Meditation: A First Step To Embracing A Healthy Lifestyle

Don't worry, you are not alone. I would guess that most people are like that. But how do you think they are doing? How are you doing? The best measure of your success is your own feelings. The best way to assess the health of your lifestyle is to take a step back.

My favorite tool for taking that first step back is meditation. The goal of meditation is to silence the tapes in your head, but you don't just tell them over and over to shut up, you find something totally different to focus on. Try it for just 10 minutes right now. Light a candle in the quietest part of your home and find a comfortable sitting position where you can watch the candle flame. This can be cross-legged on the floor, on a pillow, or in a comfortable chair. Anywhere you can sit comfortably with correct posture for 10 minutes.

Now just look at the candle and let your mind relax. If too many thoughts crowd into your mind one after another, concentrate on your breathing. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Allow your chest to fill with air, expanding fully, then release.

Another thing you can focus on is the muscles in your body. Contract and then release your toes, your feet, your ankles, your calves, one part at a time. Just choose a focus that works for you, and do it for 10 minutes. Whenever a thought enters your head, name it -- "I'm thinking about doing the laundry later" -- then let it go. Refocus.

If the time goes quickly and you want to continue, do it for 10 minutes more, or longer. Otherwise, stop at 10. Before you jump up and get on with your day, take a moment to recognize how you feel. Name how you feel. Do you feel relaxed, renewed, more able to focus than before you meditated, happy, peaceful, content... give it a name, and then state it as an affirmation. Stand in front of a mirror, look yourself in the eye, and say "I AM content with myself and at peace with my life," or, "I AM relaxed and ready to take on any challenge."

Now take a moment to take a few steps back from yourself, as if you were looking at a picture of your life from a distance. See exactly where you are, your surroundings, your activities, your duties, your thoughts. Now squint your eyes (in your imagination) and look at your life as if it was an impressionistic painting. What colors do you see? How do you feel about your life? Are you living a healthy lifestyle?

Where do you want to go to change this picture of your life?

Every time you meditate and do the following steps, imagine that your mirror image and the picture of your life are becoming ever closer to what you wish they could be.

And when you finally step back into your daily life, when you're scheduling your day, make sure that everything you do is working with you, not against you, as you become this evolved person in this new healthy lifestyle.

It's all about attitude. You choose whether you wash your dishes resenting the chore or appreciating the opportunity to create a clean, healthy, pleasant kitchen.

Know that you can make the changes necessary to creating a healthier lifestyle. Start living your life as if it truly were your own!

Did this article show you how you can start taking control of your life with intention and purpose? Come see what else Kathryn Beach has to share about healthy living on her website "Healthy Lifestyle". http://healthy-lifestyle.7affiliatecentral.com

Keywords: meditation,self-improvement,healthy lifestyle,Kathryn Beach

About the Author
Kathryn Beach, Lower Sackville
More Details about meditation here. Kathryn Beach writes about affiliate marketing in her free biweekly newsletter. You can sign up for this newsletter and receive the free list building ecourse "Opt In Master Course" at her website: Affiliate Marketing Tips

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What is meditation?

Meditation usually refers to a state in which the body is consciously relaxed and the mind is allowed to become calm and focused. Several major religions include ritual meditation; however, meditation itself need not be a religious or spiritual activity. Most of the more popular systems of meditation are of Eastern origin, though there exists also various forms of Christian, Jewish and Muslim meditation.
Meditation as a form of alternative medicine brings about mental calmness and physical relaxation by suspending the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind. Generally performed once or twice a day for approximately 20 minutes at a time, meditation is used to reduce stress, alter hormone levels, and elevate one's mood.
A discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. Employed since ancient times in various forms by all religions, the practice gained greater notice in the post war US as interest in Zen Buddhism rose. Meditation is now used by many nonreligious adherents as a method of stress reduction; known to lower levels of cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress. Enhances recuperation and improves the body’s resistance to disease.
Meditation is an easy and simple way to balance a person's physical, emotional, and mental states. It is easily learned and has been used as an aid in treating stress, anxiety, pain management, and as part of an overall treatment for other conditions including hypertension and heart disease. Research shows that meditation decreases the heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen consumption, and even decreases blood pressure.