I have such a busy mind that, simply watching my breath is not very successful for me. I tend to multi-task, trying to pay attention to my in and out breath while also making a to do list in my head or analyzing something else.
What seems to work best for me are guided meditations, particularly if they have music in the background. This distracts my mind enough to allow it to relax.
Today I'm going to mention two styles that I've used on an ongoing basis. Part of the reason for today's post being on this topic of meditation is, that there is a free online 21 Day Meditation Experience starting tomorrow. So, if your interest is tweaked, you still have time to sign up. There have been several of these offered by the Chopra Center. Most of them have featured Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra guiding us on a particular theme. This new one however, with the title of Energize Your Life, features just Deepak.
One of the reasons I like these series so much is, that it is a limited time commitment for each daily session which you can listen to at your leisure, and each meditation is available for 5 days in case you get behind. The format is about 10 minutes of introductory speaking related to the topic of the day followed by presenting a related Sanskrit mantra which you repeat silently in your head for 10 or so minutes of meditation while gentle music plays. That's it! I like it and find it quite soothing. If you want to register, this is the link: https://chopracentermeditation.com
Another form of meditation I use regularly is called Zen 12. The name is related to the early meditations in the series being only 12 minutes long. This is a series which I purchased for a very affordable price. There are 12 levels, so you could use each one for a month at a time if you like. For each level there are four style choices; relaxation music, guided meditation, nature sounds or white noise.
Special pulses play in the background which replicate meditative brainwave frequencies. As you listen your brain entrains to these frequencies to take you into a meditative state in a short time. As you move on through the levels, the meditations get a little longer but still never more than about 20 minutes. I relax deeply with these, often even nod off for part of it, but always awake just as it is ending. It's like a combination power nap and meditation. If you want to learn more just do an internet search for Zen 12. You purchase and download these to your computer or whatever device you like to use.
Given that we see and hear in just about every form of media these days, the health and wellness benefits of meditation, from stress reduction to improving other markers of health, it seems well worthwhile to find a type that works for you. I still have ambitions to do more lengthy meditations on a regular basis, but for now, the ones I've described work for me.
I have such a busy mind that, simply watching my breath is not very successful for me. I tend to multi-task, trying to pay attention to my in and out breath while also making a to do list in my head or analyzing something else.
What seems to work best for me are guided meditations, particularly if they have music in the background. This distracts my mind enough to allow it to relax.
Today I'm going to mention two styles that I've used on an ongoing basis. Part of the reason for today's post being on this topic of meditation is, that there is a free online 21 Day Meditation Experience starting tomorrow. So, if your interest is tweaked, you still have time to sign up. There have been several of these offered by the Chopra Center. Most of them have featured Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra guiding us on a particular theme. This new one however, with the title of Energize Your Life, features just Deepak.
One of the reasons I like these series so much is, that it is a limited time commitment for each daily session which you can listen to at your leisure, and each meditation is available for 5 days in case you get behind. The format is about 10 minutes of introductory speaking related to the topic of the day followed by presenting a related Sanskrit mantra which you repeat silently in your head for 10 or so minutes of meditation while gentle music plays. That's it! I like it and find it quite soothing. If you want to register, this is the link: https://chopracentermeditation.com
Another form of meditation I use regularly is called Zen 12. The name is related to the early meditations in the series being only 12 minutes long. This is a series which I purchased for a very affordable price. There are 12 levels, so you could use each one for a month at a time if you like. For each level there are four style choices; relaxation music, guided meditation, nature sounds or white noise.
Special pulses play in the background which replicate meditative brainwave frequencies. As you listen your brain entrains to these frequencies to take you into a meditative state in a short time. As you move on through the levels, the meditations get a little longer but still never more than about 20 minutes. I relax deeply with these, often even nod off for part of it, but always awake just as it is ending. It's like a combination power nap and meditation. If you want to learn more just do an internet search for Zen 12. You purchase and download these to your computer or whatever device you like to use.
Given that we see and hear in just about every form of media these days, the health and wellness benefits of meditation, from stress reduction to improving other markers of health, it seems well worthwhile to find a type that works for you. I still have ambitions to do more lengthy meditations on a regular basis, but for now, the ones I've described work for me.
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