Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of "Full Catastrophe Living," founded the first medically based stress reduction program in the United States that uses meditation as its foundational treatment. Established in 1995, the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts' Medical School treats stress due to "...work, school, family, financial, illness, aging, grief, uncertainty about the future, and feeling out of control." Taking a cue from this successful program, you can incorporate its tenets of mindfulness and meditation into your daily life, creating a better self-care regimen and developing greater ease and peace of mind.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is foundational Buddhist meditation practice but does not require Buddhist beliefs. By sitting still and paying attention to what's happening in and around you, the practice cultivates an awareness that makes it easier to resist becoming entangled in future fears and past regrets. To practice mindfulness, you practice sitting still and paying attention deliberately without judging anything. This practice is the heart of all meditation and cultivates greater clarity and awareness.
Breath Awareness
Breath awareness meditation is the practice of giving your full attention to the full inhale as it comes in and one full exhale as it is releases. Practice keeping your mind focused on your breath alone. Give yourself permission to let go of all ideas about the past or future. Simply return to your breath when your mind begins to wander. This is the way you string times of mindfulness together, one breath at a time.
Mantra
Buddhist meditation instructor Guru Rinpoche suggests the use the mantra "om mani padme hum" which, he says, are six ancient syllables which can be the strongest remedy against illness. To practice this technique, close your eyes and repeat the mantra continuously for the complete meditation period. As you do this, your increased focus to the sound creates a state of relaxation. If you notice your mind wandering, gently bring your attention back to your mantra. Eventually, you increase your ability to relax at will by re-focusing your attention this way.
Member Comments
cindisilva April 28
by cindisilva on April 28, 2011 at 6:00 PM
I invite you to watch my video on how to meditate on my you tube channel CindiSilva Teaches. You might also want to try the full body meditation. I hope this helps. A simple meditation exercise you can do any time, anywhere is breathe 3x, half smiling -- on the in breath pay attention to how it feels as the air goes into your nose as you inhale, and on the out breath pay attention to how it feels as the air leaves your nose as you exhale. I think of this as a happy up yourself meditation, because doing this simple meditation for about 1 minute brings you clarity, gives you a boost of energy and happiness by keeping you calm.
Cindi Silva Communication Coach|
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