wellness wednesday - the art of meditation
Jul 23rd, 2008 by indigo-daisy
It doesn’t matter what religion you are or even if you have no religion at all, meditation is a way to quite your mind from all the busyness of the world. The practice of meditation is not only healthy for your mind, it has physical benefits as well. It can help to ease the stress which causes inflammation in your body.
There is nothing rocket science about meditation, and there is a plethora of books covering the subject, however, there is one book that I found to be as simple and beautiful as they come. It was written by the late Eknath Easwaran simply titled Meditation .
This book is a simple eight step program that teaches you to calm your mind, focus your attention and make time in your life for spiritual growth. There is no dogma, or elaborate rituals involved….just a simple method to make it easier for those in the west who have trouble quieting their mind to simply meditate.
The eight step program can be found published free on the wesite of the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation; a foundation in which Easwaran founded before he died. Check it out and give it a try .
Both your body and mind will appreciate it.
Thank you so much for this post!! This is just what I needed. I have been looking for a good way to get into meditation for a long time. I long to clear my mind but have never been able to do it. I can’t thank you enough for this. Well done for wellness wednesday!
So glad you could use it. Personally I think it is one of the best things you can do for your body and mind.
It is so true that western culture generally does not grasp or practice the value of quiet and solitude. I have often sought this quiet in nature.
But I loved what Sean Murphy, meditation and writing teacher, said to me about that. The essence of his comment: “its easy to be in the moment when you are doing something you love. The challenge is being fully present when you don’t love what you’re doing or what’s happening around you. Meditation helps even out the roller coaster.” I loved that, a peace you can always carry inside.
I agree that meditation is good for mind and body.
Seems so simple - sitting still and breathing. When I actually meditate (which isn’t nearly often enough) it always helps.
usually when i am trying to meditate or do a guided relaxation it is when i am surrounded by teenagers at work, tis one thing i promised myself this year to do, i have terrible insomnia cause as soon as my head hits the pillow i start ruminating over the days events and before you know it it’s 1am and i’m dog tired. i want to learn to do a meditation before going to bed so that i can relax my mind enough to say goodbye to the day…great advice Deborah, will definately chase up that book, thanks so much xo
Love the quote from Sean Murphy, thank you Vickie.
Thanks for stopping by Welshcakes
It actually is quite simple CoW, and I don’t do it enough either
Hi Kyles, welcome back dear friend. You don’t really need the book, the method is written out on their website. You basically find a passage that resonates well with you, mine is the written by St. Francis of Assisi “Lord make me and instrument of thy peace, where there is hatred let me sow love….”
Also see my wellness post from last week on using Velariem Root to help sleep, for me it takes the edge off without the side effects of grogginess in the morning.
i love meditation, its the only time I can just stop and be. Great post.
Welcome Tania! Yes people in the west really need to take time to quiet their mind a bit. I popped in at your blog today, it is simple and lovely. I have saved it in my diffbot bookmarks.